Mental Mishaps

Errors in perceiving, remembering, and thinking.

Ira Hyman Ph.D.

The Cognitive Illusion of Constitutional Originalism

When we search the past, whether our own memories or the historical record, we open ourselves to a variety of cognitive biases.

The Stain on the Wall: How False Ideas Stick With Us

Out, damned spot. Lady Macbeth’s famous line concerns seeing the blood of a murdered man on her hands. But stains are hard to remove from our minds.

Are You an Expert Multitasker?

Are you an expert in multitasking? Do you regularly track multiple things? What does it mean to become good at multitasking?

End Daylight Savings Time and Possibly Save Lives

This coming Monday, the alarm will call for you an hour earlier than last week. Less sleep is a brutal shock to the system.

As the Masks Come Off, Will We Recognize Anyone?

Face recognition is a holistic process, and we see faces as relationships among the features rather than simply a set of features.

When Expert Witnesses Are the Problem

What should we do when an expert witness provides incorrect information?

Don’t Be Angry with Unvaccinated Friends and Family

Be angry at rabbit holes, not people who fall into rabbit holes.

Why Some People Imagine Everyone Is Looking at Them

Do you feel like you’re constantly in the spotlight, with everyone staring at you? Or are you invisible?

How to Kill a Zombie Idea

Halloween approaches and there are zombies everywhere. I’m wondering: How do you kill a zombie?

Why Touch Screens May Be a Bad Idea in Cars

I like knobs. Knobs for controlling things. And I have concerns about the increasing use of touch screens in cars. Let me explain why knobs are easier, faster, and safer.

Erasing Memories: Lies of Omission Can Spread Disinformation

Telling partial truths is an effective way to lie. How does it affect us?

Can COVID Cause Brain Fog and Cognitive Deficits?

Some people report continuing "brain fog" after recovering from COVID. One new study provides evidence.

Who's Convincing You to Believe Conspiracies?

Conspiracy theories are rampant. There is a single person who is most likely to get you to accept a conspiracy theory. Who is this villain?

Can We Erase False Memories?

Removing false memories is difficult even when we know they're not true.

Who Tells Your Story? How We Remember Hamilton, and Ourselves

Who lives, who dies, who tells the stories in your family? Is the narrator in your family or set of friends changing the way you remember your life?

Is Everything a Blur? Remembering a Year of Covid

One year. What can you remember from one year of the Covid pandemic? Are your memories clear and complete? Or is everything a blur? Are your days blending together?

Why Are Huge Snowflakes Camera Shy?

Is it the camera or your mind that biases the view of snowflakes?

GameStop: A Story of Angry Revenge to Punish Unfairness

Where’s my pitchfork? Bring the tar and feathers. GameStop is a story of how people work to punish unfair bullies, even if they risk hurting themselves.

When Twitter Banned Trump

Disinformation campaigns are dangerous. People become convinced of false information, and act on it. But there is hope. We can disrupt disinformation.

Why Disinformation Campaigns Are Dangerous

Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. This is the risk of leaving people unprotected from internet disinformation campaigns.

A New Year’s Resolution: It’s Not Your Fault

It isn’t all my fault. It isn’t your fault. The problems in the world are not completely our personal responsibilities. Recognizing this allows us to treat people with kindness.

Why Do We Love (and Hate) Holiday Music?

We may love hearing and singing holiday songs, but often hate holiday music, too.

COVID Is a Political Virus: Misinformation Spreads Diseases

Sometimes a virus spreads as an aerosol through the air. And sometimes a virus spreads through political misinformation. COVID does both.

Misinformation, False Memory, and Breonna Taylor

All the witnesses agree that the police failed to announce themselves before breaking down Breonna Taylor’s door and killing her. Except for one witness. Is his report a false memory?

Death by Covid Isolation

My mom died this month. Alone. Like thousands of other seniors, Covid isolation contributed to her decline and death.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum, Misinformation Loves One

Misinformation is winning the internet wars. The truth is lost under a tidal wave of false and misleading information.

Why Our COVID-19 Risk Assessments Are Wrong

What comes to mind when you think about COVID-19? Statistics, news stories, political claims? Or do you think about a friend who caught the coronavirus and developed COVID?

Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV: What Screening Tests Do

Screening tests of cognitive decline are in the news. Let's consider what these tests do and do not measure.

The Importance of Saying Something

What do you do when someone says or posts something biased? Do you ignore it? Do you talk to them in private? Do you say something in public?

Do You Wonder If You’ve Already Had COVID-19?

Were you sick sometime in the last several months? Did you have a cold or the flu? Maybe now you’re wondering if you actually had COVID-19.

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