Tag: placebo

A high school student created a fake 2020 candidate. Twitter verified it.

Social Media companies find themselves in a tough spot. A “verified account” is viewed as an authority… but what if it’s a fake account? And what of the real accounts that aren’t verified? The selection process puts a question mark over the trustworthiness of our gatekeepers.

Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting

Some 50 years after Detroit’s trees were cut down —either for law enforcement reasons or for Dutch Elms disease— the residents are wary to plant new trees. The history of trees in Detroit shows how people can have two vastly different understandings of the same set of facts, and how persuading people takes more than just telling them what’s good for them.

Lent me get comfortable

Self-restraint builds our resistance to outside attacks on our position and helps us to see the larger picture during times of difficulty.

Bloomberg Big Decisions with Richard Thaler (video)

Richard Thaler is a co-author of Nudge (PRL writeup here) and a professor of behavioral economics, exploring why people make decisions that may not appear rational.

The Weird Power of the Placebo Effect, Explained

The placebo effect can change your world, improve your health, heal your mental ills… and we’re just getting started.