The hottest Behavior Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

Mastering doing nothing

10x your mind • 59 implied HN points • 06 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Behavior Stress Productivity Creativity
  1. Mastering 'doing nothing' is essential for achieving a balanced and productive mind. Taking time to be non-busy and still is crucial for creative thinking.
  2. Boredom and tech guilt are common issues faced by modern adults and children. Constantly turning to screens to avoid boredom can lead to a lack of satisfaction and meaningful accomplishments.
  3. Encouraging 'doing nothing' time, especially for children, can foster innovation and creativity. Allowing space for boredom and unstructured activities is vital in a world that values innovation over following instructions.

Birds of a Feather

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 119 implied HN points • 10 Mar 22
🔬 Science Biology Ecology Ornithology Behavior Conservation
  1. Pelicans have a unique way of flying together in groups, almost like a dance. They often switch from flying to floating and follow each other's movements.
  2. At Point Lobos, you can see pelicans landing on trees and diving for food. Their diving technique is impressive and shows how skilled they are at catching fish.
  3. The behavior of pelicans can also attract other birds that try to steal their food. It's interesting to see how pelicans react when other birds try to take their meals.

What Can Apes Teach Us About Gender?

Holodoxa • 79 implied HN points • 03 Jul 22
🔬 Science Gender Evolution Biology Behavior
  1. Frans de Waal's book 'Different' explores the biology behind sex and gender differences in humans and society, offering a balanced perspective between social constructionists and biological determinists.
  2. De Waal emphasizes that understanding the biological influences on gender does not prescribe certain behaviors, but rather describes the natural variations in gender expression among primates.
  3. The author caution readers that activism for social equality needs to be informed by a proper understanding of biology, highlighting the importance of balancing science with social issues.
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Awareness is Fun

mindmagic • 19 implied HN points • 01 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Awareness Behavior Language
  1. Increasing and sustaining awareness can be done through innovative methods.
  2. Engaging in arbitrary day-long rules can lead to unexpected situations and personal growth.
  3. Exploring different cultural practices, like Russian smileys, can offer new perspectives and challenges.

Clam Slamming

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 59 implied HN points • 29 Sep 21
🔬 Science Biology Ornithology Ecology Behavior Environmental
  1. Gulls drop clams from heights to crack them open, showing they learn and get better at doing this as they grow older. They choose harder surfaces to help break the clams more easily.
  2. Crows also use a similar technique to open walnuts and adjust their drop heights based on how many times they have already dropped the nut. This shows their intelligence in problem-solving.
  3. Sometimes, using this dropping method can lead to accidents, like when a poet was supposedly killed by a turtle dropped by an eagle. It's a reminder to be careful about falling objects!

Reassessing the Confirmation Bias

Optimally Irrational • 11 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🚌 Education Psychology Behavior Bias Decision-making
  1. Confirmation bias is a widely acknowledged cognitive bias where we tend to seek information that supports our existing beliefs.
  2. In today's world of political polarization, confirmation bias contributes to escalating tensions as people isolate themselves in echo chambers.
  3. Seeking confirmatory information aligns with an optimal information acquisition strategy, especially when considering costs and efficiency.

Story Nine

Stories From The Rail • 19 implied HN points • 31 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Race Media Society Behavior Politics
  1. The field guide describes various species of racists, each with unique traits, habitats, and behaviors.
  2. Some of the racists are self-aware while others are oblivious to their racism, making them challenging to identify and address.
  3. The guide serves as a reminder to be cautious and proactive in recognizing and dealing with racism in its various forms.

Oranges and lemons

The Strategy Toolkit • 8 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🔬 Science Biology Evolution Emotion Behavior Research
  1. Laughter may serve a strategic purpose, including masking other emotions like anger.
  2. Evolutionary biologists study laughter to understand human behavior in incongruous situations and for social communication.
  3. The process of natural selection is likened to a startup's product development, evolving over time like an MVP.

Narcissists vs. pushovers

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Finance Research Behavior Analysis
  1. Narcissistic CFOs tend to manipulate equity analysts, especially those who are perceived as easily influenced.
  2. Narcissistic CFOs employ various persuasion tactics when meeting with analysts, focusing more on analysts deemed pushovers.
  3. Analysts are more likely to issue optimistic forecasts and better ratings for companies with narcissistic CFOs, potentially leading to less reliable information for investors.

Prisoners of our genes or masters of our destiny?

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🔬 Science Psychology Genetics Econometrics Environment Behavior
  1. Our risk and time preferences are influenced by a mix of genetics and environment, with the unique environment playing a significant role.
  2. Despite genetic influences, the most crucial factor driving our preferences and decisions is our unique life experiences and choices.
  3. We have the power to shape our destiny regardless of genetic predispositions or shared environments. What we make of our lives is ultimately up to us.

The game theoretical foundations of morality

Optimally Irrational • 4 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🔬 Science Game Theory Morality Behavior Evolution Cooperation
  1. Game theory shows that cooperation can be rational even in self-interested settings like the Prisoner's Dilemma.
  2. The Folk Theorem explains how sustained cooperation can emerge in repeated interactions through strategies like tit-for-tat.
  3. Simple and intuitive reciprocity-based strategies like tit-for-tat can be successful in promoting cooperation and may underlie our moral intuitions.

Rethinking Authenticity

From the Desk • 2 HN points • 04 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Authenticity Psychology Self-help Behavior Identity
  1. Authenticity has evolved over time from simply factual to a character trait that is now widely misunderstood and overused.
  2. Authenticity can be a paradox, as it relies on others to judge our authenticity, leading to a performance or craft in trying to be authentic.
  3. Being authentic is challenging because it requires navigating personal changes while others evaluate our authenticity, but it's essential to stay true to oneself amidst external influences.

Two Brains, One Team: System 1 and System 2

FutureIQ • 1 implied HN point • 20 Mar 23
🔬 Science Neuroscience Psychology Behavior Cognition Learning
  1. We have two brains: a lizard brain that controls instincts and emotions, and a rational human brain for logical thinking.
  2. System 1 (fast, automatic, emotional) and System 2 (slow, logical) take turns solving tasks based on complexity and time constraints.
  3. System 1 and System 2 work best when they collaborate like a driver and a navigator, each having their roles.

Nudges, Identity and Covid-19

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 06 May 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Behavior Research Data Identity Vaccination
  1. An impressive study in India evaluated interventions to increase vaccination rates for children, showcasing the effectiveness of reminders, incentives, and influential individuals in promoting immunizations.
  2. Studying data and identities during pandemics is crucial for tracking and monitoring testing patterns to ensure workplace safety and address vaccine hesitancy.
  3. Conducting research to understand the impact of pausing vaccine administration on short and long-term vaccine hesitancy is essential for informing public health policies.

What cheeses me off

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 27 Jan 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccination Public Health Immunity Behavior Science
  1. Vaccination has benefits beyond protection that are being overlooked, like conserving scarce vaccine doses by testing for antibodies in individuals who have already had Covid-19.
  2. Public health messages are simplistic and may not account for evolving situations, such as the potential for vaccinated individuals to spread the virus.
  3. Locking up vaccinated individuals without allowing them more freedom can hinder understanding their role in spreading the virus, and a lack of flexibility in responses may lead to behavioral challenges in the future.

It's hard to change people

Hypertext • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
🚌 Education Policy Economics Behavior Programs
  1. It's easier to change people's environment than to change people themselves.
  2. Many criminal justice programs aim to change preferences rather than incentives or constraints, leading to challenges in their effectiveness.
  3. Hot-spot policing is an example of an intervention that changes constraints and has shown a significant impact on crime reduction.

Get Your Rest

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 11 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Sleep Stress Anxiety Mental health Behavior
  1. Good sleep is essential for overall health and well-being, impacting mood, cognition, stress management, and more.
  2. Create an optimal sleep environment by keeping the room dark, quiet, and cool, and addressing factors like co-sleeping with pets.
  3. Improve sleep habits by incorporating physical activity, avoiding caffeine late in the day, setting electronic curfews, and managing stress through techniques like journaling and meditation.

Spread Facts not Virus

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 27 May 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical Mental health Prevention Behavior COVID-19
  1. Key to managing COVID-19 includes wearing masks, being outside when possible, distancing socially, prioritizing handwashing, taking personal responsibility, seeking accurate information, and consulting with doctors.
  2. Super spreaders are individuals who unknowingly transmit the virus to many others, often in dense indoor settings like parties, networking events, and religious gatherings.
  3. While reopening is crucial for mental health, it's important to continue following preventive measures like the MOSH PIT guidelines to reduce the risks until a vaccine is available.

Be the Change

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 09 Apr 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Stress Comfort Behavior
  1. When stressed, people often seek comfort in familiar things like food or activities that trigger pleasure in the brain, similar to how a Jeopardy contestant instinctively pushes the buzzer.
  2. Cravings for comfort during stressful times are a common response to seeking dopamine and relief in the brain's pleasure center.
  3. Global pandemics can trigger behaviors that lead individuals to seek solace in familiar or pleasurable activities like indulging in food or drink.

Misinformation as a way of truth-telling

Hack or Be Hacked • 0 implied HN points • 15 Jun 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Misinformation Democracy Behavior Influence Elections
  1. Assessing the Threat of Misinformation: Evaluating the real impact of misinformation on democracy and the effectiveness of countermeasures is a complex and debated topic.
  2. The existence of misinformation and its social impact are separate: Contrary to popular belief, the presence of misinformation doesn't always translate to significant societal consequences.
  3. The Blurred Line between Misinformation and Truth: People's behavior might not always be directly influenced by misinformation, as personal beliefs and societal issues play a significant role in shaping attitudes.

Negative Nudges

effectiviology • 0 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🚌 Education Behavior Manipulation Awareness
  1. A negative nudge is a manipulation that prompts people to make a decision that's bad for them.
  2. Negative nudges can involve making it easier to choose a bad option or harder to choose a good option.
  3. Be mindful of negative nudges in your environment and use debiasing techniques to overcome their influence.

Policy should be adaptive

Perambulations • 0 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Policy Behavior Public Policy Laws
  1. Policy should be designed to be adaptive and respond to changes in behavior to encourage better outcomes.
  2. Creating new equilibria through adaptive policies can lead to more sustainable changes in collective behavior rather than just individual actions.
  3. Adaptive policies, like those seen in traffic management or public health initiatives, can help promote common goals and shared norms to achieve lasting change in society.

Is Technology Getting Too Far Ahead of Culture?

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Technology Social norms Behavior Traditions
  1. Culture needs time to adapt to new technologies on a societal level, impacting norms, behaviors, traditions, and structures.
  2. Some technologies have caused negative impacts, like social media behaving as a bully or smartphones isolating individuals.
  3. Successful integration of technology with culture requires patience, empathy, and understanding of how change should happen, leading to a better societal state.

Neuro-Nonsense

NonTrivial • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🔬 Science Neuroscience Complexity Brain function Networks Behavior
  1. Neuroscience aims to understand the nervous system, coordinating physical and behavioral attributes.
  2. Understanding what makes individuals unique is complex; differences are not always easy to pinpoint.
  3. Behavior cannot be localized in the brain; complex systems function across networks, not specific regions.

Markets for sports outcomes- The long odds bias!

Musings on Markets • 0 implied HN points • 12 Oct 08
🎾 Sports Betting Outcomes Markets Economics Behavior
  1. People often bet too much on long odds in sports, thinking they might win big, while ignoring the favorites. This usually leads to losing money.
  2. This behavior shows how humans can misjudge probabilities, often thinking rare events are more likely than they are.
  3. In finance, this long odds bias can result in overvaluing risky stocks and undervaluing stable companies, just like in sports betting.

Updates #2

Pav writes • 0 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Ideas Beliefs Psychology Behavior
  1. Game theory in poker underwent a scientific revolution with the advent of data analytics software
  2. Different legal systems utilize unique methods to enforce compliance and maintain order
  3. Creating a self-wiki can be an effective and enjoyable method for memorizing information