- Example: Study conducted by Wiseman about individuals being paid differing amounts to pick up trash in a park, in which those paid less gave more positive reviews of their experience.
59 Seconds
by Richard Wiseman
Published date: 2009
Category: Self-help
Index Topics & Notes
- Definition: People like you more when they do a favour for you.
- Insight: The Effect is more likely to work with small favours, significant requests or inconveniences are likely to have the opposite effect.
- Insight: People have a strong tendency to underestimate project times. This is particularly strong in group projects.
- Principle: In estimating the time for projects, look at similar examples of past completed projects.
- Principle: Isolate all the steps required for a project. Estimate the time required individually, then make a total time estimate.
- Reference: Study of time management - Roger Buehler at Wilfrid Laurier University asked students to indicate when they expected to finish an important term paper.
- Definition: The phenomenon where the occasional slip-up can enhance likeability.
- Insight: The Pratfall Effect works only when someone is in danger of being seen as too perfect.
- Reference: Elliot Aronson, University of California - conducted a number of experiments including the effect of knocking a cup of coffee onto a new suit on a persons likeability. The student committing the blunder was viewed as more likeable.
- Definition: Settling for good enough.
- Insight: Two strategies for decision making: maximising vs satisficing.
- Insight: Maximisers might achieve more, but take longer to reach decisions, and are usually less happy because of a tendency to dwell on what could have been.
- Insight: Some research suggests that group brainstorming may fail in part due to social loafing.
- Reference: Max Ringelmann, French agricultural engineer studied the efforts of workers in groups lifting heavy weights - the results showed that people working in groups exert less energy than on their own.
- Principle: Listen to the quiet guy.
- Insight: We focus on our own looks and behaviour far more than those of others.
- Insight: We believe that our mistakes are more noticeable than they actually are.
- Reference: Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University - Barry Manilow T-shirt experiment to show that people notice less about ourselves than we would expect.
- Reference: 1920s. Bluma Zeigarnik observing waiters in a cafe that could easily remember orders, but forgot as soon as the bill was paid.
- Insight: Unfinished tasks stick in people's minds.
- Insight: Zeigarnik believed that starting an activity creates anxiety, that is relieved once completed.
- Insight: Procrastination occurs when we are overwhelmed with the size of a task.
- Insight: We can overcome procrastination by starting tasks "for just a few minutes".