Behavioral psychology books like Subliminal, Predictably Irrational, and Brain Bugs encourage becoming more conscious of self rationalization.

Plenty of studies have proven humans exhibit this behavior by creating evidence to support an outcome if it benefits us. This has generally led me to believe self rationalization is something to avoid.

After hearing a TED talk by philosopher Ruth Chang, I’ve realized this may not be the best mindset for certain types non-data driven decisions. [Read more…]

There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that being thankful greatly improves the quality of one’s life.

Living a happy and fulfilling life must be pretty easy then, right? Just think of each of your possessions and friends, followed by a mental, “Thank you.”

This was my initial perception of what thankfulness meant. [Read more…]