Nothing fascinates me more than the human mind. Over the past several years, I have become increasingly interested in why we do the things we do, how our habits are formed, what it takes to change a habit, and so on. Those of you who have gotten into David Allen’s Getting Things Done principles and techniques know he derived a lot of his material from studying how our minds work (and how to make them work better).
- Of course, the value in better understanding how we operate is that it better equips us to change what we don’t like. For example, if you are a chronic procrastinator, you will stay one until you figure out why you are one.
Like David and I, you might also have an interest in knowing what makes us tick. If so, you may be interested in the following two articles from Search Engine Land:
I recommend printing the articles out and putting them into your “to read” pile.
The first article talks about how research has shown that we may not have the conscious will that we think we do. One could infer from the discussion that our subconscious is more active in controlling what we do than is our conscious.
The second article gets into some specifics of why doing Google searches has become a habit for most of us. It has some interesting points on why it is difficult to break habits. (Both articles use bits of evolutionary psychology, a science that still has a long way to go and that sometimes gets it wrong. For example, it does not provide a good explanation of why a person will sacrifice their life for someone they do not even know. However, the science does have some present value and will no doubt continue to mature.)
For those who are really into this sort of thing, I am interested in hearing what further reading you recommend. A couple of related books that I am currently reading are:
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