Environment

You Are What You Eat

By Rosemary K.M. Sword on May 18, 2013 in The Time Cure

Most of us try to make healthy choices most of the time because we’re thinking about our future – we want to look good and feel good tomorrow, next year, and decades from now. But sometimes there are exceptions... Read More

How to Change the World

By Ira Hyman on May 13, 2013 in Mental Mishaps

I’d love to change the world. But mostly I feel completely powerless. I’m not an important person. I don’t make big political decisions. My decisions and behaviors don’t feel earth-shattering. Nonetheless I am changing the world every day. Read More

Are toxic chemicals making you fat?

By Edward Abramson, Ph.D. on May 12, 2013 in It's Not Just Baby Fat!

We can see the external cues in our environment prompting us to eat more than we need. What's less obvious is the non-natural chemicals in the environment that may make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it. Read More

Designing for Now – and Next

By Sally Augustin, Ph.D. on May 12, 2013 in People, Places, and Things

The best design for now and what's next is smart! Read More

Someday a Non-Mother's Day Too

By Dr. Jeremy Sherman on May 12, 2013 in Ambigamy

It's time to honor both mothers and non-mothers. Read More

Blown Away By Climate Change

By Shawn M. Burn, Ph.D. on May 11, 2013 in Presence of Mind

Will fearful news of record atmospheric carbon dioxide inspire action? It depends. Fear can motivate action but only under certain conditions. We need to experience climate change fear as just scary enough to motivate action, but not so scary as to trigger helplessness and defensive denial. Read More

Fear, Desire, and a Changing Climate

By Susan Clayton, Ph.D. on May 11, 2013 in On Being Green

The world is getting warmer. People are responsible, though no one wants this outcome. We need to have confidence in our ability to affect this trend. Read More

What Is the Secret to a Happy and Meaningful Life?

By Amie M. Gordon, M.A. on May 10, 2013 in Between You and Me

Recently I’ve been contemplating giving up on the modern world and moving to a cabin in the woods. Maybe I'd find more meaning and happiness living the simple life. But research says I should think twice before giving it all up, because how I feel inside may be a bigger determinant of my happiness than any external factor such as the view from my window. Here's why... Read More

Creating Small, Environmentally Friendly Living Spaces

By Laurie Hurson on May 10, 2013 in Life, Simplified

The tiny house movement has been developing quietly over the past decade and can teach us new tactics and tricks for sustainable living. Read More

Who Am I?

By Robert W. Fuller, Ph.D. on May 9, 2013 in Somebodies and Nobodies

Unlike the relatively stable genome, the menome is always changing. Read More

Are You a Sustainability Hypocrite?

By Shawn M. Burn, Ph.D. on May 9, 2013 in Presence of Mind

How to align your environmental attitudes and environmental behavior for inner peace. Read More

Gone Reified

By Bree Kessler, MSW MPH on May 9, 2013 in Placemaking

If you live in New York City (and definitely if you live in Brooklyn) it’s nearly impossible to visit a weekend market without seeing the following words: local, organic, artisanal. If you’re like me, after you finish nervously laughing at the sign but still purchase the must try item, you wonder: What does it mean for something to be “local” or “organic” or “artisanal”? Read More

The Arrogance of Prayer

By Dr. Jeremy Sherman on May 6, 2013 in Ambigamy

What’s at stake in the science/religion is as practical as the difference between having a thousand dollars in the bank or a billion, or between having no connections or ear of the most power leaders on earth—indeed more powerful: Can God Override nature on your behalf? Here we explore how we can, do, and should answer that question. Read More

The World's Most Active Twitter Country?

By Victor Lipman on May 6, 2013 in Mind of the Manager

What country is it? Hint: Its citizens can't use Twitter... Read More

How to Be Highly Productive — 10 Tips to Master Your Time

By Preston Ni, M.S.B.A. on May 5, 2013 in Communication Success

Do you ever wish you had more time to do everything? Have you had days that were busy but inefficient? Would you like to be highly productive, feel accomplished at the end of each day, with even time to spare? The following are ten tips to help you master your time. Read More

The Lesson of the Lilac

By Gay Bradshaw, PhD on May 4, 2013 in Bear in Mind

A spring meditation on fragile beauty. Read More

The Perils of a Dog Park Are Not Always Visible

By Mark Derr on May 3, 2013 in Dog's Best Friend

A bark park has brought more dogs and people and dangerous chemicals to the local park. The dog park itself is run down, overcrowded, unsafe and unattractive. Read More

Receive Faces

By Rick Hanson, Ph.D. on April 29, 2013 in Your Wise Brain

In the broadest sense, receiving the faces of others across the world is an important step toward stitching the fabric of humanity closer together, using the ancient threads that bound us to friends and family long ago on the Serengeti plain. Read More

From Matter to Mattering: The Origin of Life's Meaning

By Dr. Jeremy Sherman on April 27, 2013 in Ambigamy

Contrary to popular scientific opinion, information isn't just physical changes. Information means something to someone. Here's a theory about how meaning and someones originated in a universe that didn't start with any, an explanation for how the matter of physics and chemistry could ever become the mattering you experience in your everyday life. Read More

Public Health or Public Relations?

By Pete Shanks on April 25, 2013 in Genetic Crossroads

Recent synthetic biology projects related to malaria, flu and conservation are providing PR cover for the field and its corporate sponsors. Read More

Essential Reads: Editor's Picks

Creating Small, Environmentally Friendly Living Spaces
by Laurie Hurson
“Earth” Day Too Big? Try “Grain-of-Sand” Day
by Galen Guengerich, Ph.D.
Nature Nurture
by Gail F. Melson, Ph.D.

Environment Blogs

Design on My Mind
Psychology as design tool.
By Toby Israel, Ph.D.
Fixing Psychology
The once and future behaviorism.
By Eric Charles, Ph.D.
Greening the Media
How media technology contributes to the global ecological crisis.
By Richard Maxwell, Ph.D. and Toby Miller, Ph.D.
iEnvironment
Where environment meets psychology.
By Lindsay J. McCunn, MSc
In The Neighborhood
How the built environment influences our mental health
By Jacinta Francis, Ph.D.
Life, Simplified
Fostering environmentally friendly lifestyles.
By Laurie Hurson
Mind Wandering
Psychogeographic explorations into the built world.
By Colin Ellard, Ph.D.
On Being Green
Toward a sustainable future
By Susan Clayton, Ph.D.
Placemaking
Exploring urban frontiers
By Bree Kessler, MSW MPH
Presence of Mind
How behavior impacts environment.
By Shawn Meghan Burn Ph.D.