So, What's on Carsten's Mind?

Oct 29, 2013

Just Say "I Don't"

You've heard it before.

"If you just believe in it and tell yourself that it will happen, it will eventually happen."

And if you're faced with temptations, it's easiest to resist if you immediately tell yourself that you can't and shouldn't do that. Right? When it comes to self-help through self-talk, things might actually be a bit more complicated than that.

Contrary to self-help lore, there's little evidence that positive self-talk works like magic. Telling yourself you're beautiful, a confident public speaker or a future billionaire won't make you any of those things; if anything, it's liable to have the reverse effect. The true impact of self-talk is more subtle.

This is from a column by Oliver Burkeman of The Guardian, who believes his short article will change your life ;-) For example, according to him it's better to phrase something as a question if you need to motivate yourself for a challenging task. "I will talk to my boss about that promotion" might sound better in your head, but "Will I talk to my boss about that promotion?" will lead to more intrinsic motivation to actually go and have that tough conversation, because it reminds you of all the reasons you have to ask for said promotion.

Stop Wearing Those "Ray-Bans"

Why do we dress the way we do?

If you're willing to believe Dan Ariely, it has a lot to do with how we want other people to perceive us. In his recent book The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, he writes the following: "Although our current sartorial class system is not as rigid as it was in the past, the desire to signal success and individuality is as strong today as ever." (p. 121) Interestingly enough, we don't just try to signal those things to other people -- we tend to self-signal as well. Ariely gives the example of helping a beggar on the streets. Instead of just walking by or giving him some change, you decide to buy him a sandwich. You now interpret this good deed as proof for your amazing character and believe more intensely in your own benevolence, even though this sole act does not define who you are.

So what happens when we deliberately choose to wear fake products, like the "Rolex" watch you bought for 10 Euros at that Italian beach last summer? We're obviously signaling success and wealth to ourselves and those around us, but does it make us more dishonest people if what we wear is a fake rather than the real deal? Ariely and his friends wanted to find out and decided to conduct an experiment using Chloé designer sunglasses (you can read all about it in the book). The results of the experiment...

Phonebloks - The Future of Smartphones?

We live in a throw-away-world. When your TV stops working you toss it out and get a new one. When your shoes are a few years old, you decide to buy a new pair (even though the old ones are still working just fine). When your smartphone's battery doesn't last as long anymore as it used to, you throw it away and get the latest version. Right?

Well, maybe you won't have to do that anymore in the future. At least if Dave Hakkens gets his way. On his website phonebloks.com, Hakkens presents a new way of thinking about -- and buying smartphones. Instead of throwing yours away when you're not satisfied with its features anymore, you simply upgrade: a new camera, more storage, a longer lasting battery... How will it work? I'll let Dave explain it to you. Go to the website and check out the video he's posted there. Will his idea ever become reality? We don't know and it's way too early to make any predictions about it. But I like it when someone comes up with a concept that would not only make smartphone consumers happy, but also make our world a less "trashier" place. Good stuff, Dave.