We all know it feels good to have people around who listen, help, or simply check in. But this study isn’t about how many friends you have—it’s about how strongly you believe those people would be there if you needed them. Psychologists call this perceived social support, and it turns out to be one of… Read More More Than a Pat on the Back: Why Feeling Supported Really Matters
Andreas Schleicher – yes, the man behind the PISA tests – recently wrote that vocational education “has a great future”.That’s a remarkably upbeat message from someone we usually quote when talking about declining reading skills or falling maths scores. And to be fair, I share his optimism – though perhaps for slightly different reasons. In… Read More Vocational education has a brilliant future (I’m not saying that — Andreas Schleicher is)
I learned the term “workslop” from a sharp Harvard Business Review article by Kate Niederhoffer, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Angela Lee, Alex Liebscher, Kristina Rapuano and Jeffrey T. Hancock (“AI-Generated ‘Workslop’ Is Destroying Productivity,” September 2025). They describe it as the growing flood of AI-generated drafts, emails and documents that look like productivity but quietly erode it.… Read More The Workslop Problem: Why AI Is Making Us Busier, Not Better
For more cartoons on AI, check the blog post by Larry Cuban, where I found this one. For more Funny on Sunday: click here.
In 2022, Merriam-Webster declared ‘gaslighting’ its word of the year. Since then, the term has been everywhere: in media, in conversations about relationships, at work, and even in politics. Gaslighting has become shorthand for a form of manipulation. This is where someone systematically makes another person doubt their own perception or memory. But how well… Read More Gaslighting under the microscope: from word of the year to theoretical framework
The academic year is starting again: lecture halls are filling up, syllabi are being handed out, and coffee is being rushed down. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. I’ve written before about how AI is reshaping science. Every lecturer knows how tools like ChatGPT are putting traditional assessment systems under pressure. As if… Read More Is College Still Worth It? Rising Doubts in the U.S. and What It Means for Universities Worldwide
AI tools like ChatGPT have become part of everyday workplace life in just a few years. The intersection of AI, communication, and trust matters more than ever: three-quarters of professionals now use these tools, often for emails or other forms of business communication. But what does that do to the way we see each other?… Read More AI Makes Emails Better—And Relationships Worse?
When you face a tough decision—changing jobs, investing money, choosing a university—how do you decide? You might listen to your gut, think it through carefully, ask a friend, or even crowdsource it online. Decision scientists will tell you that seeking advice often improves choices. Anthropologists add that humans thrive because we share knowledge. And yet…… Read More Why we’d rather decide alone (even when advice might help)
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot often make our work easier. That’s convenient, but what does it mean for our ability to maintain critical thinking? A new study by Hao-Ping Lee and colleagues of 319 knowledge workers offers some insight. The researchers asked participants to provide concrete examples of tasks using GenAI (936 in… Read More Generative AI and critical thinking: less effort, less sharpness?