For a long time, philosophers and scientists assumed that we humans have a limited set of basic emotions – such as fear, joy, anger – that can explain the range of feelings we experience. A more recent theory takes a different approach: We have infinite emotions, so long as we can name them. This makes for interesting neologisms and is at the heart of the internet trope «tfw», with people describing in specific terms «that feeling when…». It has more serious implications, too: New ways of defining emotions «shift the way neuroscientists search for treatments for emotional problems», like depression or anxiety. An eye-opening read.
From Weekly Filet #288, in May 2020.
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At the beginning of this year, I’ve decided to collect all articles (or videos, or visualisations, or books) that changed my view on a subject, or gave me a fresh perspective on something I had a fairly limited understanding of. This is one of them.
From Weekly Filet #264, in February 2018.
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Every forty seconds, somebody, somewhere dies by suicide. What would it take to prevent most of those deaths?
From Weekly Filet #246, in September 2017.
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A playful way to experience and learn about cognitive biases. For when you’re a bit too busy to read the complete Kahneman (which I highly recommend, though)
From Weekly Filet #245, in September 2017.
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Trust me, this is the best thing on the web this week. By far.
From Weekly Filet #241, in July 2017.
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The title pretty much speaks for itself. I’ll just add: Come for the beautiful illustrations, stay for an essential read for anyone who tries to communicate facts to others.
From Weekly Filet #234, in June 2017.
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Don’t be scared away by the slow start and the sheer length of this piece (my read-later app of choice says 98 minutes reading time). It’s time well spent with an «avid collector of instances of bad judgment»: a deeply insightful description of 25 human tendencies that lead to bad choices (then again, we’re not as bad as ants, that – once they’d have atomic bombs – would within 18 hours…well, read for yourself).
From Weekly Filet #230, in March 2017.
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When men and women of exactly equal ability face each other in chess, men win more often – but only if they know they’re playing against the opposite sex. Fascinating insights on why this is the case – and what it means for the world beyond chess.
From Weekly Filet #229, in February 2017.
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All it takes is a small step – gravity will take care of the rest. And yet, and yet. This 16-minute documentary from Sweden brilliantly captures people struggling with themselves as they stand atop the ten meter tower, ready to jump into the water. Or maybe not. Or maybe yes. Or maybe not.
From Weekly Filet #226, in February 2017.
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How do you tell someone that they’re seriously ill, or even dying?
From Weekly Filet #225, in January 2017.
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Make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be.
Carefully curated recommendations on what to read, watch and listen to. For nerds and changemakers who love when something makes them go «Huh, I never thought of it this way!».
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