Happiness and the Pursuit of Leadership

Leadership Development is Human Development

Pamela B. Paresky Ph.D.

New York Online Dating Scam Targets Dozens of Men. But Why?

In an "epic tale of subterfuge in online dating," dozens of men show up at a park thinking they are meeting a date.

One Year After Charlottesville, What Have We Learned?

What can we do about bigotry, hatred, and racial violence? A former skinhead says the answer is love.

Harvard Study: Trigger Warnings Might Coddle the Mind

A new Harvard study indicates that trigger warnings may undermine resilience in the aftermath of trauma, and promote a stigmatizing view of trauma survivors as emotional invalids.

In 2018, Being Conservative Became a Microaggression

Daniella Greenbaum wrote a mainstream conservative opinion piece and Business Insider retracted it. Greenbaum resigned, and the world of acceptable ideas got even smaller.

'Radical love' is one of Aspen's 'Big Ideas.'

Can our fractured democracy be repaired by addressing our nation's poverty of empathy, and replacing hate and recriminations with "radical love"?

Miserable and Middle-Aged? Is Something Wrong With You?

A new book delivers an important message: It's a myth that experiencing mid-life malaise means there's something wrong with you or your life.

No Decent Person...

“You know what makes politics so toxic?” conservative commentator Charlie Sykes asked on Twitter. The firing of Kevin Williamson is a case in point.

365 Ways to Share Kindness: From the Editor of Woman's Day

You want to perform acts of kindness, but sometimes you run out of ideas. A new book by the Editor-in-Chief of Woman's Day has you covered.

Psychology For Democracy (Part II)

When we ask ourselves whether we are really listening, we can find part of the answer by asking ourselves where we have placed the person with whom we are speaking.

Psychology For Democracy (Part I)

Do you argue for the sake of putting someone down? Do you argue for the sake of elevating yourself? What if we learned to argue for the sake of democracy?

Teen Overall Drug Use Is Down, But Marijuana Use Is Up

Teen use of most substances is down, but teens are "vaping" marijuana, and think it's safe.

A Game-Changer for Difficult Holiday Dinner Conversations

Dreading spending the holidays with relatives whose politics you can't stand? Doing this one thing is a game-changer.

Meet the Teen Who Discovered the Secret of Social Capital

The design of children's social life teaches them to create a world of status where people are left out and mistreated. One teen is trying to change that — with an app.

When 'Speak Out' Culture Becomes 'Callout' Culture

College callout culture has breached the campus gate, and Google is the first high-profile company to join the post-rational world. What allowed it to happen; can it happen again?

The Psychology of Political Violence

Political violence has its roots in anger, contempt, and disgust; three emotions familiar to all of us. Maintaining our civic values requires avoiding the impulse to dehumanize.

When Is Speech Violence and What’s the Real Harm?

When protesters equate speech with violence, we aren't surprised. But now at least one academic is using science to validate the claim. Is it just harmless rhetoric?

What Happened To Moderation, Civility, and Compromise?

How polarized are we, and what can we do to reclaim the democratic virtues of moderation, civility, and compromise?

Finding Your Inner Adult

Is your "true self" an Inner Child or an Inner Adult?

Bret Stephens: Out Of The Bubble

Pulitzer Prize winning Bret Stephens makes some readers of the New York Times uncomfortable, and some, angry. He says that's his job. But many readers want him fired for his views.

The Savage Empathy of Safe Spaces

Empathetic professors who subscribe to the invention that words equal violence, and that hearing certain views is a threat to students' "humanity" can do incalculable damage.

Sticks and Stones Just Break My Bones, But Speakers...

Colleges can either give in to "Brittle Self Disorder" or empower students to get past the discomfort of confronting objectionable ideas and teach them to think critically.

Silencing Is Golden: The Chilling Dogma of AntiNormalization

Many college students are unable to debate bad ideas because they aren't learning the difference between a firmly held opinion and a self-evident truth.

Uncivil Rights

Violent protests aimed at preventing “hate speech” at Berkeley show how dangerous we become when we can’t tell the difference between vile words and real violence.

Politics and Poison: Casualties of Fake News

The FDA warns that some natural remedies contain poison. Meanwhile partisan rhetoric poisons the body politic.

We Say We Want Free Speech and Civil Dialogue

Our country is divided. There seems to be no middle ground. President Obama calls for free speech and listening to replace silencing and shouting down the opposition.

Angry About the Election?

Headlines call for intolerance toward Trump voters. Families are stressed, and friendships are frayed. Tolerance is a paradigm that has outlived its purpose.