Do you ever wish you were a better conversationalist?  

In her excellent book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks introduces her research-backed maxims for improving conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness.

Do you ever wish you – or your team – could “think outside the box” more?

Functional fixedness is a psychological phenomenon that limits our ability to innovate and creatively solve problems – basically, once we know what something is for, it’s harder to imagine 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 uses.

Imagine you're at a World War II exhibit, and the museum guide asks if you’d like to try on a sweater once worn by Adolf Hitler. You’d likely feel disgusted. 𝘞𝘩𝘺?

Magical contagion is the unconscious belief that objects can carry and transfer the “essence” of those who touched them; amazingly, it tends to persist despite the fact that people 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭�� 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 it’s not possible.

On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your intelligence?

What about your attractiveness?

Your work ethic?

I’m guessing you probably scored yourself between 6 to 8 in most of these areas.

Have you been feeling anxious, sad, or angry?

As explained by Psychologist Jenny Taitz in this excellent podcast, while our instinct is to act on these emotions, doing so often makes them worse. “People think that acting how they feel will help them,” she says, “but this tends to intensify our feelings.”

Do you ever say “yes” when you’d rather say “no”?

Dr. Vanessa Patrick studies this common struggle.  As she explains in The Power of Saying No, and this podcast, our social nature makes it hard to say “no,” since “yes” feels expected.

Have you ever sat on an interview panel and felt you knew whether to hire someone within minutes?

Our initial judgments are often automatic, intuitive – and surprisingly accurate.  In social psychology, a “thin slice” refers to a brief sample of someone’s behavior, from just a few seconds to five minutes.

Are you facing any big decisions at the moment?

If so, DON’T use a pros and cons list!

Dr. Annie Duke, decision science expert, world champion poker player, and author of the book How to Decide, has bad news about pros and cons lists:  they don’t help us compare choices, and they’re prone to bias. 

When the world is crumbling around you, old adages like “look on the bright side” or “make the best of a bad situation” can sound flippant or hollow. And yet, there is actually scientific truth in such advice.

“Positive Cognitive Reappraisal” is a psychological strategy by which someone actively changes their interpretation of a situation to see it in a more positive way.

𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 10 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴: Will you still be the same?  How much will your personality, values and preferences change?

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 10 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴: How different were you then?

Do you ever procrastinate? Almost everyone does at some point, especially on difficult tasks, like writing, studying, or exercising. However, research by Suzanne Shu and Ayelet Gneezy reveals that people also regularly postpone enjoyable experiences.

If you have been feeling shocked, scared, or angry lately, you are not alone. 

As described by Psychologist Amit Goldberg in this enlightening podcast, while most of us don’t think about emotions as collective experiences, they are, in fact, shared. Emotional contagion is the human tendency to adopt the emotions of our social surroundings.

Think back to a time you felt really angry, perhaps after you argued with a colleague or family member. Did you do anything to calm down, like distract yourself or reframe the situation?

Have you ever been in conflict with another colleague or team?  How did you feel about their ideas and suggestions?

Reactive devaluation refers to the tendency to dismiss a proposal simply because it comes from an opposing party, regardless of its actual merits.

Have you ever felt particularly moved, and connected to those around you, while you were at a concert, a religious ceremony, or a sporting event?

Do you know anyone who – despite being presented with strong evidence – continues to hold false beliefs about climate change, vaccinations, or other issues?

Are you someone who loves choosing gifts, or does the thought of picking out gifts fill you with dread?

Have you ever chosen an investment, started a relationship, or made a decision at work that turned out badly? 

Have you been feeling adrift or disconnected from “who you are” lately?

Have you ever struggled with a big decision – like whether to split with your partner or change jobs – and found you couldn’t make up your mind?