Will Baum, LCSW

Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg weighs in on Bloggingheads:

For couples going through a rough patch, here’s a short video sampling of Getting the Love You Want author Harville Hendrix’s take on what draws people to each other and how to make a relationship work (short version: “be nice”).  Lots more detail in the book.

The NYT Magazine asks, Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?

It’s different from ordinary physical fatigue — you’re not consciously aware of being tired — but you’re low on mental energy. The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts…

Echoing this TED talk from Barry Schwartz:

Speaking of empathy…

Elizabeth Lesser talks at TED:

A client’s recommendation:  Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Tower TEDs about her stroke.

In Praise of Slowness author, Carl Honore, at TED way back in 2005:

It Gets Better, a Dan Savage-led response to the recent suicide of a bullied gay teen.

Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids…I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

But gay adults aren’t allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don’t bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.

So here’s what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.

I’ve launched a channel on YouTube—www ­.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one.

Here it is:

PsychCentral: Music Prescription for Depression

Researchers are investigating how the emotionally soothing effect of music can augment the treatment of depression and the management of physical pain…This could make it possible, within a few years, to develop computer programs which identify pieces of music that will influence a individual’s mood (e.g. to motivate them when exercising or when studying for exams), meet their emotional needs and help them cope better with physical pain.

PsychCentral:  Laughter Is Key for Social Dynamics

Researchers are finding that laughter can play key roles in group communication and group dynamics, even when there’s nothing funny to laugh at.  The finding comes from new research that examined the role of laughter in jury deliberations during a capital murder case.

Also: Laughter Yoga, Serious Benefits (NYT)

And: