Statistical Life

From the evolution of intelligence to memory and information overload.

Thomas Hills Ph.D.

4 Principles of Expert Educators and Trainers

How do we use behavioral science to help ourselves and other people gain mastery and improve education and training? 

Zombie Movies, Aliens, and Outbreak

To most of us, the invasion of Wuhan by aliens would initially just look like another weird social media event.

Visualizing the Book of Genesis

Usually, to understand Genesis, you'd have to read it. But there are other ways to "understand."

The Resiliency of Happiness

I suspect the single most common finding across happiness research will be that happiness goes up and down over time.

The Self and Amnesia

If we’re not being self-reflective when we think our thoughts, then their origins may dissolve.

Impeachment Hearings and the Dim Light at Tunnel's End

By the time the next U.S. election rolls around, this impeachment may be nothing more than a distant partisan memory.

Can Animals Imagine Things That Have Never Happened?

Can animals imagine experiences they’ve never had before? Brain imaging studies show that they can.

Understanding the Pathologies of Deep-Learning AIs

While there is not a wealth of theory about deep learning at present, that theory will develop.  It will develop faster with the benefit of psychology.

What Evolution Means for Our Relationship with God

Your relationship with God, the cosmic river, the Totality, or whatever, cannot be made more real by your commitment to tribalisms.

Power Asymmetry, Trump, and the Art of No Deal

Power asymmetry in negotiation happens when one side has more leverage than the other. This is one of Trump's go-to strategies and the reason for his recent substantial failings.

6 Negotiation Lessons from the Brexit Disaster

Brexit is one of the worst negotiations in recorded history, and it highlights the strategies that produce successful negotiations.

The Only New Year's Resolution You'll Ever Need

Forget New Year's resolutions. You just need one: agree to tell yourself what you are going to do, as well as how and when, and do that as often as you can.

A Psychologist Watches Six Nations Rugby

Rugby is a grueling, captivating, fairly continuous onslaught of human bodies crashing into one another, with frequent turnovers, occasional breakaways, and fabulous successes.

5 Principles of Shamanism That Solve Real-World Problems

The kahuna says look for the signs. The gnostics say listen for the voice of God. Tarot takes you outside of yourself. Your dreams look where the wakeful cannot go.

3 Things Parents Need to Know About Raising Children

Freedom, boredom, and social intelligence are often misunderstood by parents.

How Dogs Learn Words

In the land of dogs, the ability to be confused is what makes them able to learn.

Why Understanding Jamal Khashoggi is Important

The problem with putting your interests in front of your values is that principles of belief and personal integrity do not come from interests. 

Climate Change and Diet

People with meat-based diets were less likely to believe that diet is our biggest chance to reduce climate change. Why?

The Darker Side of the Kavanaugh Confirmation

This problem of American polarization has always been an issue, but the problem grows worse as the number of impartial sources of information shrinks.

What Deep Learning Shares With Little Kids

The beauty of deep neural network is that they seem to have much in common with the human mind—on steroids and capable of learning at the speed of light.

The Mental Life of a Bank Loan Algorithm: A True Story

A simple online bank loan application exposes a curious oversight in a bank algorithm. How many of these are there?

The Kavanaugh-Ford Hearings

Ford and Kavanaugh both stand to lose from further investigation. And yet, Kavanaugh, if he is telling the truth, would seem to have the most to gain from further investigation.  

You Have As Much Willpower As You Think You Have

People who believe they have unlimited willpower seem to actually have more willpower.

Society Is a Megaphone for Risk

Communication may be first about providing social cues, second about communicating risks, but only third about providing an accurate picture.

Gerrymandering: Carving Up Minorities In America

America's voting system is rigged from the inside out, and minorities are the ones taking the hit.

Good Science Writing Explains How Things Are Known

Good science writing needs to go beyond claims to explain how things are known. A citation is not an explanation.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Sex

Why are there so many kinds of male mating strategies? A few fairy tales can help explain the game theoretics of frequency-dependent selection.

The Zero-Sum Fallacy in Negotiation and How to Overcome It

The zero-sum fallacy is a fallacy because it is a false belief. Unfortunately, it's a belief that can be self-fulfilling.

Does My Algorithm Have a Mental Health Problem?

How many different ways can an algorithm hallucinate? To find out, we would have to provide the algorithm with all possible combinations of input stimuli.

Gun Control vs. Power to Fight Tyranny? False Dichotomy 101

A government that fails to protect its citizens by the most minuscule means of simply requiring that competent people use deadly tools competently is a tyranny of incompetence.

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