A recent study conducted at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in France examined the neural and behavioral underpinnings of curiosity. The study looked at the interplay between intellectual curiosity, prior knowledge of a topic, and level of surprise. The researchers found an inverse relationship between surprise and general epistemic curiosity. That is, being surprised, it [...]
You make hundreds of choices in a day. Some are decided on right away. Others are mulled over for a while. In either case, after the choice is executed, you walk away feeling that you made the right call, at the right time. But did you? Perhaps you decided too early, or too late. The [...]
Dr. Ryan J. Giuliano and colleagues at the University of Oregon recently published a research report in the journal Psychophysiology. The findings reveal that the body’s two branches of the peripheral nervous system independently predict task performance and help to improve focus. The findings contribute to a growing understanding of optimal brain functioning. For some [...]
Flow state is widely recognized as the pinnacle of peak performance. From athletes and artists, to entrepreneurs and designers, the world’s top performers are no strangers to the optimal experience. Science shows that success and flow go hand in hand. With its myriad benefits (sustained concentration, unbridled productivity, complete absorption, authentic happiness - just to [...]
A team of researchers out of the University of Waterloo in Canada recently conducted a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. They looked at how personal narratives play a role in self-regulation skills. The results showed that the more taxing we perceive a task to be, the more we view self-control as [...]
Making decisions is hard. Making decisions under uncertainty is doubly hard. Uncertainty abounds in the modern information age: Marketplaces shift, customer preference adapt to new trends, technologies get “disrupted” at every turn, industry best-practices get amended … the list of changing unknowns is endless. A decision making model is necessary for success in an uncertain [...]
A team of psychologists led by Dr. Jean-Charles Lebeau out of Florida State University recently conducted a study looking at the influence of failure on performance. The researchers found that experiencing setbacks negatively influences your emotions and self-efficacy but has no effect on actual performance outcomes. Overcoming obstacles, it turns out, is an important part of [...]
A team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Schaerer from Singapore Management University conducted a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The findings propose that mentally simulating an attractive alternative (e.g. imagining that investors are lining up to buy shares in your company) can improve negotiation skills. Having a strong alternative [...]
Work burnout is becoming more common among entrepreneurs and young working professionals. The long hours and the never-ending lists of demands can quickly add up, leading to undue amounts of stress and exhaustion. What if there was a way you could prevent work burnout before it got so bad? In this post, we’re going to [...]
As a passionate entrepreneur, your business means everything to you. But it’s that high-achiever “I-can-do-everything” personality that makes you particularly prone to job burnout: working exceptionally long hours, taking on heavy workloads, and putting huge amounts of pressure on yourself is par for the (entrepreneurial) course. All the more reason you can benefit from a [...]