4 Common Shopping Fallacies and How to Avoid them | INTO MIND. As some of you may know, my background lies in Psychology, specifically social cognition, which is the study of how we process information to make sense of the world. Today’s post is going to be a quick intro to one specific area of social cognition that had a huge positive influence on the way I shop: heuristics. Heuristics are what psychologists call all those little (mostly subconscious) mental shortcuts we use to make decisions in our everyday life. Most of the time heuristics work well and save us valuable mental capacity that we can then use for other things.
The trouble is when we rely on heuristics for decisions that really deserve a little more deliberation time, like choosing which pieces to buy and add to our wardrobe, and that’s the point when they can easily turn into fallacies. In this post I’ll cover the four most common shopping fallacies, the psychological principles behind them and what you can do to avoid them. 1. 2. Prevention 1. 2. (I’m all about getting a good deal) 7 Cities That Are Starting To Go Car-Free. After over a hundred years of living with cars, some cities are slowly starting to realize that the automobile doesn't make a lot of sense in the urban context. It isn't just the smog or the traffic deaths; in a city, cars aren't even a convenient way to get around. Traffic in London today moves slower than an average cyclist (or a horse-drawn carriage). Commuters in L.A. spend 90 hours a year stuck in traffic.
A U.K. study found that drivers spend 106 days of their lives looking for parking spots. Now a growing number of cities are getting rid of cars in certain neighborhoods through fines, better design, new apps, and, in the case of Milan, even paying commuters to leave their car parked at home and take the train instead. Unsurprisingly, the changes are happening fastest in European capitals that were designed hundreds or thousands of years before cars were ever built. Here are a handful of the leaders moving toward car-free neighborhoods. Madrid Paris Chengdu Hamburg Helsinki Milan. GANDHI. RESIST NOT EVIL Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, an Indian seaside-town north of Bombay. In 1888 he came to Britain to study law. Here he read some of the Bible for the first time and was particularly impressed by the Sermon on the Mount with its advice to "resist not evil". He returned to India in 1891 to work as a lawyer but he was unsuccessful because he was shy, yet unwilling to be pushed about.
So in 1893 he took a job in South Africa, representing the interests of Indian merchants. Shortly after reaching South Africa, he experienced its racial prejudice when he was ejected from a first-class railway compartment because a white man objected to him being there, even though Gandhi had a first-class ticket. Gandhi joined with his fellow-Indians in working for their rights, and it was in this struggle that he developed the nonviolent techniques he was to use later in India. Gandhi returned to India, an experienced political campaigner. Chocolate for Breakfast and 6 Other Simple Ways to Be Happier Each Day.
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama You’re not alone in your search for it. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of websites dedicated to it. Authors have written thousands of books about it. Happiness is an elusive thing for many people. What would happen if we began to take joy in little, meaningful activities each and every day? Here is a list of really simple things you can enjoy in some capacity that will make your day and your life a lot happier. 1. Sounds amazing doesn’t it? 2. What a great way to start the day. The toasty aromas that waft through my house every morning are somehow comforting. 3. Along the same lines as coffee, a great cup of tea in the afternoon is a soothing way to transition into the latter part of the day.
Sounds like something you can feel good about drinking. 4. You see it on all kinds of lists. Exercise makes you feel better for a number of reasons. On top of that, try going outside. 5. Satisfy your sweet tooth. Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. What you can do Move your body frequently—don't sit for more than an hour Make positive face-to-face connection with other people a priority When you can't change the stressor, learn to avoid, alter, adapt, or accept Reduce your intake of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine Do something you enjoy every day Get all the restful sleep that you need to feel your best Learn more by reading the related articles What are the best tips for managing stress? What creates disabling stress in one person, may not have the same affect on another. What best relieves stress is also personal.
You may have tried some simple sounding formulas for managing your stress and found that they really aren’t that helpful. Effective stress management relies on a tested, comprehensive approach that includes both awareness of stress and lifestyle changes. The following seven tips are designed with that in mind. Tip 1: Identify habits and behaviors that add to stress Start a stress journal Unhealthy ways of coping with stress. How the Color of Your Office Impacts Productivity (Infographic) If your office walls are painted dull gray -- the cold color of warships, concrete and cubicles -- it’s time for a makeover. A recent University of Texas study found that bland gray, beige and white offices induced feelings of sadness and depression, especially in women.
Men, on the other hand, experienced similarly gloomy feelings in purple and orange workspaces. Similar scientific studies have shown that colors don’t just change our moods, they also profoundly impact our productivity, for better and for worse. That’s why it’s best to decorate your workplace with a vibrant medley of stimulating hues that increase output and spark creativity. Related: How to Transform Your Workspace With Color Low-wavelength colors, like restful green and calming blue -- two of the most common colors in Mother Nature’s palette -- improve efficiency and focus.
Red, a high-wavelength color, is active, intense and alarming at times. Click to Enlarge Image credit: Taskworld. Why are rainforests being destroyed?