The Essential Read

What the Shoulders Say About Us

By Joe Navarro, M.A. on May 26, 2012 in Spycatcher

The shoulders are probably one of the most ignored areas of the body and yet when it comes to nonverbal communications, this is one area that truly reveals how we feel. Read More

Doorways Cause Forgetting

By Ira Hyman on May 25, 2012 in Mental Mishaps

Why am I here? I don’t mean this in the deep existential sense of why am I alive. I am simply wondering why I came into this room. What am I looking for? There must be a reason I left that other room and came into this one. But I can’t remember why I am here. Read More

Why We Are Afraid of Creativity

By Michael Michalko on May 25, 2012 in Creative Thinkering

We say we strongly support creativity while routinely rejecting creative ideas and never admitting it is because creative ideas are different from what makes us comfortable. Read More

The Downside of Planning

By Art Markman, Ph.D. on May 25, 2012 in Ulterior Motives

For most of us, life is just too busy. It is hard to do everything you want and need to do in a day. What can you do to help yourself reach your goals without getting overwhelmed by the details? Read More

The Eyes of Love

By Aaron Ben-Zeév, Ph.D. on May 24, 2012 in In the Name of Love

Romantic love is often characterized as being guided by idealizations, sometimes even by blindness. However, romantic relationships should be based upon reality, as this reality is where both of them will live their lives. Do lovers’ eyes deceive them? Read More

The Paul Principle

By Nick Tasler on May 24, 2012 in The Impulse Factor

Reducing stress, increasing productivity, and leading the way to progress comes down to robbing Peter so you can pay Paul. Read More

Everest’s Psychological Trap

By Jeff Wise on May 24, 2012 in Extreme Fear

What makes Everest the most dangerous mountain on Earth? Along with extreme cold, low oxygen, high winds, and bad weather, there's another, more elusive factor: the psychologically warping effect of the summit itself. Read More

The Demise of Guys

By Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D. on May 23, 2012 in Hero

Everyone knows a young man who is struggling. Maybe he’s undermotivated in school, has emotional disturbances, doesn’t get along with others, has few real friends or no girl friends, or is in a gang. Read More

Our Hierarchy of Needs

By Neel Burton, M.D. on May 23, 2012 in Hide and Seek

The American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that healthy human beings have a certain number of needs, and that these needs are arranged in a hierarchy. Read More

Even Economists Are Discovering that Humans Can Cooperate

By Louis Putterman, Ph.D on May 22, 2012 in The Good, The Bad, The Economy

For generations, the meat and potatoes of economics textbooks was the market environment in which society hums along optimally when individuals look out for their own advantage without concern for the welfare of others. But efficient economic interaction requires more than the invisible hand. Read More

The Five Things You Need to Know About Self-Help Books

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. on May 22, 2012 in Fulfillment at Any Age

With the growing number of self-help books, there’s a good chance you’ll get help from one of the thousands of titles available on the shelves of your local library, bookstore, or online retailer. These 5 guidelines will help you find out whether or not the advice you’re getting will work for you. Read More

Sex Differences Driven By Impulse

By Christopher Badcock, Ph.D. on May 22, 2012 in The Imprinted Brain

A major meta-analysis highlights differences between the sexes where impulsiveness is concerned. Read More

Diagnosing Childhood: Can We Do Better?

By Jordan Smoller, M.D. on May 21, 2012 in The Other Side of Normal

My first real experience in psychiatric research came in 1983 when I graduated from college and took a job as a research assistant. Psychiatry had recently undergone a sea change in how diagnoses were made. Read More

The Real Reason People Don't Know When to Quit

By Dr. Jeremy Sherman on May 21, 2012 in Ambigamy

Why do leaders stay in wars too long, college students borrow thousands for careers they'll never pursue, politicians say ever-nastier things? Is it hubris? Stupidity? No, it's the same reason cod produce over 20 million eggs apiece just to produce one viable descendant. Read More

Adolescence and the Management of Parental Love

By Carl E. Pickhardt, Ph.D. on May 21, 2012 in Surviving (Your Child's) Adolescence

The function of parental love is to secure the child. This is done in two ways. Read More

How to Survive a Hospitalization

By Alex Lickerman, M.D. on May 20, 2012 in Happiness in this World

Just two weeks ago, my hospital went live with a full ambulatory electronic medical record. Though the roll out wasn't without its challenges, the software is simply outstanding. There is almost nothing about a patient's medical history I can't now access with a few clicks of a mouse button. Read More

The Complete Guide to Understanding Your Emotions

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. on May 19, 2012 in Fulfillment at Any Age

Emotions are central to the quality of our everyday lives. Our highs and lows also contribute heavily to the outcomes of our interactions with loved ones, colleagues, and even strangers. This brief, but complete, guide to emotions will help you understand yours and- just as importantly- how to regulate them. Read More

Managing PCSD - "Post Commencement Stress Disorder"

By Bernard Luskin, L.M.F.T. on May 18, 2012 in The Media Psychology Effect

Commencement preparations are underway for those colleges and universities that follow the traditional May/June academic year. Most students are very excited about getting their degrees and moving on to the next stage of their lives. Many, however, will be even more relieved than excited. Read More

Spotting the Next Facebook

By Nir Eyal on May 17, 2012 in Automatic You

Today Facebook will sell shares in one of the biggest tech IPOs in history. New investors will gobble up the stock to get a piece of the global phenomenon famously started in Mark Zuckerberg’s dorm room in 2004. Read More

What's Funny?

By Steven B. Jackson on May 17, 2012 in Culture Conscious

Humor is a universal phenomenon, present in virtually all human groups. Despite its ubiquity, humor is far from being fully understood. Read More

Find a Therapist
Find a nearby professional for face-to-face help