The haves vs. the have-nots. The majority vs. the minority. Good vs. evil. It seems like everything in life is turned into a conflict between two forces where one has to win and the other has to lose. Unfortunately, this taps into deep human psychology regarding everything from our fight-or-flight response to our tendency toward tribalism to feel...
Read MoreI wrote in my previous post about how people focus more on screaming for others to change than thinking about things that they can do. There’s no doubt that most people care about issues—even though many are either pretending or grossly exaggerating their concern (The Office poked fun at this well when Ryan falsely professed his deep love for...
Read MoreWe live in an interesting time. For billions of years, life evolved by searching endlessly for resources, using those resources to grow and reproduce, and then dying. And, at its core, that’s what humans still do today. But the past few centuries have seen great advances in humans’ ability to require less effort to survive and to reduce the risk...
Read MoreBlaming others is the fastest, easiest way to avoid responsibility. We all know what it is like for someone to wrong us and for that person to be the reason why we are having a problem. And, if possible, we can try to respond, retaliate, or hold the person accountable. But, there's another side to this, which is what you do afterwards and whether...
Read MoreIt is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom that the 24-hour news cycle perpetuates. In addition, there is always the reality as any individual ages that death is the end of the line and can come at any time. So, of course that combination can cause many people to become pessimistic and believe that life is sad and painful. But, as pointed...
Read MoreReligion is a difficult subject because of how it is tied to deeply held beliefs of the individual. Additionally, most people who analyze it are either making a case one way or another or are providing some sort of critique. (Note: I found this out the hard way for when I wrote that God was a great source of belief when someone doesn’t believe in...
Read More“Honesty is the best policy.” “Always tell the truth; that way, there’s less to remember.” Everyone spouts the benefits and importance of honesty. But is it really ethical to be open and honest all the time? No, no it’s not. Let me explain. There are two factors at play in this: ethics and emotions. Ethics are rules you follow to minimize har...
Read MoreHumans are a social species. As such, they are naturally drawn to human interaction. Small talk, for example, is the ultimate example of picking inconsequential topics to discuss to begin conversations and develop relationships with others. As people get to know each other, they can then move into more sensitive or in-depth topics with a greater...
Read MoreMany people think that their emotional state is almost exclusively due to the reality that they are experiencing. After all, basic biology and psychology teach the classic “stimulus-response” model in living organisms where a change in the environment will trigger a response in the affected creature. This is mostly true, as life forms that did no...
Read MoreWhen you’re feeling cynical, miserable, or pessimistic, you are likely to say words to this effect: “Life sucks, and then you die.” What causes this? Well, all life situations are a result of nature and nurture: so some of your life outlook is built in your genetics, and some of it comes as a result of your life experiences.
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