People I (Mostly) Admire 38. Sendhil Mullainathan Explains How to Generate an Idea a Minute (Part 2)
Jul 31, 2021
Sendhil Mullainathan, a MacArthur 'Genius Grant' recipient and author, explores the concepts from his book 'Scarcity.' He discusses how financial stress impacts cognitive functions and productivity, urging a redesign of social programs to alleviate cognitive overload. Sendhil also highlights the collaboration between humans and machines, emphasizing that technology complements rather than competes with human intelligence. He shares insights on enhancing creativity through appreciating others' ideas, and how this can lead to innovative thinking.
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The Psychology of Scarcity
- Scarcity isn't just about physical limitations but also the psychology of feeling limited.
- This feeling captures attention, making it hard to focus on other things.
The Cookie Conundrum
- In a study, hungry people were slower to find the word "tent" in a word search after seeing the word "cookie".
- Their minds remained fixated on food, even when presented with unrelated tasks.
Cognitive Taxes
- Traditional economics focuses on financial taxes, but often overlooks "cognitive taxes".
- These cognitive burdens disproportionately affect the poor, hindering their ability to navigate complex systems.
