The Squeaky Wheel

Greg Smith, an executive director at Goldman Sachs, resigned from the firm by publishing a scathing rebuke of its practices and culture in the New York Times. Would we regular citizens benefit by going public with our complaints as well? Read More

We all complain many times a day to our families, friends, co-workers, customer service representatives, and even strangers in the elevator. But what many of us don't realize is that how we voice our complaints can have huge implications for our mental health Read More

We’ve all told the occasional white lie, whether to spare someone’s feelings or to avoid troubling them. But now a new study reports that doing so can impact on our own feelings in ways we don’t anticipate. Our white lies can even cost us money. Read More

Overcrowding is not just something that happens in distant countries or third world refugee camps. It is a growing problem that is already touching our lives. Read More

For years I tried keeping the fact that I do stand-up comedy a secret from my patients...until the night I spotted one of them in the audience. Read More

How often do you argue with your spouse about driving, the television being too loud, their snoring, the toilet seat being left up, or needing to remind them repeatedly about social engagements? Technology to the rescue! Read More

Partners of snorers are often desperate to get a good night’s sleep and as a result, they often develop a habit that can be devastating to their marriage—they sleep in another room. Read More

Setting mutual expectations about effort and study habits with your children before they go back to school can eliminate hours of arguing and complaining later in the year. More importantly, doing so will help them take responsibility for their own education and academic performance. Read More

People who feel a significant amount of negative emotions (such as marital dissatisfactions) but do not express these feelings can have four times the risk of cardiovascular disease than people with similar risk factors. For some people, an inability to express marital complaints can be literally deadly. Read More

The constant negativity issuing forth from chronic complainers presents a huge challenge for those around them. Trying to remain positive, motivated and productive amid a constant stream of complaints and dissatisfaction can try anyone’s patience. Read More

When our loved one erupts in anger and frustration, the last thing most of us think to do is to pour fuel on the fire by telling them they should feel angry and frustrated. Yet when done correctly, providing someone emotional validation can have extremely surprising results. Read More

Every day, more businesses are monitoring Twitter for complaints. Twitter allows companies to respond to customers with such unprecedented immediacy, it is changing consumer psychology. To maximize your chances of getting a helpful response when you Tweet a complaint about a company or business—here’s what you need to know: Read More

Charlie Sheen and Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino both tried their hand at stand-up comedy recently and failed miserably. Here is what happened to each of them—and why. Read More

Do you stand up for your rights when you’ve been treated unfairly? Do you speak up when you don’t get what you pay for? Most of us would probably say we do but the reality is only a small minority of people complain effectively enough in such situations to get the result they deserve. How small this minority actually tends to be—is nothing less than shocking. Read More