OK, smartphone user (yes, we know that most of you, at this very moment, are now peering down onto a rectangular screen), have you ever wasted time on your phone? Of […]
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European robotics experts obviously have their priorities in order because they’re designing a system to help facilitate more efficient winemaking.
Denmark fell seven places on the OECD Better Life Index of overall life satisfaction; plummeting oil prices have made Norwegians jumpy; and Sweden is coping with increased racial polarization.
Is there another version of you somewhere out there in a parallel Universe? “Go then, there are other worlds than these.” –Stephen King, The Dark Tower One of the most […]
Americans are quickly losing interest in the country’s most infamous contribution to global culture: the fast food restaurant.
Rich or poor, we all make unethical decisions. However, a recent study has found that different socioeconomic classes will make these choices for different reasons.
On February 8, 1915, at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation premiered. The fledgling art form of film would never be the same, especially in America, which even half a century after the end of the Civil War struggled to come to terms with race. Now, a century after Birth of a Nation’s premier, America still struggles not only with race, but also with how race plays out on the silver screen. For good and ill, Birth of a Nation marks the beginning of the first 100 years of the American Cinema—epically beautiful, yet often racially ugly.
New Horizons is closing in on what was once our Solar System’s most distant planet. How did it get there? “Even in hindsight, I would not change one whit of […]
Knowing how to schedule and run an efficient meeting can mean the difference between your employees feeling positively about their day or believing they are slowing wasting their lives.
Earlier this week, scientists at UC Irvine revealed that they have learned how to unboil an egg. Their discovery could lead to the development of a protein restoration system that would be a major asset in the fight against cancer.
“I don’t say I was ‘proceeding down a thoroughfare.’ I say I ‘walked down the road.’ I don’t say I ‘passed a hallowed institute of learning.’ I say I ‘passed a school.’ You don’t wear all your jewellery at once. You’re much more believable if you talk in your own voice.”
It may sound crazy, but a lot of the skills and values necessary to launch a successful startup are similar to those that embody punk rock.
New research indicates that today’s college graduates are ill-equipped to enter today’s workforce. The solution is to get more ambitious while matriculating and obtain life experience that hones your ability to innovate and adapt.
It’s only a matter of time before another star has a close encounter with our Solar System. How long do we have? “From an incandescent mass we have originated, and […]
A person’s appearance—specifically, their facial features—helps determine whether we assess their motives favorably or if we naturally suspect them of vice.
Rugby, like business, is a game of inches. Gaining a competitive advantage requires sharp data analysis and advanced analytics.
Before most of today’s heavy users of social media were born, persuasion researchers were exploring what it takes to not be suckered by mass media messages. Early on, they found that […]
Binge-watching a TV series and the allure of “just one more episode” are things most of us can relate to. But researchers from the University of Texas at Austin think that this persistent behavior could be a warning sign for depression.
“Artistic growth is, more than it is anything else, a refining of the sense of truthfulness. The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy; only the artist, the great artist, knows how difficult it is.”
I won’t make you wait: the answer is no. But Article IV, section 2 of the Constitution, which spells that out, is apparently no obstacle for Roy Moore, the Chief […]
A new study—the largest and most comprehensive of its kind—has thrown doubt on the theory that the mind’s subconscious helps work out difficult problems.
Discover the Secrets of Happy Families, with Bruce Feiler Author Bruce Feiler lists the three major family shifts of the past generation: shifting definitions, working women, and a more intent […]
The word “rational” is widely misapplied. Nobel laureates Kahneman and Becker use it very differently (they’re on opposite sides of a breach with our nature). They illustrate why economists can benefit from a paraphrasing of Shakespeare… though this has method, yet there is madness in it.
Despite the booming use of Internet porn and conversations skeptical of sexual norms pervading popular culture, physical sexuality remains restricted to private life.
Scientists have found girls who consume more than one sugary drink a day start their periods more than two months earlier than those who consume fewer.
Far from dodging the issue of the environment, the mayor of Beijing, Wang Anshun, recently called his own city “unlivable” due to air pollution caused by industry, driving, and a population boom.
Why is a psychologist claiming “patent rights” for a basic psychological technique that he did not invent and does not own the patent for?
Researchers have found that singles who spend their free time helping friends and neighbors are more likely to be in a relationship a year later. And who says nice guys finish last?
Big Think+ presents a 6-part workshop with accomplished economist Lawrence Summers, who explains the theory and practice of rational thinking in order to draw conclusions and make smart decisions.
Kip Tindell, featured today on the Big Think homepage, is CEO of the Container Store. He’s also an evangelist for integrity-based sales and brand-building through sales rather than marketing.