Have we all been duped by the Myers-Briggs test?

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 15 May 2013

Beware personality testsINFP? ISTJ? You’ve probably taken a personality test at some point. But here’s the bad news: even the most popular tests, such as Myers-Briggs (MBTI), are not to be trusted. Retake a Myers-Briggs test after just a five week gap and there is a 50% chance you’ll be put into a different personality category. In this article at Fortune Magazine, I reveal the shocking truth about  personality tests.

Posted in emotions, mental health, psychology, science, work | Leave a comment

Four Ways to Rethink ‘Having It All’ (Without Leaning In)

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 8 May 2013

sheryl-sandberg-time-magazine-coverHere’s an article I just wrote for the Wall Street Journal on the dilemmas of balancing work and family life. Is Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, author of Leaning In, right to think that women can ‘have it all’ if only they really believe in themselves? My approach is not to answer the question ‘Is it possible to have it all?’ but to put it under the microscope and rethink it. (And this is an issue for men too…)

Posted in belief, family, history, money, politics, psychology, public policy, simple living, travel, work | Leave a comment

Six Ways to Stop Worrying and Find Work You Love

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 3 May 2013

How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman KrznaricTo celebrate the launch of the US edition of my book How to Find Fulfilling Work, I’ve written a short essay that draws out what I think are the most important, useful and hopefully inspiring ideas within its pages. It’s called Six Ways to Stop Worrying and Find Work You Love, and is published by the good folk at YES! Magazine. Please share it around with the dissatisfied workers of the world.

There is also an excellent overview of the book at Brain Picker, the brainchild of the remarkable curator of interestingness Maria Popova.

How to Find Fulfilling Work is dedicated to the late and great oral historian Studs Terkel. Here is my tribute to him, and his extraordinary 1974 book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

Posted in conversation, emotions, history, work | Leave a comment

The Human Zoo: The tyranny of group-don’t-think

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 26 March 2013

Anthony Gormley's FieldThere’s a fascinating new BBC Radio 4 series called The Human Zoo, looking at the ins and outs of who we really are – are we led by the head or the heart? what are the quirks and qualities that drive human behaviour? Episode 4 focuses on why human beings find it so difficult to admit when they are wrong, especially when they are part of groups. I’ve contributed some thoughts to the programme on The Tyranny of Group-Don’t-Think, which you’ll find in written form below… Read More »

Posted in belief, creativity, emotions, ethics, podcasts, psychology, science, work | 2 Comments

Who Are You Trying to Impress? How to Escape Status Anxiety

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 16 March 2013

RousseauIn the eighteenth century, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau warned against ‘the universal desire for reputation’. And yet so often we seek to be admired by others, pursuing careers and lifestyles that offer the lures of social status. In this article in Psychology Today magazine, I put the idea of status under the spotlight, and ask whether we should really put so much effort into caring about it.

Posted in emotions, ethics, money, philosophy, psychology, work | Leave a comment

Five Ways to Make Work Matter Again – Without Changing Jobs

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 12 March 2013

Lars Tunbjork Office 2001 editFinding fulfilling work isn’t always about making a drastic career change. In this article for the Wall Street Journal, I suggest five ways to make your existing job more meaningful and stimulating – with a little help from John Maynard Keynes, E. F. Schumacher and  Brené Brown.

Posted in conversation, creativity, emotions, money, psychology, simple living, work | Leave a comment

Working from home: the five golden rules

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 26 February 2013

mark-twain-writing-in-bed editYahoo’s new boss, Marissa Mayer, has just issued an edict banning her employees from working at home. In this article in today’s Guardian, I give my response, suggesting five ways to become an expert homeworker (and keep bosses like Mayer happy as well).

Posted in family, money, simple living, work | 1 Comment

Valentine’s Day Video: The Six Varieties of Love

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 12 February 2013

The Ancient Greeks would have considered us modern creatures incredibly unsophisticated in the way we talk about love. We tend to use a single word to cover so many different kinds of relationships and emotions. On Valentine’s Day you may well whisper ‘I love you’ to your soulmate over a candlelit meal, but then the next morning casually sign an email ‘lots of love’. The Greeks would have been shocked at the crudeness of our expression, because they identified six different varieties of love. What were the Greek loves? And how might they revolutionise the way we think about love today? Find out in this video on The Six Varieties of Love, which is based on the chapter on love in my book The Wonderbox.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted in family, history, love, philosophy, psychology, videos | 1 Comment

Sherlock Holmes and the lost history of empathy

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 1 February 2013

Sherlock HolmesHere’s a new podcast from the rather wonderful Aeon Magazine, in which philosopher Jules Evans explores the theme of empathy. I kick off by talking about the history of empathy, tracing the concept from Adam Smith’s ideas in the 18th century and through developments in child psychology over the past hundred years. Then comes Maria Konnikova, who makes the case that Sherlock Holmes was a master of the art of empathy, based on her new book Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Finally there is novelist Tobias Jones, who discusses his attempts to create an empathic community at his home in Somerset.

Posted in empathy, empathy through education, empathy through experience, ethics, interviews, literature, podcasts, psychology | Leave a comment

12-Step Guide to Career Change in 2013

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 14 January 2013

Do you want to break free?Do you want to break free and pursue new career ambitions? Then take a look at  my 12-Step Guide to Career Change in 2013, which appears in today’s Guardian newspaper.

The article is based on my book How to Find Fulfilling Work, now available in Korean! (you can also read it in Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, Portuguese and German)

Posted in money, psychology, time, work | Leave a comment

  • Welcome to OUTROSPECTION, my blog on empathy and the art of living. You'll find articles, interviews and news on the fundamental questions of how to live, with an emphasis on outrospection, which is about discovering who we are by stepping outside ourselves and exploring the lives of other people and cultures.

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