Psychology

How Elizabeth Holmes Created a Billion-Dollar Scam on Investors by Exploiting a Loophole in Human Psychology (video)

Elizabeth Holmes was charged last month with an “elaborate, years-long fraud” by the SEC. At its peak, her company Theranos (founded in 2003) was valued at $9 billion. Holmes was recognized as a genius innovator, the female Steve Jobs, an example for young women everywhere. She was celeb...

February 17, 2018
Persuasion , Psychology
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Lessons From Professional Party Crashers: Persuasion and Social Psychology (video)

I discovered a group of guys on YouTube called Yes Theory. Among many fun and hilarious antics they get into, they have a special preference for crashing exclusive Hollywood events. We can actually learn some key insights on psychology and persuasion from them. I’ve personally seen these work ...

November 15, 2017
Communication Skills , Mindset , Psychology
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When Acting Less Powerful is The Right Move

(Listen or read the post below) Some people think they have to act powerfully in every situation. Their goal is to “win” every battle. Always have the cleverer comeback. Always interrupt people more than they interrupt you. Have others laugh at your jokes, but don’t laugh at theirs...

From Estate Tax to Death Tax: How to Change Public Opinion Overnight

Frank Luntz, a Republican consultant, spearheaded the messaging change from “estate tax” to “death tax” in the 1990s. The term “death tax” had been used decades before, but it was used again at that time as Republicans sought support for its repeal. By shifting ...

May 27, 2017
Psychology
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Why the Successful are Often Eccentric (videos)

It takes a certain amount of boldness, radicalism and eccentricity to break out of the mold that you have been born into. The amount of physical and mental energy required to make a significant shift–and not backslide into the same situation–is immense. It’s the same with a car th...

What the Trump Implosion Tells Us About Leadership

Donald Trump’s first few months in office have been one massive problem after another. His inexperience and incompetence are on full display almost every day. Trump was great at getting elected, and since then it’s basically been all downhill: scandals, possible illegal activities, firin...

May 19, 2017
Communication Skills , Persuasion , Psychology
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Cold Reading is a Useful Tool of Influence

A “cold read” is a statement or guess about someone that isn’t based on any real knowledge or information about them. When you give someone a cold read, you are suggesting that you understand them on a deeper level than you actually do. Psychics use cold reads all the time: [To s...

You Can Be Right, or You Can Make Money

“You can either be right, or you can make money.” I used to trade currencies. This is a saying I heard from traders. The meaning is that, when the market turns against your analysis, you can either accept it as the new reality, OR you can stick to your guns (irrationally) and proclaim &#...

Shy? You Might Just Be Self-Centered

Imagine if Ghandi had said “Eh, I don’t want to talk about my ideas with too many people. I’m shy.” How different would history look? How different would the world be if everyone who had a profound talent or an amazing strength, instead of sharing it with others, decided to h...

Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety by Accepting it

Have you ever felt your heart beating faster right before giving a speech or presentation? It’s common, especially when there is a lot of anticipation and buildup. For example, when you are scheduled to speak at 10:15 AM and there is a roster of speakers before you at 9:30, 9:45, 10:00…...