Occupy Wall Street: The Neuroeconomics of Confusing Envy and Jealousy

Occupy Wall Street began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District. It quickly spread to over 100 cities in the United States. This “people’s assembly” purports to represent the 99% of people opposing the 1% who get everything and take...

Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets

We each have a running account of what is happening, what it means, and what we should do. Our minds constantly monitor and interpret. Mindsets frame and fuel the stories we create about ourselves. The view you adopt—the software program of mindset you use—can...

The Behavioral Economics of Everyday Parenting

Many years ago, one of my psychoanalytic patients said, “You know, Doc, it’s a lot easier for me to talk about dead people and bad dreams than it is for me to talk about handing this check to you each month.” A poll of 20,000 people revealed that...

Believing: The Neuroscience of Reverse Truths

While my children’s adolescence cured me of most of my theories, a few fundamental ones survived, and are even more boldly illuminated against the backdrop of passing years. One of these survivors is the principle of reverse truths. In traditional science, truth is...

The Allure of Certainty

My wife and I spend an occasional evening at a nearby restaurant with a piano bar—where she is regularly invited to sing. At times, we join the “patio people” for discussion, drinks, and an occasional cigar. While I usually get scarce when the topics turn...