The Importance of Vulnerability
AdultsPsychologyRelationshipsSelf...We often imagine that what will win us friends and esteem is strength. But surprisingly, it's vulnerability that's at the core of friendship and likeability. This is an invitation to make friends with one's own weaknesses.
Do You Really Have Two Brains?
AdultsBiologyHumanNeuroscience...Are you a left-brained person or a right-brained person? Spoiler: You're neither. Each of us uses both sides of our brain for most of what we do. But still, there are a number of brain functions that do show lateralization, where they are localized to one side or another. Why is this? And how does it influence our definition of consciousness? People with "split brains" can help us figure it out.
What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson
AdultsCreativityHumorPsychology...What makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws borders while comedy breaks them down.
Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? - Maryam Alimardani
AdultsPsychologySciencePhilosophy...Our bodies - the physical, biological parts of us - and our minds - the thinking, conscious aspects - have a complicated, tangled relationship. Which one primarily defines you or your self? Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? Maryam Alimardani investigates.
Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch
AdultsDisabilityPsychologySociety...When faced with a bump in the road, sometimes we forget we have a choice: overcome the obstacle or let it overcome you. Steven Claunch, who was born without fingers on his right hand and with one leg shorter than the other and has excelled in basketball nonetheless, explains why obstacles can provide an opportunity to both inspire others and develop character.
Overcoming Hate - YouTuber KARIM's Story
AdultsPsychologyRelationshipsCulture...YouTuber Karim (AreWeFamousNow, KUKU) is an amazing and powerful voice for peace and understanding, calling social injustices out and fighting for tolerance - making a real difference.
Why We Eat Too Much
AdultsFoodHealthPsychologyWe're hugely invested in the idea that the cause of obesity lies with diet - and that we should therefore solve the problem with kale and apple soup (and other such products). But the real cause of obesity has nothing to do with food. It lies in our emotional under-nourishment. We will start to eat less when we feel more connected, more understood and more in touch with our feelings.
How to Process Your Emotions
AdultsHumanPsychologyMental Health...In order to be calm and at ease with ourselves, we need regular periods where we do something rather strange-sounding: process our emotions. Here is a guide to this essential psychological move.
Here's why people are afraid of clowns
AdultsMental HealthPsychologyHumor...Lots of people are creeped out at the site of clown, whether it's at the circus or creeping around in the woods at night. Movies like Stephen King's "It" and the new season of "American Horror Story" featuring some terrifying clowns that take prey on the fears of the viewer.
How to Remain Calm With People
AdultsPsychologyRelationshipsMental Health..."One of the most fundamental paths to calm is the power to hold on, even in very challenging situations, to a distinction between what someone does - and what they meant to do....."
Why do we dream? - Amy Adkins
AdultsHumanPsychologyScienceIn the 3rd millennium BCE, Mesopotamian kings recorded and interpreted their dreams on wax tablets. In the years since, we haven't paused in our quest to understand why we dream. And while we still don't have any definitive answers, we have some theories. Amy Adkins reveals the top seven reasons why we might dream.
What it takes to run the gnarliest race in the world | Ryan Sandes' Dedicate
AdultsHealthPsychologySportsRyan Sandes shocked the running world when he won the 2017 Western States 100 - this is what it took to win one of the gnarliest races in the world.
Why men and women take selfies differently
AdultsMasculinityPhotographyWomen...How you take selfies is all to do with evolution, according to a study by an evolutionary psychologist.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
AdultsHumanPsychologyRelationships...Many of humanity's greatest problems stem not from a shortfall of technical or financial intelligence, but what we term emotional intelligence. It is through the acquisition of Emotional Intelligence that we stand to become better lovers, workers, friends and citizens. We are rarely systematically taught Emotional Intelligence and pay a heavy price for this gap in learning. The School of Life is dedicated to fostering Emotional Intelligence.
Does Your Dog Respond Better When You Use a Baby Voice?
AdultsPetsPsychologyAnimalsMost people make their voices higher pitched when talking to their pets. But does this Pet-Directed Speech have any influence on animals?
How To Forgive
AdultsRelationshipsSocietyPsychology..."It can be so hard to forgive because - so often - we simply are in the right and the scale of the folly, thoughtlessness and meanness of others seems utterly beyond our own measure. But there are two inviolable ideas which should nevertheless, in the face of the grossest behaviour, be kept in mind to increase our chances of cutting others a little slack..."
How to practice effectively...for just about anything - Annie Bosler and Don Greene
AdultsNeuroscienceProductivityWork...Mastering any physical skill takes practice. Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. But what does practice actually do to make us better at things? Annie Bosler and Don Greene explain how practice affects the inner workings of our brains.
The power of creative constraints - Brandon Rodriguez
AdultsCreativityPsychologyImagine you were asked to invent something new. It could be whatever you want, made from anything you choose, in any shape or size. That kind of creative freedom sounds so liberating, doesn't it? Or ... does it? if you're like most people you'd probably be paralyzed by this task. Why? Brandon Rodriguez explains how creative constraints actually help drive discovery and innovation.
Why We Are All Addicts
AdultsAddictionMental HealthPsychologyWe tend to imagine that we can only become addicted to a few sorts of things. But real addiction is about using something, anything, to keep our real emotions, fears and hopes at bay. There are many more addicts among us than we think.
Here's what it could mean when your dog chases its tail
AdultsMental HealthPetsPsychologyA dog chasing its tail may be a sign of a direr issue. Like humans, dogs can suffer from a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, called canine compulsive disorder.
The left brain vs. right brain myth - Elizabeth Waters
AdultsHumanNeuroscienceScience...The human brain is visibly split into a left and right side. This structure has inspired one of the most pervasive ideas about the brain: that the left side controls logic and the right side controls creativity. And yet, this is a myth, unsupported by scientific evidence. So how did this idea come about, and what does it get wrong? Elizabeth Waters looks into this long held misconception.