
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
75 FOLLOWERS
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics by Alessandro Innocenti.
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
7h ago
Microsoft Says Workers are Already Using AI to Lighten Workloads, at Risk to Their Own Brainpower Eccentric science-fiction author and technophile Douglas Adams once wrote about how tech was taking an effort-saving role in people’s lives: “Dishwashers washed tedious dishes for you, thus saving you the bother of washing them yourself,” he explained, and “video ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
2d ago
Flipping the Switch: How Embracing Cognitive Scarcity Can Brighten Energy Poverty Imagine a single mother in an urban slum, juggling her job, household chores, and the constant pressure of keeping her children fed. Her home is dimly lit, her appliances few and inefficient. Each month, she faces tough choices: pay for electricity, buy food, or ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
3d ago
Seeing the Invisible Side of a Tariff Although one number like 25% or 10% can identify a tariff, there is much more we cannot see. A Tariff’s Choices. Looking at tariffs, we can ask if the importer has a choice. Their alternatives can determine the tariff’s impact. Few Choices. U.S. farmers get almost all of ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
3d ago
Here’s how to use your imagination to prepare for any task From sport to public speaking, the link between mental imagery and actual performance is undeniable – and you can harness it. You’re preparing for a big event: a presentation, say, or a tennis match or a piano recital. Your mind wanders, envisioning every possible ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
5d ago
My Status Circles Most of us have circles of concern, where we care more about folks from our inner circles than our outer circles. And relative to conservatives, liberals care more about their outer circle folks. Status is a consensus measure of personal worth, and respect, shared by some community. And our status markers also ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
6d ago
How urinal heights in California made me kinder Men’s restrooms in California are interesting. Among multiple urinals, one is almost always placed significantly lower than the others. At Stanford University’s Y2E2 building, the engineering department’s restroom features a lowered urinal. D.School, home to Stanford’s designers and creativity thinkers, also incorporates this principle. In the Mountain ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
6d ago
Make Something Out of Your Mental Health Challenges Separated by an ocean–of geography and privilege– two expansively intelligent and openhearted men were born on this day in 1809. The prism of history filters out the brightest colors of their extraordinary accomplishments, yet the subtler hues–their under-recognized contributions to mental health–are worth celebrating too. Abraham Lincoln ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
1w ago
How to Solve a Chicken Wing Mystery At a whopping 276 in 12 minutes, Australian James Webb won the wings eating competition in Buffalo on September 1, 2024. However, you might wonder (as did I) how they select the winner when everyone strips chicken off a bone–some more and some less. They solve the problem ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
1w ago
What a 1980s Power Ballad Taught Me About Emotion It wasn’t a particularly memorable fall Saturday morning, except for the fact that my younger daughter, Dani, was out of sorts. My family and I were about to pile into the car for her soccer game, normally one of the highlights of the week, but Dani ..read more
The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics
1w ago
Sleep Strengthens Emotionally Charged Memories During Non-REM Phase Researchers have discovered that positive emotions enhance perceptual memories during sleep, particularly in the non-REM stage. Using mice, they found that memories linked to rewarding experiences lasted longer than neutral ones. The amygdala plays a key role in strengthening these memories by activating a tri-regional circuit with ..read more