Decision Hacking
Better choices through counter-intuitive approaches
12 Psychological Tricks That Actually Work, and How to Spot Them
Reciprocity, anchoring, social proof, foot-in-the-door and eight more documented effects, each with the study behind it and how to catch it being used on you. Plus four tricks worth using on yourself, and the famous ones that failed replication.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy: Why We Stay Too Long
Money and time already spent are gone whatever you decide, yet they keep steering decisions. Sunk cost fallacy examples from careers, projects and relationships, the research behind the pull, and a two-step way out.
The 70% Rule: How to Beat Analysis Paralysis and Decide Faster
Past a certain point, more information raises confidence without raising accuracy. Jeff Bezos's 70% rule, the research on when to stop gathering facts, and how to tell which decisions deserve long deliberation.
When to Quit: Strategic Quitting as a Decision Skill
Research suggests we tend to stay too long, not quit too soon. Three questions, the warning signs, and how to set "kill criteria" in advance so the decision to stop isn't made under the weight of everything you've spent.
Too Many Choices: When Fewer Options Really Help
Choice overload is real, but only under specific conditions: similar options, unclear preferences, a hard task. What the jam study and its replications show, what decision fatigue research does and doesn't support, and how to choose faster.
Reversible vs Irreversible Decisions: The Two-Way Door Rule
Jeff Bezos's one-way and two-way doors tell you how much process a decision deserves. How to tell them apart, how to handle each, and the research showing that keeping a choice reversible can make you like it less.