Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
First off, I wouldn’t mind being a world-famous billionaire. I know a couple of world-famous billionaires, and their lives are pretty darn cool. But such a goal is easier set than achieved. Until that time, my happy and optimistic brain has tackled the easier task of finding the good side of not being a billionaire. … Continue reading The Upside Of Not Being A Billionaire
I’m finally getting around to reading Daniel Pink’s “Drive.” I had held off for a long time, figuring that I didn’t need to read someone else’s rehashing of Deci, since I’d already read the source material. I was wrong. Pink does a great job of synthesizing a number of different strands, including behavioral economics, Deci’s … Continue reading Rewards and the Motivation Paradox
Every once in a while, I come across a blog post that suddenly crystallizes something I’ve always known but never consciously realized. This week, it was this post by Sasha Pasulka, drawing the analogy between the issues some women have with body image with the issues men have with wallet image: “I know how it … Continue reading The Dangers of Unrealistic Wallet Image
Jonathan Haidt, the author of the excellent “The Happiness Hypothesis,” has written an essay that explores what Democrats consider a fundamental paradox of American politics: Why do working-class Americans vote Republican, when their narrow economic interests would be better served by the Democrats’ redistributionist policies. Haidt, a self-professed liberal atheist, concludes that there are two … Continue reading Why Moral People Vote Republican
My buddy Ben Casnocha has written an excellent summary of the book, “Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters”. It’s well worth the read. Here are two of my favorite paragraphs: “Male high school teachers and college professors in the United States (but not their female colleagues) have a higher-than-expected rate of divorce and a lower-than-expected … Continue reading Why Teachers, Professors, and Presidents Have Affairs
Charles Murray recently gave a thought-provoking speech at the American Enterprise Institute. Murray is best known for his controversial book, “The Bell Curve,” which asserted that there were differences in intelligence between genetically different groups. That fact alone might cause some to ignore his speech, which would be unfortunately, since it speaks to the very … Continue reading The Danger Of Generous Safety Nets: Why The European Model Destroys The Soul
We’ve all heard the advice, “Don’t dignify a rumor with a response.” It turns out that this advice is dead wrong. The Boston Globe has a great piece on the science behind rumors. Rumors, it seems, serve an important purpose in human society. The key points: Rumors have always been around, and have always been … Continue reading Fighting a Rumor? Steal Its Thunder!
(image credit: Malingering) My buddy Ben Casnocha has a post up where he speculates about whether or not today’s youth are more self-absorbed than in the past. He argues that both technology and today’s therapy culture may be responsible. Here’s my response: In general, I am always suspicious of anyone who argues that human nature … Continue reading Why Are We So Self-absorbed?
(image credit: darkmatter)Being a cheap-ass bastard, I’ve never understood conspicuous consumption. But what would you expect from someone who graduated from HBS, then bought a Toyota Corolla Value Edition (no power windows, no power locks, no trunk light, no hubcaps)? According to the latest research, however, conspicuous consumption is more common among the poor. And … Continue reading Wealth, Race, and Conspicuous Consumption
Sometimes I read an article, and I think to myself, “This is a blatant and cynical attempt to use our ugly fascination with wealth and celebrity as linkbait.” But when the subject is as ripe as this one, I can’t resist. The New York Times, in its ongoing attempts to paint the past dozen years … Continue reading Whaddya Know–You *Can’t* Buy Happiness