Psychology

Close your eyes and think about “the good old days.” Notice something? They’re sun-dappled. Slightly blurry. Emotionally warm. The music is just right. The colors are saturated but gentle. Now ask yourself: Did it really look like that? Or does memory edit with a generous hand? Nostalgia is one of the most powerful narrative engines in storytelling. It’s also one of the trickiest-because the past we’re nostalgic for often never existed. ...

Deeply Personal Current: Dopamine Fasting 101 Zero Waste on a Budget All Posts Next Dopamine Fasting 101: How to Reset Your Brain in a Hyper-Connected World My wife and I were sitting on the couch the other night, supposedly “relaxing” after dinner. ...

Deeply Personal Current: Co-op Games Can Save Your Relationship Analysis Paralysis All Posts Next Co-op Games Can Save Your Relationship (Or Ruin It) My wife and I play video games together. ...

Deeply Personal Current: Analysis Paralysis The Uncanny Valley of Empathy All Posts Co-op Games Can Save Your Relationship Analysis Paralysis: The Psychology Behind Why We Can’t Make a Move My wife and I are experts at one thing: overthinking ourselves into complete paralysis. ...

Deeply Personal Current: The Uncanny Valley of Empathy Cooking with an Algorithm All Posts Analysis Paralysis The Uncanny Valley of Empathy: Why AI Therapists Feel ‘Almost’ Human I did something weird last month. ...

Brain Series Current: The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon Pareidolia All Posts Change Blindness You learn about a new word, concept, or product. Then, suddenly, you see it everywhere-in articles, conversations, advertisements. It feels like the universe is sending you a message. ...

Deeply Personal Current: Nostalgia on a Plate Cats and Empathy All Posts Next Nostalgia on a Plate: Why We Crave Foods from Our Childhood My wife was chopping vegetables when she stopped, knife mid-air, and said: ...

Deeply Personal Current: Cats and Empathy Previous All Posts Nostalgia on a Plate Cats and Empathy: Do They Actually Know When You’re Sad? It was 2 AM when my wife woke me up, her voice tight with pain. ...

The invisible algorithms running human interaction. Short reads on how people actually work. The Benjamin Franklin Effect Want someone to like you? Don’t do them a favor. Ask them to do YOU a favor. Counterintuitive. Proven. The story: Benjamin Franklin had a rival in the Pennsylvania legislature who disliked him. Franklin didn’t try to win him over with kindness. Instead, he asked to borrow a rare book from the man’s library. ...

Ancient wisdom and modern psychology on death, time, and the paradoxes of living well. Short concepts with long implications. Memento Mori Practices Daily death meditation. “Remember you must die.” Historical practices: Roman generals: Slave whispered “memento mori” during victory parades Monks: Kept skulls on desks Medieval practice: Regular graveyard visits Steve Jobs: Asked daily “If today were my last day…” Sounds morbid. Actually clarifying. What happens: Trivial problems disappear Petty arguments feel absurd You stop postponing what matters Fear of death decreases (paradoxically) Modern practice: ...