You Stop Changing at 25
I kept waiting for my father to change. Through his forties. Through his fifties. Through his sixties. I kept believing that at some point, he would become self-aware…
Author
the nerd
The Dark Triad Across Cultures
The manipulator in my life wasn’t from my culture. That’s what made it hard to recognize. I spent years thinking his behavior was just a different cultural norm.…
Why Critical Thinking Fails in Groups
I watched it happen in a meeting. Smart people. Accomplished people. People who individually would have immediately spotted the logical fallacy. But together, they let it slide. The…
How False Ideas Go Viral
The rumor started small. Someone’s relative knew someone who had experienced something troubling. It was shared in a private message. Then it was shared in a group chat.…
When You Change Around Others
There are different versions of me that exist in different rooms. The me at work is professional. Measured. Slightly reserved. The me with close friends is looser. More…
The Cult Psychology Behind Groupthink
I didn’t realize I was in one until I left. That’s the trick about cults. The people inside don’t experience themselves as being in a cult. They experience…
How Algorithms Create Conformity
I noticed the shift in my sister’s thinking around the time she joined TikTok. It wasn’t dramatic. She didn’t suddenly change her values or beliefs. But the way…
Cultural Bias in How We Think
The psychological study was conducted perfectly. The experimental design was sound. The sample size was adequate. The controls were tight. The results were published in a peer-reviewed journal.…
More Information, Worse Decisions, Decision Fatigue in the Digital Age
I had to choose between 47 jam varieties. That’s not a metaphor. I was standing in a grocery store, holding a jar of apricot preserves, looking at 46…
The Fake Familiarity Trap
You know the feeling. Someone walks into the room and your brain screams: I know this person. You’ve seen them before. You’re certain. Your confidence is absolute. But…