Here is your coherent summary based strictly on the provided extracts and within 2000 characters, with one sentence per line:

Math is described as the best way to understand the world around us, and is used for practical predictions like the weather, but making predictions can also influence future outcomes such as seen in the fall of Rome.

Cialdini’s Principles of Influence highlight businesses that excel at getting people to say “yes,” with their methods only taught through participation in their training.

Social proof is not universally effective, but these principles are timeless and proven effective.

Posting content on websites requires following specific Terms of Service, often requiring users to sign up or log in.

Self-reflection and rethinking personal identity are brought about by challenges and discomfort outside our comfort zones.

Merit in education can foster a sense of entitlement among those who succeed in a meritocracy, suggesting a case for redefining liberal arts education amid perceived failures in the humanities and social sciences.

While coding was recently viewed as a path to stability, the perspective on its reliability as a career path is shifting.

News outlets position themselves as being supportive to their readers.

Personal conversations, such as about attending yoga or exercising, can deteriorate when sensitive topics are rehashed.

Apologies for repeated discussions are sometimes made, with intentions to improve hampered by difficulties in implementation.

Examining this cycle in one's own life prompts awareness of similar patterns.

One strategy to combat procrastination involves focusing on when to start, leveraging new beginnings such as the New Year which psychologically serves as a fresh chapter.

Life stages like college, graduate school, and business ownership are associated with identity shifts and spur behavior changes to match.

People often use holidays, the first or last day of the month, as motivation for new initiatives.

Here is your coherent summary based strictly on the provided extracts and within 2000 characters, with one sentence per line:

Math is described as the best way to understand the world around us, and is used for practical predictions like the weather, but making predictions can also influence future outcomes such as seen in the fall of Rome.

Title:

Content: Reel science

The biggest sci-fi show of 2021 reveals the real science of predicting the future

“Maths is the best way we have of understanding the world around us.”

Psychohistory is “the destiny of the human race expressed in numbers.”

In Foundation, an Apple TV+ series loosely based on the books by Isaac Asimov, psychohistory is the use of mathematical models to predict what will happen in the future. Developed by mathematical genius Hari Seldon and imparted to his young apprentice Gaal Dornick, these complex calculations point to a dangerous new world: one where an empire falls leading to 30-thousand years of dark ages.

What might save them is acting now on these predictions.

At its core, sci-fi fascinates audiences by using complex scientific ideas to help us make sense of complex worlds — both fictional and real. Accordingly, the idea that we can use math to make predictions on a large scale has its roots in real-life mathematics.

Maths is the best way we have of understanding the world around us,” Kit Yates, a mathematical biologist at the University of Bath and author of The Math of Life and Death, tells Inverse. Yates is currently working on a book about using math to predict the future — but don’t call her work psychohistory.

Warning: Light spoilers for Foundation below.

Reel Science is an Inverse series that reveals the real (and fake) science behind your favorite movies and TV.

Is psychohistory real?

Psychohistory isn’t technically a real area of study — but it does resemble real-life applications of real-life mathematics and psychology.

“Building mathematical models is the best way we have to make predictions about what will happen in the future,” Yates says.

Math is also used to interpret, rather than predict, human behavior.

“I do create mathematical models of human psychology, but my goal is not to predict future behavior, but to simplify — reveal the essence of — human psychology,’ George Loewenstein, the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, tells Inverse.

Mathematical models “don’t seek to capture human behavior in all its enormous complexity,” Loewenstein adds. He stresses “very few models could be used even to predict” the behavior of groups of people in particular situations, let alone the behavior of individuals.

Yates agrees — mathematical modeling works best on a larger scale. Even in Foundation, Hari’s mathematical models operate on the scale of empires, not human lives.

“Just as in Foundation, mathematical prediction works better when we try to predict what is going to happen at the population-level,” Yates says.

“Mathematical modeling is by no means a perfect framework. A model is only as good as the assumptions on which it rests.”

Using math to predict the future

While predicting the collapse of society might feel estranged from everyday life, you’ve likely already benefited from mathematical predictions.

For example, every time we look at the weather forecast on a smartphone, we’re relying on the power of mathematical models to predict the future.

“At a personal level, we need to know what the weather will be like this afternoon so we can decide whether or not to hang out the washing,” Yates says.

It’s also common to hear people trying to game the stock market or win the lottery using mathematical formulas and probabilities. In the stock market, people called “quants” spend their days generating algorithms to predict certain financial behavior and identify potential trading opportunities.

“Some people have successfully used mathematical models to predict not the stock market, but specific trends in specific sectors — which is all it takes to make money,” Loewenstein says.

Meanwhile, every time you purchase an item on Amazon, the site’s predictive modeling captures that data, using it to offer suggestions — predictions – about what you might like to purchase next.

Actuaries also use statistics to predict the likelihood of risks, while some police departments attempt to use predictive modeling to forecast crime (this type of modeling, however, is widely criticized).

“One of the biggest problems with making predictions is that they can change the future.”

Many of these mathematical models work only because they rely on certain assumptions about human behavior.

“One of the biggest problems with making predictions is that they can change the future – they can become self-defeating prophecies,” Yates says.

This concept is similar to one raised in Foundation. Hari argues exact predictions cannot be revealed to society at large, because if the world knew what was predicted, humans would alter their behavior (there’s more to this but that would be a major spoiler).

“For example, mathematical modeling at the start of the pandemic received criticism because it predicted hundreds of thousands of deaths – many of which didn’t come to pass,” Yates says.

“What people tend to forget in hindsight was that these were projections for what would happen if nothing was done to mitigate the spread of the disease,” he says. “In fact the predictions themselves acted as a wakeup call startling politicians into action, taking measures to save lives and turn the modeled predictions into self-defeating prophecies."

Loewenstein says only artificial intelligence (AI) could come close to predicting complex human behavior on that scale but “how the AI makes such predictions successfully won’t be comprehensible to humans.”

Can math predict the fall of nations?

In Foundation, we’re led to believe that Hari poses a threat to the empire because his predictions could lead to a loss of faith in the status quo. Hari’s apprentice, Gaal, meanwhile, is somewhat skeptical of Hari’s grand predictions.

Like Gaal, many real-life mathematicians are skeptical of using math to predict the course of nations.

“I do think social and behavioral scientists have some profound insights into when and why civilizations rise and fall, and these insights could be used to predict the future success of economies and even of the global economy,” Loewenstein says.

But he also adds, “few of these insightful and profound analyses make much, if any, use of math.”

Yates agrees, saying that “there are so many variables that feed into a process like the rise or fall of an empire, that predicting anything with any certainty is difficult.

Societal collapse hinges on several factors rooted in complex human behavior. Take the fall of Rome, for example. Historians are still debating what, exactly, caused the collapse of this powerful empire.

“That’s not to say that making predictions about large systems with many variables is impossible,” Yates argues.

It’s perhaps less controversial to use math to predict the fall of a nation than to ensure its survival. Today, mathematicians today are using algorithms to prevent gerrymandering — a process where politicians redraw congressional maps to favor certain voters at the expense of others.

Making math cool again

Recent shows like Foundation and movies like The Man Who Knew Infinity have featured younger and prominent characters of color in leading roles, countering the historical past of mathematics as a bastion of older white men. These kinds of media could make mathematics more accessible to a wider audience.

“I think there is a trope that portrays mathematicians on TV as quirky, eccentric, or unhinged,” Yates says.

Foundation both reinforces and challenges these tropes. Hari’s mathematical skills make him an outcast in the eyes of the empire — a threat to be eliminated.

But when Gaal counts numerical patterns under her breath to calm herself down, her companion largely accepts her explanation, rather than mocking her — a positive step forward in representation for math geeks everywhere. Similarly, the characters toss around phrases like “radical integers” and “proofs” in routine conversations.

These small details can help reinforce the idea that math is an everyday part of our world and that mathematicians are relatable people.

“I’m always at pains to point out that mathematicians are just normal people,” Yates says. “You don’t have to be different or an outcast to be a mathematician.”

Foundation is streaming now on Apple TV+.

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Robert Cialdini’s Principles Of Influence Have Held Up For 40 Years, Here’s Why

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In recent years, behavioral science has been going through a replication crisis. Research results, some widely cited and some even applied to real-world problems, couldn’t be replicated when other researchers tried the same experiments. Sometimes, the failure to replicate is caused by differences in the experimental process or subject pool. In a smaller number of cases, findings have been discredited due to manipulated statistics or fabricated data. Ironically, a prominent dishonesty researcher has been accused of fraud.

Despite growing doubt in whether we should be using behavioral science findings in business and government, there is one body of work has endured for four decades and seems more applicable today than ever. Robert Cialdini’s seminal book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion was published 40 years ago and remains a bestseller today.

Except for Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People, no business book has endured as well as Influence. The book has sold seven million copies and has been translated into 44 languages. The latest edition weight in at a whopping 592 pages and 2.31 pounds. Even today, the book consistently ranks in the top 1,000 at Amazon, not in specific category but among all books sold there.

Cialdini’s principles have become common parlance in business. Many marketers who use the term “social proof” don’t realize it was coined by Cialdini in 1984. Influence has been endorsed by luminaries ranging from Warren Buffet and the late Charlie Munger to Gwyneth Paltrow and Guy Kawasaki.

What Are Cialdini’s Principles of Influence?

Cialdini’s Principles of Influence, sometimes called Principles of Persuasion, are, very briefly:

  1. Reciprocity: People tend to give back to others when they have received something first.
  2. Scarcity: People want things more when those things are scarce or limited.
  3. Authority: People pay attention to those who know more about a topic, like experts and celebrities, when making decisions.
  4. Consistency: People try to be consistent with past decisions and statements.
  5. Liking: People are more influenced by those they like, including those with whom they have something in common.
  6. Social Proof: People look to others for cues as to what they should do.
  7. Unity: A stronger form of Liking that goes beyond shared attributes and is based on shared identity - family members, teammates, and members of any group that the individual identifies strongly with.

In this short video, Cialdini himself describes each principle briefly:

Why Have Cialdini’s Principles Endured?

A big reason many behavioral science findings either don’t replicate or turn into useful real-world tools is that they tend to be lab studies, often conducted with students as subjects. If your results are based on 47 MIT sophomore psychology students, they may not tell you much about the behavioral tendencies of a broad swath of humanity. They may not even replicate at UCLA or Oxford.

Cialdini’s ideas are robust because he began not in a lab but in the real world. He spent three years going “undercover” and training at organizations he knew were effective persuaders: used car dealers, telemarketing firms, and fundraisers. These businesses had mastered the art of getting people to say “yes,” and the only way to learn their methods was to join them and go through their training.

It’s worth noting the level of sacrifice involved in taking years away from conventional research and publishing papers for an up-and-coming professor. But, sometimes great sacrifice yields great rewards.

By observing the techniques proven to work not in a lab but with real people spending real money, Cialdini was able to distill his six principles of influence, later expanded to seven. Further experimentation, often outside the lab and in environments like shopping malls and hotels, added more data to support Cialdini’s theories.

Countless Commercial Replications

Academic replication is fine, but the real test for a behavioral science finding is whether it can be applied across a range of real-world situations. In the forty years since Influence released, these principles have been used time and time again in every commercial context. When the travel site tells you there are “only two rooms left” and “23 people booked this hotel in the last 48 hours,” they are using scarcity and social proof. When the salesperson mentions that you are both fans of the same team or both dog owners, that’s liking. When you buy Lebron James basketball shoes or a book endorsed by an author you respect, that’s authority.

Businesses use the principles because they work, as shown by both experience and extensive testing.

Do Cialdini’s Principles Always Work?

These principles are so basic and ubiquitous one might expect that they will always increase compliance, i.e., boost the chance that the person will take the action you want. These mental shortcuts are reliably effective, but don’t work every time in every situation.

For example, digital marketing experts say that adding social proof to a landing page that previously lacked it will boost the page’s conversion rate nine times out of ten. But sometimes, it will have no effect or even reduce conversion.

What’s going on? There are lots of reasons why social proof might not work. Perhaps the product is so well known that there’s no need for social proof. Would hearing that a hundred million Americans drink Coca Cola make you more likely to buy some? Probably not.

Other types of products, like luxury or artisanal items, might actually be hurt by social proof. If you are buying an Italian supercar or a costly handbag that was hand-crafted by skilled artisans, the last thing you want to see is “thousands sold.” You prefer to imagine that yours is unique, and you’ll never see anyone with the same thing.

How to Apply Cialdini’s Principles

Sometimes, you don’t have to think too hard or worry about testing the effects of using a principle like authority. If a famous expert has declared your product to be amazing, put that endorsement where everyone will see it. There’s almost zero chance it won’t help sales.

Normally, though, the best way to use these powerful principles is to formulate a hypothesis you can test. If possible, use an A/B or multivariate test to see if, for example, “Over a million sold,” increases sales. There are, of course, endless variations you can try. For example, instead of touting the number of units sold, telling people the product is preferred by more than 50,000 businesses might be more persuasive. If you have many testimonials, test various combinations to see which work best.

The point in the customer journey makes a difference, too. If customers are unfamiliar with the product or the company, using authority will likely increase the number who move forward. If someone is ready to buy, on the other hand, scarcity may be the nudge they need to act.

Beyond Cialdini’s Principles

Beyond Cialdini's principles, other strategies based on behavioral science can change customer behavior. Dozens of cognitive biases can be applied in specific situations. Even factors like colors and type fonts can affect customer behavior. (Hint: small and difficult to read fonts usually reduce compliance.) Neuromarketing uses techniques like eye-tracking and brain imaging to uncover subconscious reactions that traditional methods miss.

Despite the myriad ways marketers can use behavioral science and neuroscience to improve results, even after four decades Robert Cialdini’s Principles of Influence are the best place to start. They are timeless and have been proven to be effective.

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Social proof is not universally effective, but these principles are timeless and proven effective.

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Self-reflection and rethinking personal identity are brought about by challenges and discomfort outside our comfort zones.

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We’ve all heard the saying, “The only constant is change.” Yet few experiences embody this truth as intensely as graduate school.

Graduate students navigate a distinct period of intense transformation and uncertainty. They face rigorous academic demands, often juggling research, teaching and coursework. On top of that, they must adapt to evolving social dynamics, strive to establish a sense of belonging within their community and confront the formidable question of what lies beyond graduation. Every aspect of this journey represents a profound change, making it an exceptionally complex period in their lives.

Transitions, however, don’t have to be a constant source of anxiety and frustration. With the right tools and mindset, such shifts can become a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Change management, a strategic approach often used by organizations during major transitions, can empower individuals to embrace change with confidence. The same principles that enable organizations to navigate large-scale shifts can be equally transformative for graduate students facing personal and academic transitions.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for managing change, the Prosci ADKAR model, a proven framework that organizational leaders use, can provide valuable guidance for graduate students. ADKAR stands for: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

  1. Awareness. Recognizing the need for change is the crucial first step. That could mean acknowledging the need to better manage your time to balance research, teaching and coursework, or realizing you need to develop specific skills such as data analysis or programming to excel in your field.
  2. Desire. Once you’ve identified a need for change, cultivate a genuine desire to embrace it. That could involve finding the motivation to network with professionals, step outside your comfort zone or tackle a challenging research topic that aligns with your career aspirations. It’s a crucial step, and without it, change would be impossible.
  1. Knowledge. Armed with awareness and desire, it’s time to gain the knowledge and skills required for change. That might involve taking courses, attending workshops, seeking mentorship or immersing yourself in relevant literature and online learning communities.
  2. Ability. The ability stage is where you put your knowledge into action. For instance, if you’ve completed coursework on project management, you might lead a team initiative, utilizing those principles to guide the project to success. Experiential learning gained through the application of knowledge will help you feel more confident in your ability to navigate through the change.
  3. Reinforcement. Finally, focus on making the change sustainable. Seek feedback from advisers and colleagues, participate in professional development, and celebrate your successes—all of which can help you stay motivated and continue to grow.

Embracing Growth Through Change

All this said, while the ADKAR model offers a structured approach to managing change and can be very helpful, it doesn’t encompass the full spectrum of challenges and emotional nuances encountered in graduate school.

For example, one of us, Roshni, vividly remembers the profound adjustment when she moved to a new country for her graduate studies. She found it to be a complete upheaval. The biggest challenge wasn’t just adapting to a new city but adjusting to a completely different academic culture. Back home, she was accustomed to rote memorization, but here in the United States, graduate school demanded critical thinking and independent research.

Her early lab experiences further highlighted this disconnect. In the beginning, she felt like a fish out of water. While her peers seemed to handle lab equipment with ease, she struggled with the basics. Such moments made her question her place in graduate school.

Yet, those challenges significantly spurred Roshni’s growth. In fact, when we start to see change as a key part of our growth, we really tap into something transformative. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, it forces us to rethink who we are and what we believe and challenges us to push the boundaries of our comfort zones. But it also lets us find new strengths, build new relationships and become more adaptable. Embracing these challenges is how we truly advance and grow as a person and in our careers.

Managing Change Through Community

This isn’t something you have to do on your own. Building a strong community can be a game-changer when it comes to finding your footing during times of change and will help you weather the ebbs and flows of the process.

In graduate school, where everything is in flux, being part of student organizations or affinity groups can make a big difference. They’re not just about having a network or networking, though that’s a definite perk. They’re about finding your people, those who truly understand the distinct challenges and shared experiences. Affinity groups, in particular, offer a safe haven to connect with others who “get it.” This sense of belonging can be a game-changer, especially when everything else feels up in the air. Knowing you are not alone and leaning in to support one another can have profound impact on your wellbeing.

But don’t stop there. Step outside the academic bubble and into your community. Volunteer, attend local events, apply what you’re learning in the real world. It’s a chance to broaden your horizons, give back, and maybe even discover a new passion.

Finding the right community might take a few detours, but the connections you make will be worth it. They’ll challenge you, support you and, ultimately, help you thrive in the exciting chaos of graduate school.

Asking for Help

In the midst of change, it’s easy to feel tempted to go it alone, even when surrounded by a supportive community. However, it’s worth repeating that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a testament to your wisdom and resilience. Everyone, from new employees to professionals on the job for several years, encounters challenges that require guidance. Everyone experiences an adjustment period. Whether you’re learning a new technique, navigating complicated tax laws or adapting to a different cultural environment, you can find resources and people available and eager to help you. Reaching out not only opens doors to solutions you might not discover on your own, but also strengthens your connection to the community around you. However, connecting with others is just one part of successfully managing change.

Cultivating Self-Compassion

Equally important is cultivating self-compassion. It’s important to give yourself permission to be imperfect—allowing room for messiness and mistakes, and treating any failures or discomfort with the same kindness you’d show a good friend. Recognizing the courage that it takes to step outside your comfort zone will enable you to meet the inevitable ups and downs of life with grit and grace. This self-awareness is helpful not only for navigating graduate school but is also highly valued in the workplace. Employers recognize that people who can gracefully handle complex changes and learn from them are invaluable assets, contributing significantly to the long-term success and leadership of the organization. Make sure to intentionally incorporate rest and rejuvenation time.

Creating Supportive Institutional Environments

Graduate school presents undeniable challenges, requiring resilience and adaptability from students. However, it’s equally important for leaders of higher education institutions to play their part, as well: to cultivate supportive environments that normalize struggles and encourage help-seeking. Think about it: a strong community where students lift each other up. Classes that not only teach subject matter but also the skills to navigate change and uncertainty. A culture of open conversations where challenges are shared and solutions found together. That’s the kind of environment that nurtures not just scholars, but well-rounded leaders.

Preparing future leaders isn’t about throwing them into the deep end and hoping they swim. It’s about teamwork, about providing them with the tools and support they need to confidently tackle whatever comes their way. When we do that, they won’t just survive graduate school transitions; they’ll thrive. They’ll leave their mark on the world, not out of sheer grit, but because they were empowered to reach their full potential.

Dinuka Gunaratne (he/him) is the director of career development and experiential learning at Northeastern University-Vancouver and a member of the board of Centre for Educational Research in Counselling (CERIC).

Roshni Rao is assistant vice provost of doctoral and postdoctoral life design at Johns Hopkins University.

They are both members of the Graduate Career Consortium, an international organization comprised of higher education professionals leading career and professional development for graduate students and postdocs since 1987.

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Merit in education can foster a sense of entitlement among those who succeed in a meritocracy, suggesting a case for redefining liberal arts education amid perceived failures in the humanities and social sciences.

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Content: Take merit in its stride

Selection through merit begets a sense of entitlement, while rejection may lead to self-doubt and resentment

July 01, 2023 01:43 pm | Updated 01:43 pm IST

That merit is often tied to power and privilege is not readily acknowledged.  | Photo Credit: Freepik

He got the seat on “pure merit”. Behind this statement lurks a number of societal assumptions of what merit entails. That a person who gets into a college through merit is truly deserving of the seat. Further, merit as a construct is pure and unadulterated, making it sublime, even. A promotion that is merit-based is earned, unlike a placement through a diversity quota, for example. In a meritocracy, genuine talent and skills flourish as competition, though fierce, is fair.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not opposed to merit. I too believe that talent and competence should play significant roles in determining who gets placed where. That said, we need to be aware of the many assumptions tethered to the notion of merit. In his book, The Tyranny of Merit, philosopher Michael Sandel unpacks suppositions of meritocratic systems.

Reality check

First, merit begets a sense of entitlement or deservingness among those who “make it” in a meritocracy. That merit is often tied to power and privilege is not readily acknowledged. So, when students crack a competitive exam like the JEE, they exult. But cracking the JEE not only involves intelligence, motivation and years of toil, but also the support of coaches, mentors and parents who can fund extra classes. Impoverished students are often at a serious disadvantage. In the meanwhile, the coaching industry flourishes as more aspirants vie for a seat based on “pure merit”.

Further, the stakes of getting into premium institutes like the IITs, NITs and IIMs get higher. These hallowed portals of learning are not shy in advertising the stratospheric starting salaries offered to students during on-campus recruitments. As a result, these privileged students grow richer, while the gap with their loss-fortunate peers grows wider.

While students have every right to feel proud of their achievements, especially when they have invested considerable effort, there is often a fine line between pride and hubris. Winners, writes Sandel, may “inhale too deeply of their success” and exude a smug entitlement without necessarily acknowledging the myriad external forces that aided them. Furthermore, those who don’t make the cut are deemed unworthy and may suffer from humiliation because they too buy into the meritocratic ethos that we each deserve our lot. Those rejected by this sorting system are plagued by a toxic mix of self-doubt and resentment.

But the winners aren’t spared either, argues Sandel. When students’ self-worth rides entirely on achievement, the drive to remain at the top of the pyramid can exact a psychological toll on individuals, not to mention the social and moral costs. The rise in mental health issues in young people may partly be due to students subjecting themselves to chronic stress.

Sandel explains that the sociologist Michael Young, who first coined the term ‘meritocracy’ in 1958, predicted that it would create a stratified society plagued by self-conceit and self-doubt, neither of which is conducive to creating a harmonious society that caters to the well-being of every citizen.

Staying grounded

In The Harvard Gazette, Liz Mineo profiles Rehan Staton, a sanitation worker in Maryland who made it to the uber-competitive Harvard Law School and is now all set to graduate. Given that his inspiring story went viral when he was admitted, it is indeed admirable that Staton has remained level-headed about his stellar achievement. While he admits that he worked hard, he also acknowledges the contribution of his family, boss, co-workers, professors and Tyler Perry, the media mogul who offered to pay his fees after the hearing of Staton’s story.

Before graduating, Staton organised an event to express gratitude to the “custodians and service workers” at the law school, raising money to give each one a $100 gift certificate. He has also pledged to continue to “honour service workers” in the future. With due humility, he says, “I got lucky, but I made the most of my luck.” If more winners follow Staton’s example, we may create a more just and compassionate society.

The writer is the author of Zero Limits: Things Every 20-Something Should Know. She blogs at www.arunasankaranarayanan.com

Top News Today

While coding was recently viewed as a path to stability, the perspective on its reliability as a career path is shifting.

Title:

Content: There is an economic case for redefining liberal arts education

Summary

  • Critical thinking and the pursuit of liberal inquiry, as fostered by the humanities and social sciences among students, are important for the economy to prosper. Amid the STEM rush, we tend to forget this.

The humanities and social sciences are failing. Their popularity in the US has been waning in recent years, as many students enter science, technology, engineering and math fields to seek skills directly applicable to their careers, but the last few months have exposed a deeper weakness: The humanities and social sciences are no longer training students to be critical thinkers.

This failure creates serious challenges for our culture and democracy, leaving students less capable of managing a changing economy.

In the last decade, humanities enrolment has fallen 17%, as surveys show that more Americans now question the value of a college education. In 2015, 57% had a lot of confidence in the US higher education system, and now only 36% do. There is less desire among taxpayers to finance the humanities. West Virginia University is making drastic cuts to some of its humanities departments. North Carolina will no longer fund distinguished professorships at public universities in non-STEM fields.

It is not surprising that many students are flocking to STEM classes. The primary reason, if you ask students, is that they want to major in subjects that can get them good jobs. Reading great books, learning history and debating philosophy do not appear relevant to this goal. Perhaps students feel this way because the arts are not doing what traditionally made them valuable: teaching people how to think critically.

Critical thinking has never been more important. A changing economy offers no guarantees. Just a few years ago, learning to code seemed to offer stability. Now AI can write code. But the ability to think analytically, reason well and communicate clearly with a wide range of people will remain invaluable.

This is not the first time the economy has been rapidly transformed. Modern liberalism can be credited for the rise in wealth and living standards that came from the last major transition, from agriculture to industry. It is no coincidence, economic historian Deirdre McCloskey argues, that 18th century Europe was the centre of liberal thought and the birthplace of industrialization. What made this place and time exceptional, she argues, was a pervasive belief in the individual and the ability of anyone to become their best self.

These ideas may have come from academia, but they radiated through society. They helped bring about universal education and an atmosphere where ideas could be freely debated. This culture has economic value, too. It enables discovery of new things and building on the last thing.

Europe’s liberal outlook and the intellectual openness promoted by its universities helped create the conditions for exponential growth in wealth and living standards. Dogma drags down curiosity, innovation and growth.

Lately, as Clive Crook noted, many in the humanities have rejected notions of openness and free inquiry crucial to the university. Instead of teaching liberal principles, they emphasize a hierarchy of oppression and define people based on immutable characteristics. Such a reductive and ahistorical view of the world increases scepticism of the humanities.

The events of 7 October and its aftermath further exposed the intellectual inadequacy of the oppressor/victim approach. Reasonable people can disagree on many aspects of this long and complex conflict. Yet, in the humanities, too many professors have enabled a cartoonish version of history. Some of the most egregious ‘open letters’ about the Israel-Hamas war, for example, have come from professors in humanities and social sciences. The more balanced letters tend to be signed by professors in STEM, business and economics.

US universities have always been different than their overseas counterparts: Rather than study just one subject, such as law or philosophy, many US students receive a four-year undergraduate liberal arts education, including philosophy, history and literature, in addition to sciences. Still, it is not too much of a stretch to say that, in the 20th century, America’s universities played a similar role to Europe’s in the 18th century.

But here in the 21st—as the economy undergoes a transformation as radical as that of 200 years ago—US universities seem to have lost their way.

Educating people in the spirit of liberal principles is more important than ever. If you have a simplistic or reductive view of the world, AI will outthink you. But if you can reason, manage ambiguity and adapt to novel situations and new information, you can use AI to help you navigate a changing economy. That’s not the only reason US universities should re-establish the spirit of openness and free inquiry. But it’s a compelling one. ©bloomberg

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Content: The news is by your side.

Virtue of taking risks and delaying gratifications

Recently, we carried out an intriguing but tempting social experiment in which the participants were asked to choose between two options: toss a coin to win $1 billion if a head shows up or pick a $10-million cheque without any toss.

The comical aspect of it is how an overwhelming majority opted to take home the comparatively meager but incontestable share of $10-million—only 31% of the respondents took the courage to test the depth of the river.

The motivation behind the exercise was not to gauge the participants’ pecuniary obsession but to subtly assess their risk appetite. It is a choice between instant and delayed gratifications. The latter has often been adjudged as a predictor of future success, as depicted in the famous “Stanford Marshmallow” experiment which was carried out in the 1960s by psychology professor, Walter Mischel of Stanford University.

In the studies, children were asked to select between two options: one small instant reward (a sweet or a marshmallow, hence the name “marshmallow experiment”) or two small rewards after waiting for a short time (around 15 minutes). The tester left the room to allow the children to make their uninfluenced choice.

The trajectory of the children was followed for two decades. The research revealed that those children who waited longer for the desirable reward tended to fare better in terms of their academics, body mass index, and even psychological health.

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The inability to delay gratification in adults is associated with “impulse control disorders”, a pathological term used to describe one’s failure to resist the urge, impulse, or temptation that may harm oneself or others. Such temptations are a consequence of the dysfunction of Striatum, a critical component of the forebrain in charge of the reward system. Thus, drug addicts can be considered typical prisoners of instant gratifications.

Another study conducted by Keith Simonton, a psychology professor at the University of California Davis shows that renowned scientific figures such as Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, etc. are prolific risk-takers, chasing ideas that seem counter to prevailing thoughts.

Even in political space, risk appetite influences a candidate’s prosperity. For example, in 1999, Atiku Abubakar, despite winning his gubernatorial elections gambled for the uncertain vice-presidential seat. He took calculated risks to win his desire, and only God knows what the future holds for him.

The propensity of individuals to take risks in unforeseen circumstances without fear of failure is, without doubt, the propeller that drives them towards fulfilling their ambitions. Willingness to take risks forms a substantial part of the stories of many accomplished entrepreneurs globally. Let us scan through a few of them and extract some takeaways.

The success story of the celebrated 650,000 barrels per day Dangote integrated oil refinery and petrochemical complex is a testimony to the worth of taking calculated risks. In one of his interviews, Aliko Dangote, narrated what he thought could have been “the end of the road for Dangote group.” The challenges encountered at different stages of the project, which nearly led to its collapse, after investing the over $12bn loan was, according to Dangote, “the most terrifying experience of his life.” The rest is now history.

Dangote’s resolve to accomplish his desire of establishing Africa’s biggest refinery and world’s largest single-train facility could not have been realized if not for his resilience and steadfastness to the original cause. Essentially, his ability to manage risks and see opportunities and tap them in a timely fashion from the Nigerian market remains his idiosyncratic strength.

The journey of the Facebook—now called Metaverse—co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg has yet another compulsive representation of risk-taking adventure.

In his sophomore year, Zuckerberg decided to quit the prestigious Harvard University to nurture his social application company—Facebook—which started from just a group of friends. Until June 2004, Facebook was run by Mark and his friends from out of a dorm room of the Ivy League institution. By the end of the year 2004, Facebook has reached more than one million users.

The Business Insider report of April 16, 2017, has it that a string of suitors including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Friendster, The Washington Post, Viacom, NBC, and Myspace were speculated to initiate acquisition overtures to Facebook. Yet, their offers got declined. Yahoo’s initial offer of $1bn was however the most pronounced. As of then, the young CEO and his team were widely criticized and publicly derided.

Today, the Bloomberg Billionaires index placed Zuckerberg’s net worth at $121.6bn making him the sixth richest man on earth. His social application company—Facebook—remains the most widely used social networking site connecting over 2.8 billion subscribers globally. Facebook has extended its frontiers to acquire Instagram and the WhatsApp companies making it the global tech giant.

The takeaway from Zuckerberg’s struggles is his risk-taking proclivity which lies in his ability to sacrifice immediate luxuries for more rewarding future gains; from the audacious decision to quit Harvard, his refusal to forfeit his company—despite being offered a seductive amount, and turning down lucrative employment offers from prominent firms.

Next is the story of the South African-born American business mogul, Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, a company that manufactures electric cars, solar roofs, and batteries. Musk is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX, the first private company to launch spacecraft to the international space station.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Pennsylvania, Musk was accepted for a Ph.D. degree in energy physics at the prestigious Stanford University.  However, this development coincided with the time of the internet boom, and his dream of acquiring a Doctor of Philosophy Degree never saw the light of the day. Musk bravely took the risk and dropped his Ph.D. plan to establish his first company, Zip2 in 1995.

Musk is, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, the richest man on earth today, with a net worth of $302bn. If successful, he will be the first man to colonize the planet Mars, going by his plan to launch the first cargo mission to the Red Planet in 2022.

Generally, groundbreaking innovations are often realized by challenging the status core and going out of the comfort zone. People’s ability to depart from their comfort zone is tied with their risk-taking strength, which our experiment revealed its paucity. It is like the case of one who wants fruit but does not want to risk moving to the branch of the tree. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary,” said the American Author, Jim Rohn.

If any, the experiment further divulges our perhaps, spiritually-driven attitude of contentment which, in my opinion, should be open to refinement. It is never—and will never be—a misdemeanor to aspire for prestige.

Thus, having established that ability to take risks is the oxygen that drives success in every field of endeavor: from academia to business environment and from politics to industry, it becomes essential to take as many calculated risks in life as possible, if one succeeds, they can lead. If they fail, they can guide.

  • Dr. Wudil writes from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

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Personal conversations, such as about attending yoga or exercising, can deteriorate when sensitive topics are rehashed.

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Content: Ronsisvalle: Change can be hard, messy and uncomfortable, but it's not impossible

Dr. Mike Ronsisvalle
Special to FLORIDA TODAY
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The psychotherapy session I was conducting seemed like Groundhog Day.

I was sitting with my engineer client, let's call him John, again talking about how he struggled to communicate well with his wife.

He told me again about his tendency to linger on facts and data points when discussing issues in the marriage.

While his wife wanted John to focus on her emotion and on empathy, John was getting stuck on providing “suggestions” about how she should respond to her stress regarding work and her relationship with her family.

He told me about how the conversation really took a turn for the worse when he asked his wife if she had been going to her yoga class and exercising.

After all, he was positive the research showed those activities would help her feel better.

John’s heart was in the right place, but he was again replicating all the maladaptive communication patterns that we had talked about for the past year in therapy.

As we discussed his therapy homework, John apologized for rehashing all the same problematic behaviors.

“I’m sorry we’re talking about the same thing over and over again," he said. "I want to do better, I’m just having a hard time executing in the moment.”

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The next client on my books couldn’t have been more different than John, but the session still felt like Groundhog Day to me.

Julia was a 22-year-old marijuana user who dropped out of college two years ago. She didn’t have any advanced degrees like John, she hadn’t been in a long-term romantic relationship in months and she was almost entirely disinterested in data of any kind.

Julia was a free spirit for sure, yet she was stuck in what seemed like an endless cycle of emotional addiction to marijuana. She talked with passion about her desire to stop smoking every week in session and was convinced marijuana had robbed her of motivation and investment in her future, but she just could not stop using.

Here you have two completely different individuals who are struggling with a very similar process: how does a human being create lasting behavior change?

It doesn’t matter whether you are an engineer trying to learn how to communicate better with your spouse or a marijuana user trying to stop smoking, the reality of our human condition is that it is difficult to make changes that last over time.

Change is hard and can be messy at first. Many of us feel like we are living Groundhog Day over and over again and are stuck in patterns of behavior that are incredibly difficult to break.

For many, our failure to change behavior only leads to complacency and frustration over time. In order to disconnect from these negative cycles and to create lasting changes in behavior we must first understand the barriers that keep us from maintaining positive changes over time.

Fully understanding and anticipating your barriers and blocks to behavior change is the first step to creating the healthy life you want to live. While everyone has unique barriers to their own change, there are some common strategies we can implement that will ensure we proactively and intentionally break through barriers that are holding us back.

Address procrastination

Many times the biggest blocks to our change is procrastination. It’s not that we don’t have very real intentions to change or that we don’t even know the steps that would be involved in making the change, it’s simply that we avoid starting.

Think about this process in your own life. How many of us believe we should start exercising immediately? I think it’s safe to say that most people would agree that exercise clearly benefits physical and mental health and that it’s important that we all do it consistently.

Many of us even have a workout routine we would complete on our first trip to the gym, yet we never quite take the step to start.

This procrastination can be devastating to lasting behavior change, and it’s important that you figure out how to break through this barrier now.

One trick that helps many people stop procrastinating is to focus on the timing of when we decide to start.

Change always feels more natural and manageable when it is congruent with the narrative we are building about our life.

For instance, change seems more manageable and exciting around New Year’s Day doesn’t it?

That’s because the new year feels like a new chapter, and that is how we organize our life.

We tell ourselves a story about who we are and we see our life in stages and seasons.

When I was in high school, I saw myself differently than I did when I was a college student.

After college and in graduate school I began to think of myself as a professional and then a business owner.

These different stages of my life encouraged me to make changes that were consistent with my new identity.

As we organize these different chapters of our life, the reset associated with a new beginning often motivates us to change.

When you begin to plan out the changes you want to make, look for the built-in resets that you can easily identify as a result of the start of a different stage or chapter.

Start working out on a Monday because it’s the beginning of the week, rather than on a Thursday or a Friday.

Look for holidays that you can use as a reset that might indicate the beginning of a new season.

For instance, Memorial Day is near the beginning of summer; it might be a great time to start eating healthier or reworking your résumé. Labor Day is the beginning of fall for many people, and it might be a great reset that would allow you to set new goals for your business.

Don’t worry if you can’t find an impending holiday to plan your life around, it’s more about the meaning we attach to any given day we are going to use as a reset to jumpstart our change process.

We can actually just label days and create meaning around days that will allow us more motivation for change.

Try to use the first or last day of the month as motivation to start something new.

Is Sept. 22 just a Wednesday, or was it the first day of fall?

That’s an example of just how easy it is to use certain days as a reset for change.

The meaning you assign to any start date is either going to encourage or discourage you to actually follow through with the change.

Harness the power of your own laziness

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed the clever idea of harnessing the power of laziness to help people begin and follow through with a change process.

This strategy follows a fairly simple logic: as humans we want to be comfortable and avoid negative emotions like boredom, stress and pain.

In fact, most people avoid spending any extra effort and will instead prefer what the researchers called “default options.”

Default options are what we end up with if we do absolutely nothing.

The default option on my iPhone is the Safari web browser.

My tendency, and the tendency of most people that use iPhones, is to use Safari as their web browser.

Now let’s be clear, I do not use Safari because it’s the best option. No, no, no, that would mean I was actually being intentional.

I use Safari because it’s easy, it happens automatically and I don’t have to expend any extra effort.

Basically, I’m avoiding the added stress and drama of taking five minutes to pick the web browser that best fits my needs.

I know, it's strange, but I challenge you to think about your life and how often you use the default option to make decisions about your behavior.

How amazing would it be if Chick-fil-A decided to set the default option of a Chick-fil-A sandwich to include the fruit cup rather than the waffle fries.

Is it fair to say, as a group, we’re just too lazy to look beyond the default options and be intentional about the choices we make every day?

If we’re going to be proactive and intentional about making changes in our life, we can start by setting healthy defaults.

What website does your browser open up to automatically, a social media site or a news organization?

If one of your behavior-change goals includes being more informed about current events, make sure your default setting is consistent with your goals.

What is your default drink at dinner, a glass of wine or water?

If you want to make sure you drink less alcohol, make sure that your default beverage at dinner is water.

In short, we can leverage our own laziness to set ourselves up for success with behavior change.

Change within the context of relationships

It should come as no surprise that we all need healthy relationships in order to maintain our change over time.

Relationships are vitally important for a couple different reasons.

For starters, other people can provide much-needed accountability for us as we attempt to make and sustain changes.

The most basic behavioral principles demonstrate that the more a behavior costs us relationally, financially or physically, the less likely the behavior is to happen.

That’s why people stuck in addiction often wait until the cost of the addiction has become so severe that they can no longer persist in it.

We call that rock-bottom in the addictions treatment industry.

Rock-bottom often happens for most of us when the cost of the behavior has interpersonal consequences that outweigh the benefits of the behavior.

We need people in our life that are going to be willing to tell us the truth and who will express concern when we do not follow through with our stated goals for behavior change.

If you want to make positive changes that stick, find truth tellers that won’t hesitate to tell you the things you don’t want to hear.

Another reason relationships are so essential for getting unstuck is based on the principle of modeling.

Many times we only know what we’re capable of when we look around and see other people who are living the kind of life we want to live.

At the end of the day the most life-giving relationships that we can be a part of are the ones that inspire us to actually live in our calling.

That’s why people who are serious about change find groups of people that are living the change that they would like to see.

Think in terms of the alcoholic who is inspired by his AA sponsor who has spent 20 years sober or the business owner who connects with a mentor who inspires him to grow his business.

If you’re ready to get unstuck in your life, surround yourself with people who inspire you. Spend time around them and model their behavior.

Now that we've gathered some workable actions to create and maintain change in our own lives, let's help our friends above, John and Julia, by applying the strategies we just learned.

John may not show signs of procrastination or laziness, but he is absolutely leaning into his default options in his relationship with his wife and unable to take the step into healthy communication with her.

Since he is having difficulty "in the moment," perhaps he can utilize his wife's strengths in their relationship to hold him accountable when these issues arise.

For his homework, we decided that he needs to have an open and honest conversation with his wife about how his default options are to go to the research and data points, and he needs her support by holding him accountable if he back steps into his suggestion offering as a strategy to resolve an issue in their lives.

This opens up a line of communication surrounding his barriers and reminding his wife that while his heart is in the right place, his mind goes into default mode, and the hope is that they are going to help each other make changes within the context of their relationship.

For our friend Julia, who is a habitual marijuana smoker, we need to address all three strategies as well.

Julia has made the commitment to stop smoking, but she can't seem to find the desire to begin the process, is stuck in an emotional wheel navigated by laziness, and doesn't have a huge support system in her life rooting for her to take a step toward her goal to leave the marijuana behind.

We decided for Julia to pick any day of the week and attach meaning to it allowing her to begin her journey of not smoking.

Julia picked the following Monday and stated it was the beginning of her journey to Oz.

Next, she has this habit known to most as "wake and bake" as a default, so she decided she was going to alter it some by waking up and actually baking cookies, muffins or cupcakes instead.

The last item we checked off of her list in our session was finding a support group to attend, so she would be surrounded by other supportive people and find at least one person who she admired and could model her behavior after.

Change is hard and it can be messy and uncomfortable, but with the right tools and support it is not impossible.

Dr. Mike Ronsisvalle is a Licensed Psychologist and the President of LiveWell Behavioral Health, a psychological services agency that provides counseling to clients of all ages and addictions treatment to adolescents and adults. You can find him on the web at www.LiveWellbehavioralhealth.com and www.LiveWell-Coaching.com, or call 321-259-1662.

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Apologies for repeated discussions are sometimes made, with intentions to improve hampered by difficulties in implementation.

Examining this cycle in one's own life prompts awareness of similar patterns.

One strategy to combat procrastination involves focusing on when to start, leveraging new beginnings such as the New Year which psychologically serves as a fresh chapter.

Life stages like college, graduate school, and business ownership are associated with identity shifts and spur behavior changes to match.

People often use holidays, the first or last day of the month, as motivation for new initiatives.