In-depth analysis of what it takes to achieve real happiness.
Loneliness sucks! Being lonely means feeling isolated and apart from the people around you. Even those with many “friends” are subject to loneliness if they feel the value of those connections is superficial. Almost everybody will feel lonely from time to time. But we typically cycle in and out of the feeling of as life … Read more
Does doing the right thing make you happier? How do we even know what the “right” thing to actually is, in a world that seems to be slipping further into hatred, mistrust, and apathy on a daily basis? The answer to these questions might be to look back to the past, rather than forward to … Read more
Over a person’s lifetime, how much do you expect that their happiness will increase? Most people seem to think that the answer is ‘A LOT’. Sure, there will be tough times and the occasional sadness, but as they accomplish and accumulate, their happiness will go up and up and up. FALSE. Most people die a … Read more
Overthinking is evil. Like the whispers of a devil, it pretends to help while just making the situation worse. Overthinking leads to rumination. Rumination leads to action paralysis.
Want to learn how to stop rumination?
Unfortunately, the cure for overthinking is as complex as the cause.
But follow these 7 steps and you can slowly but surely rid yourself of the poison known as overthinking and rumination.
Every single feeling of perception – of touch, of smell, of color – can be traced back to a particular set of neurons.
Stimulate those neurons directly and a person’s perception of reality can be controlled.
In the 1940s, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield experimented with the brains of his patients. He sent mild electric shocks to their somatosensory cortex.
As a result, they felt as if their body was being touched even when it wasn't. A shock to one area, a feeling of their arm being pushed, a shock to another and a feeling of their upper lip being nipped.
Science fiction takes brain stimulation technology to its extreme – fully immersive virtual reality. Want the user to feel as if he's actually boxing, not just waving his hands in the air? Sense his arm and body movements. Then stimulate the neurons responsible for his fist and arm when he gives a hit and the neurons responsible for his head and nose when he takes one.
But why limit direct stimulation of the brain to physical perception?
Stimulate the brain’s happiness centers and BAM – you’ve got happiness on demand.
You can purchase a direct brain stimulation device online, plunk it on your head, pick a brain region, get zapping, and enhance your mood, memory, and attention.
You can spend 25 years working hard in order to make your life perfect and finally get those happiness neurons firing as much as you want, or just maybe, you can use tDCS for 25 days.
It’s an idea repeated so often that it’s now taken for a fact – depression is on the rise. If true, modern society has messed up. In 1985, 10% of people had no one to discuss important matters with. By 2004, that number had grown to 25% – one out of every four people! (1) … Read more
More and more people are getting fat. From the growing waistlines and rates of cardiovascular disease, it’s obvious. We call it the obesity epidemic. But there’s another epidemic that’s been spreading that’s just as bad. Why is the rate of depression on the rise? Why do we feel more stressed than ever before? There’s an … Read more
Feeling anxious, upset, or sad? Natural.
Feeling reflective? Non-productive?
You may be overthinking. Overthinking is:
Overthinking is so common that many consider it natural, sometimes even productive.
No. Sorry. Overthinking is not productive.
Overthinking is a modern phenomenon that's unnatural and counterproductive.
Overthinking? Don't you mean correct thinking? It's better to confront a problem than to ignore it.
Spend more time thinking about it and you’ll discover an insight you missed.
That's why your attention keeps coming back to it. The underlying concerns and emotions haven't been addressed.
No.
Overthinking is poison.
Ruminating and venting isn't processing. It’s pouring fuel on the fire. (1, 2)
Most problems have causes which no amount of reflection will uncover. (3)
And what you'll learn in this post – overthinking was designed by evolution to trigger depression and abandonment, not effective problem-solving. (4)
If you want more happiness, get a pet. In the 80s and 90s, research came out suggesting many benefits from pet ownership. From reduced risk of asthma, allergies, and cardiovascular disease to increased mood and wellbeing. Some doctors started recommending pet ownership to their patients. I thought the decision was a no-brainer. It seems fun … Read more
When I was 16, I had the craziest summer of my life.
I woke up in the middle of the night, my heart pounding and my palms sweating.
Why oh why? Why had she broken up with me? I want her back!
Walking, talking, working, studying – whatever I was doing, she would pop back into my head. I called, texted, and banged on her door. She told me she never wanted to see me again.
I felt rejected. Woe was me.