It is only when you meet someone of a different culture from yourself that you begin to realise what your own beliefs really are. —GEORGE ORWELL, The Road to Wigan Pier
It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.
In their thought-provoking book Focus, researchers Tory Higgins and Heidi Grant Halvorson argue that people lean toward being promotion-focused or prevention-focused in their aims.
In fact, novelty lovers may do better with a series of short-term activities—thirty-day challenges, for instances—instead of trying to create an enduring, automatic habit.
I wasn't sure how to answer. Could I tell him that one Secret of Adulthood is Never start a sentence with the words 'No offense'?
I was surprised to learn from my research, however, that the well-known notion of anger catharsis is poppycock. There’s no evidence for the belief that letting off steam is healthy or constructive. In...
I used to think I was pretty typical, but now I see that I’m extreme. I can’t judge people according to what works for me.
HomeEvery room should include something purpleKeep pens, a notepad, and a pair of scissors in every roomWrite down anything I need to rememberIf something’s important to me, I should reserve time for...
From my observation, habits in four areas do most to boost feelings of self-control, and in this way strengthen the Foundation of all our habits. We do well to begin by tackling the habits that help u...
For an extensive and fascinating discussion of the use and pitfalls of rewards, see Edward Deci, Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation (New York: Penguin, 1996); Alfie Kohn, Punished by...
Elias Canetti observed, One lives in the naïve notion that later there will be more room than in the entire past.
At the heart of this home is my family; where my family is, is home. If I lived by myself, home would be the place peopled with reminders of everyone I loved. My home is a place of unconditional belon...
As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy. Now,
Arranging to Fail Loophole: It’s odd. Instead of fleeing temptation, we often plan to succumb.
Another reason to avoid stopping a good habit is that, sadly, starting again is often far harder than starting the first time. It’s natural to think, Oh, I did this before, it will be easy to do it ag...
A conversation with a Moderator friend revealed another telling distinction. I got a sundae from my favorite ice-cream store, she told me, and it was delicious. But after a while, I could hardly taste...
There is no Future-Gretchen, only Now-Gretchen.
Making. A habit requires no decision from me, because I’ve already decided.
How a couple fights matters more than how much they fight.
Happiness, genetics accounts for about 50 percent; life circumstances, such as age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, income, health, occupation, and religious affiliation, account for about 10 to 20...