Psychology

What is the “Big Five” and How Can It Help You?

Our personality plays a huge role in our lives. It shapes how we view the world and frame events. Believe it or not, certain traits can even predict how happy we are, how we vote, and how successful we are in our chosen careers.

Understanding my own personality has helped me see my own strengths and weaknesses more clearly. I've been able to use this information to develop a more customized approach to personal development.

In this post, I’ll share the most compelling, insightful, and well-researched personality framework that psychologists use to measure traits…

The Power of Introverts

Years ago, before I even knew the word introvert, I knew that I really enjoyed spending time alone. In fact, I needed a certain amount of time to myself in order to stay sane. I was fine with this. Truth is, I was at my most creative and clear-headed when I was alone, which I saw as a major advantage.

Once I learned what an introvert was, it was obvious to me that I was one of them. At the time, I wasn’t sure how anyone could be otherwise (or why anyone would want to be).

Then I learned what an extrovert was. It was clear that extraversion also came with its own set of advantages. Understanding this trait helped explain behavior I found baffling, such as the need some people had to constantly talk, even when there was nothing to say…

6 Strategies for Dealing with Overthinking

In this article, I look at overthinking (and its cousin, anxiety) from an evolutionary perspective and offer some practical strategies that have helped me deal with them more effectively.

As far as I can tell, overthinking is largely a modern problem. In evolutionary time, it’s only been a blink of an eye since we’ve mastered our environment to the extent that we have. Although there are many people who still face survival-related problems on a daily basis, most of us live in relative comfort compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

One of the many unintended consequences of our massive ecological success as a species is that because it happened so quickly, our brains haven’t had a chance to adapt accordingly. As a result, we’re no longer certain what to worry about.

Our brains are still running the same “survival software” that helped keep us alive for millions of years. That software continues to look for problems, even when there are none…

How To Use Confirmation Bias To Create Better Beliefs

You may have heard of the term confirmation bias. It is the tendency to search for, interpret, or recall information in a way that confirms your preexisting beliefs or theories. 

Usually, when people talk about confirmation bias, it is in the context of pointing out someone's faulty logic or biased thinking.

It’s true that this cognitive quirk can cloud your reasoning, especially if you are trying to think in a strictly scientific way. However, what you may not realize is that it can also help you create better beliefs if you use it cleverly enough...