In the Republican debate on Tuesday, senator Marco Rubio said the following: "We need more welders and less philosophers." If the point Rubio was trying to drive home is that we need more people in stable, well-paying jobs, I agree -- but I don't think he articulated it properly. His statement, in my opinion, smacks of anti-intellectualism. As I've stated in many of my posts, we live in a time where being intellectually-driven puts you in the minority. Conversing about the solar system or the American Revolution isn't as "cool" or easy as talking about the Kardashians. One thing a social psychology professor I had in college once told my class that has since stayed firmly etched in my mind: Human beings are cognitive misers; we are naturally inclined to waste as few mental resources as possible. Is it any wonder, then, that most people can't name the capitals of five U.S. states? Or that many don't know when the Civil War took place and...

Consumers generally try to expend as little brain power as necessary before and while shopping. For example, most of us would easily be swayed into buying a particular product after seeing the word "Sale" slapped on the price tag. But did you know that retailers generally mark up the price so much to begin that you're not getting much of a deal at all? Thanks to advertising, we've come to associate words like "sale" and "discount" with must-have products. Unfortunately, very few of us actually take the time to tally everything up en route to the cash register and determine whether we're truly scoring a bargain. Marketers know that unless they can lead you to think you're getting a deal, they'll likely have a hard time getting you to open that wallet. Marketing is all about psychology. More specifically, marketing is all about perception. You don't need to be getting a spectacular deal -- you just need to think you are. Even...