Category Archives: Psychology
Inside your head
The movie “The Secret” is entirely fake
I recently saw the movie The Secret, a pseudo-documentary that explains The Law of Attraction. There are things in this movie that need a rebuttal and I haven't found one elsewhere - so here's mine.
The arguments and explanations put forward in The Secret are generally unscientific, mystical, nonsensical or just plain wrong.
But first, what is … Continue Reading ››
Get lucky at work – be positive
My driving force in business has always been enthusiasm. I'm easily amazed and get curious and fired up about many different things. In fact, I refuse to work on anything that does not grab me in that way.
I remember one meeting I had with a woman who was... let's … Continue Reading ›› Easter links
Easter's here and I'll be taking the rest of the week off (I need a vacation after my last vacation :o). Meanwhile, here are some cool links:
Depressed monkeys. Yep, macaques can get the blues too. Research in this can increase our understanding of depression and open new possibilities … Continue Reading ››
Depressed monkeys. Yep, macaques can get the blues too. Research in this can increase our understanding of depression and open new possibilities … Continue Reading ›› The proven path to happiness
Positive psychology can make you happier and this article by Martin Seligman et al proves it (pdf). With diagrams! The paper studies a number of very simple actions (eg. writing down three positive things each day) and shows that they work very well.
Martin Seligman is the author of the excellent book Learned Optimism … Continue Reading ››
Happy links
What do you have to do to find happiness. A great, comprehensive article on the science of being happy.
Wire up the right area of the brain, press a button, and hey presto - you're happy. Is that as real as "real" happiness?
Can technology cure fear? And should it, even if it could?
Goal-free living
At the WorldBlu forum I had the pleasure of talking to Stephen Shapiro who just finished writing a book on goal-free living which is coming out in january 2006.
As soon as Stephen mentioned "goal-free living" a flash-bulb went of in my mind, and I knew what he meant. I also knew … Continue Reading ››
As soon as Stephen mentioned "goal-free living" a flash-bulb went of in my mind, and I knew what he meant. I also knew … Continue Reading ››
Procrastination
Sometimes "you really should do X" but you don't. Here's some excellent advice from AmbivaBlog for all of us procrastinators:
According to "archetypal psychologist" James Hillman, who at some point dissolved my own suicidal feelings of frustration and failure into laughter, procrastination is a "disease" only from the point of view of the heroic … Continue Reading ››
Why do we play at war
Bernie DeKovens Funlog is my favourite source of play ideas (such as no-ball football or junk games). Occasionally even he gets serious, for instance when answering this question:
Why do people enjoy meeting in cyberspace to engage in simulated warfare, with games like Halo and War Craft? Why do people want to spend their … Continue Reading ››
Spot the fake
Can you tell a real smile from a fake one? I got 13 out of 20, which is barely better than just guessing.