The idea that the future is unpredictable is undermined every day by the ease with which the past is explained.

One study found that people who just thought about watching their favorite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27 percent.

This is the essence of intuitive heuristics: when faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.

The conclusion is straightforward : self-control requires attention and effort.

We know that the French are very different from the Americans in their satisfaction with life. They're much less satisfied. Americans are pretty high up there, while the French are quite low - the world champions in life satisfaction are actually the Danes.

It's very easy for trusted companies to mislead naive customers, and life insurance companies are trusted.

The dominance of conclusions over arguments is most pronounced where emotions are involved.