Sublime

In the absence of strong compelling incentives, we don’t act randomly, as simple reinforcement learners using epsilon-greedy exploration do. Rather, we are quite robustly, reliably, and predictably drawn toward new things.

However, as I continued to hang out with Jack, I began to notice that the stories all seemed familiar, even though they described different events. Then one day it struck me why this was so. Whether he was telling me about a presentation at an academic conference, a squabble with a neighbor, or how he fixed his car last week, the narrative was alwa

Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale,

hoarders and collectors have different personality profiles. Excessive hoarding tends to be associated with neuroticism, whereas meticulous collecting is more indicative of conscientious behavior.

Dan McAdams. He’s a brilliant and exceptionally creative professor at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy and the author of the influential book The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self.

But who is supposed to see these photos? From his desk, Barz would have to turn around to see them; but a visitor sitting across from Barz would see him flanked by the photos of his wife and kids in the background. These are classic other-directed identity claims. Not only is Barz telling us about his values but he is giving us a glimpse into his p

tracking not only employee productivity but also social interactions—“social physics,” as computer scientist Alex Pentland calls this new genre of sociometric data.

“Personality Is Revealed During Weekends.”