We all want to have healthy and positive interactions with other people. Yet sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we simply can’t seem to achieve this goal. Much of our interpersonal conflict stems from how we communicate. Since communication is a multifaceted process involving two or more people, it’s important to [ … ]
John Lennon once said, “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves …” [ … ]
It might surprise you, but on any given day, we will make over 200 decisions about our food — even decisions as simple as whether we will eat cereal instead of eggs for breakfast, but also the kind of cereal we will eat, the amount of milk we add to it (if we add any), and whether or not we finish [ … ]
Most of us are afraid of aging, because aging means not being as active or efficient as we used to be. Incompetencies of aging create significant frustration and even feelings of hopelessness. However, studies have shown that while aging cannot be reversed, its effects can be decreased through a sustainable [ … ]
Valisia LeKae received a life-changing phone call from her gynecologist on December 2, 2013. Picking up the phone, she assumed he was ringing her to check on how she was recovering post surgery — after all, she had a 6-centimeter cyst removed from her abdomen only 10 days prior — but he wasn’t. “He told me that [ … ]
Even though “Elaine Hamlin” (a pseudonym) had been retired from teaching for a number of years, she still maintained an active social and community life. She belonged to a book club, volunteered at the League of Women Voters and was a frequent dinner guest at the homes of her former colleagues. [ … ]
Strife and chaos are arguably the reigning zeitgeist of the 21st century. In France, rudeness was even once reported as the chief cause of stress, ranking at 60 percent — placing it well above concerns over the debt crisis or persistent rates of double-digit unemployment. Neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak has proposed [ … ]
Our brains have the power to find a path where none is visible, and to make new paths where none have been set. But we tend to be confined to the personality we have experienced, to the self we know, and find it difficult to move beyond it. This limits our own creativity. It is when we go beyond what [ … ]
The reward mechanisms that control cravings are very similar to the ones in addiction. “We think that cravings for drugs and food (particularly so-called ‘hedonic foods’ that are high-fat, high-sugar) are very similar,” says Natalia Lawrence, senior lecturer in translational medicine at the University of Exeter. [ … ]
As the summer months approach, many of us have planned to take vacations and spend more time outside. The benefits of recreation and leisure, however, truly span all seasons. While most people enjoy vacations and such activities as sports, hobbies, and exercise, few realize the full spectrum of benefits linked to regular recreation [ … ]
Dr. Michael D. Gershon is all about the gut. Renowned for his pioneering work on the enteric nervous system and the role of serotonin within it, he’s been respectfully dubbed the “father of neurogastroenterology.” As the author of “The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine,” [ … ]
Our wallets and our brains are much more closely connected than you might believe. In fact, there’s such a strong correlation between the ways we spend and think, that a rising field known as neuroeconomics explores this connection [ … ]
We’ve learned about the consequences associated with spending too much time indoors —looking at screens, in urban cities — so let’s examine the positive effects of nature on our psychological and emotional lives. We’ve already discovered the link between increased rates of mental illness [ … ]
As the days lengthen and flowers bloom, the impressive majesty of nature takes center stage at last — summer is finally here. The phenomena of the collective physical world have inspired classic works of literature, iconic paintings, and famous symphonies. And it’s all less coincidental than you [ … ]
We often live our lives with the advice to “follow our dreams” — to always do that which we can aspire to do. While dreams in reality are often less flattering than that, and almost always less coherent, we’ve attached value to what they mean for centuries. [ … ]
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