Here’s an understatement: Parenting is complex. I grew up with extremely strict parents who expected nothing but absolute obedience. Open communication was punished. They adopted an Authoritarian parenting style, characterized by high demandingness (total obedience, strict rules and boundaries, and punishment) and low responsiveness (praise, encouragement, support, etc.). I ended up as an excellent student […]

My younger brother and I could not be more different. We look alike (although knowing him, he’d probably say that he’s hotter and in his words, much more “awesome”) but we think differently and view the world at two extremes. He’s a logical thinker and believes that if something cannot be proven with cold, hard […]

They’re warm, they’re furry, and they love you just the way you are. And most of the time, you’d rather be around them than other humans. Aside from the mostly unconditional love they offer, pets come with other benefits. Researchers Friedmann, Barker, & Allen (2011) (among many others) conducted a pretty interesting study. They asked […]

I hate clichés, and we’ve heard the “money can’t buy happiness” one so often, it’s kind of lost its mojo. But honestly, if I could give each of you a million dollars to prove that it won’t make you happy (at least not for long), I really, really would. The only thing I can give […]

Out of curiosity, before I wrote this post I entered “famous people with narcissistic personality disorder” into Google. Here are some of the results: Steve Jobs Adolph Hitler Napoleon Emperor Nero Madonna Elvis Presley Pablo Picasso Donald Trump Kanye West Paris Hilton Quite the mix isn’t it? Without a formal diagnosis I won’t draw any […]

I like to observe people. Not in a creepy kind of way. I take note of the words and gestures they use, their habits, how they respond to negative situations, and what motivates them. I do this often with family and friends, and then go all Freudian, trying to connect a particular action or quirk […]

I have many, many fond memories about my late grandmother. Like how she would race my brother and I down the street in a skipping contest. Her slow and steady pace always won, because in our hurry to try to win, my brother and I would forget, in mid-step, how to skip. Breakfast at home […]

Image credit imgur.com Something happened after the age of 5. It was like a switch was flipped and suddenly, the world became an intimidating, scary place. In those first five years of my life I was bold. I spoke my mind freely. My mother also told me that for some strange reason, when someone got […]

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and send my love to all the human phoenixes who overcame grief and pain as a result of the events on September 11, 2001. This post is dedicated to you. My friend reads cards – tarot specifically. Being a researcher, I take nothing at face value, but I […]

My recent move has set my life off-kilter. I’m a creature of habit and routine; it offers me a false sense of control. Even when I know change is necessary, I don’t really like it. There’s comfort in keeping things the same, kind of like how a person who is depressed finds comfort, so to […]

I watched The Karate Kid movies in the late 90’s, years after they originally came out (the one’s with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, not the remakes). I didn’t grasp much of what the trilogy was trying to teach because my young mind was too busy thinking about how cute Daniel LaRusso was. I also […]

I can’t remember ever being the adventurous type. I mean, as a kid I said whatever came to mind, broke more rules than my parents know about, and drank more than I probably should have, but I was never really a thrill-seeker. That’s thanks to my over-developed superego, my issues with anxiety, and my family’s […]