Curious Minds at Work

CM 228: Woo-kyoung Ahn on Thinking Smarter


Listen Later

How we think about things can have an outsize impact on whether we achieve our goals.
Take, for example, the research we might do to make an important decision. If we’re already committed to a certain way of thinking, it’s likely we’ll only focus on information that confirms what we already believe. It’s what scientists call confirmation bias, and it can cause us to overlook, or even dismiss, information critical to things like our health, our finances, and our careers.
And it’s not the only mental bias we hold.
That’s why, to make better decisions, we need to start by understanding what these biases are. Next, we need to learn when they’re most likely to kick in. Then, we need to know how to circumvent them. These are the reasons Woo-kyoung Ahn wrote her book, Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better. 
Ahn’s book is based on the wildly popular course she teaches at Yale. It includes riveting examples, amazing research findings, and targeted steps we can take to address our biases. She provides a versatile set of tools we can use to improve our mental performance.
Episode Links
Bias on the Brain
Be Mindwise: Perspective Taking vs Perspective Getting
What's Fueling Lonnie Walker IV's Surge with the Los Angeles Lakers by Dave McMenamin
The Team
Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.
Support the Podcast
If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.
Subscribe
Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Curious Minds at WorkBy Gayle Allen

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

475 ratings


More shows like Curious Minds at Work

View all
Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,853 Listeners

Design Matters with Debbie Millman by Design Matters Media

Design Matters with Debbie Millman

1,227 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,134 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,035 Listeners

Aspen Ideas to Go by The Aspen Institute

Aspen Ideas to Go

230 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,406 Listeners

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel by Esther Perel Global Media

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

14,882 Listeners

Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

Worklife with Adam Grant

9,241 Listeners

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

14,591 Listeners

The Next Big Idea by Next Big Idea Club

The Next Big Idea

1,294 Listeners

People I (Mostly) Admire by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

People I (Mostly) Admire

2,098 Listeners

ReThinking by TED

ReThinking

620 Listeners

How to Age Up by The Atlantic

How to Age Up

1,381 Listeners

The Next Big Idea Daily by Next Big Idea Club

The Next Big Idea Daily

72 Listeners

Fixable by TED

Fixable

220 Listeners