Find help or get online counseling now
advertisement

World of Psychology


Minding the Media

Neuromyth: Most People Use About 10 Percent of their Brains

One of the most prevalent myths in the popular press is that we use only 10% of our brains. This has been mentioned in more articles out to debunk myths than any other.[1] Unfortunately, despite efforts to eliminate the myth, even college-educated students believed this myth.[2] The Skeptical Inquirer[3] writes:

That tired Ten-Percent claim pops up all the time. Last year, national magazine ads for U.S. Satellite Broadcasting showed a drawing of a brain. Under it was the caption, ‘You only use 11 percent of its potential.’ Well, they’re a little closer than the ten-percent figure, but still off by about 89 percent.
Continue Reading
Best of Our Blogs

Best of Our Blogs: December 14, 2018

I'm listening to probably my third or fourth online summit this year. It's amazing how much research there is on alternative ways to heal including information on various contributors to illness. Everything from what we put in our bodies to what we put on it can affect our mental and physical health.

If you're struggling with your health, the good news is there is a lot of hope out there. Experts tout the benefit of simple, small changes from switching off your phone at night or eating more veggies.

For more health tips, keep reading. You'll learn how to protect yourself from a narcissist this holiday, what you need to gift yourself if you grew up feeling unloved and how to care for yourself when you suffer from mental illness.
Continue Reading
Habits

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Children sometimes have meltdowns when they don’t get what they want. Some adolescents can feel destitute when their wishes aren’t granted. When you feel confident about your plans and they don’t turn out the way you hoped, what is your response?

As we run into bumps and storms in life, we may need to detour, delay, or completely cancel our plans. When we were young, we may have used words such as “It’s not fair,” and soon enough we found out this was true more often than not. Still, we protest, get mad, and blame others or ourselves for not obtaining our desires.
Continue Reading
General

Podcast: A Delicious Ritual to Reduce Stress


 Living in our fast-paced world, many of us find ourselves stressed out, and many others don’t even realize how stressed they’ve become. Many people choose to ignore their stress, others use meditation, exercise, or other endeavors to reduce stress. This episode shares the story of a woman whose solution to stress involves regularly making challah, a traditional Jewish bread. Not only does the ritual of the making of the bread reduce stress, but the history and tradition of the bread are also important to her.

Continue Reading
Aging

Are You Really as Young as You Feel?

My mother-in-law is pretty amazing. She lives independently in her own apartment where she hosts a weekly book club. She swims laps a good four days a week, walks a few miles most days, and is always enrolled in some type of continuing education class. She reads incessantly, is up on all the latest movies and current events, and has “letters to the editor” published regularly in newspapers.

She has a great sense of humor and is fun to be around, which is probably why she has so many friends (many in their 50’s and 60’s) as well as an incredibly active social life. She is physically and mentally healthy. And she never turns down a “happy hour.”
Continue Reading
Habits

How Cleaning Clutter Could Clear Your Mind

We are acquisitive beings. We collect items that show the world who we are and what we value. As I look around my home, I see books. Lots and lots of books. Nearly each room contains them. Clearly, they matter to me. I have more of them than any other item. I have read most of them cover to cover and some await perusal, for pleasure and work.

My home is light and airy, colorfully and creatively decorated, kind of like its owner. Unlikely that anyone would call me a hoarder, unless they lived in Zen simplicity, but there are certainly areas in my house that have needed cleansing and purging.
Continue Reading
Publishers

5 Signs of Emotional Abuse in Your Relationship

They are tempting to overlook but toxic over time.

Over the past few months, many readers have contacted me after seeing my posts on the signs of emotional abuse in controlling relationships and how to begin to extract yourself from one. It is startling the number of otherwise "normal" people who are trapped in a long-standing abusive relationship that might make most people's hair stand on end.
Continue Reading