Money
Your tax refund is a 0% loan. Why does it feel like a bonus?
A tax refund is your own money returned at 0%. Research on inertia and mental accounting shows why it feels like a bonus, and when it costs you.
Research — page 2
Mindset
You Think You're Done Changing. A 19,000-Person Study Says Maybe Not
In a study of 19,000+ people, forecasts of future change ran smaller than reports of past change. What that means for big choices.
Habits
54 gym habit tricks, tested at once on 61,293 members. Few lasted.
In a Nature megastudy, 54 four-week programs tried to get gym members to show up. About 45% raised visits; only 8% still showed an effect after they ended.
Motivation
Paying kids for scores didn't raise them. Paying them to read did.
Four US cities paid kids for test scores, grades, behavior or books read. Only two saw reading gains. What that suggests about writing your own goals.
Success
The 10,000-Hour Rule Was Never a Rule. Here's What the Data Says
Ericsson's violin study never set a 10,000-hour threshold. Here's what practice research measured, how much it seems to explain, and what counts as practice.
Habits
Why Thursday Is a Better Day to Start Than You Think
Gym visits and "diet" searches rise at the start of a new week and other calendar landmarks. Here's how that lift fades, and how to use it anyway.
Money
Do lottery winners go broke? The famous 70% has no research behind it
The '70% of lottery winners go broke' figure has no research behind it. Florida data suggest a big win postponed bankruptcy rather than prevented it.
Mindset
Fewer People Noticed Than You Think: The Spotlight Effect, Measured
In a classic study, people in an embarrassing T-shirt guessed about 46% of the room noticed. About 23% did. Here's how to use that gap.
Habits
Forget 21 days: what the habit study actually measured
The 21-day habit rule began as a surgeon's rough floor. The study that measured habits found a median of 66 days, with a range of 18 to 254.
Mindset
Why a bronze medalist can smile more than a silver one
Olympic footage suggests bronze medalists can look happier than silver ones. What that says about 'I almost' and 'at least' after a raise or a loss.
Motivation
The car wash card trick: why the middle of a goal feels endless
Two loyalty-card studies suggest motivation often dips mid-goal. Here's why the middle drags, and how to re-frame progress so it moves again.
Wealth
Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves? What Florence's 1427 tax rolls say
A proverb says family wealth vanishes in three generations. Florence's 1427 tax records and the Vanderbilt story suggest it's only half-true.