BrainSnacks

Practical intelligence for all.

by Karl Albrecht, Ph.D.

Some More of Those Partly-Baked Ideas

Partly baked ideas are the non-Zen equivalent of Zen koans. They make you think about things you wouldn't think of thinking about... Read More

Did Sherlock Holmes Have Asperger Syndrome?

Sigmund Freud and Arthur Conan Doyle did their best work at about the same time. Which of those thinkers, and their intellectual descendents, have taught us more about people? Read More

Weird Thoughts Late at Night - Partly Baked Ideas

These are the kinds of questions that got me put into the "special class" in school... Read More

A Credo for Living Sanely (What's True for Me)

After 6+ decades on the planet, I decided it would be a good idea to state, succinctly, what I believe I know. These 15 principles for living sanely are true for me. Read More

Tweets, Twits, and Twats: Is Your Diet Making You Stupid?

When actor Charlie Sheen, currently America's favorite over-aged celebrity delinquent, decided to share his manic thoughts with the world, over 1,000,000 people joined his Twitter flock in a few days - a world record. Read More

The "Popeye Point"

Everyone has had a "Popeye Experience" at some time in their life - a sudden decision to break out of a troublesome life situation and start doing what's best for you Read More

Cleaning Out the Attic (the One in Your Head)

That old cliché "Growth is painful" is wrong. As I see it, not growing is what's painful; growth is pain-relieving. It's liberating. Read More

No Sex Tonight: the Neurology of Love and Marriage

Years ago I watched a marriage breaking up between two friends of mine. Both Ron and Anna (not their real names) were very intelligent and well educated: indeed both were members of Mensa - the high-IQ society - as was I. But somehow all that mental horsepower didn't seem to help them get past some very basic differences in their ideas about life. Read More

Are You "Toxic" or "Nourishing?" Take this Quiz and Find Out

Social intelligence is the ability to get along well with others, and to get them to cooperate with you. One of the most basic concepts of "SI" is the contrast between "toxic" behavior and "nourishing" behavior. Read More

Ten More Partly Baked Ideas

Partly Baked Ideas T-shirt What are "partly baked ideas"? They're off-beat, off-the-wall, partly-formed, embryonic snippets of ideas, that might even be off-limits to your everyday thinking. Think of them as "idea-petizers." They're often weird - they make you stop and think for a second, and then all kinds of crazy connections start coming up in your mind.

Here’s another batch. Read More

The Tyranny of Two

Recent research suggests that our brains may be pre-wired for dichotomized thinking. That's a fancy name for thinking and perceiving in terms of two - and only two - opposing possibilities.

These research findings might help explain how and why the public discourse of our culture has become so polarized and rancorous, and how we might be able to replace it with a more intelligent conversation. Read More

Bread and Pepsi: Let's Rethink the "War on Terror"

We'll never understand the world political situation and America's part in it, I believe, until we dump out all the bins in our heads and come up with a new logic. Read More

Are You a "Control Freak?" Take this Quiz and Find Out

Psychologists tell us about the "strength-weakness paradox," which means that any trait that's one of your best strengths can turn into a liability or a weakness if over deployed.

Being well-organized and getting things done can be great, but overdo it and you start acting like a "control freak." If you're a super-organized, decisive, action person, is it possible you've taken it too far? Could you be a control freak? Read More

The (Only) Ten Basic News Stories

Lots of people consider the news industry cynical and committed to pandering to the lowest common intellectual denominator. But few have noticed the curious irony that lies at the very core of the news paradigm. This irony may offer a better explanation of why the news is the way it is than any speculations about the ethics and motives of the news producers. Read More

Another Ten Partly Baked Ideas

What are partly baked ideas? They're off-beat, off-the-wall, partly-formed, embryonic snippets of ideas, that might even be off-limits to your everyday thinking. Think of them as "ideapetizers." They're often weird - they make you stop and think for a second, and then all kinds of crazy connections start coming up in your mind. Here are ten more PBIs that are peculiar enough to appeal to me. I didn't invent all of them. By the way, if you have partly baked ideas to contribute, I'd be happy to share them. Read More

Ten Partly Baked Ideas

What are partly baked ideas? They're off-beat, off-the-wall, partly-formed, embryonic snippets of ideas, that might even be off-limits to your everyday thinking. They're like idea-appetizers. They're often weird - they make you stop and think for a second, and then all kinds of crazy connections start coming up in your mind. Read More

Karl Albrecht, Ph.D., is the author of more than 20 books, including Practical Intelligence: the Art & Science of Common Sense.

more...

About BrainSnacks

BrainSnacks is an occasional newsletter, written by Dr. Karl Albrecht. Its focus is on practical intelligence, and its purpose is to keep people thinking about thinking.