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Activation energy: the chemistry of getting started - Ness Labs
The initial hump of getting started
The most challenging part of a task is often getting started. For instance, to get out of bed or to start studying for an exam.
Usually, we make the process of starting much more laborious by adding unnecessary steps. We sign up to a gym that is too far away, or we commit to overly ambitious goals.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
The tip-of-the-tongue, or lethologica, is a common phenomenon where memories seem to be momentarily inaccessible.
Bilingual people seem to experience more tip-of-the-tongue...
How to manage the tip-of-the-tongue state
Next time you experience a tip-of-the-tongue state, don't retrieve the information from memory. Instead, look up the correct answer. Repeat it a few times or write it down to help with encoding.
People that experience the tip-of-the-tongue state often suffer from incorrect practice time. Instead of learning the correct work, they are learning the mistake itself. For example, some music students who claim to practice diligently can get worse over time. This is because they keep on repeating the same mistakes, instead of using deliberate practice. They actually train themselves to make mistakes.
Ordinary and altered states of consciousness
Altered states of consciousness can only be defined if there is an understanding of an ordinary state of consciousness.
While scientists can't agree on a clear definition, alte...
Modulating states of consciousness
- Excessive dancing, meditation, and mind-altering plants were used in ancient civilizations to modulate the activity of the mind.
- In 1892, the term "altered states of consciousness" was used to refer to hypnosis.
- William James introduced the scientific investigation of mystical experiences and drug-induced states into the field of psychology.
The five altered states of consciousness
- Pharmacological. These altered states include short-term changes caused by psychoactive substances, such as LSD MDMA, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and alcohol.
- Psychological. Hypnosis, meditation, and music can lead to altered mental states.
- Physical and physiological. An altered state of consciousness is achieved through sleep, where dreams dissociate one from reality.
- Pathological. A traumatic experience causing brain damage can lead to an altered state of consciousness. Other sources include epileptic or psychotic episodes.
- Spontaneous. Daydreaming and mind wandering can cause altered states.
The Hindsight Bias
A bias that many people including historians, experts and physicians encounter is the hindsight bias, which makes them think they knew how an event would turn out before it happene...
The Factors Behind The Hindsight Bias
- Selective Activation And Reconstructive Anchoring (SARA): Only remembering the information partially and using the same as a memory anchor to reactivate the (altered) memory when new information arrives.
- Reconstruction After Feedback (RAFT): Taking ‘the best’ approach involves using one’s influence and exposure about a particular knowledge and taking the best answer based on our reconstruction of information, and creating a biased version of the same.
- Causal Model Theory (CMT): Using a ‘cause reasoning’ for explaining the reality of an event that is different from one’s expectations, mainly by retrieving selective memories.
Hindsight Bias: Consequences
If the bias distortion is within limits, hindsight bias makes a normal person confident and self-assured and facilitates decision making.
Rational thinking is impaired with hindsight bias, as one is not inclined towards learning from experience, or having a growth mindset which involves views different from our own.