Babies benefit from routine sleep and feeding schedules—and so do their parents. As adults, our habits become inextricably linked with the needs of our kids. Babies need good sleep schedules because repetition and predictability help them feel safe and secure. And we need good sleep schedules to function properly and support our immune systems (a necessity that’s […]
Love in the Time of COVID-19
Romance can lose its sense of excitement over time. But what happens when even your arguments fall into a rut? As our professional and social lives continue to suffer from the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, our home lives have become more complicated. Our romantic partners provide shelter from the world, but they can also […]
How to Dig Deep
We get it. It’s easy to procrastinate, especially when it comes to plans for self-improvement. But former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink has a piece of advice for people who are trying to improve themselves: lifestyle changes work best when they’re implemented as quickly as possible. You don’t need to wait for an opportune moment to commit […]
Silence Your Inner Critic
Emotions are like weather systems in that you can’t control them. You can only experience them. That lack of control doesn’t make you inadequate; it just means you’re human. Tara Brach, a clinical psychologist who writes from a Buddhist perspective, says the key to happiness to simply embrace your most difficult emotions, including worry, fear, […]
Can Dogs Read Minds?
Have you ever sensed that your dog can read your mood? It’s not an illusion—science suggests that your pet can tune in to your emotional wavelength. One reason that dogs have survived so long as a species is because they evolved to understand humans. Think about it: humans depend on the ability to read one […]
Is Your Service Up to Snuff?
Disney has made headlines recently with its plans to reopen parts of its flagship theme park in Orlando, Florida in just a few weeks. (The Shanghai location opened on June 16, and the California location may follow suit later this summer.) A Disney vacation may look different for the foreseeable future, but the company has […]
Know When the Price Is Right
After a drastic drop in March and April, consumer confidence has been shaky around the globe—slightly up in the US, and down in China. Amidst so much upheaval, it’s reassuring to know that some things haven’t changed, including the principles that govern consumers’ choices. In Dollars and Sense, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores how consumers calculate the value […]
Love Takes Practice
Falling in love is easy. But loving someone for a lifetime—well, that’s an art. In the 1950s, psychoanalyst Erich Fromm shook up the fields of psychology and philosophy with the simple (but revolutionary) idea that loving is a skill, not a state of mind. Before Fromm, people had always thought of love as a phenomenon […]
Let a Stranger Fix Your Life
Professional networking norms have been different in 2020. (Obviously!) Around the world, in-person conferences have been cancelled or postponed, which has eliminated many of the pathways by which people find the mentors who guide them to the next phase in their personal and career development. Fortunately, you don’t have to be well-connected to find a first-class mentor. Self-help guru […]
These 7 Habits for Success Start Early
Good habits start early. But teens have a lot going on in their lives—and that’s not even counting the new challenges we all face in the era of COVID-19. Between trying to please their parents, fitting in with friends, and struggling to succeed in school, it’s all too easy for teens to feel overwhelmed. Wouldn’t it […]
