Psychology
Creativity and the Natural Outdoors
Creative people are often thought of as people who stay inside for long stretches of time, sitting in the dark staring at a computer screen or working in a dim workshop for hours at a time. While much of the creative process can be done indoors, there is mounting evidence that going outside in natural…
Read More9 Ways Your Emotions Influence Your Judgments
Individual decisions are best understood as the interactions between reason and emotion. When we are calm, slow rational thinking guides our decisions. However, strong emotions place a constraint on clear thinking. For example, before an unpleasant encounter, you may decide to keep you cool. However, when provoked to anger, you lash out without pausing to…
Read More6 Unrealistic Relationship Expectations That Will Sabotage Your Love Life
As a teenager, I expected that feeling of being in love to last a lifetime. When the reality of relationships and everyday life started to set in, I thought my husband didn’t love me anymore. Did you ever feel like that? That is, waking up to the reality of what a relationship really is. Some…
Read MoreConstant Shifts between Mental States Mark a Signature of Consciousness
Imagine driving to work along the same route you take each day. Your mind wanders from one thing to the next: the staff meeting in the afternoon, plans for the weekend, a gift you need to buy for a friend. Suddenly, a car cuts you off, and these thoughts immediately vanish—all of your attention focuses…
Read MoreQuarantine Quandaries: How to Beat the Hum Drum of Isolation
In recent months we have been introduced to COVID-19, a virus, which has thousands of people across the globe, exposed with symptoms and many others fearing exposure and risk. There are widespread recommendations for social distancing, with thousands in quarantine and considerably more being advised to work from home. For many industries this reflects a…
Read MoreThe Best Way to Manage Anger in the Moment
Anger is a tough emotion. It feels so urgent and all-consuming. And we feel like we have to act on it. Right. Now. And so, we do. We say something cruel or sarcastic. We yell. We slam doors. We become stone-cold silent and refuse to communicate. We replay the situation or interaction over and over.…
Read MoreActivities for brain health: It’s the variety that counts
Although it is not inevitable, cognitive decline is often associated with advancing age. As adults in the Western world live increasingly long lives, understanding how to preserve and nurture the brain’s function becomes ever more important. Over the years, studies have shown that both physical and cognitive activity correlate with improved cognitive performance. On the…
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