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A Declaration of Joy
People have asked me, "What is the point of living on the razor's edge? Is it for excitement? Inspiration? Enlightenment? Or even for learning to partner with Spirit--which is what you often seem to...
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“My school won’t stop the bullying”
“I have reported the bullying to my principal, but nothing has happened. It’s still going on. What can I do?” I often get questions like this from parents and teachers who want to help their students....
View ArticleWhat A Monkey Can Teach Us About Social Trust
When political scientists talk about the importance of trust, they often reach for the literary stars. They pull out the big metaphors. They add some purple to their prose. Researcher Eric Uslaner once...
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Will Cheap Genetic Tests Bankrupt Us?
The first time scientists sequenced a person’s entire genome, it took more than a decade and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Currently, such sequencing takes less than twenty-four hours and costs...
View ArticleHow to get into a productive state of mind?
"How do you mentally prepare to go back to work?" a friend asked me early this morning.Today I return to Rutgers University in Newark after my sabbatical. I will step into the classroom and meet my new...
View Article"Helicopter Parenting" Hysteria
Helicopter parents of college-age children are the folks we love to hate. A steady stream of articles and blog posts bristle with indignation over dads who phone the dean about a trivial problem or...
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9 Tips for Making Your Relationship a Priority
One of the common complaints I hear from couples is that one of the partners feels that she is not important, or that the relationship itself is not important – it’s pushed aside by work or kids or...
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I Am Afraid to Say No
Why is it hard to say no? To refuse to do a favor, decline an offer, stay home instead of go out? Saying no can feel like a huge risk. You might worry that your rebuff could elicit rejection,...
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Is Verbal Praise Enough Reward for Dog Obedience Training?
I recently found myself watching an "old-style" dog trainer working with a beginner's dog obedience class. I use the phrase "old-style" because this instructor's recommended training techniques that...
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Healing for Daughters of Narcisssistic Mothers
As a therapist, many clients with all types of problems touch my life. But the ones who really touch my heart are those adult daughters of narcissistic mothers.When I see an adult woman seek treatment...
View ArticleRace Riots: Towards a Psychology of Identity and Race
Pop! Pop! Pop!From our hedged-in backyard, we could hear gunshots from Cedarbrook Park, which was a quarter of a mile away. The Plainfield riots had started only five days before. We were down the...
View ArticleWhy the Celebrity Photo Breach Is Creepier Than You Think
Despite assurances from Apple that their iCloud service has not been breached, malefactor(s) have managed to grab some very racy pictures of A-list female celebrities (and at least one unfortunate...
View ArticleThe New Books to Read This Fall
My favorite part of being an author is writing. A close second is finding new books in my mailbox. This fall, there’s an unusually exciting crop of big idea and business books about human behavior,...
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What's the Point of a College Education?
A record 21 million young Americans have just gone off to college. In recent years, college education has become a rite of passage, an initiation into what psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett (2000)...
View ArticleWhat Will Your Verse Be?
I remember with fondness Robin Williams. He made me laugh and he made me cry. I was fortunate to see him perform in person years ago – he was brilliant!The country mourned the loss of this great actor...
View ArticleExpressing Your Wants vs. Making Demands
This questions arrived in my mail and I thought it was a good enough one to address here: "I have heard you say “Asking for what you want increases your chances of getting it”. I like getting your...
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Helper's High: The Benefits (and Risks) of Altruism
Altruism is most commonly thought of as a selfless act that benefits the recipient. However, the science behind good deeds suggests that altruism isn't entirely selfless. In fact, some research...
View ArticleI Want What She's Having
More and more of us are meeting our partners online. A 2011 worldwide study of 25,000 married or cohabitating people found that 15% of all relationships started online. In the group who were 60...
View ArticleFailure as the Single Best Marker of Human Success
It has been said many times that failure is a predictor of success. This is, without questions, one of life's great ironies. And it has deep roots into the evolution of life. And it is, without...
View ArticleA Genetic Mutation that Can Affect Mental & Physical Health
What is MTHFR?You many not have heard of MTHFR yet, but it is the acronym for a gene (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) that produces an essential enzyme. The acronym for the enzyme is also MTHFR....
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