What articles did readers turn to most this year? Below you’ll find Behavioral Scientist’s most read articles of 2024. This year’s list offers a chance to reflect on what we learned and explored over the past 12 months.
We remembered Daniel Kahneman through a mosaic of memories and lessons shared by those closest to him and most influenced by his work. We learned about Kahneman the thinker, the coauthor, the writer, as well as Kahneman the partner, mentor, and friend. Their entries helped preserve Kahneman’s wisdom and approach to science, which was marked by his ability to change his mind when the evidence called for it. “I get a sense of movement and discovery whenever I find a flaw in my thinking,” Kahneman once said.
Rory Sutherland makes two appearances on the list. He challenged our thinking by asking, “Are We Too Impatient to Be Intelligent?” and “Is Everything BS?”
We learned about “a new philosophy of productivity” from Cal Newport and, with Brigid Schulte, imagined a workplace that actually values work-life balance. Nick Romeo explained how a “living wage” might be more accurately described as a “minimum wage” based on how it’s calculated.
We got advice on how to turn cynical moments into hopeful ones and found out how great communicators get groups in sync.
Piyush Tantia asked: Can we create a pattern language for behavioral design? We heard from the behavioral scientists working toward a more peaceful world. While Barry Schwartz showed us how social science doesn’t just explain human nature but shapes it.
We toured one of the longest-running experiments in history to explore how stable trends versus random chance shape the trajectories of our lives. And we mapped the shapes of progress to figure out: Is this worth doing?
We invite you to enjoy these articles and the others on this year’s list.
— Evan Nesterak, Editor-in-Chief
(You may also be interested in our list of Notable Books published in 2024 or the Most Read Articles of 2023 and 2022.)
Most Read Articles of 2024
Are We Too Impatient to Be Intelligent?
By Rory Sutherland
There are things we need to deliberately and consciously slow down for our own sanity and for our own productivity. If we don’t ask the question about what those things are, we might get things terribly, terribly wrong.
A New Philosophy of Productivity
By Cal Newport
The problem is not with productivity in a general sense, but instead with a specific faulty definition that has taken hold in recent decades. Here’s what should replace it.
Remembering Daniel Kahneman: A Mosaic of Memories and Lessons
By Evan Nesterak
A collection of memories and lessons from Daniel Kahneman’s close collaborators and colleagues. Learn more about Kahneman the thinker, the coauthor, the writer, as well as Kahneman the partner, mentor, and friend.
Is Everything BS?
By Rory Sutherland
BS (behavioral science) without creativity—indeed BS without a tiny little whiff of BS (meaning bullshit)—is actually suboptimal.
The Everyday Supercommunicators Who Get Groups in Sync
By Charles Duhigg
Conversations that flow often have a person at the center who speaks less, asks more questions, and isn’t afraid to admit their own confusion.
Instead of Being Cynical, Try Becoming Skeptical
By Jamil Zaki
Cynicism and skepticism are often confused for each other, but they couldn’t be more different.
The Quest to Imagine a Workplace that (Actually) Values Work-Life Balance
By Brigid Schulte
Work-life balance is about making trade-offs. How might we design workplaces that encourage employees to choose the right ones?
Is It All a Fluke? Lessons From Playing God in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment
By Brian Klaas
It’s easy to believe that small, chance moments don’t make a material difference on our lives and societies. But a long-running evolution experiment suggests that life’s course may come down to the random details.
Can We Create a Pattern Language for Behavioral Design?
By Piyush Tantia
Psychologies, especially as represented in lists of biases, point out problems. Developing a pattern language would point us to solutions.
How Culture Shapes the Stories We Tell About Our Emotions
By Katie Hoemann and Batja Mesquita
To capture human emotion in all its richness, we have to broaden where and how we study it.
Honorable Mentions
How to Cultivate Taste in the Age of Algorithms
By Kyle Chayka
When we turn to algorithms for recommendations instead of asking friends or going down hard-won cultural rabbit holes, what do we give up?
The Behavioral Scientists Working Toward a More Peaceful World
By Heather Graci
How does our psychology fuel conflict? How might it help bring peace? Behavioral scientists are racing to answer these questions in the face of increasing global conflict.
What Shape Does Progress Take? Don’t Assume It’s a Straight Line
By Lee Anne Fennell
As we determine where to allocate effort and money, when to keep going and when to give up, different production functions call for different strategies. Yet, we rarely consider what production functions can tell us about our progress.
Social Science, Ideology, Culture, & History
By Barry Schwartz
Social science gives us ideas about human nature. What does it mean for the science when those ideas don’t just describe our nature, but shape it?
What the Living Wage Leaves Out
By Nick Romeo
The living wage calculator makes no provision for eating in a restaurant, repaying loans, saving for retirement, or taking a vacation. What does go into calculating a living wage? And does the term “living” allow companies to pay people inadequately while appearing generous?
