Making important life decisions often brings about a sense of anxiety which then drives us to seek advice from a trusted person or trusted people. If anxiety and advice-seeking seem inter-related, it’s because they are. Anxiety forces us to feel less confident…

Overconfidence is a common phenomenon and it manifests itself by leading people to believe that they are more skilled, physically talented, or socially capable than they actually are. The effects of overconfidence, however, can have negative ramifications for job performance and decision-making.

Economists, traders, and investors take into account a myriad of factors when assessing financial decisions. What happens, biologically, when they make these decisions? A day of risks begins with metabolism and breathing patterns that speed up.

If you have ever struggled with a creative block, whether the words won’t write themselves or the paint won’t stroke, you know that unblocking the creativity within you becomes paramount. The following websites should be referenced in these frustrating moments:…

“Mirror fasts,” a period of time, whether days, weeks, or even years that a person spends not looking in the mirror, have become increasingly popular. The effects, according to many who have participated, have been greatly positive.

An article on TheNewYorkTimes.com website discusses the tenuous balance between work and life, viewing this continual struggle through a different lens: having children or not having them.

Sleep researchers are investigating the concept of how race effects one’s ability to sleep well. Sleep researchers, epidemiologists, and psychologists have conducted various studies and many have come to a general consensus: non-Hispanic white Americans tend to get a better quality of sleep than other races in the United States.

A “catch-22” is any situation in which the method of obtaining your goal requires some act that makes your goal impossible. One psychological catch 22 is love: people are often attracted to people who act aloof. Rejection, which should theoretically prompt one’s ability to become “accepted,” often creates further outcasts.

The New York Times reviewed How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough. In his book, Tough champions what is termed a “character hypothesis,” the concept that admirable personal skills like persistence, conscientiousness, and curiosity are absolutely fundamental to success, and perhaps even more important than IQ.

An author from the site, Psych-your-mind.blogpost, discusses how the rich differ from the poor, addressing the way members in both communities navigate feelings of empathy.

Self-forgiveness is often a double-edged sword. While NOT forgiving one’s self has been linked to depression, suicide, and eating disorders; forgiving TOO EASILY has been shown to reduce empathy for others. So, how does one toe this line in terms of self-forgiveness?

Is music in the workplace a distraction? Amisha Padnani, from NYTimes.com, recently discussed research that determined the effect of music in the workplace can be quite powerful, regardless of whether it is being used to block out the noise of a loud office or the distraction of a quiet office.

Maria Popova with BrainPickings.com reviews the work of sleep-researcher Rosalind D. Cartwright who has made significant findings regarding the interplay of sleeps and dreams. One particular facet of Cartwright’s research focuses on how dreams can serve to regulate negative emotions.

Dan Shaw, co-founder of RuralIntelligence.com, recounts his experience of returning to the 25th Reunion of his college class. For Shaw, being able to show his authentic self at this reunion became paramount when he recalled his history of not being so open or transparent.

In Paying for Labors of Love, Judith Shulevitz, reviews The Outsourced Self by Arlie Russell Hochschild, an ethnographic psychologist. Hochschild’s latest work delves into the increasing demand for what she terms “outsourcing the self”, that is, the growing practice…

One study, conducted by psychologists Piercarlo Valdesolo and Davdi DeSteno and published in the journal, Emotion, demonstrates that experiencing a commonality with a stranger is linked to the expression of compassion due to the feeling of mutual identification.

n Learned Optimism, Doctor Martin Seligman, former elected president of the American Psychological Association and father of the Positive Psychology movement, discusses how his 25 years of research on both optimists and pessimists have demonstrated that either school of thought can be learned or unlearned.

Maria Popova’s article reviews a number of books, all of which explore how music affects our lives. Among her choices are: Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) who is concerned with the neuropsychology of music;…

For most, fear is an inherent part of the creative process, but according to some experts in the field, this fear can be accepted, then dealt with, allowing the creative individual to move successfully forward.

Frank Patnoy, investment banker- turned writer, investigates four fundamental questions of the human experience: 1) What is time? 2) How do we decide? 3) Why do we procrastinate? 4) What does it mean to be human?