Maria Konnikova

Maria Konnikova
Born 1984
Moscow, Russia
Occupation Author (non-fiction);
Nationality American
Genre Popular science, Psychology, Literature
Website
www.mariakonnikova.com

Maria Konnikova is a Russian-American writer and journalist, who primarily writes about psychology and literature.

Early life

Konnikova was born in Moscow, Russia in 1984,[1] and arrived in the United States with her parents when she was four years old. Her family left the Soviet Union after the former nation's borders were opened to allow Jews to move to Israel; however, the Konnikovs chose to settle in the state of Massachusetts, outside of Boston,[2] where she attended Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.[3] Affected by the propaganda experienced in the Soviet Union, Konnikova's parents decided to live without a television following their emigration.[4]

While studying psychology and creative writing at Harvard University, she was mentored by psychologist and popular author Steven Pinker. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, which was the only college that she applied for. Konnikova then obtained her Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University.[5][2] As a doctoral candidate at Columbia, her student profile stated she was interested in "self-control ability and decision making."[6]

Career

Konnikova at IdeaFestival 2013

Following her graduation from Harvard, she worked as a producer for the "Charlie Rose" show on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Konnikova also wrote the "Literally Psyched" column for Scientific American and the psychology blog "Artful Choice" for Big Think, both of which she is no longer involved with.[5] Her writing has also appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, Slate, The Paris Review and The New Republic.[7] As of March 2014, Konnikova continues as a writer for The New York Times.[4]

Konnikova's first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, was published by Viking Press/Penguin Group in January 2013, was a New York Times bestseller and was translated into 16 languages.[8] Konnikova explained that she was first introduced to the character of Sherlock Holmes at the age of four, when her father read Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories in Russian to her.[9] She then read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories at an age that she calls "very impressionable" and states that "they certainly did change my life."[7] Following the publication of the book, Konnikova explained her opinion on the importance of fiction in relation to psychology:

I tell this to everyone ... I think you lead an impoverished life if you only read nonfiction ... I think the best psychologists are actually fiction writers. Their understanding of the human mind is so far beyond where we've been able to get with psychology as a science ... You need the careful experimentation, but you also need to take a step back and realize that fiction writers are seeing a broader vista and are capable of providing you with insights or even ideas for studies.[2]

Personal life

"Confidence Games" CSICon 2016

According to Konnikova's Twitter profile, she is based in New York City, New York.[10] She has identified J.D. Salinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Vladimir Nabokov, Mikhail Bulgakov and W.H. Auden as her favorite authors.[7]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Konnikova, Maria. "Maria Konnikova". TEDxColumbiaCollege. YouTube. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Joss Fong (10 January 2013). "It's Elementary". The Scientist. LabX Media Group. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Maria Konnikova (7 January 2014). "The Open-Office Trap". The New Yorker. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 Maria Konnikova (8 March 2014). "Don't Quote Me on This". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 "About". Maria Konnikova. Maria Konnikova. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Maria Konnikova Graduate Student". Columbia University Psychology. Columbia University. March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Book Brahmin: Maria Konnikova". Shelf Awareness. Shelf Awareness. 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Christian DuChateau (11 January 2013). "Become a 'Mastermind' with Sherlock Holmes' help". CNN. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Chitra Ramaswamy (12 January 2013). "Interview: Psychologist Maria Konnikova on how we can all learn to think like Sherlock Holmes". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Maria Konnikova (30 March 2014). "Maria Konnikova". Maria Konnikova on Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
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