Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Being in debt means using up the future in the present. Essentially, it’s about how we manage our time. Therefore, the most valuable resource for debtors is time, and it depends on which side time favors. Paying off debt is like repaying borrowed future time early. When the ability to generate wealth over time decreases, the future time becomes a burden, and the debtor faces the pain of bankruptcy. Taking on debt is costly. It may seem like borrowed money is repaid with money, but the irreplaceable resource of time is also returned along with interest. With the rise of postpaid credit cards as a common payment method, we’ve become less sensitive to the associated pain and cost. There are two ways to spend money: using present time or future time. The costs and pain are much higher when the future is spent as if it were the present. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Humans believe they are thinking, but they cannot artificially interfere with their thought processes. This means you cannot deliberately manipulate human consciousness. While memory can be artificially altered, thinking processes cannot. If it were possible, the individual might be a psychopath. Human consciousness is governed by the unconscious. So, if you want to solve an unresolved problem, don’t focus on it directly; instead, briefly use your consciousness, and then the unconscious will handle it. Over time, at the right moment, the unconscious offers a solution to the conscious mind. Inspiration occurs at this point. Therefore, don’t get too caught up in it. Also, give your brain a rest. That’s why sleeping and sometimes being dazed are so important for creative inspiration. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The human brain is controlled by the unconscious mind. Voting to increase US school funding usually gains more support in schools than in churches. Conversely, votes on abortion in churches are often more opposed than in schools. When asked if the location affected their decision, voters often dismiss it as nonsense. Humans don’t realize that their behavior is driven by the unconscious. For example, if someone is holding hot coffee during a meeting, they are more likely to see me as warm. If they have iced coffee, they might see me as cold. This is based on studies in cognitive psychology. We are motivated by the unconscious, even if we don’t admit it. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

One of the purposes of commerce is to build strength. Gaining wealth gives us power, which is the ability to influence others. There are three main types of power: first, power gained through coercion or threats; second, power obtained through payment or inducement; and third, power gained through attraction. The power obtained through coercion, threats, payment, or inducement—that is, force or tactics—is called ‘hard power,’ while the power gained through ‘attraction’ without using force is called ‘soft power.’ Additionally, the ability to effectively achieve your goals using coercion, payment, and attraction is known as ‘smart power.’ Depending on the situation, we may need all three types; however, soft power is something that everyone admires. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

One of the most common misconceptions is that people mistake cause and effect as interchangeable. A cause is often seen as an effect, or an effect is mistaken for a cause. The most well-known phenomenon demonstrating this is the halo effect — a situation where specific characteristics of an object influence how we judge other traits. For example, you might like that person’s character because you like one of their qualities, not because you like the person as a whole. This misunderstanding is a common causal error. If you like someone, you tend to think everything about them is good; if you don’t like someone, you might overlook or dislike everything about them. It’s not that you dislike the person for one reason and like them for another—it’s simply how the human heart works. Gaining someone’s favor, therefore, can be an arduous and painful process. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

In the West, human thinking has primarily developed through formal logic. In formal logic, truth and falsehood cannot coexist. However, in Eastern thinking, it is seen as possible. Some Western dialectical ideas were already recognized in the East. Three main dialectical concepts are: first, reality is constantly changing, so what is true now can become false later (the principle of fluctuation). Second, due to this ongoing change, contradictions always emerge, and these contradictions drive further change (the principle of contradiction). Third, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and each part relates to the whole (the principle of relationality or holism). This is reflected in yin and yang in Eastern philosophy and Taoism. Eastern thinking regards contradictions, confrontations, and change as natural phenomena. This mindset difference also influences management and investment. If the economy improves, Westerners tend to believe it will keep improving, while Asians often ...

The cultural differences between the East and the West sometimes stem from the natural environment, but they are generally believed to arise from differences in thinking. In other words, Asians tend to understand relationships and similarities by grasping the context of certain events and situations, while Westerners often focus on rules and categories by concentrating on objects. Therefore, Asians believe that even beings far apart influence each other, and Westerners believe that a certain phenomenon occurs only when they are in direct contact. However, the irony is that the West, not the East, has communicated over long distances using invisible magnetic fields or radio waves. The consistency of phenomena does not always produce the same results as expected. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A five-year study found that employee emotions significantly impact a company’s success. Interestingly, when an employee makes a mistake and isn’t punished, they tend to perform better. A company wants its employees to try, experiment, and succeed, but it is hard for the company to grow if employees are blamed when they make mistakes or fail. Over time, the company can unintentionally become a bureaucracy, which discourages employees from working effectively. Conversely, when employees and the company work together toward the same goal, great success follows. We mistakenly believe that giving employees monetary bonuses will motivate them. However, more factors can encourage people than just money. Not only is money a limited motivator, but it is also costly compared to its effectiveness. When a company becomes an unpleasant place to work, managers, employees, shareholders, and customers all become unhappy. But when it becomes a good place to work, everyone is happy. There’s no ambiguou...

A hotel in the United States operated a call center to serve customers. The top call center employee received an additional bonus equal to one-third of their monthly salary. However, the same person was always the best employee. Here’s a question: for a company’s performance to improve, should bonuses go to those who perform well or to those who do not? Giving bonuses to underperformers can boost overall performance. The top employees are already performing at their best; their performance doesn’t significantly change. Just as paying a singer more doesn’t necessarily mean they sing better, paying less doesn’t mean they sing worse. In call centers, the best employees should be promoted to higher ranks and receive higher base salaries, not just bonuses. Offering bonuses primarily to those who are directly affected by them is the right motivational strategy. The purpose of a bonus is to influence those who can still improve, not to reward those already excelling. Money is simply a fundame...

Marathon runners rarely smile before, during, or after the race and usually have a very serious expression. If there were aliens, everyone who participated in the marathon might be considered a criminal because they don’t look happy. Humans think they only enjoy happy and joyful work and avoid hard, painful work, but in reality, human motivation is more complex. Even if something is hard and painful, it’s not as simple as just participating in marathons. Humans do not act solely based on joy and happiness. If humans can find meaning in life and experience progress even when it’s difficult, they are willing to do it. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

When money interferes in a relationship, it changes the dynamic. Social norms and market rules come into conflict. For example, imagine a couple on a date, and when the man takes the woman home, he says, “I spent $100 on you today.” Suddenly, a romantic relationship shifts into a market transaction. Messages like “Next time, it’s your turn to pay” and “I did this for you today” appear. The benefits of social norms differ from those of market rules. Both are necessary, but the relationship is affected by when, how, and to whom they are applied. A person who fails to strike a balance between these two aspects risks damaging relationships and harming communities. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Wrong Compensation. A semiconductor chip maker conducted an experiment. Workers worked four days a week and took a break. On the first workday, Monday, if they produced a certain number of chips, the company gave them a $30 bonus to motivate their work. However, there was no compensation for the remaining three days. The same bonus was offered again when work resumed after the holidays. The workers were divided into groups, and only on the first day did they earn a bonus: the first group received no reward, the second group was paid the same amount, the third group received a pizza coupon, and the fourth group got a compliment text message, with their productivity monitored for the other three days. Results showed that the first group, with no compensation, had the lowest productivity. The highest productivity was seen in the praise letter group, followed by the other groups. The company suffered a loss because of the $30 bonus. Social motivation and financial motivation are different....

Attention and pain greatly influence customers’ willingness to pay. Nobody likes to wait. If customers search for products on an online store and receive instant results, they value it. But if they have to wait, it’s a different story. Showing a blank white screen causes customers to leave the site. However, if an animated circle indicates the connection is active, customers are more likely to wait. Additionally, displaying the search process, such as showing that results are being generated, helps customers wait more patiently. In fact, customers often wait with anticipation. Transparency helps ensure that customer interest remains positive and doesn’t turn into frustration. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Money and attention affect how we experience pain and joy. People tend to feel worse when paying with cash compared to using a card. If a restaurant charges you $1 for a spoonful of food, your enjoyment diminishes because you focus more on the cost than the food itself. To reduce spending, you should make spending feel painful. For example, paying with cash rather than a credit card usually leads to less spending. Automatic debit can become a trap. A study shows electricity use increases by 4% when bills are paid via direct debit. Managing spending involves controlling how much importance you give to it. Ultimately, to reduce expenses, we need to change the system and how it’s structured. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The IKEA Effect is a type of the Ownership Effect. People tend to become more attached to owning an item than borrowing it. Additionally, putting effort into their possessions enhances this attachment. However, if the effort is too much, it can have the opposite effect. IKEA intentionally does not sell furniture as finished products. Instead, it uses a sales method that encourages customers to assemble their furniture, which increases their satisfaction with the final piece. Furniture is not just a temporary consumer product but an experiential item that is visible and used regularly over time. When owners value their furniture, they see it as a vital part of their lives and a reflection of their family relationships, rather than simply a product that meets their needs. Customers who experience this tend to desire more than just furniture; they seek a symbol that fosters family bonds. However, this sales approach may not be suitable for all types of products. - Joseph’s “just my though...

Effects of Ownership. It refers to valuing what one owns from one’s own perspective. The competition to buy tickets for the Duke University basketball game was very fierce, so the university decided to distribute tickets through a lottery. Some students applied for the same ticket, and among them, the winning students and dropout students were asked about their valuations: the winners were asked how much they would sell the ticket for, while the dropout students were asked how much they would buy it for. The lowest selling price from the winners was $2,410, whereas the highest buying price from the dropout students was $170. The difference was substantial. When asked why they thought so, ticket holders considered the value of giving up the ticket, while ticket buyers considered the value of exchanging cash for it. In other words, possession represented the benefit of sacrificing something else. Value judgments depend on what we own. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Free Effect. A new ice cream company in India has set up free ice cream vending machines on the streets to promote its brand. Result? People lined up at a very long distance in front of the vending machine. It was raining then, and the people in line went to a convenience store to buy umbrellas, then lined up again. Umbrellas cost much more than ice cream. However, people kept lining up. Cheap and free are two completely different concepts. When the price is low, sales increase slightly, but when it is free, an extraordinary dimension of the problem arises. It’s a privilege, so consumers are willing to pay a higher price to get something for free. Free is not a matter of reason; it is a matter of emotion. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The relativity of values causes us to use money irrationally. I go to the supermarket to buy a $15 pen, and the clerk smiles and says, “You can buy this pen for $7 if you walk 5 minutes from here.” Then, most people walk five minutes and buy a $15 pen for $7. But if you want to buy a $1,000 jacket and the clerk smiles and says, “You can get a $992 jacket in five minutes from here,” most people simply buy the $1,000 jacket. Reasonably, walking for 5 minutes equals the effort, and the profit of $8 is the same. However, people might go to a store that sells pens cheaper, but not for the jacket, because the discount rate is too low. In other words, the relativity of comparing values makes us act irrationally. The pen’s discount rate is 55%, and the jacket’s is only 0.8%. Yet, the total amount is the same for all $8, and the effort to gain that profit is identical. Attitudes and misconceptions about consumption influence how we build wealth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

When we exchange what we need, we use money as a medium instead of trading ‘goods for goods.’ In this context, money acts as a means of exchange. When we exchange what we need, we also build wealth by passing on added value to each other. In other words, money functions as both a medium of exchange and a measure of value, as well as a tool for accumulating wealth. But isn’t this a bit strange? Although exchange value comes from goods and surplus is generated from this exchange value, the object used to measure and accumulate wealth is money, not goods. This is because money alone has the privilege called ‘compulsory circulation power.’ In other words, even if value is created, added value cannot be realized unless it’s exchanged. The ability to enable such exchanges is what we call ‘compulsory circulation power.’ - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Israeli Kindergarten. Dual-income couples often arrived late to pick up their children. As a result, the kindergarten implemented a rule that parents would face a fine if they were late; however, even though this introduced a penalty system, it also led to more delays in pickup times. By replacing feelings of guilt with money, paying a fee for being late became the new norm. After recognizing the mistake and removing the fine system, what happened? More parents started arriving late. When money becomes involved, the exchange of value fundamentally changes the nature of the relationship. And once that change occurs, it doesn’t revert. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”