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Today's Essential Reads Today's Essentials

Cognition

Illusions of Control

By Don A. Moore Ph.D. on July 18, 2018 in Perfectly Confident

We tend to overestimate control when we have very little of it, but underestimate control when we have a lot of it.

Relationships

Are Pleasure and Positive Emotions the Same?

By Suzie Pileggi Pawelski, MAPP and James Pawelski, Ph.D. on July 18, 2018 in Happy Together

While pleasure and positive emotions both feel good, they can lead to very different relational outcomes.

Parenting

What Should Kids Do This Summer?

By William Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson on July 18, 2018 in The Self-Driven Child

Worried about your kids wasting their waning weeks of vacation? Balance, rest, and a sense of control are important to their growing brains.

Cognition

The Fundamental Theorem of Behavior

By Cody Kommers on July 18, 2018 in A Friendly Interest

How do we translate between group behavior and individual behavior?

News

The Latest

Sleep

8 Scary Ways Menopause Can Affect Your Health and Sleep

By Michael J Breus Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Sleep Newzzz

If you’re a woman in her 40s or 50s, you’ve probably given some thought to how perimenopause and menopause might affect your health. Today we disuss the connection.

Education

Bullying and Laughter

By Laura Martocci Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in You Can’t Sit With Us

Why would a museum exhibition showcase humiliation? Isn't the staff concerned that the exhibit will contribute to normalizing public shaming, which is the linchpin of bullying?

Relationships

Do You Know These 6 Survival Tactics of Happy Couples?

By Theresa E DiDonato Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Meet, Catch, and Keep

What do healthy couples do in the face of everyday stress?

Stress

Be Mindful and Stress Less

By The Book Brigade on July 19, 2018 in The Author Speaks

It’s time we took care of ourselves as well as we take care of our devices.

Evolutionary Psychology

I’ll Take Two, Please!

By Glenn Geher Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Darwin's Subterranean World

A high proportion of human ancestors were polygamous during the bulk of human evolutionary history. This history of polygamy plays out in our modern worlds in all kinds of ways.

Eating Disorders

How "Normal Eaters" Live Their Lives Differently

By Danielle Swimm LCPC on July 19, 2018 in Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders

Not sure if you are considered a normal eater? Here's how to find out.

Sport and Competition

In Sports, “Innovate or Die”

By Jim Taylor Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in The Power of Prime

This spirit—innovate or die!—needs to be embraced by athletes, youth sports programs, Olympic teams, and professional clubs to thrive and continue to develop.

Health

Psychiatric Diagnosis is Difficult–So is Treatment

By Matthew J. Edlund M.D. on July 19, 2018 in The Power of Rest

The genetics of psychiatric diagnosis is complex. That's another reason why effective treatments are, too.

Parenting

When Children's Loneliness Turns Into a Fantasy World

By Iben Sandahl on July 19, 2018 in The Danish Way

If we fill up our children’s "glass of loneliness" it doesn´t only bring more peace into their lives - it also gives us a better feeling of being a greater parent.

Education

The Seven Top Skills Google Now Looks for in Graduates

By Tim Elmore on July 19, 2018 in Artificial Maturity

Are you developing these skills in the students or young adults in your life?

Self-Help

7 Self-Sabotaging Things Perfectionists Do

By Alice Boyes Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in In Practice

Here are key ways perfectionism can be self-sabotaging.

Self-Help

What Not to Say When You’re the Lucky One

By Sharon Praissman Fisher on July 18, 2018 in Beyond the Egg Timer

After overcoming fertility challenges and becoming a mother, she faces a new challenge: What to say to the friend who's had three failed IVF cycles?

Autism

Dignity and a Token Will Get You on the Subway

By Amy S.F. Lutz on July 18, 2018 in Inspectrum

For parents of severely autistic kids, abstractions like "dignity" are no substitute for therapeutic, educational, and medical services.

Depression

Teen Girls Harm Themselves More Than Boys, CDC Finds

By Devon Frye on July 18, 2018 in Brainstorm

Nearly 20 percent of teens in the U.S. report hurting themselves intentionally.

The Playful Way

Benefits of play

The Magic of Storytelling

Finding Ourselves Through Play

Connecting with Nature

Working and Playing

Behavioral Economics

Matching Resources to Needs

By Miki Kashtan Ph.D. on July 18, 2018 in Acquired Spontaneity

My experience with a process designed to restore a flow of resources from where they exist to where they are needed, based on willingness.

Relationships

How to Maintain Monogamy After Infatuation Wears Off

By Wendy L. Patrick, Ph.D. on July 18, 2018 in Why Bad Looks Good

Infatuation breeds fidelity. What about after that? Long-term, partners should actively regulate their attention when faced with attractive alternatives.