I used to work for a naturopathic doctor who treated patients who were usually looking for a “last resort” solution to their health problems. We had plenty of interesting conversations in the office about the dangers of common foods, and lots of judgement was passed if you didn’t own the latest and greatest water purification … Read more
Let’s say you’re ready to learn a new hobby–and since your buddies seem to enjoy their poker nights, learning how to play this game will allow you to get in on the fun. But you’ve got some catching up to do when it comes to knowing how to strategize, so you decide to take some … Read more
When something good happens, people tend to think: “I worked so hard, I’m so talented, I did a great job!” But when things go wrong, people often start taking a mental account of any external factors that could be to blame. Can you think of a time when you were quick to take credit for … Read more
Let’s say you’re walking down the sidewalk near a busy street and you see someone who is texting and not paying attention to where they’re going. There is some space between the two of you, but certainly not so much that you wouldn’t be able to stop them from walking into traffic. As you see … Read more
Do you often find yourself continuing on a path that doesn’t feel right, only because you’ve already invested so much time or money into it? You might strongly dislike what you’re doing, but you feel like you have to stay the course because you can’t imagine doing anything differently. If this sounds familiar, then you’re … Read more
It starts as children when we try to please and impress our parents. That need to please follows us to school as we try to impress our teachers and coaches–and ultimately to our adult lives as we go out of our way to please our bosses. And this isn’t only true for people who tend … Read more
If you think about what the “burden of proof” means for a minute (or you look it up), it makes perfect sense. This is something that you probably face in one form or another every day. While the concept of “the burden of proof” is commonly used in law, it also plays a critical role … Read more
“Because that’s how we’ve always done it.” When I was working in my first position in child welfare at an agency that had been around for decades, this is the response I frequently received when questioning why certain processes were in place. As a recent graduate from a master’s program in social work, I was … Read more
Do you remember when “Because my mom said so” was a valid argument? Back in the days when our parents were the ultimate authority on all topics and if a grownup said it was true, there were no further questions. But, with age and experience, this argument lost its power as we recognized that our … Read more
What would happen if you dropped a mirror and it broke? Well, aside from having to buy a new mirror, you would probably expect seven years of bad luck to be ahead of you. But, if you think back to our article on the Post Hoc Logical Fallacies, you know this popular belief stems from … Read more