Adam Grant

One of the clearest signs of learning is rethinking your assumptions and revising your opinions. 21 things I rethought in 2021: a thread...

The internet doesn't bring out the worst in people. It makes the worst people more visible. Across all 30 countries studied, those who are nasty in online political discussions are nasty in real life, too. They seek status through hostility. Don't feed the hand that bites you.

Authenticity is not about saying whatever pops into your head. It's about sharing what reflects who you want to be. Healthy self-expression doesn't mean no filter. It involves weighing whether your current thoughts and emotions are aligned with your lasting values.

The definition of a true fan: You’d rather see your team lose fairly than win unfairly.

Buying a fancy car is not a sign of a midlife crisis. It’s a mark of relationship insecurity. 6 studies: When men and women have attachment anxiety, they seek status symbols to compensate and stand out among their peers. Belonging and connection are antidotes to materialism.

When people are stressed, “You can handle this” is a better message than “It’s not a big deal.” Data: Minimizing risks dismissing their experience. Encouragement builds their confidence. The best way to support people is not to deny their pain—it's to help them navigate it.

There’s more to the youth mental health crisis than social media. A key culprit is perfectionism. 307 studies, 35 years, 83k students: Young adults feel growing pressure to be flawless. It's a risk factor for depression and anxiety—and it began a generation before smartphones.

What really drives leaders to resist remote work isn't productivity. It’s ego. Our new data: Ordering people in full-time is a power & status move. Bosses want to be worshiped at the office altar. Policies shouldn’t be vanity projects. Hybrid is better for people & performance. nytimes.com/2026/06/22/opi…

Sycophantic AI fuels overconfidence and polarization. Data: After chatbots present one-sided facts, people become more certain and extreme on guns, abortion, and immigration. They also see agreeable AI as less biased. Critical thinking depends on being challenged, not affirmed.

What really drives leaders to resist remote work isn't productivity. It’s ego. Our new data: Ordering people in full-time is a power & status move. Bosses want to be worshiped at the office altar. Policies shouldn’t be vanity projects. Hybrid is better for people & performance.

When men become fathers, they often gain empathy. But the boost in caring doesn't happen automatically—it comes from caregiving. The more involved men are in raising children, the more their brains change. Becoming a dad is not a wonder drug. It's an active commitment.

The smarter women are, the more hostility they face. In the U.S. & China, the higher women’s IQs, the less they're liked—and the more they’re undermined by coworkers. Men pay no price for being bright. It's long past time to recognize female intellect as an asset, not a threat.

Emotional intelligence is not about avoiding strong reactions. It’s about being less reactive. Reactions are hard to control—they’re rapid and visceral. Responses are easier to delay and modify. A key to emotion regulation is expanding the distance between feelings and actions.

A telltale sign of an ignorant leader is failing to read books. Fiction builds empathy and imagination. Nonfiction boosts concentration and critical thinking. Not reading fuels mental stagnation. Leaders who “don't have time to read” are leaders who don't make time to learn.

An easy way to get unstuck is to get up and take a walk. We generate more creative ideas during and after walking outdoors—and even on a treadmill facing a blank wall. Divergent thinking rarely happens when we're tethered to a desk. Moving our bodies frees our minds.

AI writing produces an illusion of creativity. Data on >370k college essays: After chatGPT, personal statements seemed more creative because they used more varied words—but actually featured less original ideas. Machines favor homogeneity. Humans excel at diversity of thought.

Even toddlers experience the joy of giving. Evidence: When kids under 2 share a snack with a puppet, they exude enthusiasm. They actually smile bigger and laugh more after giving a treat than getting one for themselves. Kindness is a fundamental source of happiness.

Neuroscientists find that chewing gum can elevate focus and alleviate stress. Randomly assigning people to chew gum increases blood flow to the brain, boosting attention and productivity—especially under stress. Even small movements are enough to keep our minds active.

Not knowing what to do is as stressful as having too much to do. 515 studies, 787k people: Role ambiguity and role conflict are at least as detrimental to well-being and performance as role overload. Setting clear, consistent expectations is a foundation of good leadership.

To everyone complaining about Gen Z, let's take a look at the evidence: Young adults today are more empathetic, less narcissistic, more open-minded, more inclusive, and more patient than their predecessors. Bullying and drug use are also down. The kids might be all right.

Expecting kids to control their emotions is not good for their well-being. When parents believe in suppressing feelings, they respond with more disapproval. Their kids are more likely to become anxious and depressed. Emotion regulation improves with practice, not punishment.