Category Archives: Thinking and the Brain

Sadness:
“I’m overcome with sadness about this divorce.”

Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 by Alison

Emotions of sadness and grief often expose the depth of a person’s feelings of loss, love, or longing. Cutting off those feelings may result in losing connection to the heart. If there is no time for grieving, the feeling of … Continue reading →

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Dependent Young Adults:
“We’ve given you every advantage! Don’t you want to do something with your life?”

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2012 by Alison

Many of today’s teenagers and young adults are smart and knowledgeable, but lack direction and self-sufficiency. Moreover, young adults who live at home often feel resentment toward their parents for enabling their dependence. With ambivalence, they readily take advantage of … Continue reading →

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Stress: “I’m so stressed out. I don’t know if I can handle a promotion.”

Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 by Alison

The purpose of stress: The human stress response evolved as a response to emergencies when fight or flight was necessary for survival. When physical survival is your goal, stress is very helpful. Stress hormones rev up the heart rate and … Continue reading →

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Minimizing:
“He didn’t mean to hurt me. He just pushed me a little too hard.”

Posted on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by Alison

While some people tend to catastrophize, others inappropriately minimize significant actions making them seem unimportant. They refuse to see negative or desirable qualities in their partners or in themselves in order to protect their attachment to their partner, no matter … Continue reading →

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“I need to eliminate all stress from my life.”

Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 by Alison

Is it healthier to have stress or no stress in your life? It depends. As you would expect, longevity and well-being tend to be greater for those with less stress in their lives rather than more stress but no control … Continue reading →

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Overgeneralization:
“You never show appreciation.”

Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 by Alison

Seeing patterns and generalizing from them is a crucial human skill. Scientists, business owners, and most capable people develop the ability to spot patterns in human behavior. Yet, sometimes we make sweeping generalizations that exaggerate or oversimplify reality. Taking one … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Thinking and the Brain | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

“Live in the now, not in the future!”

Posted on Thursday, December 8, 2011 by Alison

Research studies show that individuals’ time orientation influences their “quality and satisfaction of life, relationships, school and work performances, and a variety of other future outcomes.”* Most individuals are dominated by a particular time preference. Their focus on the past, … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Personality Traits, Thinking and the Brain | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Impulsivity:
“I knew the negative consequences, but couldn’t resist.”

Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 by Alison

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment was a momentous study on the significance of the ability to delay gratification.* A preschool child would be seated at a table in front of a marshmallow, and was given the choice to eat the marshmallow … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Personality Traits, Thinking and the Brain | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments