From the genesis of Slender Man on a forum to the moral panic of the Momo Challenge, discover how the internet, creepypasta, and collaborative storytelling have created a terrifyingly new breed of urban legend.
Sewer Alligators and Bodies in the Bed: The Shocking Urban Legends That Are Actually True
Think all urban legends are fake? Think again. We investigate the chilling cases, from sewer gators to hotel horrors, where unbelievable folklore has a basis in fact.
Urban Legends 2 | The Global Ghost: How One Urban Legend Changes Across the World
Travel the globe with the “Vanishing Hitchhiker” legend. Discover how this single story transforms into a Hawaiian goddess, a Latin American demon, and a Japanese ghost, reflecting each culture’s unique beliefs and fears.
The Babysitter is Calling from Inside the Patriarchy: A Feminist Guide to Urban Legends
Ever wonder why classic urban legends always star women in peril? We explore how tales like “The Hook” reflect deep societal anxieties about female independence.
Urban Legends 1 | The Lure of the Legend: Why Our Brains Believe Urban Legends
Explore the psychology behind urban legends. Learn how cognitive biases like confirmation bias and emotional narratives make us believe and share stories that aren’t true.
Anatomy of a Hoax: The Science of Why We Fall for Disinformation
Ever wonder why you fall for online hoaxes? Discover the cognitive biases and emotional triggers manipulators exploit and learn how to build your mental toolkit.
Understanding Cognitive Biases 5 | The Biases of Memory & Recall
What is your most vivid childhood memory? The story of your first love? The moment you achieved a great success? What if I told you that memory might be wrong? This week, in our series finale, we tackle the most personal biases of all—the ones that live inside our own heads. We’ll discover how easily false memories can be planted, why we only remember the best and worst moments of a vacation, and how you might be accidentally stealing ideas. Prepare to question everything you think you know about your past.
Beyond Logic: Why Understanding Your Biases Makes You a More Empathetic Person
The true goal of learning about cognitive biases isn’t to become a perfect robot. It’s to become a “Rational Empath.” This capstone article explores how understanding our own flawed thinking leads to greater compassion, forgiveness, and wisdom.
The Cognitive Cascade: How a Chain Reaction of Biases Leads to Disaster
Cognitive biases rarely act alone. Discover how biases interact and compound each other in a “cognitive cascade.” Using the legendary “New Coke” failure as a case study, we deconstruct how a chain reaction of flawed thinking leads to disastrous outcomes.
What’s Your Social IQ? A Quiz to Master Workplace and Social Biases
Can you avoid common social pitfalls like Groupthink or the Bystander Effect? Take this scenario-based quiz to learn actionable strategies for smarter social interaction.
Recent Posts
Presence Over Presents: How to De-commercialize the Holidays and Find Meaning
Are you tired of the holiday shopping frenzy? Discover how to reclaim the “sacred” in the season by choosing presence over presents. We explore meaningful alternatives to buying stuff, from experiences to the art of the handwritten letter.
The Empty Chair: Why It’s Okay to Be Lonely (and How to Find Peace) During the Holidays
Does the festive season feel more like a struggle than a celebration? We explore the “Empty Chair,” reframe loneliness as solitude, and offer a guide to inclusive hospitality and finding peace in the noise.
Hanukkah & Burnout: What the Festival of Lights Teaches About Spiritual Endurance
Feeling depleted? The story of Hanukkah isn’t just about oil; it’s a blueprint for burnout. Discover how to find “spiritual endurance” when your inner resources are running low.
The Dance, The Drift, and The Handle: How We survive the Morning After
As 2025 comes to a close, we look at the transition from holiday magic to ordinary reality. Through stories set in a nursing home in Buenos Aires, a dark river in the Amazon, and a drought-stricken well in Turkana, we ask: How do we keep the music playing when the orchestra stops?
When the Bells Stop Ringing | A Prayer for the Day After
And finally, we look to the day after. The bells have stopped ringing, the guests have gone, and the wax has hardened on the table. We often treat the holiday spirit like a decoration—something to be packed away in a box until next year. But what if the kindness, the open doors, and the shared bread were not a seasonal performance, but a blueprint for how to live? In this final reflection, we ask what it means to carry the light of the feast into the famine of the ordinary days ahead.
The Architecture of Gratitude: How to Escape the Hedonic Treadmill & Find Joy
Why does the holiday “high” fade so fast? Discover the science of the Hedonic Treadmill and learn how to build a structural foundation of gratitude that lasts beyond New Year’s.