59 Seconds summary

Likability is not only crucial for interviews; it’s also a huge advantage for your social life. In fact, if you’re not likable, the odds are against your making many friends or being persuasive.

It may come as a surprise, but competent people actually appear more attractive and likable when they falter, rather than when they try to be perfect.

Consider how President Kennedy handled the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Though the attempted invasion of Cuba was a complete catastrophe, it actually resulted in an increase in Kennedy’s likability, as he made no excuses and shouldered full responsibility for the failure.

In recent years, everyone in the self-help industry seems to be getting on the visualization bandwagon. It’s touted as the way to achieve your goals: simply picture yourself getting into those jeans and voilà!

But several scientific studies tell us that visualization isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Most people see brainstorming as a fantastic creativity booster. This probably came down to us from the 1940s, when advertising executive Alex Osborn claimed that working in a group could yield twice as many ideas. A large body of research, though, suggests that brainstorming causes us to repress, rather than form, creative ideas.

In the 1880s, a French agricultural engineer conducted a study in which he asked participants to pull a rope to lift heavy weights. He found that when working alone, individuals could lift around 185 pounds. But when they were in a group, this dropped to 140 pounds per person.

So many of us struggle to be creative, but it doesn’t have to be so hard. In fact, your ability to be creative can be improved by a few quick and easy changes to your surroundings.

Our environment shapes our mind, which in turn influences our reactions. Being shaped by our environment is called priming, and it happens even when you’re not consciously aware of it.

Whether it’s a breakup, illness or just daily stress, everyone experiences events that make us anxious, unhappy or even depressed. The good news is, there’s a short exercise you can do to alleviate your stress.

In such situations, people seek distraction, but this solution is only momentarily effective. Instead, you should opt for a benefit finding solution. That is, try to single out positive aspects of the hurtful event. It’s a quick method that has been shown to help people in even extremely trying circumstances.

All of us could probably do with a little help in our relationships. So what are some quick skills we can learn to help keep them on the right track?

Relationships thrive on mutual support and agreement. But, as we are acutely attuned to our partner’s comments, even the slightest sour remark needs to be sweetened with love and attention.

Can you spot a liar? They probably make big gestures or anxiously tell elaborate tales when they’re trying to cover something up, right? Well, that’s not what psychologists have found.

Some research suggests that people who are lying are no more stressed than those telling the truth.