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Eric Barker
Barker is the author of
Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Recent Articles
The Most Inspiring Way to Be Happier
We all wanna be happy, right? But I have a little surprising, unhappy news about happiness — it can be selfish. Here’s what one study showed: Our findings suggest that happiness is mainly about getting...
By Eric Barker
March 29, 2016
How to Make Sure Your Kids Have 'Grit,' Backed by Research
What makes kids persist? What gives them the “grit” to keep working hard in school, to get good grades and ultimately be successful in life? A big contributor is having a “growth mindset.” You may...
By Eric Barker
March 22, 2016
The 4 Rituals That Will Make You an Expert at Anything
We hear a lot about “10,000 hours” being what it takes to become an expert. But the majority of people totally misunderstand the idea. So I decided to go to the source and talk to...
By Eric Barker
March 15, 2016
How to Negotiate Salary: 5 Secrets Backed by Research
In the history of the world, nobody has ever said, “I make too much money.” And for most of us how much we make is determined during a salary negotiation. I wanted to get the...
By Eric Barker
March 9, 2016
6 Tips from a Harvard Linguist to Make You A Better Writer
Writing well is a science
By Eric Barker
March 9, 2016
The Key Persuasion Technique of the FBI's Top Hostage Negotiator
It's not just in what you say, but in what you do
By Eric Barker
March 8, 2016
3 Ways to Reduce Your Stress
To combat it, you have to understand it first
By Eric Barker
March 7, 2016
4 Ways to Make Positive Change Actually Happen in Your Life
It's all about overcoming inertia
By Eric Barker
March 4, 2016
How to Avoid Getting Angry: 3 Secrets from Neuroscience
Find a healthy way to channel your rage
By Eric Barker
March 1, 2016
5 Secrets for Daily Joy, Backed by Research
“No pain, no gain” is a myth
By Eric Barker
March 1, 2016
7 Ways to Get People To Like You From an FBI Behavior Expert
It's easier than you think
By Eric Barker
February 26, 2016
6 Things the Most Organized People Do Every Day
Your attention is limited and valuable. You need less information. You need good filters
By Eric Barker
February 26, 2016
This Is the Most Fun Way to Make Your Life Awesome
“Working on your goals” is usually not fun. It’s way too formal and serious. And that’s one of the reasons we quit. So how can you build good habits, improve yourself and have a great...
By Eric Barker
February 23, 2016
The 7-Step Evening Ritual That Will Make You Happy
Everybody talks about morning rituals to get the day started right. (Even I have.) But ending the day right can be even more important. Why? Because your mind ain’t perfect when it comes to happiness....
By Eric Barker
February 17, 2016
Doing These 4 Things Will Make You Happier, According to Neuroscience
Science-backed ways to boost your mood
By Eric Barker
February 16, 2016
How to Make Your Life Better by Sending 5 Simple Emails
How to make your life better? All you need is email
By Eric Barker
February 12, 2016
3 Proven Ways to Stay Motivated
Harness your emotions to help you achieve your goals
By Eric Barker
February 12, 2016
How to Tell If Someone Is Lying, According to Science
Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to tell if someone is lying? We’re going to see what the research has to say on detecting lies, avoiding deception and more. And this is the industrial...
By Eric Barker
February 9, 2016
How to Be a Better Parent: 4 Secrets Backed by Research
“How to be a better parent” is discussed endlessly on the internet. But what we don’t see enough of is research-backed advice that can make your kids both more ethical and more successful. And I...
By Eric Barker
February 2, 2016
How to Deal With a Narcissist: 5 Secrets Backed by Research
You must be tired of them. They’re everywhere. Narcissists. And if you think there are more of them than ever, you’re right. Research shows we are experiencing a narcissism epidemic. From The Narcissism Epidemic: Living...
By Eric Barker
January 26, 2016
How to Make Your Mind Happy: 5 Secrets to Mindfulness
Sometimes it seems like your brain just sits around creating lousy feelings and worries. You want this, you’re frustrated about that, you’re annoyed about some other thing and the list never stops. And it makes...
By Eric Barker
January 20, 2016
How to Get More Energy: 8 New Secrets Backed by Research
We’d all like to know how to get more energy when life throws curve balls at us. These ideas from psychology research can help you keep going and overcome a terminal case of I-don’t-feel-like-it. Let’s...
By Eric Barker
January 12, 2016
The 7-Step Morning Ritual That Will Make You Happy All Day
We read a lot about this or that morning ritual that will make you productive. But what about one that makes you happy? Research shows that being happy actually makes you more productive. So let’s...
By Eric Barker
January 8, 2016
How to Focus: 5 Research-Backed Secrets to Concentration
A question a lot of us are struggling with these days is “how to focus.” Concentration seems hard. Why does everyone joke about having ADD? There’s a reason… Ed Hallowell, former professor at Harvard Medical...
By Eric Barker
January 6, 2016
How to Be Charming: 2 Secrets Backed by Research
Want to know how to be charming? Ask yourself: What do you want in any friend or partner? Someone who is happy for you, wants the best for you and delights in your successes. Right?...
By Eric Barker
January 5, 2016
The 5 Habits That Will Make You Happy, According to Science
So what’s going to make you happy? Let’s get more specific: what’s going to make your brain happy? And let’s focus on things that are simple and easy to do instead of stuff like winning...
By Eric Barker
December 16, 2015
How to Be Creative: 6 Secrets Backed By Research
Whether it’s at work or in our free time, many of us would love to learn how to be creative. Coming up with great ideas and new perspectives is a blast. But “thinking different” is...
By Eric Barker
December 10, 2015
How to Persuade People, According to NYPD Hostage Negotiators
I’m pretty sure I just heard a gunshot. And that means she’s dead. Hold on, I guess I better back up and explain… A 911 call came in. A domestic dispute turned into a hostage...
By Eric Barker
December 2, 2015
5 Secrets to Managing Your Time, Backed by Research
It’s the problem we all face at the office: how to manage your time. You’re so overwhelmed with meetings and email that you always wonder if you’re really getting anything done. And often, you’re not....
By Eric Barker
December 1, 2015
10 Daily Habits That Are Guaranteed to Transform Your Life
1. Get out in nature You probably seriously underestimate how important this is. (Actually, there’s research that says you do). Being in nature reduces stress, makes you more creative, improves your memory and may even...
By Eric Barker
November 24, 2015
How to Stop Feeling Guilty: 5 Secrets Backed by Research
Learn to accept your limits
By Eric Barker
November 17, 2015
How to Make Your Relationship Last: 3 Secrets Backed by Research
The beginning of a relationship is amazing. But often, it starts to fizzle out later on… The things you used to love about them start to annoy you. They don’t listen. They don’t seem interested...
By Eric Barker
November 10, 2015
How
the Hunger Games
Can Help You Stop Procrastinating
You want to stop procrastinating? What if I told there was a solution that involved fun. In fact, it lets you do the thing you love most in the world. No willpower or discipline necessary....
By Eric Barker
November 5, 2015
This Is the No. 1 Ritual You Need to Do Every Day
You read a lot on the internet about rituals that can help you be better in the morning or leap over tall building with a single bound. Maybe some celebrity does this one or that...
By Eric Barker
October 27, 2015
This Is the Number One Mistake Parents Make When Arguing With Kids
How do you deal with out of control kids? The authors of the bestseller How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk have some great ideas that can help any...
By Eric Barker
October 23, 2015
How to Never Get Angry: 3 New Secrets From Neuroscience
They’re one inch from your face, boiling with rage, screaming and yelling at you. And all you want to do is scream and yell back. But you know that’s not going to be good for...
By Eric Barker
October 21, 2015
The Fast Way to Make Better Decisions, Backed by Research
Take the perspective of someone else. Think about what your smartest friend might do in that situation. We investigated how perspective-taking might be used to overcome bias and improve advice-based judgments. Decision makers often tend...
By Eric Barker
October 19, 2015
How to Stay Motivated With Difficult Goals, According to Research
You can measure progress by how much you’ve completed or how much you have left to do. Research says you’ll be more motivated if you focus on whichever of those two is smaller: Via Eurekalert:...
By Eric Barker
October 16, 2015
One Powerful Tip for How to Deliver Bad News
Monitor your body language and make sure it’s positive though your words may be negative. Via The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism: …the Harvard Business Review detailed...
By Eric Barker
October 14, 2015
Being Yourself Can Make You Happier, According to Research
I’d revise it to “be your best self.” People who deliberately exercised their signature strengths — those qualities they were uniquely best at, the talents that set them apart from others — on a daily...
By Eric Barker
October 12, 2015
How to Get People to Be More Honest With You
Might want to Skype more often. People lie more often via text message. We’re more honest via video than we are in the other mediums tested — including in face to face. Via Science Daily:...
By Eric Barker
October 9, 2015
How You Can Tell Your Relationship Is Over, According to Research
You share complaints that don’t contain the word “but.” Unqualified complaints were more common in relationships that weren’t going well. Via 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute: Perhaps the most important difference...
By Eric Barker
October 8, 2015
5 Easy Ways to Improve Difficult Relationships, Backed by Research
Sometimes your closest and most important relationships are also the most difficult. Why? Columbia business school professor Adam Galinsky and Wharton professor Maurice Schweitzer have an answer: All your relationships are both cooperative and competitive....
By Eric Barker
October 6, 2015
Why You Feel Like a Fraud and How to Overcome It
You don’t belong here. You’re not good enough. You got lucky. They’re going to realize you aren’t that smart. Ever heard this voice in your head? You’re far from alone. It’s called “impostor syndrome.” More...
By Eric Barker
September 29, 2015
4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy, According to Neuroscience
Ask a question, label emotions, make decisions and give hugs
By Eric Barker
September 22, 2015
3 Ways Empathy Can Improve Your Life
Does it ever feel like people are all self-absorbed jerks? Like they’re not listening? Only in it for themselves? You’re not crazy. Empathy is declining. Via Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It:...
By Eric Barker
September 15, 2015
Secrets to Success From Elon Musk, Steve Martin and Mike Bloomberg
Use rejection as motivation
By Eric Barker
September 14, 2015
How to Deal With a Narcissist, Backed by Research
There are ways to make a narcissist easier to deal with. Emphasize community when you talk to them. When they feel there’s a strong group behind something, they’re more likely to behave: Three studies tested...
By Eric Barker
September 3, 2015
How to Feel Better About Your Body, Backed by Research
Exercise. I know what you’re thinking: I knew that answer. Here’s the interesting part: exercise improved people’s feelings about their body even if they didn’t lose weight or achieve noticeable improvements. They just felt better...
By Eric Barker
September 2, 2015
How to Be Happier Without Really Trying
You are already a happiness expert. Seriously. You’re just a bit inconsistent. You already do a lot of things that researchers recommend for increased happiness. You just don’t realize it. And that’s the problem. If...
By Eric Barker
September 1, 2015
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