I thought this approach by the columnist was especially interesting, which was to read research papers in order to discover new topics and ideas, rather than la

I thought this approach by the columnist was especially interesting, which was to read research papers in order to discover new topics and ideas, rather than largely focus on the conclusions of one particular study: “A lot of science journalism values novelty over utility, reporting on studies that turn out to be more likely to fail when someone tries to replicate them. As well as leading to confusion, this misunderstands the point of behavioral science, which is to provide not edutainment but insights that can improve well-being. “I rarely write a column because I find an interesting study. Instead, I come across an interesting topic or idea and write about that. Then I go looking for answers based on a variety of research and evidence. That gives me a bias—for useful studies over clever ones.”