Our evaluation of a certain experience can be heavily influenced by things that actually have nothing to do with it. For example, if we happen to be very thirsty when we sample a new beverage, we may later remember it as being far better than it actually was. 

It’s called attribution bias. And if left unexamined, it can lead us to make choices or decisions that are not based on our actual goals and values.

As with so many other things, correcting for attribution bias starts with becoming aware of its existence.

Takeaways

1. Our response to an idea or judgment of an experience may have as much to do with the context in which we encounter it than the thing itself. 
2. Attribution bias may lead us to decisions or choices that don’t actually represent our true desires or values.
3. Considering how the same experience would feel in a different context is a way of checking or correcting for attribution bias. 
4. It’s impossible to completely rid ourselves of attribution bias–but being aware that it exists can mitigate its power and allow us to make more accurate judgements and better decisions. 

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of distinguishing between stress and stressors. Because this can be the first step toward reducing their negative effects, both on our bodies and on our lives.

According to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, 84% of adults reported feeling stressed out. Two-thirds say that they feel overwhelmed by the issues they face. 

This is no way to live, much less thrive. 

Focusing on a lot of projects at once is a good way to make sure none of them get done. In this episode, we dig into why focusing our efforts on one change at a time can create more change in our lives in the long run. This applies to projects we want to accomplish/finish, not just the habits we want to create.

Most of us have a long list of things about our lives (or ourselves) that we would like to change. The problem is that when we try to change too many things at once, we end up changing nothing. That is why knowing what to focus on, and when, is essential.

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

In this episode, we'll show you how to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones on the road to success.

We may stumble when we’re trying something new and don’t yet know where the tricky parts are. (Fair enough!)  And then there are those things that we seem to stumble over and over again.  You’d think we’d learn how to avoid them! But one of the reasons that we don’t is that we focus on the wrong part of the story.

Every path to success includes its share of stumbling blocks. 

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

In this episode, psychologist Dr. Monica Johnson talks with Monica about the ways in which people with ADHD often struggle with various aspects of behavior change–whether that’s staying focused on the goal, following through on plans, or resisting impulses that lead them astray. 

Monica Johnson, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and owner of Kind Mind Psychology, a private practice in NYC.  She is also a busy speaker, author, and mentor–as well as the host of the Savvy Psychology podcast.  Visit her at kindmindpsych.com

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

When we become aware of a gap between our present reality and our desired reality, our inclination is to add something. A new practice. A new program. A new effort. When that doesn’t work, we go back to the drawing board and add another thing. 

What if the answer were not to add something new but to subtract something that is not working, or not pulling its weight? 

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

In this episode, Monica talks with Dr. Segar about the research she’s laid out in her newest book, The Joy Choice, as well as her 3-step process for staying on track even when life goes off the rails.

Dr. Michelle Segar is an NIH-funded researcher at the University of Michigan. She’s also a best-selling author and health coach. She’s spent close to thirty years studying how to create sustainable changes and healthy behaviors that can survive the complexity and unpredictability of the real world.

Topics covered in this interview include:

• Why it is hard to follow through on our best intentions
• How research on ADHD has influenced behaviour change 
• The concept of Goal Shielding
• How all or nothing thinking has sabotaged our behaviour change
• How working memory affects our behaviours and how we can leverage it
• Michelle's "POP" 3-step process and why play is an important aspect of it
• Why we need to be taught that "something is better than nothing"
• Visit MichelleSegar.com

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

Our expectations powerfully impact what happens to us.  If we believe something is going to help, hurt, suck, or be fun - our experience will probably fulfill that belief. But it's not only that we behave in ways that fulfill our expectations or that we interpret what happens through that lens. Although both of these things are true. Our expectations actually determine our physiological responses to inputs like diet and exercise and stress.  

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

We’re told that self-care is essential to our well-being; it’s practically a duty! But it’s easy to confuse self-care with self-indulgence–and while indulgences can be fun, they don’t necessarily improve our well-being. 

In this episode, we explore the difference between self-care and self-indulgence, so that you can make sure that the time, energy, and money you spend on self-care is actually moving you toward your goals. 

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.

For example, you’ve decided you want to start exercising after work, or you’ve resolved to not drink wine on the weekdays or to cut out the pastry that you always order with your afternoon coffee. You have lots of good reasons for doing this. You’re convinced it’s in your best interests. 

But when the moment to follow through on that plan comes, you have a thought that somehow justifies NOT following through. It’s been a long day. Or, you deserve a treat. Or, it’s too late to get in a full workout so why bother.

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more.