Psychology & Living

MLK Day: The Wisdom of Thomas Sowell

One of the most distinguished intellectuals of his generation, Thomas Sowell’s classical-liberal worldview continues to challenge, inspire, and empower research across the social sciences.

In Defense of Pleasure

In Defense of Pleasure

I read an interesting quote the other day, on a church front, which went something like this: "Those who actually seek out 'pleasure' rarely find it." This is a very appropriate slogan for an organization with a religious point of view. Religion, by its nature,...

Assisted Suicide: A Moral Right

Assisted Suicide: A Moral Right

Conservatives crave to inject religion into the bloodstream of American law, thereby assisting in our own national suicide. However, they cannot succeed without the Supreme Court’s consent. Sooner or later, the Court must confront the main issue, and decide whether an individual’s right to life includes the right to commit suicide.

Dealing with Rumors

Dealing with Rumors

Q: How should one deal with rumors (especially false ones) about oneself? Should one spend her time chasing them down and trying to explain their false nature, or ignore them? Is there some other alternative? A: The first task is psychological: treat the rumors for...

The Michael Jackson Trial

The Michael Jackson Trial

The good thing about the Michael Jackson trial is that it's currently the top headline news. Better this than another 9/11, a school shooting or thousands of soldiers killed in Iraq at one time. The bad thing about the Michael Jackson trial is that it's a sideshow....

Meditations on Meditation

Meditations on Meditation

Q: What can meditation do for me? A: People who meditate are generally trying to reduce stress. Reducing stress is fine. However, there's nothing mystical about meditation that can help you. Letting your mind stop can be useful, but it also can be an indication that...

It Takes One to Know One–Or Does It?

It Takes One to Know One–Or Does It?

Q: What do you think of the old saying, "It takes one to know one"? A: It's a package deal. By package deal I mean the lumping of a true concept with a false one. The evil of a package deal is that the truthful part of the statement motivates one to accept the full...

Self-Interest Trumps Niceness

Self-Interest Trumps Niceness

Q: What's more important, being nice or being self-interested? A: It's good to be nice. Being nice is more often in one's self-interest than not. For example: Are you more willing to spend your money at a business who treats its customers nicely or who treats its...

Olympic Gold All Around Gymnast Paul Hamm: Only Human

Olympic Gold All Around Gymnast Paul Hamm: Only Human

After three out of six rotations in the Men's All-around Olympic Gymnastics, American gymnast Paul Hamm was ranked first place in the standings. His next event was the vault. Hamm's vault was to be a Tsukahara--named after Japanese gymnast Mitsuo Tsukahara. It was...

“What Should I Do?”

“What Should I Do?”

When stuck with the question, "What should I do?" don't stay stuck. Don't fall prey to the temptation to blindly asking someone else what you should do. Instead, ask yourself -- and answer -- the following questions: What are my options in this situation? (If there is...

The Error of the Self-Esteem Movement

The Error of the Self-Esteem Movement

In recent decades, the field of psychology made a mistake. That mistake was treating self-esteem as the root of mental health. The root of mental health is actually personal responsibility. Personal responsibility refers to a core conviction that you are in the...

How to Choose a Career

How to Choose a Career

The basic rule to follow in a process of identification is to choose the career in which you will spend the most time doing the activity you love to do the most.

Forgiveness and Mental Health

Forgiveness and Mental Health

A reader writes in, taking issue with Dr. Hurd's contention that forgiving the unforgivable (e.g. snipers, drunk driving) is neither noble nor healthy: Forgiving someone who committed a crime against you after they have served their sentence and you have had time to...

The Psychology of Sexual Arousal

The Psychology of Sexual Arousal

Q: Why do men seem to enjoy viewing women naked (e.g., in photos, real life, etc.) much more than women seem to enjoy looking at naked men? It seems men are much more "turned on" romantically/sexually by the visual aspects of the opposite sex, than the other way...

Roasting Walter Williams

Roasting Walter Williams

At George Mason University, they are giving a “roast” — that peculiarly American combination of praise and ridicule — to Walter Williams, professor of economics and columnist extraordinaire. Although I cannot be there, let me participate vicariously with a few observations about Walter.

Overwhelmed By Lack of Confidence

Overwhelmed By Lack of Confidence

Q: I know people who do more than I do yet don't seem to get overwhelmed. I feel overwhelmed most of the time, yet I do less than these people. What's my problem? A: It's not how much you do; it's how you view what you do that determines your overall emotional state...

Trying to Please Everyone

Trying to Please Everyone

Q: How can I overcome the problem of wanting everybody to like me? A: Imagine for a moment that you were liked by everyone. This would most certainly mean that you're doing something wrong. Why? Because it would be impossible to please everyone. People, first of all,...

The Lure of Baseball

The Lure of Baseball

In a world of life-and-death conflicts, spectator sports give us a “time-out”–an opportunity to relax and celebrate human skill, dedication, and success in a spirit of simple joy.

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