HOW CAN I STOP OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING? A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST OFFERS SOLUTIONS

Thu 07 March 2024: As a clinical psychologist, I often have clients say they are having trouble with thoughts “on a loop” in their head, which they find difficult to manage. While rumination and overthinking are often considered the same thing, they are slightly different (though linked). Rumination is having thoughts on repeat in our minds. This […]

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NOT JUST HUMANS: BEES AND CHIMPS CAN ALSO PASS ON THEIR SKILLS

Thu 07 March 2024: Bumblebees and chimpanzees can learn skills from their peers so complicated that they could never have mastered them on their own, an ability previously thought to be unique to humans, two studies said on Wednesday. One of humanity’s crowning talents is called “cumulative culture” — our ability to build up skills, […]

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ‘CURSE TABLETS’ USED BY ANCIENT GREEKS TO CURSE BOTH LIVING AND DEAD PEOPLE

  Part of a curse tablet against Pytheas, ordered by his opponent in an Athenian court. Photo credit: Dr. Jutta Stroszeck – German Archaeological Institute. Sat 24 February 2024: At the base of an old well near Athens, thirty lead curse tablets were found. The well was found northwest of the ancient center, close to […]

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WHAT CAUSES TEMPER TANTRUM IN CHILDREN? | WHAT SHOULD BE DONE DURING A CHILD’S TANTRUM?

Fri 09 February 2024: Parents would rather not encounter temper tantrums in their children. Such outbursts are more frequent among 1-3 year olds and can put parents in challenging positions. According to psychologists, this is due to the fact that children at this age are still in the process of developing socially, emotionally, and linguistically. […]

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EDITING MEMORIES, SPYING ON OUR BODIES, NORMALISING WEIRD GOGGLES: APPLE’S NEW VISION PRO HAS BIG AMBITIONS

Wed 31 January 2024: Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset – which the company hopes is a “revolutionary spatial computer that transforms how people work, collaborate, connect, relive memories, and enjoy entertainment” – that begins shipping to the public (in the United States) later this week. Critics have doubted the appeal of the face-worn computer, which “seamlessly […]

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H&M AD PULLED AFTER IT WAS ACCUSED OF SEXUALIZING UNDERAGE GIRLS

Tue 23 January 2024: H&M, the Swedish fashion giant, has pulled an advertisement for school clothing after complaints it sexualised underage girls. The advertising campaign launched in Australia featured two young girls in school uniform with the caption, “Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion”. “We have removed this ad,” an H&M […]

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LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CAN TRANSFORM THE BRAIN

Fri 12 January 2024: Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have unearthed fascinating evidence that the brain undergoes important changes in wiring when we embark on the journey of learning a new language in adulthood. They organized a large intensive German learning program for Syrian refugees. They studied their […]

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SHADOW WORK: WHY YOU SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF THE TIKTOK SELF-HELP TREND

Fri 13 October 2023: I doubt the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), in all his prescience, would have predicted that his work would one day fuel a TikTok trend called “shadow work”. Life coaches and self-help gurus on the platform promote the exploration of shadow as a path to self-development. The exercises they recommend include thought experiments […]

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WOMEN ARE LESS HAPPY THAN MEN – A PSYCHOLOGIST ON WHY AND FOUR THINGS YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

Sat 16 September 2023: Something strange is going on in women’s happiness research. Because despite having more freedom and employment opportunities than ever before, women have higher levels of anxiety and more mental health challenges, such as depression, anger, loneliness and more restless sleep. And these results are seen across many countries and different age groups. A […]

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