Advice for People in Their Early 20s
A young woman wrote to me recently about fears about the future: ‘I’m in my 20s and I’m trying to figure my future out. I’m just wondering how to stop worrying and letting the fear of the unknown totally consume my daily thoughts...
Change the narrative you tell yourself. Remove yourself from the center of everything.
When we go about our day, we tell ourselves a story about what’s happening … and at the center of that narrative is a single person. Ourselves. When I talk to myself about how so-and-so is inconsiderate or treated me badly, when...
What Does Science Really Say About Meditation (After Almost 20 000 Studies)
Meditation is HARD. Keeping still and staying focused is so unnatural that most who give meditation a try don’t keep it up. So it’s important to know: Does it work? Better than other techniques? How quickly? Is one type better...
The Neuroscience of Trump’s Triumphs: He Feels Your Anger and Anxiety
Donald Trump has effectively secured the Republican presidential nomination. He achieved his victory despite opposition from the Republican establishment, which tried hard to bring Trump down. Even now, after both Ted Cruz and John...
How To Protect Yourself From False Beliefs
Kanisha grew up in a Democratic household in Memphis, Tennessee. As far as she remembers, her family and friends always supported leftist candidates. She watched liberal-leaning television programs. She read leftist newspapers. Her...
What Is The Meaning Of Life For You?
“What is the meaning of life?” I struggled with this question throughout my teenage years and young adulthood. My parents tried to convey their meaning of life to me when I was a teenager. Yet my contrarian streak prevented me...
The Right Way to Fake a Smile (For Health and Happiness)
I use to fake smiles and pretend I wasn’t upset or anxious. The result wasn’t pretty – I felt worse for longer and developed psychosomatic symptoms like irritable bowl syndrome and sciatica. The science replicates my experience;...
The Happiness Genes Lottery: Have You Had The Luck To Be Born Happy?
Joy begets joy. You probably know at least a few people who are eternal, effervescent bundles of bliss: no matter how tiring or challenging their day, they just exude happiness. And whenever they enter a room, every person inside it...
8 Actionable Methods For Unstoppable Motivation
I was talking to a 19-year-old recently and he has been struggling with motivation. His problem goes like this: he gets excited about starting a project or plan, and is very motivated at the start… but after a few days, that feeling...
Ancient Philosopher Walks Into a Bar… And Meets Modern Psychology.
Research is emerging that indicates that acting virtuously does more than just buy you a ticket to heaven – it can make your stay on earth much more pleasurable. Weird, right? We associate virtue with characteristics such as ‘boring’,...