For many people, the start of a new year is an occasion to re-examine their lives, to set new goals and to give up old habits. Making New Year’s resolutions is something of a social ritual, but we see similar behaviors around other significant dates, as well--such as birthdays and anniversaries and the changing of seasons. And while it can be argued that all of these dates are arbitrary, studies show that they can still give you a head start in achieving your goals. In this episode of Choiceolog...
Jan 01, 2022•34 min
Anticipating and planning for obstacles can sometimes be more powerful than adopting a positive mindset. A positive attitude is important when embarking on any new endeavor. However, as you may have heard in previous episodes of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , overoptimism also can blind you to important information. In this episode, we look at a strategy that can help counteract the effects of overoptimism and overconfidence. You could call it the power of negative thinking. We begin with the a...
Oct 25, 2021•31 min•Season 8Ep. 6
Most of us would prefer to avoid an argument at work or at home. But there are times when arguments—at least when they’re civil—can help surface important information for decision-making. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at situations where certain types of conflict can actually lead to better outcomes. You’re probably familiar with the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Wright brothers secured their place in history by achieving the world’s first sustained flight ...
Oct 11, 2021•31 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Perhaps this scenario seems familiar. Let’s say you generally do a good job of sticking to your monthly budget, but a rare opportunity arises—maybe a favorite musical artist is in town, or you’ve been invited to a friend’s 25th anniversary event—and you blow past your regular spending limit. It’s all right—you’ll just have to tighten your belt a bit next month. But then your phone stops working, and you have to buy a new model. And now your car needs an expensive repair. Again, these are not ord...
Sep 27, 2021•33 min•Season 8Ep. 4
When young children imagine their future lives, they’re often very optimistic. They’ll say things like “I’m going to be an astronaut!” or “When I grow up, I want to be a movie star!” These outcomes are, of course, quite rare. Most children will grow into slightly less exotic careers as adults. But even as adults, we tend toward personal optimism. We assume that we will outlive the average person, that we will remain in better health than the average person, and that our children will be above av...
Sep 13, 2021•36 min•Season 8Ep. 3
You may notice that charity campaigns tend to focus on the stories of one or two individuals or families, and that those stories are often rich with emotional content but light on information and statistics. There’s a reason for that. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at the different ways we tend to be captivated and motivated by individuals and their stories, while on the other hand, we often become numb or disengaged when presented with large numbers or statistical in...
Aug 30, 2021•33 min•Season 8Ep. 2
Most people wouldn’t attempt a marathon or a climb up Mount Everest without first working through some less audacious objectives. And yet there are countless examples of ambitious goals—new businesses, academic degrees, career changes, athletic feats—that were abandoned because they appeared too daunting in scope. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at a simple strategy that can make your biggest goals more manageable. Shannon Miller is one of the most decorated athletes i...
Aug 16, 2021•37 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Important decisions can be complex and difficult to make. We’re at the mercy of certain behavioral biases, and we often face a degree of uncertainty. And while it’s helpful to be aware of our shortcomings and mindful of our incomplete picture of the world, there is a proven way to make better decisions, on balance. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how questioning our basic assumptions and thinking like a scientist can help us untangle the knottiest of problems and ma...
Jun 07, 2021•34 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Many episodes of this podcast deal with cognitive biases that can hinder our decision-making abilities. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at a different kind of error: how completely irrelevant information can negatively influence our judgments, making them varied and unpredictable. This variability of human judgment—or noise —is the topic of a new book by Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman , with Cass Sunstein and Olivier Sibony . You’ll hear an interview wit...
May 24, 2021•33 min
If you’ve ever lost a job, or been through a breakup, or failed an exam, you’ll know that the aftermath can be painful and disorienting. But for some percentage of those who experience these disappointing outcomes, unforeseen opportunities will arise. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at the occasional upside of being forced to quit a career, or a relationship, or even a favorite route to work. Kassia St. Clair brings us the story of William Henry Perkin . As a young man...
May 10, 2021•39 min•Season 7Ep. 5
You probably have a list of reminders somewhere. Maybe you have a calendar with important dates marked. And likely a mental to-do list. And shopping lists. And gift ideas. And you’ve got to remember to get your taxes filed. And don’t forget to get those prescriptions filled before the drug store closes. And you’ve got to renew your insurance, and … There’s a lot of information to juggle in modern life. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at ways to improve reminders and re...
Apr 26, 2021•37 min•Season 7Ep. 4
For many, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic was terrifying. Descriptions of the outbreak in Europe and Asia led to panic buying and sheltering in place here at home. But, as time passed and people became acclimatized to life with masks and social distancing, many of those same people who were terrified at the outset began to let their guard down and take unnecessary risks. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at a peculiar inconsistency around how we perceive risk and r...
Apr 12, 2021•35 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Have you ever visited your doctor to deal with a minor health issue and then left the office with nothing more than the doctor’s calming reassurance? Chances are good that you felt a bit better, physically, just by virtue of experiencing the environment of the clinic and anticipating some kind of improvement in your health. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we explore how your beliefs and expectations can have a very real impact on your health and well-being. Science journalist ...
Mar 29, 2021•35 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Hardware stores and home improvement shows often promote do-it-yourself projects. And while it’s challenging to make your own projects look as good as the ones on TV or in glossy brochures, building something yourself can be a very rewarding experience. The trouble is, the DIY approach can sometimes cloud your perceptions of the value of your project. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how putting personal effort into something—be it a hand-knit scarf, a new deck, or e...
Mar 15, 2021•36 min•Season 7Ep. 1
In a past episode titled “Spoiled for Choice,” we looked at how decision-making can be hampered by our desire to avoid the painful emotion of regret. In fact, regret aversion can cause people to abandon certain decisions entirely. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look more closely at regret itself. Stirling Hart is a professional lumberjack. He’s also a world-class lumberjack sports athlete. He has travelled the world competing against the best of the best in events such as ...
Oct 12, 2020•31 min•Season 6Ep. 6
For some people, the check engine light on their car dashboard means an immediate trip to the repair shop. But for others, it represents a nagging unpleasant feeling that’s best to be avoided. So they put it out of their mind for as long as they can. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we examine the tendency to avoid or ignore certain information when it may be uncomfortable or inconvenient. Amelia Boone is a high achiever. Within a short time of taking up the grueling sport of o...
Sep 28, 2020•35 min•Season 6Ep. 5
You’ve probably had the annoying experience of going to a store to pick up a few things, only to leave having forgotten at least one of them. That’s likely due to the challenge of holding more than one piece of information in your working memory while you shop, not to mention the effects of time pressure, distraction, and the procedural complexity of a seemingly simple trip to a store. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at effective tools for managing complex and time-sen...
Sep 14, 2020•41 min•Season 6Ep. 4
“Mom! Janey got more ice cream than me! Not fair!” For kids—and many adults—the notion of what’s fair or not often involves comparing quantities of some valuable thing. But there’s another, more nuanced concept of fairness that crops up in certain types of negotiations. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at what people perceive as fair or not amid changing circumstances. At the turn of the 20th century, professional baseball had entered what came to be known as the dead-b...
Aug 31, 2020•33 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Traditional economic theory says that more choice should always be better than less. After all, if the cereal aisle has corn flakes, honey nut corn flakes, toasted coconut corn flakes, chocolate corn flakes, multi-grain flakes, and all the rest, you’ll surely be able to find the breakfast carbs that suit your taste buds perfectly. But it turns out that, in certain situations, more choices can be counterproductive. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how having too many ...
Aug 17, 2020•33 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Have you ever bid in a competitive auction—say, on eBay—and won the item, only to see a similar item for sale elsewhere at a lower price? If so, you may have fallen prey to the winner’s curse. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at bias that can lead people to overpay in auctions and other types of negotiations. We begin with the story of Havre de Grace . This prize filly had an exceptionally successful career as a racehorse before being auctioned as a broodmare. Expectati...
May 11, 2020•34 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Have you ever purchased a car or a motorcycle or a boat, based on some particular quality it had that made you fall in love? Maybe it was candy apple red. Maybe it had sleek lines. Maybe the engine made a pleasing purr. Hopefully that decision was a happy one. But what happens when the red sports car spends most of its time in the shop? Or the sleek motorbike is hard on your back? Or the purring boat engine is a gas-guzzler? In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how our p...
Apr 27, 2020•28 min•Season 5Ep. 4
If you’ve ever signed up for a frequent flyer program, chances are good that you were awarded a certain number of bonus points to start. Those bonus points feel like a nice little gift, but they also serve another purpose: to increase your motivation to participate in the program. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we explore how your proximity to a goal can affect the way you behave. You’ll hear the fascinating story of Brian Zinn and his decade-spanning quest to unravel an elab...
Apr 13, 2020•37 min•Season 5Ep. 3
An unprecedented global health crisis has overwhelmed healthcare systems, disrupted economies and financial markets, and radically altered our daily lives. And while social distancing is the responsible thing to do to slow the spread of disease, it also heightens the emotional challenges we face during these scary and uncertain times. In this special bonus episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look to the science of happiness to see how we might mitigate the adverse impacts to our mental...
Apr 06, 2020•39 min
We are inundated with decisions in the modern world. What to wear, what to buy, what to watch, where to work, what to eat, who to call, where to live, what to study, when to exercise, how much to save, etc. And every decision, no matter how small, requires mental effort. But when a particular option is suggested to us ahead of time, the cognitive load is much smaller. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we explore the subtle power of default options. We begin with a simple experim...
Mar 30, 2020•35 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Many episodes of this podcast deal with cognitive biases that can hinder our decision-making abilities. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at a different kind of error: how completely irrelevant information can negatively influence our judgments, making them varied and unpredictable. This variability of human judgment—or noise —is the topic of an upcoming book by Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman , with Cass Sunstein and Olivier Sibony . You’ll hear an intervi...
Mar 16, 2020•33 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most revered figures in American history. He accomplished more in one lifetime--as a publisher, scientist, and politician--than most of us dream of. One argument for his success is that he was a creature of habit. His grueling daily schedule focused on repeating several habits of self-improvement. He hoped to achieve a perfect version of himself by automating certain positive behaviors. Whether or not he always stuck to his daily schedule of self-improvement is de...
Nov 18, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 6
If you’ve toured through any old world cities, you’ve probably marveled at ancient buildings that have stood the test of time. You might think to yourself, “They sure made things to last back in those days.” And while the Notre Dame Cathedral or the Parthenon or the Tower of London may seem like proof of the superior workmanship of a bygone era, what you don’t see are all the other buildings erected during the same period that have since crumbled or been torn down. In this episode of Choiceology...
Nov 04, 2019•39 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how framing a decision based on what you stand to lose versus what you stand to gain affects your tolerance of risk. Luis Green was a contestant on the popular TV game show Deal or No Deal . The game is largely one of chance, but there are moments during play where the contestant has an option to accept a cash offer to quit. At one point in the game, Luis was offered $333,000 to simply walk away. A guaranteed win! It seems like an obv...
Oct 21, 2019•43 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Say you have a colleague who is struggling to complete a project at work. You might offer them some tips and tricks based on your own experience with similar projects. And it’s reasonable to expect those tips might be helpful to your colleague. But what if it turned out that the act of giving that advice might provide a measurable benefit to you as well? In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how giving advice can benefit the giver—as much or even more than the person rece...
Oct 07, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Think back to a situation where you’ve been really pressed for time. Chances are good that the pressure of a deadline or an appointment caused you to be (a) hyper-focused and efficient or (b) panicked and prone to errors. Now think of a situation where you had plenty of available time. While you were probably much less stressed, it’s also likely that the superpowers of hyper-focus didn’t come so easily. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman , we look at how not having enough time or m...
Sep 23, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 2
