This week’s must-reads: Planning a Vacation is Practice for a Great Life

In my work as a behavioral designer, I come across important stories on how psychology influences our behavior. Every week, I share my round-up of the most important stories at the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. I hope you enjoy them!

Planning a Vacation Is Practice for a Great Life (NirAndFar) Get the most out of your vacation — and life — with just a little planning.

Are We Really Having Fun at Bars or Just Escaping Reality? [AUDIO] (Podcast) Taking a hard look at how we socialize helps us spend time the way we truly want.

Trying Too Hard (Collaborative Fund) It’s possible to try too hard and when doing so you can get worse results than those who knew less and put less effort than you did.

We Are All Confident Idiots (Pacific Standard) The trouble with ignorance is that it feels so much like expertise.

How to trick your brain into better eating habits (The Guardian) Ditching the cutlery, scoffing a big first bite and discussing what’s on your plate can help rewire our brains and make us more mindful of our meals.

New Study: Is Hating Facebook Bad For Us? Whether you think Facebook is bad for you, or you think it’s good for you — you’re right.

Happy reading!

- Nir