Category: psychology

Nervous Tummy: Why You Might Get the Runs Before a First Date

So, you’re going on a date and you’re understandably a bit nervous. And then you feel it – a churning and cramping in your gut. Suddenly you’re running to the toilet and wondering why your body reacts this way. How does a case of nerves translate to an upset stomach? What is actually happening in…


Does Fear of Contagion Make Us Intolerant and Compliant?

Behavioral scientists who studied fear of contagion have found that it makes us more inclined to punish ‘the other.’ STORY AT-A-GLANCE “Behavioral immune system” is a set instincts and acquired habits that help us avoid pathogens in the wild Behavioral scientists and psychologists who studied fear of disease and contagion found that it makes us…


Should You Cheat on Your Diet?

Many people live for the glory of cheating on their diets. This concept of eating your favorite treats while otherwise following what you consider an optimal diet is often referred to as “cheat meals.” Many nutrition experts recommend that people don’t try to be a dietary saint all of the time and incorporate some leeway…


Stop Obsessing Over Talent—everyone Can Sing

A Hungarian film titled “Sing” won the 2017 Oscar for best short film. “Sing” tells the story of young Zsófi, who joins a renowned children’s choir at her elementary school where “everyone is welcome.” Soon after joining, Zsófi is told by her teacher Erika not to sing, but only mouth the words. On the face…


Living Life in the Slow Lane

A simple statement I’ve been reminded of recently is that we can’t do everything and expect to do everything well. Our society prioritizes efficiency and productivity. Many work long days, fill every minute of their schedules, rush from one thing to the next, and create systems that allow for tasks to get finished faster. I’ve…


Why Do Teens Engage in Self-Harm? Clinical Psychologists Explains

Emotions are tricky things. They allow for humans to fall in love, wage war and, as it turns out, engage in self-harm. It is hard to imagine an era in which young adults were more distressed than today. Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicates that more than 40% of high school students…


Is Your Prescription Drug Causing Your Depression?

Let’s face it… our current medical industry loves pills. When you go to the doctor for any kind of discomfort with any kind of diagnosis, chances are that the doctor will write out a slip of paper and send you to the pharmacy. Every illness, every injury, every bodily inconvenience has some kind of corresponding…


How Modern Marijuana Changes the Brain

Big things are happening for the humble marijuana (or cannabis) plant. On July 21, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Booker released a statement on the bill on July 21, saying this can undo the damage…


Fear Is Contagious and Used to Control You

If you’ve felt confused during the pandemic, that’s exactly what the government has wanted because it allows them to keep you under control. Governments are using fear to control and manipulate their citizens. That has now been admitted by members of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behavior (SPI-B), a subcommittee that advises the Scientific…


When the Fantasy Dies

How dare you?! That’s so unlike you! I can’t believe you would do/think/act like that! I’m so disappointed… Have you had one of these interactions (or internal experiences) lately? Our relationships — to each other, to systems, to groups, and even to ideas, are coming up for review. We are seeing the true colors, and…