The hottest Behavioral Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

La différence entre menace et avertissement

L'Atelier Galita • 39 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Decision Theory Game Theory Ethics Behavioral Science
  1. Threats and warnings are not the same. A threat implies a promise of harm, while a warning offers a caution about potential danger.
  2. Decision-making can be influenced by understanding these differences. Knowing how people respond to threats and warnings helps in planning actions.
  3. Real-life examples can illustrate the impact of threats versus warnings. Recognizing these concepts can improve communication and strategy in various situations.

Smarter thinking in everyday life

Brain Pizza • 662 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Cognitive Science Mental health Decision-making Behavioral Science Self-reflection
  1. Understanding how your brain works helps you deal with daily problems better. This means recognizing your own thinking patterns can improve your decision-making.
  2. By knowing common biases and habits, you can improve how you think and behave. This helps you make better choices and reach your goals more effectively.
  3. Small changes in your thinking can lead to big improvements in life. Using these insights helps you shape your actions and make smarter decisions daily.

What if societies were (deliberately) built to learn? (part one)

Brain Pizza • 794 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🚌 Education Learning methods Social Issues Public Policy Behavioral Science
  1. An 'experimenting society' uses real-life experiments to solve social problems. Instead of guessing solutions, we can test ideas to see what really works.
  2. Complex issues like poverty and health don’t have easy answers. We often need deep expertise and careful study to find effective solutions instead of relying on common sense.
  3. Learning from mistakes is important. If societies are built to learn, they can adapt and improve over time by evaluating what strategies succeed or fail.

Science fictions are outpacing science facts for polygenic embryo selection

The Infinitesimal • 479 implied HN points • 13 Jul 24
🔬 Science Genetics Biotechnology Ethics Behavioral Science
  1. Polygenic embryo selection may not improve outcomes significantly for complex traits like IQ or education, as gains from such selections are often minimal.
  2. Screening for diseases may also have limited results, especially when those diseases are defined by arbitrary thresholds rather than clear biological mechanisms.
  3. There may be unintended consequences from embryo selection, such as increased risk for other traits, due to complex genetic correlations that are not fully understood.

Psychology Links, 2/5/2025

In My Tribe • 486 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🔬 Science Psychology Decision-making Behavioral Science Risk Assessment Social Dynamics
  1. Humans tend to overreact to potential dangers. It's safer for our brains to think a harmless stick is a snake than to miss a real snake and get hurt.
  2. We often make decisions using shortcuts instead of thinking things through fully. This can lead to big mistakes because our brain swaps complicated questions for simpler ones quickly and without us noticing.
  3. Gossip plays a big role in how we connect with others. It helps us understand people's actions and build trust, showing how important social relationships are in our lives.
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People Spend Too Much Time On Decisions with Equally Satisfying Outcomes

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 984 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
📖 Philosophy Decision-making Cognitive Bias Behavioral Science Rationality
  1. People often waste time making decisions that don't have a big difference in the outcome. It's okay to choose quickly when the results are similar.
  2. Analysis paralysis can happen when someone overthinks decisions. Simplifying the process can help avoid this trap.
  3. Making a choice and moving forward can lead to more satisfaction than worrying too much about what could have been done differently. Taking action is usually better than hesitating.

How The Psychologist Got Confused

Living Fossils • 27 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Evolutionary Psychology Behavioral Science Philosophy of science
  1. Just because something is called an explanation doesn't mean it really explains anything. A word can't fully clarify complex ideas.
  2. Complex topics need more detailed models to explain them. Simple labels aren't enough for deeper understanding.
  3. Many psychologists struggle with clear explanations because they often focus on labels rather than real underlying processes or mechanisms.

Notes on Reading: Who Gets What and Why (Part 1)

Nonsense on Stilts • 79 implied HN points • 13 Jul 24
🚌 Education Economics Markets Decision-making Behavioral Science Book Reviews
  1. Matching markets are about people choosing each other rather than just buying and selling. This can include markets for jobs, schools, and even dating.
  2. In these markets, people's choices depend on each other's preferences, which can lead to complex situations. For example, if one person wants to team up with another, their choice might rely on who that second person prefers.
  3. People often lie about their preferences in matching markets to seem more appealing. This can lead to a situation where no one believes what others say, but it's a common behavior to improve chances of getting good matches.

The Placebo Effect in Therapy (Part 1/2)

Living Fossils • 18 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Placebo effect Psychotherapy Behavioral Science
  1. There are over seventy types of therapy, each with its own method, but research shows they often work about the same. It's called the Dodo bird verdict.
  2. The placebo effect plays a big role in therapy success. Just believing that therapy will help can lead to real changes.
  3. Instead of focusing on which therapy type is best, it might be smarter to understand what makes therapy work, like a supportive environment and the client's expectations.

"A Theory of Everyone" by Michael Muthukrishna

Optimally Irrational • 33 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
📚 Literature Book Reviews Science Social Science Behavioral Science Anthropology
  1. Muthukrishna's book looks at human behavior and society through four key ideas: energy, innovation, cooperation, and evolution. These ideas help explain how life and societies develop over time.
  2. The author connects concepts from physics and social sciences, showing how energy sources have influenced human progress and how cooperation among people has been crucial for success.
  3. The book also offers insights into today's social issues, suggesting ways to improve democracy and education, while pushing for more cooperation and innovation to tackle challenges like inequality and political division.

Considerable overlap

Klement on Investing • 3 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
🔬 Science Behavioral Science Animal studies Cognitive skills Statistics Economics
  1. Baboons can learn to assess scatterplots and identify trends, similar to humans. This shows that different species can have overlapping skills in certain tasks.
  2. In general, smart baboons can outperform less intelligent humans in recognizing relationships in data. This highlights that intelligence can vary greatly, even within our own species.
  3. The study suggests that education plays a big role in developing skills, like understanding statistics. Humans often learn these concepts in school, while baboons do not.

Cybernetics: The Key to a Unifying Framework for Psychology

Mind & Mythos • 299 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology Mental health Therapy Personality Behavioral Science
  1. Psychology lacks a unifying framework like biology's evolutionary theory. This makes it hard to connect different areas of psychology effectively.
  2. Human personality can be explained using the Big Five traits, which show how people behave and react. These traits can also help us understand mental illness.
  3. Psychopathology, or mental illness, happens when there's a breakdown in managing personal goals. It's linked to how we handle challenges based on our personality traits.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Cybernetic Perspective

Mind & Mythos • 259 implied HN points • 31 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Therapy Psychology Mental health Behavioral Science Cognitive Science
  1. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) helps people deal with mental health issues by changing negative thoughts and behaviors. It focuses on understanding one’s feelings and gradually facing fears to feel better.
  2. The Cybernetic Theory of Psychopathology suggests that mental health issues relate to how well a person's goals and strategies match their experiences. If a person struggles to meet their goals, it can lead to anxiety and depression.
  3. In therapy, helping clients identify their goals and tackle their negative thoughts is key. Techniques like behavioral experiments and scheduling enjoyable activities can help clients regain confidence and improve their mood.

Understanding Human Personality

Mind & Mythos • 319 implied HN points • 17 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology Personality Mental health Behavioral Science Emotional Wellbeing
  1. Personality describes who people are and can change over time or in different situations. It's not just about traits, but also about how people can act differently under various circumstances.
  2. The Five Factor Model (FFM) outlines five major traits—Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness—which help us understand how personality affects our actions and relationships.
  3. Cybernetic Big Five Theory explains how our personality traits drive our goals and behaviors. It shows how feedback from our environment helps us adapt and achieve what we need.

Left-Wing Authoritarians are Averse to Masculine Looking Men

Unsafe Science • 137 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
🔬 Science Evolutionary Psychology Behavioral Science Personality Traits Research Studies
  1. Left-wing authoritarians are averse to masculine-looking men.
  2. Masculinized men can be perceived as threatening by left-wing authoritarians due to their physical advantages in conflict.
  3. Evolutionary history influences how people make judgments about others based on appearance, impacting social interactions and group dynamics.

The best behavioral frameworks for creating great products

The Kahneman Bot • 39 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Behavioral Science Product Development User Behavior Psychology
  1. Behavioral frameworks play a crucial role in product development by focusing on influencing user behavior and decision-making.
  2. Frameworks like EAST, Hooked, and Influence offer practical guidelines for improving products by making actions easy, attractive, and timely.
  3. Models like COM-B and Fogg's Behavior Model help product teams consider the wider environment and factors influencing user behavior.

Why We Stopped Charging Airbnb Cleaning Fee

Wetware Snippets • 11 implied HN points • 18 Apr 24
💼 Business Economics Behavioral Science Service Industry Market Trends Customer Relations
  1. Removing the cleaning fee led guests to leave the apartment cleaner because they felt a sense of respect for the host and the property.
  2. Guests shift their mindset from social norms, which promote kindness, to market norms when a cleaning fee is charged, thinking that cleaning is no longer their responsibility.
  3. Understanding the difference between social and market norms is important, as mixing them can change people’s behavior in unexpected ways.

How to get into tech as a behavioral scientist

The Kahneman Bot • 19 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
💼 Business Tech Start-ups Product Management Data science Behavioral Science
  1. To get into tech as a behavioral scientist, consider starting in a junior PM role, transferring internally, working at a startup, or starting your own company.
  2. Before transitioning into tech, make sure you enjoy building software and understand how tech teams work.
  3. Experienced behavioral scientists can enter tech by joining a big tech company as a researcher, rebranding as a data scientist, or joining a tech company that values behavioral science as part of its IP.

Have We Been Fooled by PrimeWorld?

Holodoxa • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jul 22
🔬 Science Research Psychology Social Issues Behavioral Science Academic Publishing
  1. Critically looking at flashy but weak academic research is essential to avoid misguided social initiatives based on unreliable findings
  2. Popular media and journalistic venues often promote non-replicable science as easy solutions to complex problems, leading to wasteful institutional investments in ineffective programs
  3. Emphasizing rigorous scientific methods and exploring alternative solutions beyond 'quick fixes' is crucial in addressing social issues and avoiding costly yet ineffective interventions

What (some) people think about cultured meat

The Counterfactual • 19 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🍲 Food & Drink Behavioral Science Agriculture Sustainability
  1. Disgust sensitivity and gender are important factors in whether people want to try cultured meat. Generally, men are more willing than women, and those who feel more disgusted are less likely to try it.
  2. How people feel about cultured meat really matters. If they express positive feelings, they're more likely to want to try it and even pay extra for it.
  3. Even with different factors considered, only about 25% of what makes people willing to try cultured meat can be explained. This shows there's still a lot to discover about what influences these decisions.

✳✴❇ Behavioural Science, Better Data Engineering & Timnit Gebru’s New Institute

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 05 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Data science Machine Learning Behavioral Science Analytics Engineering
  1. Behavioral science can improve how data engineering is done. Understanding how people think and behave helps create better tech solutions.
  2. There’s a new hackathon for data scientists featuring a challenge to predict loan defaults. It has already attracted over 1,000 participants.
  3. A conference for machine learning developers will be held in-person in Bangalore. It's a great opportunity to learn and connect with others in the field.

Horse Races, Real and Political: Intrade's Favorite-Longshot Bias

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 05 Jan 12
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Elections Betting Economics Behavioral Science Political Analysis
  1. Betters often prefer longshots to favorites, even when the favorites are better bets. This is known as the favorite-longshot bias.
  2. Studies show that betting on favorites tends to result in less loss compared to betting on longshots. Longshots usually lead to worse returns over time.
  3. This bias affects how people place bets in political markets too, leading to irrational choices like favoring less likely candidates just for the excitement.

Information as constraint of behavior

Space chimp life • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Behavioral Science Information Theory Systems theory Cognitive Science
  1. Institutions shape how we behave by restricting certain actions. This can be seen in clear rules or by making other choices harder or more costly.
  2. Information is created when different conditions allow an entity to do work, as shown in the example of a simple organism's behavior. The way it manages energy and information is crucial for survival.
  3. Just like simple organisms, institutions also gather information from their environment and use it to influence our actions. The way they set up rules determines the kind of work they can do.

Coming soon

The Kahneman Bot • 0 implied HN points • 05 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Behavioral Science Tech Psychology Newsletter Product Management
  1. The newsletter explores the connection between behavioral science and technology, focusing on how technology uses psychology and behavioral biases.
  2. The author has a diverse background, including training in economics, consulting, working at the UK's Nudge Unit, and being a Product Manager at a tech scale-up.
  3. The newsletter includes insights from a meeting in 2007 between psychologists, notably Daniel Kahneman, and tech leaders, showcasing how tech has integrated behavioral science concepts since the Web 2.0 era.

This is how tech is using behavioral science today

The Kahneman Bot • 0 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Behavioral Science Product Management Design Engineering
  1. Product squads in tech actively use psychology and behavior science tactics like personalization and defaults to drive metrics.
  2. Top nudges used today include personalization, timely prompts, defaults, and social norms, while scarcity and commitment devices are less common.
  3. Personalization and defaults are perceived as the most effective techniques for driving metrics in tech products, with defaults being notably effective in behavioral science.

GRANTED: The costs of convenience and the benefits of humility

Granted • 0 implied HN points • 31 Mar 18
🏥 Health & Wellness Mindfulness Memory Self-awareness Behavioral Science
  1. Choosing convenience always may mean missing out on the meaningful struggles that give life depth and value.
  2. Taking a break in a quiet space post-learning can boost memory recall significantly, showing that memory consolidation happens during wakeful rest.
  3. In the modern era, one's reputation as a trustworthy source is becoming more crucial than the sheer accumulation of knowledge.

GRANTED: The new books to read this fall

Granted • 0 implied HN points • 01 Sep 19
📚 Literature Books Reading Authorship Behavioral Science Leadership
  1. When meeting new people, ask 'What do you love to do?' instead of 'What do you do?' to encourage unique interests and deeper conversations.
  2. Leadership requires keeping your ego in check by promoting those who challenge you and accepting privileges that enhance your work.
  3. Elite schools are reinforcing inequality, not meritocracy, by admitting more students from high-income families than low-income families.

Generative Agents 2.0

Gonzo ML • 0 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Research Simulation Data science Behavioral Science
  1. Researchers successfully created AI agents that can simulate 1,052 real people with about 85% accuracy. This means the AI can closely mimic how real people would respond in various situations.
  2. The study highlights the importance of interviews over surveys, as they provide deeper insights into people’s behaviors and thoughts, allowing the AI to generate better follow-up questions and responses.
  3. These AI agents have potential uses in social science research. They could help predict public reactions to policy changes or simulate behavioral responses, leading to new methods of understanding human decision-making.