The word “slut” isn’t necessarily offensive. It’s a term that should be reclaimed by anyone who enjoys sex because it’s pleasurable, according to the authors of The Ethical Slut. Traditional ideas about marriage date back to the agrarian era, when large families were necessary for survival. These same values are often seen today, even though there are […]
Avoid Dating Mistakes
In dating, you need to set boundaries. If a relationship isn’t a win-win for both people, it’s never worth pursuing. The first rule is to never sell yourself short. Giving up things that are important to you—the things that make you who you are—just looks unattractive and undignified. So don’t do it. Another rule of […]
Does Group Therapy Work?
Christie Tate just wanted to cease existing. She had no good reasons for it, and didn’t know whether she wanted to act on the thoughts or not. On the advice of a friend, she joined a therapy group—and the experience changed her life. Tate found a therapist, Dr. Jonathan Rosen. He pushed her to be […]
How to Be Cool
Step One: You have to put in the effort. Matthew McConaughey had to work hard at being cool. To get people’s attention in Hollywood, he couldn’t just let a fancy red sports car do the work. He had to be fun and engaging. Before McConaughey was an actor, he was in film school. But he realized […]
Why Beliefs Are Resistant to Change
Most of us regard our beliefs as rational. More often, though, moral reasoning is more like a politician than a scientist: it seeks justification and support, not the truth. This bias means that we’re heavily inclined to assume that our beliefs are correct—even when presented with evidence that proves otherwise. Psychologists call this phenomenon confirmation […]
Do You Know Your Next Five Moves?
In chess, there are two kinds of players: those who see the next move, and those who see many moves ahead. Business operates according to the same principle. People who only plan for tomorrow are short-sighted. You must always have your next five moves in mind. Why five moves (and not six, or ten)? Because […]
Are We Coddling Our Kids?
On average, today’s college freshmen have met fewer developmental goals than previous generations. Kids in most countries are safer today than they were at any other point in history. Yet for a variety of reasons, American parents seem to believe that children should never be without adult supervision. By shielding kids from every risk they […]
Blueprint for a Better Life
While Siri (and Google, and Alexa) can instantly answer almost any question, they don’t know anything about our emotional lives. We all ask each other “How are you?” seemingly countless times a day. It’s become such a reflex that we rarely notice when we say it, and almost never give an accurate answer. We don’t expect, […]
Why Are There So Many Conspiracy Theories?
History tells us that deadly epidemics tend to bring about the spread of misinformation. The current pandemic has fueled many conspiracy theories regarding the nature of COVID-19 and its spread. Misinformation networks have been accelerated and extended by modern technology. That includes social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Bad information about the supposed cures […]
Were Your Parents Emotionally Immature?
When you were a kid, were your parents impulsive, insecure, or narcissistic? These personality problems can have an outsized impact on kids, who are programmed to look to their parents for security and care. There are four types of emotionally immature parents: emotional, driven, passive, and rejecting. Emotional parents are easily upset and expect others […]
