A few things I've learnt from writing >4,000 word pieces:
- They tend to be more popular than my short pieces!
- They're more definitive - like reference material, not a hot take.
- Not everyone will reach the end, and that's okay.
- Write so that the people who do find it incredibly satisfying.
#CrushingGoals
I think I'm all done with the Jim Carrey story.
In other news, I'm tired of social media algos seizing on a story I'm faintly interested in and then throwing it in my face for days from every conceivable "news" outlet.
TFW you're reading a decision letter, and even you--the other reviewer--are annoyed at Reviewer 2.
Jay Van Bavel had a paper like this: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
I also had a paper making a similar argument but more that there are relevant features that might get ignored--not unknown moderators: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2cT6...
Web: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/maki...
Ep 114! A great convo with @akoustov.bsky.social on public opinion surrounding immigration, its durability, and the policy moves that would gain most support.
Listen links below...
Whoa--what a haul! Glad it's all going somewhere where it'll get used.
Had a great conversation with @andyluttrell.bsky.social on why even the best messaging won't bring everyone to your side, and all things immigration opinion and politics. Give it a listen!
opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/maki...
New paper out in Science Advances! I'm really (really) proud of this one. Let's get into it. doi.org/10.1126/scia...
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#science
Yeah, great question. I was holding out hope that I could stick it to Google and its insistence on AI summaries and sucking pageviews from people's work. But Microsoft really isn't any better, so I finally jumped ship and ditched Bing right before I posted this.
I've been using Bing as my default search engine for two years, and it is truly awful.
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
This week on Opinion Science, I shared a preview of another podcast I think you'd enjoy: Mind Games.
It traces the wild story behind a so-called "persuasion technology" built on hypnosis that's been at the center of all kinds of questionable movements.
opinionscipod.buzzsprout.com/981667/episo...
I so appreciate this point.
"Every little thing we learn doesn't have to be about its utility. We can learn for our own enrichment."
www.instagram.com/reel/DSVo2GH...
Thanks!
They will go about reviewing a manuscript as an exercise. The goal is not necessarily to train them to be reviewers at this stage but to highlight how the process works, let them step into the reviewer's perspective on their own work, and generally foster critical thinking tools for research.
Are there good articles to share with students about doing PEER REVIEW? Like, how to be a good reviewer, what the focus on, how to organize your comments?
I'm leading an MA research seminar, and my students have largely not received journal reviews yet, but I want to prep them.
Elon Musk et al are totally fucking up the night sky ALREADY and they plan to make it worse 🔭
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/satelli...
What should my students read about OPEN SCIENCE?
I'm teaching the second methods class in our MA sequence, and I want them to understand current best practices in open science and why they matter.
What readings would you assign?
😖
I often see old suitcase record players at thrift shops. Looks like they also make new ones as a good entry-level turntable.
(I feel like I should cop to slightly editing the quote to fit it into the Bluesky character limit, but don't worry about that and just read the article.)
"...narratives about the 'end of reading' strike me as self-inflicted, the manifestation of a collective depression... The reaction to declining reading skills, poor comprehension & fragmented attention shouldn't be to...compromise but to double down on the cure"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
In the last episode of Opinion Science, I said I wrote the teaser on a manual typewriter. I have the receipts!
Are female economists treated differently than males in academic seminars?
These authors wanted to know whether gender shapes how scholars are treated when presenting research.
So they built a massive dataset of 2,000+ economics seminars, job talks, and conference presentations from 2019–2023...
Is there anything about a new online, AI-powered social landscape that radically changes basic human psychology, or is it the same script on a new stage?
I was struck by how much basic behavioral science still has to contribute to contemporary issues. Chatbots might seem like a new frontier, but the psychology that we've understood from decades of "offline" research still provides compelling accounts of how people navigate these technologies.
This month on Opinion Science, I talk with @steverathje.bsky.social about his research on the "psychology of technology." We cover the predictors of what goes viral online and the allure and influence of agreeable AI chatbots.
