A wise person once said, “Nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it.” Pretty simple, yet profound. Fortunately, this idea can be applied to virtually any hypothetical imaginable. Acts or omissions. Unsolicited advice. Unanticipated outcomes. Even how we define success. When Viktor Frankl wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, he did far more than chronicle…
A large majority of marketers wouldn’t consider themselves psychologists. Yet understanding the growing field of marketing psychology can help persuade and influence audiences in powerful ways online. Great campaigns happen at the intersection of marketing and psychology. The sweet spot where your content and messaging connects with your audience on a deep, human level. Which,…
Conflict with your kids is inevitable and necessary. No matter how harmonious a home environment you work to create, your kids will challenge you as you help them grow. You’ll butt heads—often over things you’d least expect. In my case, I found myself challenged by my daughter over a seemingly innocuous treat: Girl Scout Cookies.…
The biggest inspiration in my life is my brother Michael. He taught me how to be optimistic through adversity. How to relish a challenge. He taught me the value of a mindset shift and the power of a positive attitude. Michael is disabled as a result of the Vietnam War. Twenty-one feet of his small intestine…
Our days are filled with a constant stream of decisions. Most are mundane, but some are so important that they can haunt you for the rest of your life. A recent study from Columbia University found that we’re bogged down by more than 70 decisions a day. The sheer number of decisions we have to…
In his book The Smart Swarm, published by Penguin in 2010, National Geographic reporter Peter Miller uses the natural world—ants, bees, termites, birds—to examine the ancient practice of swarming. The book reveals not just the science of swarms, but what humans can learn from our smaller, earthly neighbors. Toward the end of the book, Miller…
Each week on the Science of Social Media we cover some of the most important trends, news, research, and insights in social media marketing. In episode #129, we discuss the most in-demand skills of 2019 (according to LinkedIn), why we’re bullish on YouTube advertising, a brand new guide on Facebook engagement, Instagram’s latest feature, and…
The night we learned we’d been outbid on our first choice, we drank whiskey and wine and scrolled through the sellers’ social media pages, making up wicked stories. “They probably make their dog sleep outside in the cold,” I said. “Yeah, and without food,” Laura said. “Oh, look, they have friends! Who doesn’t have those?…
The bar is crowded, you’ve ordered your favorite drink, and your friends have not arrived yet, so you grab your phone and scroll mindlessly through Instagram or send a few work emails while you wait. This is far from a unique situation. In fact, Americans check their phones about 80 times a day. However, resorting to…
I descended into the subway toward the metallic tube that would rush me across the city in the dark underground. A man was having a phone call, lingering halfway down the stairs, not yet ready to cut the umbilical cord with the unseen radio tower that connected him to the Matrix. This would be no…