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Greg Hicks and Rick Foster set out on a three-year journey to study extremely happy people. The began to study happiness in 1995, and they eventually traveled to all 50 states, 7 continents, and over 40 countries, finding and interviewing hundreds of extremely happy people. Their initial research uncovered a system of nine choices that’s…
A recent study in the journal Appetite examined the effect of eating chocolate cake. In particular, the researchers were interested in understanding the association of either guilt or of celebration with eating chocolate cake. In other words, when eating prototypic forbidden food like chocolate cake, were women likely to feel helpless and out of control (ie guilty) OR…
“How do I choose love if I hate myself?”, ‘Sherri’ (not her real name) asked me yesterday during her therapy session. I said nothing but could feel my eyes soften and water slightly. (Who does not know that feeling?!) She continued. “My stomach sticks out. I have a zit on my chin. The guy I hooked…
In a recent magazine interview, Ashley Judd spoke about her role in the movie Divergent. Based on the book series, the film is about a society that divides people into five factions, each based on a different virtue. A decision has to be made at age 16 to remain in the faction one was born into or switch into another, for…
I was listening to a TED Radio Hour on happiness recently. The host, Guy Raz, asked his guest, musician Pharrell Williams, to reveal the secret to happiness. Williams was perplexed. Here is what he said: “I’m not some guy who’s walking around smiling every day. We all have our ups and downs, lefts and rights, and diagonals.” This,…
My yoga teacher shared a story last week that I love.His five year old son recently went cross country skiing for the first time.The boy loved it!His dad noticed that whenever his son fell down, his son talked aloud to himself.The words he spoke were enthusiastic, joyous, and confident.“He’s down, but he is back up!”“You got…
Feelings are natural. Feelings are normal.Some are easier to recognize, regulate, and tolerate than others.Most of us can easily list the feelings we like, and the feelings we would rather avoid. Who wouldn’t choose joy over anxiety? The perennial pursuit of enjoyable feelings and avoidance of unpleasant feelings are what fuel addictions, overeating, and mindless…
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) has replaced Feeding Disorder of Infancy and Early Childhood.The DSM-Vis the manual used for diagnosing psychiatric problems. It stands for The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. The Fifth edition has been out since May 2013 and includes changes to how eating disorders are categorized and diagnosed. This post will address one of…
Note: I originally wrote this article as a guest blogger for the blog “personaldevelopmentcafe.com”How to be Your Authentic Self in a Relationship Being your ‘Authentic Self’ can be difficult. Being in a relationship can be difficult. Put the two together, and you have a real challenge on your hands! What/Who is your Authentic Self? There…
Inspirational & Self-Affirming Quotes to keep in mind, and to offset ANTS (Automatic Negative Thoughts)Find and repeat your favorites, until a more natural, automatic neural pathway is established.Whatever you practice, strengthens.The thoughts you repeat to yourself change the structure of the brain. Use your mind to change your brain in a favorable way. “Don’t compromise yourself.…
Welcome to my Blog
Here I get real on body image, eating, sex, yoga and more. Sometimes the topics are more random. All relate to psychology (after all, I am a psychologist!) --Dr.D