Articles

Intellectual Development * Creativity * Passion and Inspiration * Education * Self-Improvement * Autism/Schizophrenia * Narcissism * Attraction

 Intellectual Development

Confessions of a Late Bloomer
We have fixed notions about the time course of success and the nature of talent that encourage us to write off the very people who are most likely to (eventually) change the world.
Psychology Today

The Mind of the Prodigy
New study on prodigies reveals some startling findings.
The Creativity Post

Is High Ability Necessary for Greatness?
Greatness involves boosting your strengths and compensating for your weaknesses.
Scientific American

8 Surprising Facts About Parenting, Genes, and What Really Makes Us Who We Are
I teamed up with the well-known developmental psychologist David S. Moore to list eight facts about genes, twin studies and the heritability statistic that may come as a surprise to many people, even biologists!
The Huffington Post

Why IQ Fluctuates Over Your Lifespan

Intelligence was never, and will never, be fixed at birth. Be very skeptical of any media report that argues that a new study overturns research showing that it is.
The Huffington Post

Intelligent Testing
The evolving landscape of IQ testing.
Psychology Today

Finding Creativity on IQ Tests
Can creativity be measured by existing IQ tests?
Psychology Today

IQ Bashing, Breakdancing, The Flynn Effect, and Genes
What does breakdancing have to do with the genetic bases of intelligence?
Psychology Today

Creativity

After the Show: The Many Faces of the Performer
The complexities and contradictions of creative people.
The Huffington Post

How Renaissance People Think
Are you more of a rational or experiential/intuitive thinker? If you cringed as you read the question and thought, “I love constantly shifting between both modes of thought,” then you’re on the path to thinking like a polymath.
Psychology Today

The Creative ‘Flow’: How to Enter That Mysterious State of Oneness
Flow — the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task — is a strong contributor to creativity.
The Huffington Post

Why Daydreamers are More Creative
We don’t have to promote either working memory skills or imagination and daydreaming. We can promote both. And in so doing, we are promoting true creativity — creativity that is both novel and useful.
The Creativity Post

The Origins of Positive-Constructive Daydreaming (co-authored with Jerome L. Singer)
This is an exciting time for mind-wandering in psychology. In the past decade, research has shed much light on the mental state of inattention. Amidst all this research, however, we want to make sure daydreaming doesn’t get overlooked.
Scientific American

Must One Risk Madness to Achieve Genius?
Must one risk getting lost in the sea of madness in order to reach the lone island of genius?
The Creativity Post

How Constraints Force Us to Be More Creative
Research suggests you’d be more creative if I didn’t allow your mind to roam free. When people are given the task of imagining alien creatures, most use specific instances (e.g. their grandmother) as their starting point.
The Huffington Post

Is Conscientiousness Compatible with Creativity?
Creative people are both Conscientious and not Conscientious at the same time.
Psychology Today

How to Win American Idol
A creativity researcher cracks the pop-stardom code: It’s not talent or looks—it’s something far more improbable.
Psychology Today

Genius, Genes, and Gusto: How Passions Find You
Forget the “talent versus hard work” debate: A lot of factors contribute to creative success, including the strong pull that some people feel toward their passions.
Psychology Today

Could Michael Jackson Have Created Twitter?
How general was Michael Jackson’s genius?
Psychology Today

How Power Influences Creativity
How are power and creativity related?
Psychology Today

Passion and Inspiration

Why Inspiration Matters
In a culture obsessed with measuring talent and ability, we often overlook the important role of inspiration.
Harvard Business Review

Increase Your Passion for Work Without Becoming Obsessed
Is your passion for work harmonious or obsessed?
Harvard Business Review

Why Your Passion for Work Could Ruin Your Career
While passion seems clearly desirable, recent psychological research suggests that not all forms are adaptive. In fact, some forms can be downright detrimental.
Harvard Business Review

Education

Changing the Paradigm of Education
Armed with as much research as possible, and the willingness to believe in the future of young people, let’s work together to start creating that world where everyone is inspired.
The Future Project

The Need to Believe in the Ability of Disability (co-authored with Kevin McGrew)
Our society has clear expectations regarding students who don’t fit the norm.
The Creativity Post

Who is Currently Identified as Gifted in the United States?
A recent national survey of state policies and practices reveals how the United States defines giftedness, identifies giftedness, and accommodates gifted minority students.
The Creativity Post

Why Passion is a Gift
Why don’t we view passion and interest as gifts?
Psychology Today

Self-Improvement

The Secret of Long Life and Happiness Revealed
The real key to long life and happiness.
Psychology Today

Life Is One Long Slackline: 12 Lessons Learned From Extreme Highliners About Overcoming Fear and The Path to Greatness
How  to evolve beyond our fears and achieve greatness – extreme highliner style.
Psychology Today

Do Your Grab Life by the Horns or Sit on the Sidelines?
Generally speaking, there really are just a few types of people in this world.
Psychology Today

On “Owning Yourself”
What does it mean to own yourself?
Psychology Today

The Science Behind First Impressions
Are you the type of person who constantly feels misunderstood? Take a good hard look at how you present yourself to others. Are you actively trying to put your best self forward?
The Huffington Post

Autism/Schizophrenia

Conversations on Creativity with Darold Treffert
Darold Treffert, M.D. was a technical consultant to the award-winning movie “Rain Man” that made “autistic savant” household terms. We chatted about autism, savantism, genius, nature, nurture, intelligence, creativity, lessons he has learned, recent advances, and the future. Here is the complete interview.
Psychology Today

Conversations on Creativity with Daniel Tammet
On August 18th and August 19th, 2009, Daniel Tammet was gracious enough to let me peer into his world. Here is my complete interview with Daniel, laid out in six parts, along with my own reflections on the interview. I hope you find Daniel’s reflections, insights, and ongoing journey just as fascinating and thought-provoking as I have.
Psychology Today

A Call for New Measures of Asperger’s and Schizotypy
Our current measurements of Asperger’s and Schizotypy are woefully incomplete.
Scientific American

Is Implicit Learning Impaired in People with Autism?
There are a lot of unfounded assumptions regarding the deficits of people with an autism spectrum disorder. One big one is that people with autism have difficulty with implicit learning. But is it true?
The Huffington Post

Flow and Psychosis in the Artist’s Experience
New research suggests that some mental mechanisms and dispositions that are associated with full-blown psychosis may confer tremendous advantages to flow, creativity and what makes life meaningful.
The Huffington Post

Black Swan, Creativity, and Artistic Expression at the Edge of Madness
That fine line between psychosis and artistic expression.
Psychology Today

Where Are All the Schizophrenia Role Models?
Where is the schizophrenia advocacy?
Psychology Today

Narcissism

How to Spot a Narcissist
Welcome to the contradictory universe of narcissism.
Psychology Today

Conversations on Creativity with Tucker Max
Blogger and author Tucker Max on sex, attraction, evolutionary psychology, narcissism, creativity, and greatness.
Psychology Today

Tucker Max’s Psychological Profile
Psychological portrait of a narcissist.
Psychology Today

Attraction

Who is Popular at First Sight?
Recent approaches are allowing us to dig deeper into person perception and pinpoint the factors that influence popularity at first sight.
The Huffington Post

Use Your Mating Intelligence
There’s intelligence involved in mating? Well, maybe not much in actual sex acts– but surely everything leading up to that point takes up quite a lot of mental space.
Psychology Today

Why Do People Resist the Temptation to Cheat?
How cognition is related to cheating.
Psychology Today

The Most Powerful Law of Seduction
The most potent law of seduction is…
Psychology Today