16 Life Lessons

By Dr. Jonathan Wai:

At the heart of wisdom lies a paradox. On the one hand, our homegrown instincts about the world can be deeply flawed; the bias built into each of us is exactly what the methods of science are designed to overcome. At the same time, wisdom proceeds directly from personal, lived experience. With these two forces in mind, Psychology Today sought life lessons from leading behavioral scientists, those whose expertise encompasses both. In this article, you will likely glimpse something personal about each of the contributors [Editor’s note: including wisdom from CMC Psychology Professor Ron Riggio!] – but also encounter valuable counsel for a meaningful life.

Read the rest of the article by Dr. Jonathan Wai, former CMCer and now Berger Institute Faculty Affiliate. Dr. Wai is a research scientist at the Duke University Talent Identification Program and a visiting researcher at Case Western Reserve University. He did his postdoctoral work at Duke University, holds a doctorate from Vanderbilt University, and graduated from Claremont McKenna College. He lives with his wife, kids, and cat. You can find his CV here.