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The Latest » TIME’s Misleading Cover Story on Marriage
There's a lot not to like in the cover story for Time written by the smugly-married Caitlin Flanagan. There is, for example, the predictable singlism (Mark Sanford's soulmate is not just a single woman but an "emotionally needy single woman," because really, what other kind could there be), the obliviousness to any moral compass other than Flanagan's own (if parents … [Fuente]
World of Psychology » Happy Independence Day
We’re celebrating our Independence Day here in the U.S. today, so I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe day of celebration. We’re celebrating our 233rd birthday today, but please don’t call us old (even though we’re technically older than many modern European countries). We’re just “mature.” It’s a great day to sit … [Fuente]
Mind Hacks » 80% genetic, 20% polyester
Over the last couple of days, there's been a great deal of coverage of three new studies on the genetics of schizophrenia. While the coverage has actually been pretty good, almost all the news stories make the same error when talking about the 'genetic risk' for the condition. Twenty years ago, geneticists were searching for the 'gene for schizophrenia' until … [Fuente]
The Situationist » Independence Day: Celebrating Courage to Challenge the Situation
With the U.S. celebrating Independence Day — carnivals, fireworks, BBQs, parades and other customs that have, at best, only a tangential connection to our “independence,” — we thought it an opportune moment to return to its source in search of some situationism. No doubt, the Declaration of Independence is typically thought of as containing a dispositionist message (though few would … [Fuente]
The Latest » The Comeback of Love
"Life without love is one dead end street." Carole King"The book of life is brief, and once a page is read, all but love is dead." Don McLean Modern times are difficult for lovers (see my post here)-perhaps more so than in most previous eras. These difficulties stem from the nature of our emotional system and the prevailing norms in … [Fuente]
The Latest » The Treasury Bubble
Remember the tech stock bubble? Then came the real estate bubble which is still deflating. Now we see the top of the U.S. Treasury bond bubble. First, let's recall some characteristics of the bubble in tech stocks. Tech stock prices inflated to amazing heights when everyone was buying them. I recall shows on PBS describing people buying stocks who didn't … [Fuente]
The Latest » Anger Disorder (Part Three): A Cinematic Tale of Post-Traumatic Embitterment
Moonstruck (1987), starring Cher and Nick Cage, is one of my favorite movies. The screenplay by John Patrick Shanley is smart, tight and psychologically savvy. Cher is brilliant. Cage is convincingly intense and passionate. He plays a man who has lost his hand in a tragic accident, and with it, his fiancee and all hope for future happiness. Cage's character … [Fuente]
The Latest » Can Positivity Boost Performance?
Can a positive frame of mind and emotional state improve an individual's performance on the job and in relationships?Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a distinguished psychology professor and author of Positivity, believes so. She argues that our emotions are connected to our outlooks via a cause-and-effect relationship. As positivity (as defined as love, joy, gratitude, serenity, hope and optimism) flows through our … [Fuente]
Shrink Rap » Mental Health and MLB
Roy asked me to post about this article, by Shirley Wang,from the Wall Street Journal: Professional Baseball Faces Loaded Problem: Mental HealthThe article starts by talking about the fact that there are three Major League Baseball players on the Disabled List (the D-L) for anxiety. It goes on to talk about 'butterflies' and golfers' 'yips.' It names some professional athletes … [Fuente]
The Latest » Active procrastination: Thoughts on oxymorons
Oxymoron – a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. We are all familiar with common oxymorons: jumbo shrimp, boneless ribs, deafening silence or sweet sorrow, for example. Here’s my favorite, “active procrastination.” These terms are not just apparently contradictory, the term reveals a problem in understanding the difference between procrastination and delay.Oxymorons can take a … [Fuente]
The Latest » Michael Jackson and Sexual Abuse
I've been asked a number of time how I can be sympathetic to Michael Jackson when he was a possible child molester.As an expert in sexual abuse, I have long suspected that Jackson was sexually abused (along with the well-documented physical and emotional abuse he suffered). I've worked with both victims and predators, and every predator I worked with was … [Fuente]
Mind Hacks » 2009-07-03 Spike activity
Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news: The 'men agree on female attractiveness, women don't on male attractiveness' story has been a little exaggerated. There was consensus in both groups, just more in men than women. The British Journal of Psychiatry has started putting fantastic art on its covers with a brief discussion of the piece. … [Fuente]
The Latest » Still Living with Your Parents?
For as long as I can remember, the older generation never seemed to think much of the younger generation. Kids today don't respect their elders, they don't work as hard to succeed and they certainly aren't as willing to make the same sacrifices their progenitors made…at least that's what it says in a short essay attributed to Socrates some 2500 … [Fuente]
PsychSplash » Canine Comapions for Independence
URL: http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqE~ Companions for Independence provides assistance dogs to people with developmental or physical disabilities who can demonstrate that a Canine Companion will enhance their independence or quality of life. CCI dogs are provided at virtually no cost to the graduates. All the expenses of breeding, raising, and training a Canine Companion is funded through private donations. For: ConsumersTopics: Chronic … [Fuente]
Channel N + » Promoting Rational Decisions
Nobelist Daniel Kahneman on Behavioral Economics The Georgetown 2009 graduation ceremony included this short lecture by psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman on irrationality and how to promote rational decisions when “coherence is unachievable.” The FORA.tv enhanced player presentation includes an indexed transcript, more info and a bio. Here’s another, longer, 2003 lecture on decision analysis and another on “Deal … [Fuente]
The Latest » Sorry, Still No Comments
I'm sorry to say that I still need to block comments to this blog. I really regret this fact, as I would like to hear what readers think about some of the issues I've been discussing. However, the flamers who made it necessary to block are still waiting around the corner. I know this because they have commented rather freely … [Fuente]
The Latest » Body Image Lessons From My Daughter
As an author who writes frequently about mothers, daughters and body image, I'm forever preaching about the importance of teaching our girls to feel good about their bodies — and about who they are. After all, how we feel about our bodies affects not only what we allow ourselves to do, but what we believe is possible for us. I … [Fuente]
Neurophilosophy » Evolutionary origins of the nervous system
THE HUMAN BRAIN is a true marvel of nature. This jelly-like 1.5kg mass inside our skulls, containing hundreds of billions of cells which between them form something like a quadrillion connections, is responsible for our every action, emotion and thought. How did this remarkable and extraordinarily complex structure evolve? This question poses a huge challenge to researchers; brain evolution surely … [Fuente]
PsycPORT.com » People more empathetic to their own race
July 03, 2009 BEIJING, Jul 3, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) — A bystander feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, researchers in China said. [Fuente]
PsycPORT.com » New PTSD program answers need for comprehensive treatment
July 02, 2009 Jul 02, 2009 (DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks via COMTEX) — 7/1/2009 - LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany (AFNS) — Symptoms of combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder for wounded warriors include continual nightmares, avoidance behaviors, denial, grief, anger and fear. [Fuente]
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