Exposure to air pollution, even imagining exposure to air pollution, may lead to unethical behavior, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. A combination of archival and experimental studies indicates that Read more »
Flow, the secret to happiness
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?" Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow." Transcript. 0:11 I grew up Read more »
How Sugar Affects Our Brain
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves Read more »
The Forms of Patriarchy Pass Through the Mother
Patriarchy is the social organization of a culture in which men hold more power than women. There is a common misconception that men are the only problem of patriarchy. Many continue to believe that only men perpetuate patriarchal thinking. However, women also perpetuate Read more »
Personality Traits Most Predictive of Well-Being
We all want more well-being in our lives. But which traits are most likely to be associated with well-being? This is an important question because it can help inform our decision to cultivate some aspects of our being over others, and can even inform culture-wide interventions to Read more »
Why Self-Compassion Works Better Than Self-Esteem
"The self-worth that comes from being kind to yourself is much more stable than that which comes from judging yourself positively." I recently interviewed Neff, a psychology professor at the University of Texas, about how self-esteem fails us and how we can boost our Read more »
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. Maslow wanted to understand what motivates people. He believed that people possess a set of Read more »
Motive Attribution Asymmetry – How to Resolve Conflicts
Whether it's politics in the United States or violent conflict in the Mideast, the roots of the vitriol and intractability begin to grow not from a hatred of the other side, but from a misunderstanding of what's motivating the other side. According to a new study co-authored by a Read more »