I’m summarizing (and adding my own thoughts) to a recent article on MSNBC’s website entitled, “Need to Recharge Your Brain? Step Outside” by Andrea Thompson. In 2007, for the first time in human history, more people in the world lived in urban rather than rural areas. These urban areas tend to be fast paced with …Read More
The Importance of Play
Apr 18, 2009
The importance of play is underrated. Kids and adults both need it, as detailed in the Feb/Mar 2009 cover story in Scientific American Mind. The kind of play I’m talking about here is unstructured, creative play. Yes, board, card, and video games have their place as well, but free play is too often getting squeezed …Read More
Easy Strategy to Create Happiness
Mar 14, 2009
I recently was trying to work out a ticket problem with a Southwest Airlines customer service representative. The representative was patient and kind and treated me like…well, a person. I know, he should do this anyway but oftentimes that doesn’t seem to be the case. I told the representative how much I appreciated his help …Read More
Social Comparisons – Working for You or Against
Oct 8, 2008
We often compare ourselves to others. We are social creatures, and it’s natural for us to do this. In a way, we are trying to see where we stand in the pecking order – what is our social status? The manner in which we compare ourselves to others can be to our benefit or to …Read More
Power of Words & Self-Talk
Jul 31, 2008
Words can be tremendously powerful. Very subtle changes in choice of words, voice inflection, etc. can totally change the impact our words have on others. Importantly, our words cannot control others, only influence them. Other people could choose to ignore what we say altogether. However, to a great extent, the words we choose can have …Read More
Lost "Control" of My Thoughts
Jul 18, 2008
I was recently watching a docudrama called “Control” that chronicled the rise of the punk/new wave group Joy Division and troubled front man Ian Curtis. I heard that the movie was great, especially the nuanced, brooding performance of Sam Riley as Ian Curtis. I read one reviewer who wrote that Sam Riley didn’t play the …Read More
Relief from Anger
Jun 30, 2008
Our anger can be kept alive indefinitely. An incident in which we felt wronged from 20 years ago can send us spiraling into a heated rage within just seconds of thinking about it. Thus, our anger is just a thought away. We’ve all experienced this before. And the more that we recall particular incidents that …Read More
Self-Liberation Through Thoughts
Apr 24, 2008
So, changing our behavior is one way of improving our sense of well-being. I’m referring to this as a form of self-liberation because we do not have to be shackled to our feelings. We can rise above these in a number of ways. Another way of gaining self-liberation is through changing our thoughts. According to …Read More
Self-Liberation Through Actions
Apr 21, 2008
Our actions can have a huge affect on our emotional well-being. One of the benefits of focusing on changing our behavior is that it is mostly directly under our control. If you want to raise your arm, it’s only a choice away. Although depression can sap our energy and motivation, it is still possible to …Read More
More on "Spinning"
Apr 14, 2008
As I said in my last post, it’s easy for thoughts that are just in our imagination to create strong, visceral responses. The exact type of physiological and emotional responses depend upon the content of our thoughts (e.g., lustful thoughts can create sexual arousal, thoughts of being wronged can create feelings of hurt or anger). …Read More