Intelligence is Still Not Fixed at Birth
In 1932, the entire population of Scottish 11-year olds (87, 498 children) took an IQ test. Over 60 years later, psychologists Ian Deary and Lawrence Whalley tracked down about 500 of them and gave them the same test to take again. Here are the results: Some things to note here. Firstly, the correlation is pretty […]
Is High Ability Necessary for Greatness?
As soon as I saw the headline “Research sheds light on origins of greatness” , my interest was piqued. The article is referring to a new paper in Current Directions in Psychological Science, so I immediately downloaded that paper and left the press release open to the side. I’m wary of press releases with these […]
Imagine Science Film Festival Fosters Collaboration Between Scientists and Filmmakers
In August 1903, the first ever science film was only a minute long, and starred cheese mites crawling through a piece of Stilton, magnified through a microscope and broadcast in black and white. Science films have come a long way since then. Showing just how far we’ve come, the 4th Annual Imagine Science Film Festival […]
Psychadelics Open the Mind
I always thought there was something psychedelic about Apple products. In an interview with New York Times reporter John Markoff, Steve Jobs noted that “doing LSD was one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life.” He even remarked that Bill Gates would “be a broader guy if he […]
Why Inspiration Matters
“When your Daemon is in charge, do not try to think consciously. Drift, wait, and obey”. — Rudyard Kipling Ivan was obtaining his goals. After graduating from law school, he quickly moved up the ranks of Russia’s professional class. His path was threatened, however, when his wife got pregnant. Fearing his hard earned successes would […]
How To Increase Your Harmonious Passion
Work brings some people intrinsic joy. These people feel in control of their work, feel good about themselves while working, find their work to be in harmony with their other activities. Psychologists describe these folks as having harmonious passion. But there’s another kind of passion: obsessive passion. Those who are obsessively passionate feel an uncontrollable […]
Pop Music is Human Nature
I’ve got a proud confession: I’m a pop music junkie. Drizzy Drake, Britney, Adele, Nicki, Ke$ha, you name it. I love it. But I’ve got to admit, after awhile it all seems to jumble together. If I listen to too much of it, I get sick of the repetitiveness; there’s only so many times I […]
Put Your Best Self Forward
When I think of self-presenters, I conjure up images of slimy used car salesmen and telemarketers on TV at 3 in the morning. But maybe I’m being unfair to self-presenters. After all, the ability to put your best self forward without deception is an important skill, whether it’s during a business interview or on a […]
Does Creativity Require Constraints?
If I asked you to draw a person from planet aardvark, would you be more creative if (a) I gave you no examples, or (b) gave you a few examples of what aardvarkians look like? Research suggests you’d be more creative if I didn’t allow your mind to roam free. When people are given the […]
Is Conscientiousness Compatible with Creativity?
When it comes to achievement, Conscientiousness is a great thing. All else being equal, the person who has tenacity, persistence, stamina, and grit will be more successful then the person who is lazy and unmotivated. Over 25 years of research supports this commonsense view: Conscientiousness is the most consistent and best predictor of both job […]
Recent Posts
Maslow’s insightful advice on overcoming writer’s block and the necessity of writing for self-actualization
Authenticity Under Fire
In-Group Favoritism Is Difficult to Change, Even When the Social Groups Are Meaningless
STUDY ALERT: Are Sex Differences in Preferences for Physical Attractiveness and Good Earning Capacity in Potential Mates Smaller in Countries With Greater Gender Equality?
Toward a New Frontier in Human Intelligence: The Person-Centered Approach