Blog

  • Your Doctored Autobiography

    From Why All Indiscretions Appear Youthful (NYT): In recent years psychologists have exposed the many ways that people subconsciously maintain and massage their moral self-image. They rate themselves as morally superior to the next person; overestimate the likelihood that they will act virtuously in the future; see their own good intentions as praiseworthy while dismissing others’ as…

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  • Shoulding

    CBTer Judith Beck uses a client vignette to look at guilt and the “shoulds.” John holds certain values quite dear and believes he is violating those values when he doesn’t quite live up to them. He is plagued with the shoulds: I SHOULD work harder; I SHOULD be a better husband/father/son/sister/community member. Every time John…

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  • Neighborhood Depression

    A unsurprising study says that where you live affects your mood. “One of the things we tried to assess was essentially community support — to what extent people in that neighborhood turned to others for child care, other forms of assistance — and whether they socialize and know each other. And it’s clear that in…

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  • Socializing Time

    Want to be more social?  Think about time, a study says. Does thinking about time or money make you happier? A new study…finds that people who are made to think about time plan to spend more of their time with the people in their lives while people who think about money fill their schedules with…

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  • Personality Delays Depression Treatment

    False negatives in assessing depression occur with the outgoing and bubbly, a study says. “When a person who has enjoyed socializing and whose mood normally is positive becomes depressed, friends and family often don’t recognize it. Depression is inconsistent with the expectations that people have…”

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