The art of thinking straight
How to use your brain properly to discern the bias — and wisdom — in conspiracy theories.
Is it collusion, or incompetence, or there’s really nothing to see here?
World affairs
Get a unique perspective on world events and current affairs, viewed through a psychological lens. The articles in this section give you the real ‘inside’ scoop!
For example, what kind of psychology is driving political behaviour? How should we be thinking about the perpetrators of wars, violence and white collar crimes? What role do mental health and emotional intelligence play in these events?
The courage to be disliked
What’s your disapproval personality type? If I told you it’s possible to learn to tolerate criticism and disapproval, would you want to?
A fascinating exposition of resilience, from the habit of people-pleasing to psychopathy in global politics.
Covid-19 and mental health effects
Covid seems to trigger profound mood effects in some people. Why might this be so?
The explanation is likely to be something that we already understand about the brain and immune system from observing other diseases.
Why our brains cannot grasp viral spread
If you place one grain of rice on the first square of a chessboard, two on the second, four on the third, and so on, how many grains will be on the 64th square?
The answer knocks most people’s socks off. Here’s a short explanation of what I’m calling COVID-19 dyscalculia.
Dance in the time of Cholera/COVID-19
Lovers of Tango, Salsa, Contact Improv and Ceroc, we have a dilemma – how to continue our hobby safely in the time of COVID-19.
This easy to understand super-summary of the World Health Organization & PRC report tells you all you need to know, in simple terms.
Evil will always concentrate, unless…
My Halloween special is about corporate evil, from bad behaviour of political groups to large scale organisational corruption and abuse.
I have a theory that evil concentrates over time due to a natural quirk in human nature. Fortunately, this also means that unhealthy institutional cultures can be prevented or cured.
ABC Radio, The World Today: Benefits and pitfalls of citizenship tests
I was on the radio today, discussing the citizenship test with presenter Thomas Oriti. Does it really predict anything about a person’s values? Is it useful?
We also talked about the use of psychometrics in the business world, and how that kind of testing differs.