Digital media, including social media, became a centerpiece of day to day life at a seemingly exponential rate. Before I graduated high school in 2006, I remember many evenings spent …
Couples Therapy Palo Alto: Relationships in the Tech World.
Being a Marriage and Family Therapist in the Bay Area specializing in Couples Therapy Palo Alto, means I have the privilege to meet clients from very diverse backgrounds. One of …
Family Stress Test
Family Stress Test Stress is a natural and normal “by-product” of every family’s life. In fact, family stress can bring out the best of us: as we stretch to meet …
Disorganized Attachment
Mary Ainsworth’s work on attachment identified three attachment categories (secure, insecure avoidant, and insecure ambivalent/resistant). The development of the disorganized/disoriented classification evolved as a part of Mary Main’s doctoral research …
Relationship Expectations: Don’t set yourself up for failure
When you enter a relationship, you (probably) hope that it will last for a while. While it’s hard to truly predict the lifespan of any one relationship there are a …
On Being Interesting
Most of us know and value pleasant experiences. We savour the taste of a freshly picked strawberry. We laugh more than an event warrants, just because laughing feels good. We …
The Urge to Share News of Our Lives is Not New Nor Narcissistic
Narcissism is defined as excessive self-love or self-centredness. In Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love when he saw his reflection in water: he gazed so long, he eventually died. Today, …
Are there ways of spending money that will make you happier?
Being rich or richer may not guarantee happiness, as shown by ample evidence from the social sciences, but there are ways of spending money that will make you happier than …
To Be Resilient, Face Tragedy With Humor and Flexibility
People who are resilient tend to be flexible – flexible in the way that they think about challenges, and flexible in the way that they react emotionally to stress. They …
Left brain vs. right brain
The two hemispheres or sides of the brain — the left and the right — have slightly different jobs. But can one side be dominant and does this affect personality? …
When will I be me? Why a sense of authenticity takes its time
It is a common exhortation: live authentically. But what does authenticity actually mean? As a psychological concept, authenticity simply means embracing who you really are, at your very core, and …
How Your Mind, Under Stress, Gets Better at Processing Bad News
Some of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime will occur while you feel stressed and anxious. From medical decisions to financial and professional ones, we are …
How to Recover From Heartbreak
Use “negative reappraisal,” and understand you have work to do—time alone may not be enough. Melissa and J.J. met on the finish line of an obstacle course race. “We were …
A Dark Sense of Humor Linked to High Intelligence
People who appreciate taboo jokes and other forms of black humor show higher levels of intelligence, according to a recent study. Do you find yourself holding back your laughter at …
Psychology of Choice
How psychology explains the everyday decisions that we make, and how we are unaware of the influences that guide the choices we make. Each day, we make countless choices and …
When Wives Earn More Than Husbands, Neither Partner Likes to Admit It
Deceiving the census: New research suggests that social attitudes are lagging behind both workplace progress and how people actually live their lives. The share of women who earn more than …
What Is the Dunning-Kruger Effect?
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are. Essentially, low ability people do not …