The old saying goes that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Why would that be? Surely, getting to know someone ought to give you more valuable information about who they are than just a brief encounter. And clearly first impressions can be mistaken. A favorite storyline in the featured wedding in the Sunday New York Times is that the couple didn't like each other when they first met even though their friends were all convinced that they were right for each other.

What is going on with these snap judgments? Read More

How do predictions affect how quickly you get things done? Your prediction about when you will complete a task may be rosy—but does that rosy prediction actually help you get things done faster? Read More

When I was a kid growing up in central New Jersey, I had relatives who lived near Atlantic City. To visit them, I could get a bus not too far from my house that was nearly free. You paid for the bus, but then got a voucher from one of the casinos for $10. When you got to the casino, you could cash in the voucher, and they would give you a roll of quarters worth $10.

Why did they give out quarters? Read More

I like to run. It is very peaceful to go for a nice long run on a beautiful sunny day. There are days when I feel like I can run forever. My legs just keep moving. On those days, I fix my eyes on a point in the distance and before I know it I am passing what I was looking at. Other days, of course, I feel like I'm running in Jell-O. On those days, the end of the block looks like it is a million miles away.

Of course, that must just be a metaphor, right? Read More