Life as Art

How our world shapes who we are and how who we are shapes our world

By Shelley Carson

Creativity and the Aging Brain

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on March 30, 2009 - 10:59am in Life as Art

The aging brain resembles the creative brain in several ways. For instance, the aging brain is more distractible and somewhat more disinhibited than the younger brain (so is the creative brain). Aging brains score better on tests of crystallized IQ (and creative brains use crystallized knowledge to make novel and original associations). These changes in the aging brain may make it ideally suited to accomplish work in a number of creative domains. So instead of promoting retirement at age 65, perhaps we as a society should be promoting transition at age 65: transition into a creative field where our growing resource of individuals with aging brains can preserve their wisdom in culturally-valued works of art, music, or writing. Read More

“How to Be” in the Age of Obama

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on January 21, 2009 - 2:07pm in Life as Art

"Change" and "Hope" are the buzzwords of the new Administration. They're also the buzzwords for survival in the 21st Century...at the individual level, the business level, and perhaps (given the unrest in our post-atomic age) the level of our species. Read More

How Do You Keep On Playing When You Know the Game Is Lost?

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on November 8, 2008 - 7:20am in Life as Art

This has been a week for great victories and great defeats. I'd like to muse on the defeat side of the issue for a few minutes. Like millions of Americans I watched both John McCain's gracious concession speech and Barack Obama's eloquent victory speech. The speeches of both men on this historic night brought me to tears. Read More

The Good Side of the Bad Economy

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on October 8, 2008 - 1:12pm in Life as Art

Several generations of Americans, from the Baby Boomers through the X and Y Generations, have grown up in a state of mind called the “more” mentality. Coincidentally (or not), the rate of depression has increased with every generation from the Baby Boomers on. Read More

Sports Grief, Roller Coasters, and Sarah Palin

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on September 9, 2008 - 3:23pm in Life as Art

It’s a dull ache in the throat and stomach, accompanied by a sudden sinking feeling. I started noticing these physical symptoms of melancholy last week but couldn’t put my finger on the cause until I reread a Psychology Today blog on Sports Grief by colleague Steven Kotler that first appeared on June 25th. Then I realized that my symptoms coincided with the onset of the NFL season… Read More

Depression, Creativity, and a New Pair of Shoes

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on July 30, 2008 - 2:05pm in Life as Art

After reading a newspaper article about some of the current research linking depressive disorders to creativity, an artist friend of mine commented, "Well, I guess now all I have to do is get depressed and my work will improve." Read More

How "Thin" Are Your Boundaries?

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on July 2, 2008 - 8:35am in Life as Art

Personal space is a very individual matter. Each of us has a certain amount of physical space we like to maintain between ourselves and someone with whom we're interacting. This physical space acts as a boundary between self and others that may reflect the thickness of our psychic boundaries in other areas. Read More

"Designer" Personalities?

By Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D. on July 2, 2008 - 8:06am in Life as Art

The age of designer babies (in which gender, eye color, height, and even IQ of offspring can be preselected) seems to be looming in the not-too-distant future. But is the age of designer personalities (in which our personality traits can be pharmaceutically altered to achieve optimum success and happiness) already upon us? And if so, is this a good thing for society or a disaster? Read More