One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from con artists can be learned through meditation
Call me sick and twisted, but one of my favorite psychological studies found that many people would rather give themselves electric shocks than sit alone and unstimulated for up to 15 minutes. The research, published in 2014, nicely illustrates how painful it can be to experience your own thoughts and emotions without anything to distract you. It's part of the reason why meditation is so hard for so many people (including me): You can't escape yourself. And while meditation per se isn't necessary to be a fully functioning person, that process of getting to know yourself just might be. On a recent episode of the James Altucher Show, Maria Konnikova, a psychologist and the author of "The Confidence Game," talked about ways to avoid getting conned in everyday life. One of the best strategies? Mindfulness, which means being aware of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and environment, and accepting your thoughts and feelings without judging them