Let's take on two of the dirtiest words in business: self-promotion and introversion. Self-promotion is often thought of as crass, pushy, and unattractive. And it can be. But it can also be a mutually beneficial way for you to share what you can offer your stakeholders that they need. Read More

I met my husband, Peter, rather randomly, at all-the-Absolut-you-could-drink benefit for the Museum of Contemporary Art. Had we not met that night, we probably never would have ever chanced upon each other. Had one of us ventured several footsteps to the right or the left that evening, my husband, my children and my home might be subtracted from the life I lead today. Read More

I love images of older people looking cool.  In some ways, the baby boomers’ sense of entitlement about aging is liberating. However, a recent article in the Miami Herald by Ana Veciana-Suarez suggests that there may be cracks in the armor of this hearty and resilient group.   Read More

Is health care coverage a right, a charity, or a game show? Read More

An elderly woman unfamiliar with Starbucks and her moderately mentally impaired son wait in line at Starbucks. The son starts barreling his mother with questions. Both are overwhelmed with the abundance of choices and appear baffled. The coffee barrista is inundated making drinks and the cashier can barely keep up with the traffic. Read More

...unless you've got the space and lots of willing participants...with a really good sense of humor.If you haven't seen the spectacular display of Mattress Dominoes yet, check it out. In a mattress factory in England, 41 fellow Brits lined up dozens of mattresses on their ends and then stationed each person in front of one of them so they could play out a game of dominoes. Read More

From the title it seems as if I will be talking about probable universes or alternate realities. But I'm not. Instead I will be talking about an issue that is dear to us all. That is, what are our talents and how can we benefit from them? Read More

Maybe not the most important blog ever, but certainly the most meaningful, because it is about you..I do shamefully confess that I put the image of Chuckie up to grab your attention... I am privileged to be a Psych Today Blogger. I have found the experience wonderfully stimulating. Read More

Pain and Body Sense Read More

Physician and author Walker Percy in one of his novels poses the question: "What if you missed your life like a person misses a train?" Unfortunately, in today's stressful world with multi-tasking being the norm of the day, this is so easy to do. Each of us has a range of resilience (the ability to meet, learn from, and not be crushed by the challenges and stresses of life). Read More

Why do children - and adults - behave as they do? The answer always lies in the feelings. Feelings lead to behaviors. Feelings are the motivators of our actions. The last several articles focused on setting up a foundation for understanding feelings. Read More

Methamphetamine - it's marketed to youngsters every day by drug dealers as an easy way to tune out. That is why it is so important to reach young people in a preventative way that will resonate with them. And that is exactly what The Meth Project, started in Montana, has done. Read More

We tend to equate creativity with some extraordinary talent that results in the ability to produce masterpieces. Julie and Julia shows that the creative path is quite different--it requires most of all a willingness to take risks, and pursue whatever passion you have with a dogged determination. Read More

Here in Southern California we are pre-occupied with the death and destruction accruing in the wakes of the multiple firestorms that are devouring our homes and decimating our landscapes. The ongoing tragedies around the country and the world have shifted out-of-focus for us as we hear, see, and smell what's happening all around us.The televised images are almost too ghastly to watch. Read More

By way of introduction, I am a sociologist and social psychologist. My first study was of the mental hospitals of Wisconsin many years ago. It showed that they were mostly warehouses for the poor and old. It shocked the legislative sponsors of the study, but it was soon replicated independently in California by a legislative group there. Read More

The scandal surrounding David Ortiz's alleged use of steroids has raised many questions about deception. Among the most pressing of these is why it seems we can be fooled so easily. The surprising fact is that successful deceit has less to do with the deceiver, and more to do with us. Read More

The hot new video that my students are showing me features a sexy undulating woman in a cage. She is wearing a flesh-colored body stocking; it looks as if she's naked, except for the black leather belt and requisite black high heels. In this video, particularly during the cage sequence, there is a lot of dyed-blonde hair-flipping. In addition there is panting and growling. Fifty years of the women's movement, and this is what we've got: a girl on her belly in a cage in a sort of "Girls Gone Wild" meets "Animal Planet" scenario. I'm so proud. Read More

In yesterday's post, I commented on a "Dateline" program that discussed some unconventional beliefs about the causes and prevention of autism. One reader has already assured me that autism really is caused by vaccination, citing the work of a Canadian physician, Andrew Moulden, as evidence. Read More

Willingham's new book, "Why Don't Students Like School?, utterlly fails to answer the question posed by it's title.  Really, why don't students like school?  The answer is obvious: School is prison. Read More

 1)    For many, Little League Baseball conjures memories of baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. We may think back to our youth, walking to the park, with glove in one hand, and our new bat in the other. Sunny nights at the field with friends and family. Refreshments after the game. Dirty uniforms. New spikes. Strike outs. Errors. Laughter. Maybe even that one time when we connected for a home run, and felt that, even for a moment, we were destined to make the Major Leagues. The Little League World Series puts kids on a big stage at a time in life when they have not been corrupted by agents, money, or greed. Amazingly, one may not be able to say the same thing in a few years once 9th graders are being recruited by colleges around the country. Read More

How the unintelligent and unconscious cells in a wiggling, detached lizard tail can ever give rise to our intelligent, conscious mind is one of the greatest mysteries in science. Read More

The story of Jaycee Dugard's abduction is horrific—for so many reasons. Yet we can't help but be curious about what happened and oddly want more information. While nothing can compare to the tragedy this little girl endured, we can use this term, "Stockholm Syndrome" to also understand how people become "abducted" by an eating disorder. Read More

Elizabeth Beckwith explains why she is here (sort of). Read More

Today's NY Times reports that the now famous victim of a decades-long kidnapping, Jaycee Dugard has suffered sexual abuse, neglect and emotional manipulation...to an extent hard to imagine.But therapists say the biggest challenge facing Ms. Dugard, may be switching families. Read More

If you plan to live a life of comfort in retirement, most of your retirement income will need to come from your savings. Social Security won't provide much and defined benefit retirement plans are becoming extinct. Read More

The American Psychological Association's (APA) governing Council of Representatives recently adopted a resolution stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. They found that such approaches can cause harm and there is little evidence that they change a person's sexual attractions. Read More

Whether it be "on you marks, get set, go", "once upon a time", or "you may start", beginnings of change are never easy. One of the least painful ways to initiate change is through the wardrobe. Read More

You're single and content and suddenly ambushed by an intense, intoxicating connection with someone you've just met. Intense sexual "chemistry" is a high like no other. But it can also make you do ridiculous things. When does intense chemistry lead to the mother lode and when does it become a death spiral? Read More

Sue has been weighing herself once a week. She was confused and disheartened that her weight had gone up a little this week. After all, she told me, she had stuck to her plan and, on top of that, had done considerably more exercise than usual. Read More

Most who do without, get used to it.  Heartbreak comes from dashed expectations.  So should you perform random acts of kindness or try to be consistent so people can adjust their expectations? Read More