Personality

George Gurdjieff, the inscrutable Armenian mystic of early last century, insisted that we humans are constantly bearing false witness against ourselves, by glibly using the pronoun "I" to refer to who we are. Rather, he pointed out that careful scrutiny would reveal that this presumably singular person we call "I" is in fact a constantly changing persona simply sharing the same name.   Read More

 What Makes Feedback So Superior to Criticism?

It's hardly a coincidence that the word criticism--though many of its synonyms are not in themselves unfavorable (such as analysis, appraisal, or review)--almost always carries negative connotations. The term feedback, on the other hand, is as likely to refer to something positive as it is negative. . . . Read More

When an open-letter to Pixar asked about the surprising lack of female leading characters, many readers asked "why does it matter?"  Here's why it matters. Read More

As an entertainer, Michael Jackson was obviously second to none. His spellbinding "pop" artistry was mesmerizing to virtually everyone who watched him perform. And in the few days since his passing, the tributes made to his creative musical gifts have drawn an extraordinary amount of attention. Still, in the past two decades as much probably has been said about Michael's psychological quirkiness (if not downright pathology) as about his prodigious talent. . . . Read More

All advice is suspect. I'm not suggesting you break all the so-called rules of creativity you've collected. Only that every tip can be counteracted with its opposite. And some advice is just plain bad for you.  Here, then, are 11 types of advice to avoid: Read More

The serenity prayer is more than how they close AA meetings. That thing is deep and speaks to the fundamentals of the human condition, including everything that drives psychology and the behavioral sciences in general--the pursuit of wisdom whereby we can make better decisions, trekking the winding mountain ridge of life in the dark about the future without sliding down the slippery slopes on either side of the ridge top. Here are some new variations on that greatest of prayers. Read More

During today's online chat with Dear Prudence, a woman asked why she can't find a boyfriend even though "people always tell me I'm really pretty, smart, fun, nice, and adventurous". Read More

Eye candy is, by definition, good-looking people: Sweet to stare at, they tempt us with their addictive visuals. But the term has another meaning, especially when we remember that our brain's primary fuel is sugar. Eye candy is also a special kind of mutual gaze -- one that is dense with energy, sends our pleasure chemicals surging, and looks absolutely delicious. And it's good for you. Read More

Writes my pal Gene Weingarten in The Washington Post "Because women are attending grad schools in record numbers, and because male CEOs have screwed things up so publicly, Gina thinks women are soon going to dominate American business -- and feminize it." Read More