Scott Koenig
We’re Killing Ourselves with Work
Evolution favors less work and more leisure.
Does Social Media Poison Everything?
We have far less control over our behavior than we like to think.
How the Pandemic Has Tested Behavioral Science
In the interplay between behavioral science and policy, puffs of smoke abound.Photo illustration by metamorworks / Shutterstock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . In March the United Kingdom curiously declined to impose significant social distancing measures in response to the global pandemic. The government was taking advice from several […]
The Pandemic Is Showing Us How to Live with Uncertainty
During the Spanish flu of 1918, it was Vick’s VapoRub. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, it was canned food. Now, as the number of cases of COVID-19 grows worldwide, it’s, among other things, toilet paper. In times of precarity, people often resort to hoarding resources they think are likely to become scarce—panic buying, as […]
The Psychology of Greta Thunberg’s Climate Activism
Identifying the ingredients of an effective argument.
Is the Psychology of Greta Thunberg’s Climate Activism Effective?
Greta Thunberg may have weighted her U.N. remarks toward care and fairness, but she didn’t omit loyalty. “You are failing us,” she said. “But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal.”Photograph by Liv Oeian / Shutterstock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Last month, Greta Thunberg, the […]
Our Aversion to A/B Testing on Humans Is Dangerous
Research suggests that people have an irrational aversion to A/B tests, which could limit the extent to which important institutions like hospitals, legislatures, and corporations base their decisions on objective evidence.Photograph by Fernando Cortes / Shutterstock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Facebook once teamed up with scientists at […]
The Case for Being Skeptical of Moral Outrage
If, as the research shows, our moral outrage is highly sensitive to actions but not consequences, we might want to treat feelings of moral outrage—whether others’ or our own—skeptically. Photograph by Vjacheslav_Kozyrev / Flickr Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . The episode last month at the Lincoln Memorial, involving […]
To Persuade Someone, Look Emotional
Asked at the start of the final 1988 presidential debate whether he would support the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered, Michael Dukakis, a lifelong opponent of capital punishment, quickly and coolly said no. It was a surprising, deeply personal, and arguably inappropriate question, but in demonstrating an unwavering commitment to his […]
How Social Media Exploits Our Moral Emotions
Companies profit from the pleasure we feel in expressing righteous outrage.