We’re all looking for sharper tools — not just in business, but in how we manage ourselves. Psychology

gives us a language for things we already feel.

Here are 12 concepts that can help you understand your

mind, lead better, and execute smarter.

Executive Function

• Definition: The 'CEO of the brain' — planning, prioritizing, controlling impulses.

• High-profile reference: Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow.

• Podcast to check: Huberman Lab

Cognitive Load

• Definition: The mental effort you can hold at once; overload = scattered.

• High-profile reference: John Sweller’s work on

Cognitive Load Theory.

• Podcast to check: The Learning Scientists Podcast

Goal Shielding

• Definition: Focusing on one goal suppresses distractions from competing goals.

• High-profile reference: Gollwitzer’s studies on goal systems.

• Podcast to check: Hidden Brain

Self-Regulation

• Definition: Managing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors for long-term results.

• High-profile reference: Roy Baumeister’s Willpower.

• Podcast to check: The Psychology Podcast

Delayed Gratification

• Definition: Choosing future reward over immediate temptation; think marshmallow test.

• High-profile reference: Walter Mischel’s Stanford marshmallow study.

• Podcast to check: Freakonomics Radio

Flow State

• Definition: Deep immersion where challenge meets skill.

• High-profile reference: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow.

• Podcast to check: Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais

Metacognition

• Definition: Thinking about your own thinking; reflection practice.

• High-profile reference: John Flavell; Carol Dweck’s growth mindset.

• Podcast to check: Modern Wisdom

Locus of Control

• Definition: Internal = 'I drive outcomes.' External = 'life happens to me.'

• High-profile reference: Julian Rotter’s 1966 paper.

• Podcast to check: Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Cognitive Reappraisal

• Definition: Reframing how you interpret events to shift emotions.

• High-profile reference: James Gross’s emotion regulation research.

• Podcast to check: Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

Anchoring & Framing

• Definition: First info given (anchor) or how it’s presented (frame) shapes decisions.

• High-profile reference: Kahneman & Tversky’s Prospect Theory.

• Podcast to check: Choiceology

Neuroplasticity

• Definition: The brain’s ability to rewire through learning and practice.

• High-profile reference: Norman Doidge’s The Brain That Changes Itself.

• Podcast to check: Huberman Lab

Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset

• Definition: Scarcity = focus on lack. Abundance = focus on possibility.

• High-profile reference: Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

• Podcast to check: School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

Understanding these terms doesn’t just make you sound smarter — it gives you handles for your own

behavior. Once you can name a thing, you can work with it