After my car decided to do a little jig at a red light and blink some rather dire warning lights, I found myself having to call for roadside assistance. On the way to my mechanic, the tow trucker inquired as to what I did for a living. “Research and psychometrics is the official title,” I […]

I don’t think I’ve ever been a silver-lining kind of person, even as a child. You know how kids always have that “pie-in-the-sky, everything-is-awesome” view of the world? That wasn’t me – at all. I was the Chicken Little, the doomsayer. I was the “OMG-we’re-going-to-get-in-trouble/we’re-all-gonna-die” kid. Try as might, I’m not a very good optimist. […]

There are some Psychology theories that will make you sit back and wonder what the heck the theorist was doing when they came up with it. Take Freud’s psychosexual developmental brainchild, the “Electra Complex” and it’s ensuing “penis envy.” I won’t go into detail here, but suffice to say that Freud really didn’t understand women […]

To this day, I still can’t understand why we had to learn meteorological terms in school. I had no intention of becoming a weather girl. Besides, weather forecasting is about as accurate as astrology. I remember my teacher pointing at me and asking for the definition of “air pressure.” Despite being one of the smartest […]

Advice is kind of like ordering clothes online: It doesn’t fit everyone, but you’ll only really know if it will work for you if you try it. And like fashion, some words of wisdom go out of style. I always strive to offer practical tips in my blogs, but sometimes, the things I hear people […]

1) You feel like you’re just going through the motions, existing but not really living. I call this the “running on auto-pilot” feeling. You get up in the morning and go to work because you have to pay your bills. When someone asks how you are, your response is always “fine,” even when you’re not […]

I’ve always found that watching sports with other people adds to the excitement. It infuses the room and everyone in it with a contagious, electric vibe. Playoff time is the only occasion when I am willing to wait an hour for a table in an already overcrowded restaurant with so-so food. I love hearing the […]

Recently, there has been a flood of articles on “consciousness” popping into my news feed on Facebook. Most of them discuss scientists’ attempt to come up with a theory of what it is, how to measure it, and what it means for the rest of us. This is what we love to do in the […]

I was waiting on the far side of the counter at McDonald’s waiting for my tea order. As I leaned against the wall, I noticed that the topmost layer of food trays was slightly askew. I told myself NOT to fix it, even as my obsessively, compulsively directed hand reached out to push the trays […]

I cringe when I hear a parent tell a boy (and even a girl) some variation of how crying is wrong. The worst is when they add a religious twist, similar to what I was told as I child when I started crying in church (because I found – and still find – true-to-life statues […]

I am honestly dumbfounded by the ease at which people reveal their deepest, most humiliating secrets on one of those second-rate, no-holds-barred talk shows – in front of millions of strangers no less. I can barely speak above a whisper when talking to my pharmacist about bowel issues. This is why I kind of love […]

Whether it’s the bittersweet joy of watching another year pass into history or a whole lot of champagne, there’s something about a fresh new year that inspires us to turn over new leaf. And even though some of those resolutions will crumble by March, we’re still determined to start the new year on the right foot. […]