This Is America

Relationships

The Pros(e) and Cons of Romantic Love

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on May 30, 2023

Should romantic love be toppled from its central cultural role?

Should romantic love be toppled from its central cultural role?

Grief

It’s Not Always Right to Let There Be Light

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on May 9, 2023

Are Americans stuck in a ‘Light Metaphor’?

Are Americans stuck in a ‘Light Metaphor’?

Dementia

A Primer for Caregivers of Loved Ones With Dementia

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on March 1, 2023

Why do caregivers of individuals with dementia sometimes behave in counterproductive ways?

Why do caregivers of individuals with dementia sometimes behave in counterproductive ways?

Psychosis

Living With This Thing We Call Psychosis

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on January 31, 2023

The emotional toll psychosis takes on families.

The emotional toll psychosis takes on families.

Emotion Regulation

How Awe Alters Our Brains and Our Bodies

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on January 3, 2023

An antidote to the ‘default self.’

An antidote to the ‘default self.’

Stress

The Elusive Practice of Deliberate Enjoyment

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on December 27, 2022

Rebalancing the time we spend in our analog and digital lives.

Rebalancing the time we spend in our analog and digital lives.

Career

A 21st Century Ode to Joy

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on November 15, 2022

A review of the book "The Fun Habit" and practical suggestions for better work-life balance.

A review of the book "The Fun Habit" and practical suggestions for better work-life balance.

Fear

Our Not-So-Magnificent Obsessions

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on September 29, 2022

What percentage of the population experiences a phobia?

What percentage of the population experiences a phobia?

Career

Is Status-Seeking the Secret Ingredient for Cultural Change?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on August 30, 2022

What is the role of status-seeking in the creation and reception of avant-garde work?

What is the role of status-seeking in the creation and reception of avant-garde work?

Anger

Are Human Emotions Hard-Wired, Pre-Cultural and Universal?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on August 2, 2022

How emotions can be successfully unpacked.

How emotions can be successfully unpacked.

Personality

The Social Psychology of Cheerfulness

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on May 24, 2022

Why cheerfulness is an overlooked, undervalued emotion.

Why cheerfulness is an overlooked, undervalued emotion.

Placebo

The Power of Premonitions

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on May 3, 2022

If premonitions are impossible, why do many of us have them?

If premonitions are impossible, why do many of us have them?

Psychiatry

Is Psychiatry Facing an Existential Crisis?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on April 20, 2022

Psychiatrists, a new book maintains, cannot establish chains of causation for mental disorders.

Psychiatrists, a new book maintains, cannot establish chains of causation for mental disorders.

Relationships

A Review of "Paradise Falls": Lessons From Love Canal

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on March 29, 2022

How corporate elites and politicians have evaded their responsibility to address environmental catastrophes.

How corporate elites and politicians have evaded their responsibility to address environmental catastrophes.

Law and Crime

The United States of Surveillance

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on March 8, 2022

The new age of electronic surveillance features NSA data-mining and an economy that depends on the monetization of private information.

The new age of electronic surveillance features NSA data-mining and an economy that depends on the monetization of private information.

Diet

How Reliable Are Articles in Peer-Review Medical Journals?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on February 1, 2022

Why the U.S. spends more money on health care than other affluent countries.

Why the U.S. spends more money on health care than other affluent countries.

Grief

Is Grief Healthy or Pathological?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on January 11, 2022

How grief can help us re-examine our “practical identities.”

How grief can help us re-examine our “practical identities.”

Grief

Americans’ Do-It-Yourself Death-Care Rituals

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on November 9, 2021

New death rituals are more improvised, individualized, and reflect a green burial ethos.

New death rituals are more improvised, individualized, and reflect a green burial ethos.

Anger

Is Aggression Imprinted In Human Nature?

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on October 19, 2021

Are people programmed to make love, war, both, or neither?

Are people programmed to make love, war, both, or neither?

Optimism

How People Can Be Rational and Irrational

Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on September 28, 2021

An analysis of mistaken beliefs, fallacious reasoning, and the tools of rationality.

An analysis of mistaken beliefs, fallacious reasoning, and the tools of rationality.