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Are you going around and around (and around) in your head about some run-down, played-out issue you should have beat long ago? Then get outta here. There’s some evidence that travel can — at least temporarily — stop that spinning.
A “transformative” travel experience is one in which you escape the structure and norms of your daily life to immerse yourself in the structure and norms of another life. Within this new-to-you social structure, your brain will likely flood with solutions that would have seemed like a square peg for a round hole within your home structure. You may find it easier to shed bad habits and try out new behaviors.
Anyone who watched the Masters tournament this year or who followed the tournament in the news knows that there was a shocking breakdown by Rory McIlroy during his final 9 holes. He played well through three and a half rounds – 63 holes – and then he choked. This is how his world looked at [...]
I just started reading “Travels With Charlie,” by John Steinbeck, which begins with the words: “When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch.”
Turns out, of course, that maturity doesn’t cure this itch.
If nothing else, this article makes you think about the way Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psychological diseases develop in patients. It seems straightforward to believe that the traumatic event occurs and then PTSD develops – this kind of direct cause-effect chain is how most war injuries occur. But it now appears that [...]
You know that time you and your friend witnessed that unprovoked stabbing? When the stabber calmly walked away, as the other man lay crumpled and bleeding, he was whistling, remember? And do you remember how terribly uncomfortable it was when you turned to your friend, ashen faced and trembling, and you whispered hoarsely, “That man is a psychopath,” and your friend shrugged and said, “I don’t know … maybe he’s just having a bad day or something”? The field of psychology is having that same uncomfortable moment right now.
Why Comparing Japan to New Orleans is Disingenuous
by Josh Clark | March 29, 2011
Much has been made of the zero reports of looting following the Japanese earthquake, the ensuing tsunami that may have ultimately claimed upwards of 100,000 lives, and the still growing nuclear crisis. This point has often been made with an wink toward racism; that is, in comparison to the rampant looting that broke out in the predominantly black, poor sections of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
Bizarre Human Mating Behaviors #5 – How women can get free drinks at a bar
by Marshall Brain | February 15, 2011
If you are interested in how human relationships work – especially sexual relationships between men and women and the courting rituals that lead up to them – then this article is fascinating: 13 Ways to Score Free Drinks The article offers a field guide to social engineering in the social topography of a typical American [...]
This video documents the simple, unexplained fact that a blindfolded people can’t go straight ahead. They can’t walk in a straight line, or swim or drive. If they have no landmarks to guide them, people will always travel in curving paths: Any theories? Update: This video has bugged me all day. I found this paper [...]
What’s the formula for your happiest vacation?
by Amanda Arnold | January 6, 2011
It’s been three days since I returned from my lovely two-week staycation, and I still have vacation afterglow, which got me thinking about how to maximize the happiness we derive from taking time off. Here’s what I learned from a 2010 study on vacations and happiness:
First of all, happiness levels start rising when you start looking forward to your vacation….
In this illusion, it’s funny that you can look at the same video and hear two completely different things… “What’s remarkable about this illusion is, even knowing how its done, doesn’t seem to make a difference…” “When the brain has conflicting information it tries to make sense of the conflict. And depending what type of [...]
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