Neuromyths: debunking the misconceptions about our brains

Fake news has become a hot topic. But the deliberate disinformation of the general public via traditional outlets or social media goes beyond the news: there is also an alarming rise in “fake science.” The brain and the mind feel extremely familiar. We do spend lots of our time inside our heads. That’s why it’s … Read More

Talk at Backed VC: The benefits of writing [audio]

We had our first mental gym session at Backed VC yesterday with a small group of founders. It was all about mindful productivity, mental well-being, and achieving our goals. As you know, I’m a big proponent of writing, whether for mental wellness, learning, creativity or personal growth. It’s such a powerful and accessible skill everyone … Read More

The tyranny of job titles: from vanity growth to personal growth

Yesterday, I saw someone’s Twitter bio which I found particularly refreshing. Rather than list their job titles and previous experiences at various companies, they simply stated their mission in life, what they were currently working on, and the topics they enjoyed talking about. It made me realise that my own bio is a collection of … Read More

Environmental psychology: what to put on your bedside table

The environment around us shapes us as individuals. Environmental psychology focuses on the interplay between people and their surroundings: how our environment affects our behaviour, our performance, and our well-being. While environmental psychology is used in many fields such as interior design, architecture, retail, education and more, I want to briefly explore its implications applied … Read More

The Mind, Explained: a Netflix documentary

The news and opinion website Vox just released a new mini-series on Netflix. It’s five 20-minute episodes, all about how the mind works. In typical Vox style, The Mind, Explained mixes cultural narratives, philosophy, and light science to ask interesting questions. I spent the evening watching these and wanted to share my notes. Overall, this … Read More

Writing is the best personal growth tool

Update: following the success of the mindframing article, I published a literature review that explores the science of personal growth outside the school and work environments, and how makers can use mindframing to manage their personal growth. Writing is wonderful. Thanks to the generation effect, it helps you better remember what you read—even if it’s … Read More

The self-actualisation economy

The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been mostly used in psychology to understand the underlying forces that drive human motivation. It goes from physiological needs at the base of the pyramid, to safety, love and belonging, social needs, esteem, and ends with self-actualisation at the top of the pyramid. These are supposed to represent the … Read More

How to learn anything with the Feynman Technique

Our current education system is designed to optimise for input. Hours are spent reading, observing, and listening, and output is mostly encouraged as a way to measure the student’s progress. It’s a shame, because there’s lots of research showing that we remember things better when we actively engage with the information and create our own … Read More

From FOMO to JOMO: the joy of missing out

I’m lucky to live in a city where lots of stuff happens. There’s always a conference, an exhibition, small meetups. I never really struggle to find something to do. I also spend a lot of time on the Internet, so there are talks, live streams, and chats happening online. And then, of course, there are … Read More