Description: Try this statement on for size. The way we think, the way we focus our attention, the way we organize and reflect upon our thoughts are, in large part, best thought of as adaptations to the world we are living in (the physical AND the social world). Does that make sense? OK, now, how… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Anxiety OC PTSD
Video Games, Social Media and Mental Health: Research Debates on Screen Time Continue
Description: The debates and the research focused upon the impacts of video gaming and social media use on developing children and youth are heated and ongoing. The primary difficulty in sorting out the effects of video gaming and social media use is tied up in the comprehensive nature of their uptake in the population. As… Read more »
Psychology of Covid: Hitting the Pandemic Wall
Description: Have you heard of something called the General Adaptation system (GAS)? Hans Selye (1907-1982) working at McGill University in Montreal was trying to find a model with which he could use rats to study the impact of longer-term exposure to moderate to high levels of stress. What he came up with as a rat… Read more »
Psychology of COVID-19: Stress and Vaccine Efficacy
Description: If you have taken an introductory Psychology course that included a section on stress you may be aware that ongoing stress can have a negative impact upon your immune system. Those with sustained moderate to high levels of stress are at increased risk for things ranging from colds to cancer as a result of… Read more »
Transgenerational Neural Impact of Early Neglect
Description: You have likely heard about the research looking at the longer term imp0acts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) on later development and functioning as children grow into adulthood. In has supported and spurred on an ongoing push for early intervention with at-risk families in an effort to minimize the existence of or to mitigate… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19: What is Caution Fatigue and Do You Have It?
Description: As we head into December (2020) with pandemic numbers spiking and Christmas approaching why is it that some (many?) people are being less vigilant about social distancing and some are even getting angry about increasing restrictions. It is not like this is new. Things are much worse now than they were back in March… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19 and Sleep: Get What You Need
Description: How are you sleeping these (Covid surging again) days? It will likely not surprise you to hear that more people are having trouble sleeping or are having weird dreams or both these days. The direct and indirect stresses and anxieties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the related uncertainties are definitely making it harder to… Read more »
What is Your Brain For? Maybe NOT for Thinking!
Description: When you experience a flair of stress or anxiety what is your first thought? I suspect it is some version of “What is going on in my world that is stressful or challenging”. Especially these days with a raging pandemic, that is not a bad first thought as it can lead to problem focused… Read more »
Psychology of Covid: Embrace Winter!
Description: As we head into winter with the Coronavirus reasserting itself, we are asking ourselves, Psychologically, how are we going to get thought the winter? I live in the North and we have a real winter and, I admit, I like to get away from it at least once and for more than a few… Read more »
Creeped by Halloween Stuff? It is In Your Genes!
Description: As I write this it is October 31 and thus Halloween in a very different social space and time than previous All Hallows Eves. I am not going to try and make a case for how hard it will be for children to survive without their annua blast of cheap treats (they will be… Read more »
Books for Success!
