Hide and Seek

Understanding self-deception, self-sabotage, and more

Neel Burton M.D.

What Is Love?

Love is a word with many meanings. But do they all have something in common?

Positive Illusions and Depressive Realism

And how they are actually similar.

The Sunny Side of Boredom

How to make the most out of boredom.

How to Get Out of Your Head

7 ideas to help you live in the moment.

How to Party Like an Animal

What we can learn from the orgies of old.

How to Be Fearless

A philosophical cure for fear and anxiety.

Feelings About the Self: Embarrassment, Shame, and Guilt

The psychology of the reflexive emotions, and the difference between them.

Why We Garden

The psychology and philosophy of gardening.

The Art and Science of Gratitude

Real gratitude is a rare and accomplished virtue. Learn seven small ways to cultivate it.

Why Anger Is Stupid

Anger is a common and potentially destructive emotion that turns many a human life into a living hell.

What We Can Learn From Loners

To be happy on our own is the highest form of freedom.

The Paradox of Laziness

And the art of masterful inactivity.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Alternative Facts

The psychology and philosophy of lying.

Is the Joker Hypersane?

The psychology and philosophy of Batman’s Joker.

Why We're Doing School All Wrong

...And what we should be doing instead.

The Lost Virtue of Patience

How patience is being eroded, and why it still matters.

On Hypersanity

The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look.

How to Deal with Bad News

Three simple cognitive strategies for regaining calm and perspective.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

As Plato says, the penalty for refusing to rule is to be ruled by someone worse than yourself.

Arguments and How They Fail

A short guide to debate and logical fallacies.

The Art of Persuasion

Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speaking or writing. Politics aside, rhetorical devices underlie all our favourite poems and songs and expressions.

Aha, Uh-oh and D'oh: The Psychology of Insight

And how to improve cognitive flexibility.

The Problems of Science

An overview of the philosophy of science.

The Limits of Reason

Reasoning about reasoning.

Self-Deception, Part 10: Sublimation

The final installment in a new 10-part series on ego defenses. Sublimation is the channelling of uncomfortable feelings into socially condoned and often productive activities.

Self-Deception, Part 9: Projection

The ninth installment in a new 10-part series on ego defenses. The ego defense of projection involves attributing one’s unacceptable thoughts and feelings to others.

Self-Deception, Part 8: Dehumanization

Dehumanization is not limited to thugs and rapists, but can also be deployed by decent, upstanding people.

Self-Deception Part 7: Splitting

The seventh installment in a new 10-part series on ego defenses.

Self-Deception Part 6: Reaction Formation

The sixth in a new 10-part series on ego defenses. Reaction formation is the superficial adoption of ideas and impulses that are diametrically opposed to one’s own.

Self-Deception Part 5: Displacement

The fifth installment in a new 10-part series on ego defenses.

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