How to Outsmart Yourself When It Really Counts

Ever heard of the “hot-cold empathy gap”? It’s a concept in psychology that was first identified by renowned Carnegie Mellon psychologist, George Lowenstein. It describes our tendency to subconsciously reference our current feelings and attitudes to try and predict how we might behave in the future. Spoiler alert: Our prediction skills aren’t that good.

In other words, the “hot-cold empathy gap” is our inability during a cool rational peaceful moment to appreciate how we will behave when it REALLY counts—when the heat is turned up and our less-desirable nature threatens to get the best of us.

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About eric.wilbanks

Change Architect. Brand strategist. Training specialist. DiSC Certified. @TeaologyProf. Love my family, my Bible, guitars, baseball, fine teas, & men's fashion.

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