• Psychology

    What Happens When We Lie?

    When we lie, we experience cognitive dissonance, which is the mental stress we suffer when we hold two or more conflicting thoughts. These internal conflicts occur when we are having a difficult time making any type of a decision, including whether to lie or not. Because our mind and body are connected, our lying impacts us physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Consider the brain. Lying takes a toll on the brain in three ways. First, lying activates the prefrontal lobe where executive decisions are made. The blood flow to this area increases, an indication that the brain is working harder. Second, the lie then activates the limbic system where the majority…

  • Psychology

    Brain Plasticity

    For centuries, most scientists agreed that the brain was hard-wired. This means that the brain was structurally and functionally fixed not long after the first year of development in childhood. In other words, it was believed that the development of the brain’s wiring at that point in time was permanent. This concept dictated that no change could be brought about in older brains throughout life. In the last one hundred fifty years, this belief was reinforced through erroneous conclusions that were primarily drawn from studies done involving the eyes. It has been known for some time now that the brain’s processes that set up binocular (two-eye) vision are, for essential…

  • Psychology

    Anger

    Neither good nor bad is the emotion of anger. What you decide to do with anger determines the value of its use. Anger can be a primary or secondary emotion. The primary emotion of anger can be the result of a major threat; such as being chased by a bear. Naturally, the fight-flight-freeze response occurs. In that case, most likely, the fight reaction would be accompanied by anger. Anger as a secondary emotion, whether recognized or not, a different emotion was experienced prior to the anger. Perhaps you were attacked verbally by a co-worker. First, you were hurt emotionally, frustrated, disappointed or shamed. Secondly, you became angry as a result.…

  • Lifestyle

    Willingness

    Willingness is the key to so much in life. Pause and think about it. When was the last time you were willing to try a type of cuisine new to you? An unexplored genre of music or a historical novel? These actions require little effort compared to life’s more complex challenges. Yet even these small steps might just magnify your enjoyment of the small pleasures in life. When it comes to the more complex challenges in life, willingness can be much harder to grant. And yet these larger issues that are not being addressed can determine whether you deem your life successful or not. Facing serious issues such as poor…

  • Jung,  Psychology

    Introverts and Extroverts

    “Today introversion and extroversion are two of the most exhaustively researched subjects in personality psychology,” says Susan Cain in her best-selling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. To know why you are so quiet and not berate yourself because you are not as bubbly and naturally confident as your sister, brother, or coworker is a starting point of great health and relief for many. To know why you speak too quickly and tend to often offend others is equally valuable. These are the basics of knowledge gained when you know where you stand on the introversion-extroversion scale and the temperament mix categories. In…

  • Psychology

    Four Basic Temperaments

    Beyond these personality types of an introvert, extrovert, and ambivert lie the four basic temperaments as observed by the Greek physician Hippocrates (460–370 BCE), often called the father of medicine. Through acute observation, Hippocrates noted temperamental differences in individuals and came up with a theory to explain these differences. He determined there were four basic temperaments and named them choleric, sanguine, melancholy, and phlegmatic. Biochemically based, his theory involved the body “humors” he believed influenced the differences. These humors were blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Today, instead of humor, we think in terms of hormones or other biochemical substances that affect human behaviors. The complete content of Hippocrates’…

  • Journaling

    Journaling

    Journaling dates back to antiquity. Perhaps the oldest form of journaling is the letter. Scholars believe that the practice of letter writing began with ambassadors who sent letters from a foreign kingdom back to their native land describing their experiences and observations and the other information they gathered. There is no right or wrong way to journal. Forget about grammar, punctuation, and complete sentences. Write what you want and say it how you want. What you choose for your journaling is personal too. You may choose a beautifully bound book, a spiral notebook, your laptop, or your iPad—whatever works for you. Of course, for journaling to be the most effective,…

  • Healing,  Meditation,  Psychology,  Relaxation,  stress,  Visualization

    Guided Visualization

    Once you have achieved a relaxed state through the deep breathing exercise, guided visualization (also referred to as guided imagery) can further deepen your level of calm. This technique and therapeutic tool brings the use of your imagination to the forefront. Over many decades of studies, the efficacy of this technique has been research-based and confirmed to be effective in improving well-being and health and further reducing the stress you combat. Cofounders for the Academy of Guided Imagery, David Bresler and Martin Rossman, have defined guided imagery as a “range of techniques from simple visualization and direct imagery-based suggestion through metaphor and storytelling.” They observe that guided imagery has existed…