by Madelaine Weiss | Sep 20, 2017 | Attention, Work
“Researchers in the United States have investigated mind wandering….the volunteers reported mind wandering 70% of the time.”* Scientists may refer to it as ‘stimulus independent’ or ‘default network’ thinking. Mindfulness tutors may liken the wandering mind to a bunch...
by Madelaine Weiss | Aug 28, 2017 | Narcissism, Spending
The researchers found that brain activity associated with happiness, along with self-reported happiness, increased simply after making a commitment to be generous to others. Happiness and happiness-related brain activity also went up when actually giving, the research...
by Madelaine Weiss | Aug 20, 2017 | Mismatch, Uncategorized
”Only through solidarity and cooperation within one’s own group was it possible to raise children and survive when competing against unknown and rivaling groups for scarce resources in pre-civilized times…”* There it is, folks. This could be what we are up...
by Madelaine Weiss | Aug 8, 2017 | Emotion, Mismatch, Talking
Similar to the “hate-watching” experience of viewing television programmes you don’t like because you enjoy mocking them, this can be seen as a mild form of “hate-reading.” Logging onto Facebook gives you the chance to be indignantly...
by Madelaine Weiss | Jul 30, 2017 | Mismatch, Play
How being hunter-gatherers boosted human brainpower and taught us to love exercise….New research suggests that the link between exercise and the brain is a product of our evolutionary history and our past as hunter-gatherers, and the same parts of the brain that are...
by Madelaine Weiss | Jul 11, 2017 | Storytelling Animal
In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice….It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions. Viktor E. Frankl* Resilience is bending but not breaking...
by Madelaine Weiss | Jun 25, 2017 | Storytelling Animal
“Lying, it turns out, is something that most of us are very adept at. We lie with ease, in ways big and small, to strangers, co-workers, friends, and loved ones….Being deceitful is woven into our very fabric, so much so that it would be truthful to say that to...
by Madelaine Weiss | Jun 9, 2017 | Talking
“Swearing has been shown to relieve physical pain when it comes to banging your toe or slamming a finger in a door. Now, a new psychology study shows we shouldn’t be coy about cursing when suffering from an aching heart or hurt feelings.”* Expletives for...
by Madelaine Weiss | May 10, 2017 | Storytelling Animal
“ [P] erception includes a multitude of assumptions….For instance, confirmation bias — noticing evidence that affirms one’s world view, but disregarding contradictory evidence….contributes to preconceived ideas that keep us locked into a narrow perspective on...
by Madelaine Weiss | Apr 22, 2017 | Mismatch
“Mismatch Hypothesis: According to evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology, humans evolved to survive in the African Pleistocene savanna. However, today’s environment is very different from that ancestral environment. This mismatch between our evolved...
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