The Difference Between Reality and Imagination

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I think our brain is actually working against us there where the same areas of the brain light up when we're experiencing something or visualizing, right? Our brains in general have a tough time kind of differentiating between reality and imagination. So I think that absolutely plays a role. Yeah, but just to just deal man, your side of the argument for a moment,. I do think that there can be something like delightful and fun about temporarily inhabiting a magical world, right? Where like everything that happens is there to help you or there's some meaning to all events."

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To increase our chances of success (in whatever domain and using definition of success), should we focus on boosting our strengths or shoring up our weaknesses? Are we harsher in our critiques of ourselves than in our critiques of others? What should an ideal inner monologue be like? What are some useful taxonomies of pain? Are there times when irrational, magical, emotionally-driven, and/or delusional types of thinking are useful?

Anna Paley is insatiably curious about how best to live our lives. She is a behavioral scientist and marketing professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. She received her PhD from New York University, Stern School of Business in 2017. You can reach her at a.paley@tilburguniversity.edu.

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