Behavioral Psychology

Behavioral Psychology

A young child sits on a sidewalk holding a scraped knee next to a fallen scooter, evoking reasonable childhood independence, with collage elements including a helicopter, art print, and abstract lines.
When can a kid play outside alone? Two parents, one stranger, and the state collide.
A set of large blue numbers from 1 to 9, with the number 2 in bold red and black scribbles drawn over it.
What’s in a number? Only a vanishingly small slice of your life, it turns out.
An abstract illustration shows overlapping target patterns, tally marks, and a dart hitting the bullseye—capturing a kaizen spirit—with pink gridlines and muted beige, yellow, and red tones.
Kaizen taught me that tiny, consistent changes can be more powerful than dramatic overhauls.
A stylized human figure runs in front of a large, abstract eye, with geometric shapes and colorful patterns in the background.
Elite athletes train their “quiet eye.” What happens if the rest of us do the same?
Ancient-style illustration of three nude male warriors running, each holding a decorated round shield and wearing a crested helmet, inspired by themes explored by thinkers like Ezekiel Emanuel.
Health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel says you don’t have to be obsessed to live a healthy life. Wellness can, and should, be something you enjoy.
Book cover for "Blindspotting: How to See What's Holding You Back as a Leader" by Martin Dubin, featuring a windshield wiper graphic on a yellow background that cleverly highlights the blindspotting theme.
You might love your leadership role and inspire fierce loyalty — but what if that comes at the expense of a disastrous balance sheet? Here’s a way forward.
A slot machine displays various icons, including brains, cherries, a clover, and the number seven—an homage to Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s work—with two brains and a seven visible in the central row.
Stuck on a hamster wheel of mindless social media scrolling? Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff explains how to consciously redirect your reward system.
Man in a dark shirt smiling against a purple background with black scribbles and a white rectangle, reminiscent of "The Year of Living Biblically," embracing the chaos with serene humor.
A.J. Jacobs looks back at what he learned about religion, himself, and modern American culture during “The Year of Living Biblically.”
Illustration of a thumbs up and thumbs down, resembling a like button and dislike button, on a black background, both partially covered with red scribble marks.
Will platforms continue to offer the like button as an all-purpose tool — or will each of the button’s various functions exist in new forms?
Collage featuring a power plant, Alpha School text and logo, graphs, and "The Night Crawler" title on a geometric blue and white background, seamlessly incorporating AI education elements.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Open book showing a close-up of a hand squeezing a blue stress ball on the left page, symbolizing pressure, while a grayscale image of a person in a suit with crossed arms graces the right page, set against a serene blue backdrop.
You got your promotion — but managing the pressure inherent to your elevated role is now a crucial part of your job.
A blue compass rose emblem with a fractured design symbolizes navigation through the struggles of addiction, set starkly against a black background.
Big Think spoke with author and psychiatrist Elias Dakwar about addiction, rock bottom, and the moment you realize your compass is broken.
An open book reveals a wand hovering over a rabbit in a hat on the left, while on the right, a blue illustration depicts someone navigating diverging paths using a clever detour technique.
Magicians use “change blindness” to delight audiences — and you can use it to become an excellent colleague.
A cracked egg under pressure supports a large blue rock, surrounded by a cheering crowd in black and white.
Professional sport is a hotbed of "performance anxiety” — and to start managing pressure in all settings, we need to properly define it.
Mousetrap with assorted colorful pills on the trigger, set against a red, wavy striped background.
Today's pseudoscience-ridden wellness industry owes a great debt to its forefathers.
A grayscale portrait of a man with short hair, wearing a collared shirt, is framed within a colorful, abstract background that symbolizes progress with less reliance on cellphones.
Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni unpacks the technological zeitgeist in this exclusive Big Think interview covering media ecology, leadership, AI, human connection, and much more.
A man with curly hair wearing a suit and headset microphone gestures while speaking on stage.
Why the advertising legend — and author of Alchemy — believes that inefficiency can be genius and insects can unlock innovation.
Blurred split image: left depicts a person in a hoodie with their hand raised, capturing shifting moods; right features an abstract view with part of a face and a building overlay.
You're a moody person. You have to be — because understanding moods philosophically can be crucial to your work-life.
Illustration of a partially hidden scale showing a weight of 240 pounds, with the other half depicting a person in a striped shirt against a blue grid background.
A CDC survey suggests America’s obesity rate may be falling.
Two young children with curly hair in striped sweaters enjoy lollipops, showcasing the whimsical nature of genes and behavior. The black-and-white photo gives a nostalgic feel.
When it comes to behavior, genetics may play a larger role than you think.
Close-up of a weathered wooden utility pole, marked with the number "2," standing resolute against cloudy skies—a testament to the enduring habits of nature and time.
This supremely simple hack can help you establish good habits, break bad ones, and guard against failure.
MRI scan of a brain side profile overlaid with green squares and circles, set against a purple background.
On November 25, U.N. members will meet in South Korea to cap off a series of meetings aiming to reduce global plastic pollution.
Open book showing two pages: the left page has a red-toned illustration of early humans, while the right page features a blue-toned photo of an ocean wave, capturing the hyperefficient balance between art and nature.
From hunter-gathers to desk jockeys, we work best when short, intense sessions are followed by lighter fare.
Collage featuring a surfer, hands holding a Rubik's cube, and text "The Nightcrawler." Abstract elements include graphs, car parts, and a cityscape interwoven with life lessons.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A high-rise office building at night with one illuminated corner office visible amidst the darkened windows, a lone workaholic burning the midnight oil.
In a major shift, psychologists now view an out-of-control compulsion to work as an addiction with its own set of risk factors and consequences.
A storefront with signs for psychic telepathy readings and a phone number. Two white plastic chairs are placed in front. The storefront is pink with a black awning and a large hand sign advertising $10 readings.
Thinking of a number between one and ten? Here's how predictable human responses create the illusion of telepathy.
A child lovingly holds a dog’s face with both hands, gazing into its doggish eyes in an outdoor setting.
It's high time owners learned to speak their dog's language.
A black-and-white photo of young children sitting in a classroom. Two teachers stand at the back. Drawings and crafts are displayed on the walls, suggesting it was from an earlier historical period, where every good kid learned under watchful eyes.
How to make sure our formative tendencies don't derail us from being the great leaders we are trying to become.
A map with various yellow and brown faces showing different emotions, representing different regions.
50 years ago, Herman Chernoff proposed using human faces to represent multidimensional datasets. It was a good idea in theory — but a disaster in practice.
Line chart showing body mass index (BMI) trends for various countries. Lines are labeled by country, with silhouetted figures for normal, overweight, and obese categories on the left.
Waistlines are expanding in most countries, except for a skinny list of nations bucking the trend.