Abhishek Chakraborty (Page 17)

The High-Ground Manoeuvre: A Better Tactic to Justify Your Position

High-Ground Manoeuvre is a tactic used to get out of a debate when one is cornered. High-Ground Manoeuvre takes the debate out of the details, and elevates it to a level where there can be no disagreements.

Two Ways to Win. No Way to Lose.

“Two Ways to Win, No Way to Lose” is the process of finding an upside in the downside while devising strategies, thereby reducing or completely mitigating losses.

A Short Introduction to Behavioural Philosophy

A good way to live an intelligent life is having an emotional positioning to eliminate the sting of harm. Stoicism helps us achieve that. But it is hard to stick to a good discipline of mental write-off when things are going well. Yet that’s when one needs the discipline the most.

Pavlovian Conditioning: Understanding Coca-Cola’s Brand Strategy

In Pavlovian conditioning powerful effects come from mere association. The neural system of Pavlov’s dog causes it to salivate at the bell it can’t eat. And the brain of man yearns for the type of beverage held by the pretty woman he can’t have.

Why Punishments Don’t Always Work

Societal systems rely on threats and punishments to keep us in line. Despite that we keep on arriving late, spit in public, skip homework, and invest in the wrong places. Well, that’s because punishments have some inherent problems.

How to Design Effective Reward Systems

Rewards reinforce desired behaviour. Rewarding your dog makes him learn new tricks faster. Rewarding school kids for good grades motivates them to study harder. But rewards have to be varied in quantity and intervals to be truly effective.

Operant Conditioning: How to Incentivise and Reinforce Desired Behaviour

“If we don’t like the consequences of an action we’ve taken, we’re less likely to do it again. If we do like the consequences, we’re more likely to do it again.” According to the Operant Conditioning Theory, the strength of a behaviour is modified by its consequences, such as reward or punishment.

Why Compensation Systems Fail

If you’re trying to change a behaviour, reason will take you only so far. Sometimes the solution to a behaviour problem is simply to revisit incentives and make sure they align with the desired goal.