How “self-confident” are you? No – rather – how do you define self-confidence in the first place? That was a question I had to think about after reading this Gallup survey on “self-confidence” in our culture. Blacks and Hispanics seemed to feel better about their appearance, while Caucasians (except the elderly) did not – especially teens and middle-aged folk. But I don’t think this is self-confidence in the “grrrll, I.. Read More
We all go a little mad… sometimes
Police broke into a Brooklyn apartment Monday, after reports of a “foul smell”. No one had been seen the mother or daughter leave or enter for years. And the daughter refused to let in authorities. Mmmmyes… You’ve got my attention. Go on… A 28-year-old woman was sat inside, disheveled, and surrounded by columns of trash like a hoarder’s palace. Oh, yeah. And her dead mama-dukes, too. The lady had been.. Read More
Sounds of silence, says science, get awkward at 4 seconds
Let’s all have a moment of silence… …. …for the awkward silences… … that kill good conversations. My dad loves intentionally doing this thing. He uses it as a conversational or public speaking device, though – calling it a “dramatic pause” or “pausing for effect.” And while this can work fantastically in a Toastmaster’s scenario, what makes some pauses okay and others straight up uncomfortable? When I think about getting.. Read More
Tedious torture
When I get stuck alone in the doctor’s office, I’ll start fiddling with stuff. Especially that room in the back with no phone reception. Move the table around, play with the blinds, mess with the aseptic doo-hickeys… Why not? Don’t lie to me. You’ve done it too. But what if you were stuck there for a super long time… and there weren’t any fun toys to tinker with? Just a.. Read More
Downer comments can amplify your life.
The other day as I was about to attack a deliciously seductive salad the size of small house, somebody asked me that question that’s almost become cliché to ask anyone who doesn’t eat meat: “So… where do you get your protein?” It feels derisive when some people ask it – almost like an attack. And I think that’s because – especially when our more worldly friends ask it with a.. Read More
The Science of the Fans – why we go psycho for celebs
When I was little, I remember my mom telling me about the Elvis Presley concerts. Yep. Sheldon pretty much has the cliffs notes version down. Chicks would faint, scream, and throw panties at the stage, she told me. I didn’t get this. But I figured that it was one of those things that I’d understand when I grew up – especially since I was starting to see the same ish.. Read More
Facebook’s mind control experiment.
So… Facebook’s been having research parties with our posts. Yep. Your favorite digital therapeutic soap box has been tinkering with your think muscles by tweaking your feed. Ya know, I got used to the whole privacy invasion thing a while ago (sort of) when I finally realized that privacy settings are only for those who don’t know the workarounds. Or own Facebook. Or who pay the guy who owns Facebook… Read More
“Get OUT mah face!” (approach avoidance)
Remember those horror movies we’d watch as a kid? Jason or Freddy or even some Lifetime villainous shadowy stranger would seem to coolly traipse behind the protagonist victim – at nonchalant stalking speed – yet when the bish looks back, he’s somehow defied physics and closing in on her? When the Scary Movie series started poking fun at this tactic, it made me wonder why it was ever implemented into.. Read More
Mindlessly buying?
I used to love retail therapy. There was something really comforting about clutching a café mocha while traipsing through the local mall and pretending I was more rich or important than I was because I had a few bags that could hold the load of clothes instead of my unchecked emotions for a short while. *Sigh* Sometimes I miss that blissful ignorance so much that I’ll head to Victoria’s Secret.. Read More
Follow your bliss… off a cliff.
Some people (doctors, they call themselves) might call me bipolar. I prefer to think of it like a sport – “x-treme emoting”. In a way, though, the chaotic confusion that comes with traversing one end of the feel spectrum to the next, brings with it a wealth of ways in which we can be motivated. I like happy, serene, blissful, peaceful things in one moment. Then, in the next, I’m.. Read More