Psychology
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A coherent me
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1 min read
When we are stuck and predictable, we stop beating the heart to our own drum. Instead of chasing our dreams, we ride on the coattails of others. We become a cog that seeks to please rather than to push. How we align our attention — to mimetic desire or to the clusters of individual freedom — is…
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Airing out the ego
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1 min read
Never at rest in yesterday’s form. We are always chasing something unique, railing against the establishment. Chances are we’ve already forgotten the information we learned yesterday. With half-closed eyes, we bustle through life forging connections between experiences. But then one day, it all slows down. It’s not about us anymore but other people: our kids,…
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De-essentalizing the response
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1 min read
We’re never safe from the torch of fear and anxiety. The only thing we can control is our reaction to the current circumstances. Wrote the poet John Milton in the seventeenth century: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” When we reach the…
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The link between boredom and creativity
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1 min read
Boredom drives creativity for no other reason than that your mind needs something to latch onto in idle times. When you’re bored, anything goes. Ambiguity and hyperbole are the names of the game. Your mind loves stretching the imagination and embracing irreality. Daydreaming is a thinking activity too Sometimes people are too corrupted by everydayness.…
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Tips for boosting your memory and brain power
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2 min read
If you’re looking to boost your memory and brain power, this video contains some excellent tips and reminders. In summary: Exercise. Physical exercise helps form new brain cells and solidifies existing neurons. It also increases the hippocampus brain area which is responsible for memory and learning. Never stop learning. Learning something new builds new brain cells. In…
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The philosophical zombie
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1 min read
People generally see and believe only what’s in front of them, disconnected from the magic of their consciousness. Reality is separated from the chorus of chemical reactions inside our heads. The prevailing theory ushered in by philosopher David Chalmers is that our conscious experience is considered the “hard problem,” a process so superior and mysterious…
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Medicating off the placebo
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1 min read
If you want to instantly feel better, step into a hospital. The placebo works every time. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Hospitals can make the healthy feel a bit ill. Does anyone like hanging out in hospitals? Placebo is a mere expectation. It helps only because we think it helps. But that psychological boon could…
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Confronting the worst-case scenario saps it of much of its anxiety-inducing power. Happiness reached via positive thinking can be fleeting and brittle; negative visualisation generates a vastly more dependable calm. OLIVER BURKEMAN, THE ANTIDOTE: HAPPINESS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T STAND POSITIVE THINKING
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Admitting that you’re lost
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1 min read
Whether you’re stuck in a labyrinth or looping around the same racetrack, admitting you’re frustrated and lost is at least a starting point. The hard part is developing a plan to do something about it. If you want to go pro in any profession, you’re going to have to practice your beliefs and take calculated…
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Confronting reality 👀
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2 min read
Goal setting is like game setting. You start at level 1 and graduate into unforeseen directions. If you’re lucky, you’ll ping-pong forward, making leaps and bounds. But more often than not, declaring your ambitions acts as a compass, guiding you with mere suggestions on how to proceed. Like a magnet, the lighthouse tugs you into its…