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Today's Essential Reads Today's Essentials

Sleep

The Many Heath and Sleep Benefits Of Music

By Michael J Breus Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Sleep Newzzz

When it comes to your sleep, whatever makes you feel calmed, soothed, relaxed, and puts your body and mind in a restful mode is the right choice for you.

Autism

How Many Children Have Autism? Estimates Continue to Rise

By Abigail Fagan on December 13, 2018 in Brainstorm

New analyses also find that nearly a third of children with autism may lack treatment.

Autism

Restraint of People with Autism and Developmental Disability

By John Elder Robison on December 12, 2018 in My Life With Asperger's

What happens when emotions explode at school or in residential care? Is restraint essential or unthinkable? Is it a path to safety or a road to abuse?

Parenting

Awkward but Important Conversations with Adolescents

By Mesmin Destin Ph.D. on December 12, 2018 in Finding Their Way

It might feel challenging to connect with adolescents, but a little bit of effort from an adult can make a big difference for a teen.

News

The Latest

Child Development

The Belief in Separation and Individuation is Not Universal

By Amy Banks on December 13, 2018 in Wired For Love

The fear is that if you do not separate from your parents you will live with them your whole life – loser!

Addiction

How Passionate Are You About Gambling?

By Romeo Vitelli Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Media Spotlight

What is obsessive passion? And how does it relate to problem gambling? A new research study investigates the roots of gambling addiction.

Psychiatry

The antidote to stigma

By Philip Yanos Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Written Off

Recognizing our common humanity represents a way forward from the tendency to stigmatize others

Spirituality

The Whispering Walls of Tobias Forge

By Michael Friedman Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Brick by Brick

“Religion was more of a fictional art explosion.”

Stress

How to Change an Uncomfortable Habit

By Barton Goldsmith Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Emotional Fitness

Protecting yourself and your loved ones from emotional trauma is a good thing to do. It does not mean that you are somehow less of a person.

Parenting

Committing Narcissism by Proxy

By Mark Zaslav Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Shame, Guilt and Their Defenses

Increasingly, parents seem to be putting their children on display. Are these parents narcissists?

Addiction

Eight Addiction Myths

By Stanton Peele Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Addiction in Society

Even modern revisionist harm-reduction addiction specialist miss the forest for the trees.

Pierre Bonnard, "La Grande Baignoire" (Nu), 1937–1939. Huile sur toile, 94 × 144 cm. Collection privée

Creativity

Visual Art May Soothe Traumatic Experiences

By Lara K Ronan M.D. on December 13, 2018 in The Neurobiology of Wellness

Drawing or painting may be able to teach your brain new images to push out unwanted memories.

Psych Careers

Toward a Grand New Model for Diagnosis and Treatment

By Marty Nemko Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in How To Do Life

Counselors might come to use rather than ignore the growing link between biology and psychology.

Politics

Coping with PSS (Political Stress Syndrome)

By Gail F. Melson Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Why the Wild Things Are

Children are not immune when politics turns toxic. PSS may not be a real syndrome, but I am more convinced than ever that political stress is finding its way into children’s lives.

Politics

George Bush and Donald Trump: Contrasting Profiles in Hope

By Anthony Scioli Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Hope Today

A clinical psychologist contrasts the hope profiles of the late George Bush and Donald Trump.

Health

A New Look at Links Between Isolation and Mortality Risk

By Psychology Today Editorial Staff on December 13, 2018 in Brainstorm

A large study allowed researchers to investigate the relationship between social isolation and mortality among white and black men and women.

Work

Why 'Follow Your Passion' Is Terrible Advice

By David Burkus on December 13, 2018 in Creative Leadership

Don't follow your passion. Follow your potential for mastery.

Depression

Why We Feel Shame Around the Holidays

By Joseph Burgo Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Shame

Many of us feel depressed at this time of year because our experience doesn't resemble the "Happy Holidays!" image projected by social messaging.

The Slacker in Your Life

Who's not doing their part?

Are You a Lazy Person?

How to Ruin a Great Team

Please Carry Your Weight

The One-Minute Motivation Hack

Depression

Fighting the Winter Blues with DHEA

By James Lake, MD on December 13, 2018 in Integrative Mental Health Care

Are you curious about DHEA for depressed mood? Research findings suggest that DHEA enhances mood when taken alone and improves the effectiveness of antidepressants.

Relationships

Exaggeration Fuels Conflict

By Michael Karson Ph.D., J.D. on December 13, 2018 in Feeling Our Way

If you lack an internal voice that assures you that you have a right to be heard, you have to turn the situation into a catastrophe to justify complaining about it.

Animal Behavior

Owls, Cormorants, Wolves, and Possums: Who Lives, Who Dies?

By Marc Bekoff Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Animal Emotions

Many conservationists feel it's OK to kill animals to help individuals of their own or other species. Others don't. What ethical theories are they following, and does it matter?

Evolutionary Psychology

Why We Divide into Liberals and Conservatives

By Nigel Barber Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in The Human Beast

People divide into those with liberal leanings and those with a conservative slant. Biological theories emphasize differences in brain biology. Why did the difference evolve?

Education

This Is What Humanistic Education Looks Like

By Glenn Geher Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Darwin's Subterranean World

Think of your most salient K-12 memory. Next, think about the three basic principles that would underlie a school district that you could create. I bet you are a humanist at heart.

Evolutionary Psychology

What Can a Lizard Tell Us About Mental Health?

By Robert T Muller Ph.D. on December 13, 2018 in Talking About Trauma

Can effects of stressors be passed down from our parents?

Neuroscience

How Vivid Imagination Can Help People Unlearn Fear

By Christopher Bergland on December 13, 2018 in The Athlete's Way

New state-of-the-art neuroscience research suggests that imagination can help the brain unlearn fear in ways that have been underestimated and unexplored until now.