Life Changes
Healing Through Storytelling: Lessons from The Odyssey
The journey of Odysseus in Homer's 'The Odyssey' offers profound insights into healing...
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- Written by: Gavin Bailey, Manchester Metropolitan University
The conviction of radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary for swearing allegiance to Islamic State shows that those breaking the law by inviting support for a terrorist organisation can and will be prosecuted.
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- Written by: Karen Casey
Personal problems are only as big and as real as we make them. In fact, they only exist if we allow our egos to create them and then we feed them through our incessant attention. Take a look at the following suggestions for changing how you look at the “imagined problems” in your life.
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- Written by: Sophie Scott, UCL
It is 25 years since cricket commentators Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew famously got the uncontrollable giggles on live radio, while reporting on that day’s Test Match between England and the West Indies.
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- Written by: Cardiff University
Humans have evolved a disproportionately large brain as a result of sizing each other up in large cooperative social groups, propose researchers.
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- Written by: Joanna McParland, Glasgow Caledonian University
We all experience the ups and downs of life sometimes. We might be treated badly by others or miss out on something we think we deserve, like a promotion at work.
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- Written by: Terri Mellow, University of Michigan
Older African Americans and Latinos have an edge over whites when it comes to being able to quit smoking, according to a study of nearly 3,000 smokers.
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- Written by: James A. Roberts, Baylor University
How many times a day do you check your smartphone? According to a recent survey, the typical American checks once every six-and-a-half minute.
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- Written by: Heidi Gazelle, University of Melbourne
When parents observe shyness in their child, they may wonder if it is normal or cause for concern. For instance, in social situations, the child may cling to their parent, be hesitant to speak, reluctant to interact with others, and play alone when in groups more often than other children their age.
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- Written by: Ari Berkowitz, University of Oklahoma
How does the architecture of our brain and neurons allow each of us to make individual behavioral choices? Scientists have long used the metaphor of government to explain how they think nervous systems are organized for decision-making.
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- Written by: Jill Rosen, Johns Hopkins University
Scientists have for the first time watched the human brain making a purely voluntary decision to act. Unlike in brain imaging studies where researchers watch as people respond to cues or commands, Johns Hopkins researchers found a way to observe people’s brain activity as they made choices entirely on their own.
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- Written by: Luke Smillie, University of Melbourne and Nick Haslam, University of Melbourne
It is generally thought that science helps good ideas triumph over bad. The weight of evidence eventually pushes false claims aside.
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- Written by: Cara Bradley
The notion that our minds produce thoughts automatically was a breakthrough insight for me. For years, I battled to still my mind, to stop thinking. Once I embraced the perspective that my thoughts are another sense, my relationship with thinking changed.
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- Written by: Unger Baillie, University of Pennsylvania
As social species, the social networks of lizards, hyenas, and dolphins influence every pivotal aspect of their lives: finding a mate, reproducing, getting sick, or surviving.
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- Written by: InnerSelf Staff
When rats are given an anti-anxiety medication they become less empathetic and are less likely to help free companions that are trapped.
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- Written by: Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.
Funky moods obscure our experience for hours, days, weeks, or even longer. Left unattended, they shape our personalities and determine the quality of our lives. We think that we have no control over our moods but the truth is quite the contrary.
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- Written by: Francesca Gino, Harvard Business School and Maryam Kouchaki, Northwestern University
In a 1997 U.S. News and World Report survey, 1,000 Americans were asked the following question: “Who do you think is most likely to get into heaven?” According to respondents, then-president Bill Clinton had a 52 percent chance; basketball star Michael Jordan had a 65 percent chance; and Mother Teresa had a 79 percent chance.
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- Written by: Robert Lull, University of Pennsylvania and Ted Dickinson, The Ohio State University
In early May, with Donald Trump on the verge of solidifying the Republican nomination, his opponent Ted Cruz ranted to the press
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- Written by: AJ Earley
No matter what your field, or how much you love your job, you’re always going to have days that drain you. Days where you feel exhausted and stressed, days that you are happy to see come to an end. When you are finally done with work and you get home to unwind, there are some healthy ways to go about it.
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- Written by: Peter Bongiorno
How come some people love wild roller coaster rides, while others are scared of them? It all starts with your thoughts! It really is up to you in the end. If you have the mechanism to be afraid, you also have the mechanism to enjoy life and move through anxiety!
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- Written by: Joyce & Barry Vissell
If we only knew how many times we are rescued by divine intervention, we would completely trust this higher power. There would then be nothing to worry about – ever! Joyce and I had yet another powerful reminder of this truth – and divine miracle – last week.
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- Written by: Jeremy Howick, University of Oxford
We feel good when we do a good deed, so there must be a psychological benefit to helping others? But how can we know for sure? The best way to study the health benefits of kind deeds is to look at studies of volunteering.
