The rogue conventional wisdom of Freakonomics
In the introduction of Freakonomics - A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything, we are told that Steven D. Levitt is a young, successful, and serious–if controversial–economist. We should believe what Levitt writes because he has the right credentials: he is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. But soon enough we find out that Levitt doesn’t believe in “expert” opinions:
[The typical expert] is prone to sound exceedingly sure of himself. An expert doesn’t so much argue the various sides of an issues as plants his flag firmly on one side. That’s because an expert whose argument reeks of restraint or nuance often doesn’t get much attention. An expert must be bold if he hopes to alchemize his homespun theory into conventional wisdom. His best chances of doing so is to engage the public’s emotions, for emotion is the enemy of rational argument.
Perceived cost-benefit and (online) behavior
Often I hear these broad blanket statements on what people do or don’t do online: “people don’t read,” “people don’t scroll,” “people don’t wait.” It’s usually from those who have just enough knowledge of usability to be dangerous, but sometimes, alas, I’ve heard usability people uttering them. When I hear statements like this I’ll usually slowly count to 10 to regain self-control and then with the calmest tone of voice I can fake I’ll say: “Well, let’s talk about it.”
So, let’s talk about it.
Do people read online? - Of course people read online. Don’t you go online to get your news? Aren’t you reading this blog post online? You read content online all the times. But even a more specific statement such as “people don’t read instructions online” is incorrect. Read more »
Empathy, compassion, and revolution
Why do people do make the life decisions they make? Why somebody decides to become a revolutionary and another a dictator? Why some people become doctors and go to Haiti to cure AIDS and others become Kenneth Lay?
After watching Walter Salles‘ The Motorcycle Diaries I couldn’t stop thinking about empathy, compassion, and revolution.
The empathy continuum - One could describe empathy as a two-dimensional continuum: on one axis the distance between the subject and the objects of his or her empathy; on the other the intensity of the feeling.
The paradox of choice
I’ve just finished reading The paradox of choice
The Paradox of Choice and Blink are at the same time very different and very similar books. Blink is more entertaining: to make his point, Malcolm Gladwell tells really good stories. Barry Schwartz lists numbers, studies, and results. Blink is about rapid decision making. The Paradox of choice is about deliberate (and often excruciating) decision making. But the two books cite many of the same studies and, most importantly, they both have a strong and urgent moral message to communicate.
Blink’s message is that the ill effects of snap judgement (bias, stereotyping, and “momentary autism”) can and should be reduced through awareness and training. The Paradox of choice wants to prove that we could be so much happier if we just stopped being so picky and avoided comparing ourselves only to people who are doing better than we are. Happiness, says Schwartz, comes from finding the time to be grateful for what we have and content with our “good enough” lives.
By the way, does anybody have recommendations for recent good books on decision making?
[Oh, I almost forgot: What would Nancy White say about all this?]
Blink
I’ve just finished listening for the second time to the audiobook version of Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink
Among the many interesting studies mentioned in the book, for example, the research conducted by Louis Cheskin in the 50s and 60s, and by Darrel Rhea and Davis Masten more recently on “sensation transference” or the influence of packaging on perceived taste (how cheap brandy tastes worse when it’s served in the wrong bottle; and how Sprite tastes too much like lime if one increase the amount of green on the can).
Aside from the results of the studies, however, there are couple of things that struck me in the book. Read more »
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