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World of Psychology


Publishers

Tips to Prevent and Recover from a Trying Day

"Be proactive not reactive, for an apparently insignificant issue ignored today can spawn tomorrow’s catastrophe." - Ken Poirot
Do you ever have one of those mornings where the battle against annoying minutiae begins before you’re even truly awake? One of those days where you feel the illusion of control fully slipping away. You try to grasp and pull it back, but you really have no control over this day or its outcome, at all.
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Communication

9 Common Communication Errors and How to Fix Them

Clear and effective communication is the foundation of any relationships, whether it be a work partnership, a marriage, or the relationship between a parent and child. Misunderstanding and miscommunication are common culprits to the breakdown of any bond, causing fissures that prevent intimacy and erode the quality of the relationship. Even when our intentions are good, our words and delivery can result in hurt feelings.

Here are nine common communication errors, as well as ways to promote better communication in your relationships.
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Best of Our Blogs

Best of Our Blogs: February 22, 2019

If you suffer from physical or mental illness, you probably also struggle with loved ones who don't understand what you're going through.

In addition to saying the things you don't want to hear, sometimes the things they say are darn right hurtful.

When friends and family say, "Look on the bright side," or "Why are you so negative all the time?" it feels invalidating and can make you feel more alone.

This could be a sign that you need to rely on other people, those who can hear and handle your pain. It's also not personal. Unless they trained to be a counselor or therapist, most people didn't learn how to listen to others empathically in school.

Remember that your experience is your own and it's okay to feel it. In the meantime, our bloggers' posts on narcissists, spirituality, love and forgiving yourself will help you feel better and less alone.
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Creativity

Painting and Playing Board Games Releases Oxytocin

Oxytocin has been nicknamed the “love hormone” because it is typically associated with good feelings and emotions. That is an oversimplified description of this hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Oxytocin plays a complex role in our bodies, and appears to be connected to (but not limited to) human emotions, childbirth, breastfeeding, recognition and bonding. The positive effects of increased levels of oxytocin are many and include greater relaxation, more willingness to trust others, and general psychological stability. The hormone also appears to help reduce stress and anxiety. All in all, a good hormone to have around!
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Brain and Behavior

Own Your Contribution

"Life is not about accumulation. It is about contribution."
Stephen Covey’s powerful words resonate on oh so many levels. In the work setting, it’s not about accumulating personal performance accolades; it’s about our contribution to the betterment of the entire organization. In the social sphere, it’s not about the number of friends that we accumulate (know any “friend collectors”?), but about how we can meaningfully contribute to just one person’s life. And in the neighborhood, it’s never about how high a fence we can build, but about how leaving our gate open can foster a sense of camaraderie, community, and collective wellbeing.
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General

Podcast: What is Schadenfreude?


We’ve all experienced it – that feeling of smug happiness at another person’s misfortune. From someone slipping on a banana peel to a jerk receiving a dose of instant karma, there’s something satisfying about this strange emotion. Why is that? Are we living in an “Age of Schadenfreude”? Should we feel guilty about feeling it? And for crying out loud, how do we say it in English?  Listen in to find out!

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Anxiety and Panic

An Introduction to the Neuroscience Behind Creating Your Reality

Have you ever wondered why two people can share the exact same situation, yet experience it differently?

Neural pathways are often described as a type of super-highway of nerve cells, the function of which is to transmit messages. Much like a walking track in the bush, the more you walk over it, the more trodden and clear it becomes. The same thing happens when we engage in behaviors such as thinking certain thoughts with a high degree of regularity.
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Communication

8 Ways to Create the Love You Want

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins once said that “We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”

While the initial phase of a relationship seems effortless, the sublime chemical release of early love will only get us so far. Eventually, if we want the partnership to endure, we have to roll up our sleeves and start to sweat.
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Depression

Spravato: New Ketamine Treatment to be Approved by FDA

Last week a committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended in a 14-2 vote that the agency approve the use of a nasal spray form of esketamine (a specific type of ketamine) for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression and certain other types of depression.

Treatment-resistant depression is when clinical depression fails to respond to multiple (at least two) attempts to treat it with at least two different types of medications or psychotherapy over the course of a year or longer.

If the FDA ends up approving the drug -- and we believe it will -- the nasal spray will offer new hope for people with depression.

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Brain and Behavior

Neuromyth: “Brain Training” Is Supported by Neuroscience

Online computer games promise to improve “memory, problem solving, concentration, speed of thinking, language, and visual-spatial recognition.” They further promise that they “work your social skills, social awareness, self-awareness, and self-control” while you’re having fun. These are tempting offers, and this is a very lucrative and growing business in the United States as people age and many older adults seek out ways to maintain cognitive functioning.
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