Over the last few years I’ve become more interested in the nuances of human behavior. There are a lot books and papers and scientific endeavors around these topics, but they all seem very far from creating a model that can explain how the brain/mind works.

I think there are common threads underlying a lot of the topics in this area, for example:

  • Mob Mentality - How we act in groups (virtual or phsycical)

  • Identity - How our sense of identity affects the way we think

  • Cognitive Bias - Specific ways that our preconceptions distort our logic

  • Nudge - How to influence people with tiny changes

  • “Enlightened Self-Interest[1]” - via Alexis de Tocqueville in the 19th century

  • “Rational Actors[2]” - a principle from economics

It would be useful if we had some basic understanding of how the human mind works that help us think about these topics and understand where they succeed in predicting humans and where they fail. I have some ideas along those lines, coming in future posts.