The age-old proverb asserts that "it is not what you know, it is who you know." In the digital era, however, modern cognitive psychology is uncovering a fascinating extension to this rule: mapping who you know is precisely how your brain optimises its ability to access what they know.
A recent study exploring digital networks and cognitive performance revealed that individuals with higher working memory capacities do not necessarily use their brainpower to absorb more raw data. Instead, they...
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We like to think of Artificial Intelligence as a neutral, objective arbiter of truth. We use it to research complex topics, settle debates, and check our own thinking. However, recent research into Large Language Models (LLMs) suggests that AI has a surprising—and slightly concerning—personality trait: sycophancy.
Sycophancy in AI is the tendency for a model to tailor its responses to match the user's expressed views, even if those views are factually incorrect or biased. As it tu...
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We often think of narcissists as loud, charming, and status-obsessed. However, recent psychological research suggests a more subtle, often overlooked manifestation: the perpetual victim. While genuine victimisation is a tragic reality for many, "victim signalling"—the tendency to frequently portray oneself as the target of others' unfairness—can sometimes be a calculated social strategy. Here is what the latest research tells us about the link between victimhood and narcissis...
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Making sense is a crucial part of any argument. If you’re listening to someone’s advice and the pieces of their logical puzzle don’t match up, that’s probably a good sign that their ideas are misguided. However, just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it is true. When we believe things are true just because it makes sense, we are effectively using deductive reasoning.
Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning
There are two ways we can make sense of information, t...
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In the last installment of our misinformation identification series, we looked at the red flag of making complicated things seem too simple. In this article, we’re going to be looking at the exact opposite, people who overcomplicate simple things.
In our previous article, we mentioned that, in almost every subject, there is an overwhelming depth of complexity. So, it feels slightly contradictory to now say that you can overcomplicate anything. But hear me out; both ideas can be true at...
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