What drives us to spend so much money? #thrifty
I am an admin of our history page on Facebook and so I know we can learn from the past. Gas and electricity have given us all our modern gadgets, but before the development of gas, people had to cook on open fires. That was something of a chore and even today cooking on a modern gas cooker seems like a chore to many people. So we have seen a proliferation of takeaways and fast food joints spreading across the UK this century. We don’t just have fish and chips on Fridays, fast food and eating out has become the norm for many people. Delicious foods zap our reward centres and it is our reward centres that drive us to do most things. We are addicted to pleasure! The smooth delicious taste of chocolate drives us to eat more than one bite and we end up eating the whole bar.
Autumn colours and cooler days #ramble
Autumn
Autumn is truly upon us now and the light for photography is getting warmer and less harsh and nature is getting ready for its winter sleep. Along with those golden autumn colours, we are also experiencing cooler days. Talk is of Halloween and bonfires and there are reports of fireworks already. That could just be a community signal to signify a certain delivery…
Psychology: thoughts outside of the box
We hear a lot these days about the need to be creative and innovative. We are told we need to think ’outside of the box’. Why is it more important now than it used to be? We have always innovated and been invented.
Psychology: supply and demand
Supply and demand is a term used in economics and finance rather than psychology. The more something is in demand, the more pressure there is to raise the price. When the supply of goods is plentiful, as in a good harvest that provides downward pressure on prices. (more…)
Psychology: Give and Take
Compromise
All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.
Mahatma Gandhi
This quote seems to suggest that give and take, is just compromise. (more…)
Psychology: shame
The driving force behind most of our behaviour is survival. However, much of our survival depends upon our ability to work together. We are social animals; we do things together. We have rules of behaviour that controls the way we behave towards one another. (more…)
Psychology: perceptions of competence
I read some research over the weekend that suggested that we all tend to think we are more competent at the things we do, than we actually are. This would seem to indicate over confidence in our own abilities. In some cultures affirmations are popular. (more…)
Psychology: Nature or nurture
When babies are born they don’t have to be taught how to cry, they are born with that ‘knowledge’. They do have to be nurtured and helped to learn how to walk and to talk. The distinction between ‘nature and nurture’ can be blurred and it is a subject that psychologists research and theorise over. (more…)
Psychology: Language and social structure
Man is the only animal with sophisticated languages that we use to communicate. We are social animals, but despite the sophistication, we are also primitive. (more…)
Psychology| Symmetry
It’s Valentine’s Day on Friday which has become part of the human mating ritual. People will send cards, buy gifts and have dinner with people they are attracted to. What makes people attractive though? Research suggests it’s symmetry. (more…)
Psychology: Introverts and extroverts
Introverts tend to be the quiet studious types and extroverts the life and soul of the party and more outgoing. However, the two groups aren’t always opposed in their behaviour. Introverts can be quite outgoing at times and extroverts can be quite withdrawn and need their own ‘space’. (more…)
Psychology: Selling yourself with honesty
Sometimes we have to sell ourselves to get what we want in life, such as getting a job or even acquiring new friends. There are many ways to sell a used car and there are many ways to present yourself to a prospective employer. (more…)
Psychology: Mindfulness
One of the latest buzz words for psychologists and counsellors is mindfulness. According to Wikipedia mindfulness is:
“Mindfulness practice, inherited from the Buddhist tradition, is being employed in psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and in the prevention of relapse in depression and drug addiction.” (more…)
Psychology: Balanced views
Children who are bullied at school will usually see the bully as strong and themselves as weak. When they complain about being bullied their parents and teachers will tell them to stand up to the bully. They can’t though, but they will find someone they can stand up to, someone weaker than themselves and then they too become the bullies. It doesn’t always happen, but often does. (more…)
Psychology: Christmas beliefs
Christmas is a religious festive, but it is also a feast at the beginning of winter for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. Our ancestors would have had a winter feast storing up body fat before the lean hungry months of winter. This would have been before Christianity came to Britain or most of the world. (more…)
Psychology | Fantasy worlds
We all live in a fantasy world for much of the time, but few adults would admit it. Children look out of their classroom windows daydreaming of something else. They play, acting out scenarios that seem to help them cope with life. Many children have few bad memories and their fantasies are happy so they feel happy and secure. We imagine the future and what we imagine is our perception of life.
Loneliness … by Fairy Dharawat
Loneliness… by Fairy Dharawat
It is not all bad. All great people felt lonely at some point in their life and they have fought the feeling and came out stronger. Be it music, art, movies, you name it. Loneliness is a subject which has haunted the human mind since ages. Here is a look in to the word lonely and exploring the concept through a different lens – trees.
Psychology | Digital brainwashing
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
We tend to think of spies getting caught when we think about brain washing. The idea was to control the spy, change what they believed and turn them against their own country. The enemy in war is often demonised by governments and the media. They use brainwashing techniques to describe the ‘enemy’ calling them the ‘reds’ or the ‘yellow peril’ or worse. They portray the enemy as inhuman. The reality is quite different, so the spy is confused when he’s caught.
Psychology | scary or exciting?
The people on this fairground ride are probably excited, but the people watching are feeling a little scared just watching it! There is a fine line between fear and excitement. When we feel in control or a little out of control we feel excited, but when we feel completely out of control and in danger; then we feel fear.
Psychology | protecting your reputation
Protecting you image and reputation is important. Sometimes, if your reputation and image has been damaged, you need to repair it. Image is not only what you look like, but also what people think of you and how much they respect you.
Psychology | In search of happiness
I took this photo yesterday afternoon. According to recent research having an interest can make you happier. I found the building interesting, but it was the date on it A.D. 1897, that caught my eye. It was originally a police station.
Psychology | The subconscious mind
We don’t think about most of the things that we do. We don’t think about walking, we just do it. Once we have learnt to ride a bike or drive a car, that too seems automatic. At first it’s hard, we have to try again and again to get it right, but once we have it, the subconscious takes over and it’s easy.
Psychology | Creativity and blogging
I write a blog post every Monday about psychology. I don’t do extensive research for most of my posts, I rely on being creative. The mind works differently when we’re being creative. We tend to solve problems by analysing the problem logically, but to find a solution we often need to be creative.
Psychology | We all want to be happy
We all want to be happy, but what is happiness? Many people have made lots of money in their search for happiness and still aren’t happy. So how do we define happiness? What would make you happy? A lottery win?