The Top 10 Psychology Studies of 2010
The end of 2010 fast approaches, and I'm thrilled to have been asked by the editors of Psychology Today to write about the Top 10 psychology studies of the year. I've focused on studies that I personally feel stand out, not only as examples of great science, but even more importantly, as examples of how the science of psychology can improve our lives. Each study has a clear "take home" message, offering the reader an insight or a simple strategy they can use to reach their goals , strengthen their relationships, make better decisions, or become happier. If you extract the wisdom from these ten studies and apply them in your own life, 2011 just might be a very good year. 1) How to Break Bad Habits If you are trying to stop smoking , swearing, or chewing your nails, you have probably tried the strategy of distracting yourself - taking your mind off whatever it is you are trying not to do - to break the habit. J. 2) How to Make Everything Seem Easier J. 3) How To Manage Your Time Better M. J.
Are People With Schizophrenia Living a Dream?
When I lay my head down at night to go to sleep , I, like many of you, enter a fantastical dream world. In these worlds, American Idol contestants sing in tune, bright redheaded women are fighting for my affection, and every street corner is full of panhandling turtles with Viking hats singing Carmina Burana in perfect harmony. Once I awaken, I, also like most of you, quickly lose the vividness inherent in the dreams . The turtles' chants die down, the red hairs aren't as intense, and the positive emotions I felt actually hearing good singing in a singing competition quickly fades away. Sure there are still traces in my system of these emotions and sensations, but they quickly disappear as I set out to accomplish the (mostly not nearly as interesting) tasks before me. But is this the case for everyone? The article got me thinking though about some recent research on the relation between the default network and schizophrenia . So what does the schizophrenic brain look like? References
How Other People’s Unspoken Expectations Control Us
We quickly sense how others view us and play up to these expectations. A good exercise for learning about yourself is to think about how other people might view you in different ways. Consider how your family, your work colleagues or your partner think of you. Now here’s an interesting question: to what extent do you play up to these expectations about how they view you? This idea that other people’s expectations about us directly affect how we behave was examined in a classic social psychology study carried out by Dr Mark Snyder from the University of Minnesota and colleagues (Snyder et al., 1977). They had a hunch that people automatically sense how others view them and immediately start exhibiting the expected behaviours. Feeling the attraction To test this in the context of interpersonal attraction they had male students hold conversations with female students they’d just met through microphones and headsets. Changing others’ behaviour
How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs
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You bet you can. This video from Psych Central’s Daniel J. Tomasulo, Ph.D. discusses the value of taking stock of your gratitude on a daily basis with a simple gratitude exercise. It’s something that’s easy to do and improves most people’s happiness. Dr.
6 TIps to Tame Negative Thoughts for a Less Limited Life
“You are your choices.” ~Seneca Lately I‘ve been feeling a bit down in the dumps. A few things have happened at work to make me feel like nothing’s going my way. I’m guessing that pretty much everyone experiences weeks like this from time to time. You know, where it feels like the whole world is against you. This has been my life for the past few weeks. And my initial reaction was to feel sorry for myself. And then like a lightening strike out of the blue, amidst my dark cloud of pity I had an epiphany: I have a choice. Instead of reacting in a way that renders me helpless, I have the choice to pick myself up, dust myself off, and turn those negative thoughts into positive ones. When it comes to filtering our thoughts, even though at times it may not feel like it, we do have a choice. Just because some of our thoughts are negative doesn’t mean we have to listen to them. Did you know that our brains produce 70,000 thoughts every single day? The truth is, you are not your thoughts. 1. 2. 3. 4.
How To Be Happy in a Relationship- 10 Habits of Happy Couples
What does it take to be happy in a relationship? If you're working to improve your marriage, here are the 10 habits of happy couples. 1. Go to bed at the same timeRemember the beginning of your relationship, when you couldn't wait to go to bed with each other to make love? Happy couples resist the temptation to go to bed at different times. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Happy couples have different habits than unhappy couples. Like what you just read? 3 Tips to Getting Your Marriage Back on Track 7 Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship Should He Keep Secrets?
Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment
Social Anxiety Disorder — also known as social phobia — is commonly treated by either psychotherapy or certain types of psychiatric medications. Social phobia is characterized by a persistent fear of social situations or performance situations (such as public speaking) where embarrassment might occur. While both psychotherapy and medications have been shown to be effective in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, a combination approach to treatment — utilizing both at the same time — may be the most timely and beneficial. While some people may find relief from some social anxiety symptoms through trying simple self-help techniques, most people with a diagnosed social phobia condition will need professional treatment in order to overcome it. Psychotherapy for Social Anxiety Psychotherapy is a very effective method of treatment for social anxiety disorder. In addition to CBT, other psychological treatments have also been found effective in the treatment of social anxiety. Dr.
the 9 don'ts of dealing with anger
"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness." Ralph Waldo Emerson Okay, I'm not probably not the best person to be writing this post, considering it was just yesterday in therapy that I started to deal with my own "anger issues," but, hey, I figure I can probably learn something from whatever ideas come to mind. After all, sometimes it's the person with the problem that gives the best advice (even if s/he doesn't always follow it...). I know anger seems like a pretty negative topic and you're probably wondering why I'm writing about it on this site, but it's actually really important because how can you live a positive life when you're angry all the time? Nine Don'ts of Dealing with Anger Don't take everything personally. Anger is something we all have to deal with at some point (unless you are the most mellow person in the world, in which case I can't say that I understand you at all).
