Can Future Perpetrators of Mass Killings be Identified?
In the aftermath of the mass shootings that have taken place all too frequently in public places (schools, malls, etc.), discussion is taking place in this country about whether such events can be...
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Perseverance
Late Saturday afternoon, I set out to run 20 miles.I’d love to say it was a beautiful run, filled with energy and good thoughts, but in reality it was terrible. After mile one I was in pain. After mile...
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A Towering Babel: Conceptualizing Models of Obesity
Most of us are familiar with the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel from Genesis (11: 1-9): the whole world had one language and a common speech and all the people began to build a city and a tower...
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Lunacy by the Full Moon-acy: Is it Real?
When I was in elementary school, my teacher told my class that the full moon makes people crazy.She said it was caused by the gravitational tug of the moon on the Earth—the same forces that cause high...
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Is Money the Secret to Happiness
When I was a tween, I loved playing a board game called Careers, in which players had to choose a target goal based on set amounts of money, fame, or happiness. Implicit in this choice is the idea...
View ArticleWhat Do I Expect?
I expect the best. I expect that things should be good for me. I expect that I should get what I deserve. I expect that everything should work out perfectly. I expect that my kids will do well in...
View Article10 Tips to Help Avoid Ugly Arguments
Every couple argues. Some of them do it overtly by yelling at each other while others do it covertly by avoiding contact and conversation. Whatever the method, the result is the same - hurt feelings...
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Disease Mongering in a Top Psychiatry Journal
“The drug companies learned a while back that the best way to sell drugs was to sell diagnoses… selling the diagnosis is a way of opening up the new market. New diagnoses are as dangerous as new drugs,...
View ArticleNever Again!
I use the term portkey, which I borrowed from Harry Potter, to capture the profound impact of emotional trauma on our experience of time. Harry was a severely traumatized little boy, nearly killed by...
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Meditation: The Ultimate Mental Detox
If you’ve invested anytime studying health and nutrition, you’ve most likely heard of detoxing. People swear by the health benefits associated with fasting, juice cleanses, colonics, and more. The...
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Is Your Relationship Stuck in a Rut?
What does it mean for your relationship when you find yourself stuck in a rut? A group of researchers decided to answer this question by examining how being bored now affects relationship satisfaction...
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Is Misogyny Maladaptive?
Part of my friend’s question that I didn’t answer last time was about misogyny, which he hopefully speculated is now maladaptive. I deferred this because from an evolutionary viewpoint it is in a...
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How To Get Over Your Sugar Addiction
Are you a lifelong sweet tooth (AKA sugar addict)? Can’t finish a meal without something sweet to top it off? Stomach have a “reserve tank” purely for sweets? Me too. I could be completely full after a...
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When Guilt is Good... and When It's Misplaced
Guilt plays an important role for people. If you steal or purposely harm someone, you will, hopefully and rightfully, experience guilt. As a therapist, it is not my job to help people rid themselves of...
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Hard Work Grows the Mind
Today, I have been reflecting on a basic principle of psychological life: hard work grows the mind. We become stronger mentally and emotionally when we are challenged to reach beyond our...
View ArticleA Child's Escape from Chaos
This reflection is based on a true experience, and I surmise it is not the story of just one.The summer day arrived where the child entered this world. The mother laid hemorrhaging, barely conscious,...
View ArticleFreeing the Retirees
In two recent posts I have discussed ideas for freeing the doctor and freeing the employee from the traps of our current healthcare system. In this post I turn to freeing the retirees. For more...
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Feeling Rich on Payday
When did your last paycheck arrive? If people are able to smooth their consumption over time (draw a little from savings or put a little bit on the credit card when times are tough), the timing and...
View ArticleEntering a Marriage with Misgivings: Three Remarkable Weddings.
The patients described below have been disguised.It has often been said that love is a necessary, but not sufficient, reason to get married. However, it is not necessary, and it is certainly not...
View ArticleBruce Springsteen and the Politics of Meaning in America
Others have the complicated ways that Springsteen weaves together the personal and the political and how this interweaving has developed over time. I’ll mention some of these themes but won’t spend a...
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