Like hatred, trust can be contagious… What if negative ideas around human nature are actually a form of pluralistic ignorance? Could our fear that most people are out to maximise their own gain be borne of the assumption that that’s what other’s think? And then we adopt a more cynical view, when, deep down mostContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Trust begins when someone dares to go against the flow”
Tag Archives: psychology
Comforting thought: Liking something is all about anticipation and memory
It turns out we like things when we have the opportunity to pine for them in anticipation and also to think about them fondly as a memory. ‘Liking’ something happens on a continuum of past, present and future according to the fascinating book about tastes, You May Also Like by Tom Vanderbilt. Even as youContinue reading “Comforting thought: Liking something is all about anticipation and memory”
Comforting Thought: Humans are hardwired to be attracted to imperfection
Humans instinctively understand the organic imperfections of the human face, however we experience a ‘visual shock’ when we see severe disfigurement. Taken from the fascinating book ‘You May Also Like’ by Tom Vanderbilt. There is one brain response that never falters – severe disfigurement. And so Bacon’s ‘Visual Shock’ as he calls it seems toContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Humans are hardwired to be attracted to imperfection”
Book Review: The Flip: Who You Really Are and Why it Matters by Jeffrey Kripal
Publisher: Penguin Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Parapsychology, Spirituality, Science, Epistemiology Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Prepare to have your mind blown a few times in a delightful way by this book. It’s really refreshing to read something science-y that is not afraid to delve into the ‘Twilight Zone’ so to speak. It’s difficult to put this book into theContinue reading “Book Review: The Flip: Who You Really Are and Why it Matters by Jeffrey Kripal”
Comforting thought: Museums are ways of seeing
According to the fascinating book about preferences and tastes, ‘You May Also Like’ by Tom Vanderbilt, museums help us see the odd and remarkable in everyday objects. They also give us cues about the boundaries of art. “The fact that art is not something we see everyday is what makes it extraordinary. This is whyContinue reading “Comforting thought: Museums are ways of seeing”
Interesting Thought: We like things according to a U-shaped curve
One leading theory by Daniel Berlyne is that our liking of things such as music follows an inverted U shaped graph, based on the factor of complexity. We prefer and like things less the more simple or complex they are. The sweet spot for most people is somewhere in the middle. You May Also LikeContinue reading “Interesting Thought: We like things according to a U-shaped curve”
Book Review: The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Dr Elaine Aron
Publisher: Penguin Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Spirituality. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This is the quintessential book about the trait of high sensitivity in people’s personalities. Beautifully written, engaging and informative, it has become a classic of psychology since it was first published in 1996. In case you are unaware of how this personality trait looks, here is aContinue reading “Book Review: The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Dr Elaine Aron”
Book Review: The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Publisher: Penguin Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology Rating: 🌟🌟🌟 This is a comprehensive guide to trauma. Unlike other guides, it places emphasis on the physical body and how past buried traumas are inextricably connected to the body, or in other words: ‘The Body Keeps the Score’. Although this book is more of a clinical guide for psychologists,Continue reading “Book Review: The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk”
Comforting Thought: I am what I look at
“In essence, one becomes what one participates in. In other words, I am what I look at.”― Olga Tokarczuk, Flights
Comforting Thought: We all have four limbs and a shared history
“Just as all humans are the same and each human differs. All species are the same and each species differs, and within that, each creature too, is an individual. It is a matter of mystery and delight compounded that so many species can bring that buondary between us, so that the hawk looks for theContinue reading “Comforting Thought: We all have four limbs and a shared history”
Content Catnip 