This wasn’t a term I’d heard before, but the often invisible effort of cognitive labor is also known as life admin, which is more intuitively obvious. The person in a family who’s generally in charge of things like household maintenance and social coordination is buried in cognitive labor. It’s often unacknowledged, but the time (or […]
When we stop and think, we know this season is really about being grateful. Never mind manufactured celebrations like Black Friday. This is a time to gather with people who matter to us, appreciate what we have, and give to those in need. OK, and it’s also about eating too much. LOL There is much […]
The Diderot effect says people purchase things that are generally complementary to one another and that relate to their sense of identity. When something new deviates, though, it can cause a domino effect of more consumption. Perhaps the new kitchen/car/shoes make existing possessions look shabby, and suddenly everything must be upgraded. Coined by anthropologist Grant […]