Curious?

Relationships

Designing Smarter, Wiser Groups

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on March 7, 2023

There are scientifically informed strategies for getting a dissenter to speak up when they possess unique information that can help a group become smarter and wiser.

Sex

Why Do 80% of Experts Get This Point About Persuasion Wrong?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on November 15, 2022

We turn to experts in influence, persuasion, and prejudice reduction to understand how to change minds. Well, it turns out four out of five are wrong when it comes to effective messengers.

Relationships

7 Rules for Any Dissenter Who Seeks Influence

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on August 4, 2022

There will be a time when you lack power, status, or supporters in a group. How can you be persuasive in dissenting? Here are seven rules.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Have We Rejected Psychodynamic Therapy Too Quickly?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on May 2, 2022

Are you beholden to myside bias, where you use different standards for ideas that fit with your ideological beliefs? See how the problem plays out among psychological scientists.

Self-Control

A New Approach to Getting Healthier

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on December 31, 2021

Relying on self-discipline is a strategy that works for some. More promising, however, is to increase physical health activities with a strategy known as "temptation bundling."

Anxiety

How Science Changed My View on Trigger Warnings

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on October 1, 2021

Are trigger warnings helpful or harmful in classrooms? What about in the workplace and the rest of society? Science offers new insights.

Education

Why Colleges Should Support Student Athlete Autonomy

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on July 3, 2021

An issue has been missing in the conversation about whether the National Collegiate Athletic Association should allow college student athletes to earn money. It's about identity.

Education

6 Core Findings About Human Happiness

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on June 6, 2021

What we know about the science of happiness begins with one study by one author in 1969. It is time to remember what he discovered and how it helps us today.

Personality

Do You Feel Unrepresented by Both Political Parties?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on April 7, 2021

I am not alone in feeling unable to fit into the political parties in the U.S.

Suicide

How Can We Optimize the Lives of Suicide Survivors?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on February 25, 2021

90% of suicide attempts are non-fatal, forming a large group of suicide attempt survivors. Unfortunately, we know little about the trajectory of long-term psychological well-being.

Persuasion

What Does Awareness of Mortality Influence?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on January 1, 2021

An insufficient amount of attention is being given to being authentic, genuine, and guided by intrinsically-motivated passions. Here is a mantra for the upcoming year.

Politics

How Do Universities Treat Conservative Leaning Students?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on December 29, 2020

When you are a teacher or professor, everyone is your student. It should not matter what their political ideology is just as it should not matter their race, sex, gender, or age.

Attention

13 Books to Captivate You During Winter Quarantine

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on December 1, 2020

These are the very best books that I read this year.

Empathy

Why Are You Rethinking Friendships Because of Politics?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on September 29, 2020

I am witnessing adults publicly pronounce the end of friendships if they vote differently in political elections. I suggest we carefully think locally over nationally.

Intelligence

With 99 Measures of Well-Being, How Do You Choose?

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on September 7, 2020

With 196 well-being components and 99 well-being measures, how do you choose? New theoretical models are being created every few months. This blog post offers a strategy.

Resilience

Psychological Flexibility: A New Research Agenda

Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D. on July 6, 2020

Nearly the entire literature on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy hinges on a single measure. ACT is designed to target psychological flexibility. We discuss existing issues.