Aruna Gobalan's Blog, page 20

Locus Of Control: Who Determines Your Happiness?

If you see a celebrity on a magazine cover flaunting six-pack abs, what thought runs through your head? That you need to go on a diet/exercise regimen to emulate those surfboard abs? Or, do you roll your eyes and attribute the celebrity's abs to the army of personal trainers and chefs at her disposal, not […]

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Memories Are Unreliable: Why We May Be So Sure Yet So Wrong At the Same Time

Have you insisted that you left the keys on the table only to find them later in your coat pocket? Or, had trouble recalling the name of the movie but can quote dialogue from the movie verbatim? Or, argue with your spouse about stuff you heard on the radio last week while you both swear […]

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Sleep Science: Why It’s Stupid To Brag About Sleeping Less

Getting by on 4-5 hours of sleep in our culture is seen as a bragworthy achievement. On the other hand, requiring a reasonable 7-8 hours of sleep is considered a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, these perceptions are wrong. In fact, dead wrong—continued or chronic sleep deprivation is cause enough for death, according to sleep science. The […]

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Sunk Cost Fallacy: Dwelling On a Mistake Just Because It Took a Long Time To Make

City residents convened a town hall meeting in a small town to discuss repair options for a statue in the city center. The figurine was already considered an eyesore. Now, with its broken arm, it bordered on grotesque. A fierce debate ensued between the residents on whether to keep or remove the sculpture. Ultimately the […]

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Reinvent Yourself: Stay Relevant In a Fast-Changing World

The reason could be any: a layoff, a chance to climb the corporate ladder, a new entrepreneurial venture, a calling to make the world a better place, or simply to avoid never-ending boredom at your current job. There will come a time in almost everyone’s life, where it becomes essential to release a V 2.0 […]

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Hindsight Bias: “I knew it all along” and other such fairy tales

After a catastrophe occurs, you might hear someone say, "I knew all along this was going to happen." When you hear those words, you don't need to get all worked up and let go of your otherwise calm, unflappable demeanor! Instead, you only have to say to the one-who-knew-all-along, "No, you didn't. You are exhibiting […]

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How to Be Patient: When Sighing Loudly Or Furiously Tapping Does Not Change The Outcome

I have transformed in many ways from how I was younger. One thing that hasn't really changed much over the years, though, is my patience. Or rather, lack of it. Not that I'm impatient or anything. I just don't like the waiting part. That said, I'm making a renewed effort now to tackle this persistent […]

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A Case of The Blahs: When Everything Feels Like Monday

Adam Grant called “languishing” the emotion of the pandemic year. I’m not surprised. If I had a gauge or a device that measured my motivation, it would probably fluctuate between zero and none. We all get a case of the blahs every so often. This article is about what we can do to recover from […]

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Stories We Tell Ourselves: The Superpower of Tall Tales and Why It’s Okay to Be Delusional Sometimes

Like many, I used to think of myself as a fairly rational person who made most decisions based on objective facts. I now realize that assumption is just one more example of the kinds of stories we tell ourselves.I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never […]

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Reality Check: Why Rejections Can Be a Good Thing in Our Participation-Trophy Culture

With our everyone-is-special, participation-trophy culture and the fact that, in 2013, “selfie” was named word of the year, the time is ripe for a good dose of narcissism-removing reality check. Understanding the earth revolves around the sun and not around us is a lesson best learned sooner rather than later.Pencil-sharpener CaptainOne day, years ago, when […]

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