Silicon Psyche

Workplace Dynamics

Fixing Remote Work Behaviors That Wouldn't Fly In Person

Ian MacRae on July 11, 2026

From muted mockery to social loafing, screens shield actions that wouldn't fly in person. Learn why people get away with more online and why restoring accountability matters.

From muted mockery to social loafing, screens shield actions that wouldn't fly in person. Learn why people get away with more online and why restoring accountability matters.

Career

Remote Work Hurts Early Careers More Than AI

Ian MacRae on July 10, 2026

Forget AI, the real threat to young professionals is the office you left behind. Find out why the remote work transformation is dismantling the junior job market.

Forget AI, the real threat to young professionals is the office you left behind. Find out why the remote work transformation is dismantling the junior job market.

Anxiety

Mental Health Campaigns Can Do More Harm Than Good

Ian MacRae on May 16, 2026

Are mental health campaigns making you anxious? Constant reminders to monitor your well-being may be causing more harm than you realize.

Are mental health campaigns making you anxious? Constant reminders to monitor your well-being may be causing more harm than you realize.

Artificial Intelligence

The Risks of Replacing Human Subjects With NPCs

Ian MacRae on February 22, 2026

We’ve blown past the Turing test, but "indistinguishable" isn’t "equivalent." Psychology must continue to learn from people, and there is still a great deal to learn.

We’ve blown past the Turing test, but "indistinguishable" isn’t "equivalent." Psychology must continue to learn from people, and there is still a great deal to learn.

Bias

When Science Is a Projection of Researcher Bias

Ian MacRae on February 1, 2026

Don't be fooled by a graph. New research shows that a scientist's policy preferences can influence their results. Look past the model and find the ground truth.

Don't be fooled by a graph. New research shows that a scientist's policy preferences can influence their results. Look past the model and find the ground truth.

Intelligence

Betting on Our Collective Mind With Prediction Markets

Ian MacRae on October 12, 2025

What if corruption could lead to revealing the truth? Prediction markets create a strange world where bad behavior can reveal hidden information about our collective future.

What if corruption could lead to revealing the truth? Prediction markets create a strange world where bad behavior can reveal hidden information about our collective future.

Philosophy

Boomerdämmerung and the Twilight of 20th-Century Norms

Ian MacRae on September 14, 2025

From autocrats chasing immortality to fading institutions, twilight feels like collapse. But the world's greatest opera shows it can also mean renewal.

From autocrats chasing immortality to fading institutions, twilight feels like collapse. But the world's greatest opera shows it can also mean renewal.

Resilience

How to Navigate Life’s Overlapping Systems

Ian MacRae on September 6, 2025

Overwhelmed by a world you can't control? The secret to reclaiming control isn't to think bigger. It’s to redirect focus to smaller scales. Here's why.

Overwhelmed by a world you can't control? The secret to reclaiming control isn't to think bigger. It’s to redirect focus to smaller scales. Here's why.

Bias

Why Does Every Global Event Feel Like a Crisis?

Ian MacRae on September 1, 2025

Why does now feel like the end of the world? It's not just you; it’s a cognitive bias. Learn why our brains fixate on the present and how to adapt through the chaos.

Why does now feel like the end of the world? It's not just you; it’s a cognitive bias. Learn why our brains fixate on the present and how to adapt through the chaos.

Bias

More Money With a Flop? What Bubbles Teach Us About Timing

Ian MacRae on August 30, 2025

From dot-com to AI, bubbles repeat. We rush in too soon, yet the best opportunities often come after the bubbles burst. And yes, people still buy tulips.

From dot-com to AI, bubbles repeat. We rush in too soon, yet the best opportunities often come after the bubbles burst. And yes, people still buy tulips.

Identity

Under the Currents of Generational Myths

Ian MacRae on August 24, 2025

We know generational labels are wrong, but we can't stop using them. This piece explores why, and what these mental representations can tell us about ourselves.

We know generational labels are wrong, but we can't stop using them. This piece explores why, and what these mental representations can tell us about ourselves.

Perfectionism

Your Drive to Be Flawless Might Be Your Biggest Roadblock

Ian MacRae on July 6, 2025

Are you pulled forward by a desire for excellence, or pushed from behind by a fear of mistakes? One path leads to real achievement, while the other can fuel anxiety and paralysis.

Are you pulled forward by a desire for excellence, or pushed from behind by a fear of mistakes? One path leads to real achievement, while the other can fuel anxiety and paralysis.

Grief

The Rise of Metropolitan Paganism

Ian MacRae on June 29, 2025

From Grenfell Tower to ancient Mediterranean cities, we're still creating gods and shrines in unexpected places.

From Grenfell Tower to ancient Mediterranean cities, we're still creating gods and shrines in unexpected places.

Workplace Dynamics

How Destructive Work Behavior Thrives in the Remote Office

Ian MacRae on June 24, 2025

In today's remote workplace, some colleagues may use communication to sow chaos. Here’s how to spot the destructive patterns that might be hidden.

In today's remote workplace, some colleagues may use communication to sow chaos. Here’s how to spot the destructive patterns that might be hidden.

Career

The Surprising Ways People Enable Dysfunction at Work

Ian MacRae on June 23, 2025

Some of your most trusted instincts at work could be feeding dysfunction. Find out how and what to do about it.

Some of your most trusted instincts at work could be feeding dysfunction. Find out how and what to do about it.

Personality

The Surprising Upside of Your Dark Side

Ian MacRae on June 15, 2025

Your personality traits become strengths or weaknesses depending on one thing: how well you manage them in context.

Your personality traits become strengths or weaknesses depending on one thing: how well you manage them in context.

Artificial Intelligence

Beware the Obsequious AI Assistant

Ian MacRae on April 21, 2025

New AI models increasingly praise users. This plays on people's reward circuits and can boost engagement.

New AI models increasingly praise users. This plays on people's reward circuits and can boost engagement.

Stress

"Cortisolmaxxing": Are You Overstimulating Your Mind?

Ian MacRae on April 5, 2025

Don't let "cortisolmaxxing" become a lifestyle. Overstimulation is easy to fall into. But you can retrain your nervous system to stop treating daily life like a crisis.

Don't let "cortisolmaxxing" become a lifestyle. Overstimulation is easy to fall into. But you can retrain your nervous system to stop treating daily life like a crisis.

Cognition

Why People Believe Things They Know Aren’t True

Ian MacRae on April 3, 2025

Why we rewrite history, ignore facts, and build stories that protect how we feel right now, even when we know they aren't true.

Why we rewrite history, ignore facts, and build stories that protect how we feel right now, even when we know they aren't true.

Memes

How Communication Changes in a Post-Literate Society

Ian MacRae on March 30, 2025

If society feels less rational lately, it may be. As intuition takes over from logic, communication gets faster, more emotional, and harder to argue with.

If society feels less rational lately, it may be. As intuition takes over from logic, communication gets faster, more emotional, and harder to argue with.