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What Happens in the Brain When We Grieve
When we lose someone or something we love, it can feel like we've lost a part of ourselves. And for good reason—our brains are learning how to live in the world without someone we care about in it. Host Emily Kwong talks with psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor about the process our brains go through when we experience grief. Her book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss, publishes February 1, 2022. ...
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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who described the ‘flow’ of human creativity, dies at 87
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist and best-selling author who coined the term “flow” to describe the sense of creativity that emerges from an intense absorption in a challenging activity, whether in the arts, sports, business or a hobby, died Oct. 20 at his home in Claremont, Calif. He was 87. The immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest, said a son, Mark Csikszentmihalyi. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi — his full name is pronounced “me-HIGH CHEEK-sent-me-HIGH” — was of Hungarian descent and came to the United States at 22. He spent much of his career at the University of Chicago, studying adolescent behavior while also searching for the source of creativity and inner satisfaction.
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The ‘Psychology of Regret’ Helps Explain Why Vaccine Mandates Work
The official U.S. approval of a coronavirus vaccine for elementary school students removes one of the last barriers to ending the pandemic, but it’s obvious that a significant portion of the country will never fully embrace vaccination. We’ve tried just about every form of positive motivation, including emphasizing family reunions, giving away beer and dangling $5 million in lottery winnings — with mixed results. For example, researchers found that Ohio’s distinctive lottery program didn’t actually affect vaccination rates. To combat vaccine hesitancy, we need to grasp its psychological roots.
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Anxiety Feels Terrible, But It Has an Upside. Here’s How to Make It Work in Your Favor
These days, there’s a lot to be anxious about. Between losing loved ones and experiencing financial strain to family stress and fears about illness, many of us are struggling more than ever. In a 2021 survey of more than 3,000 adults, 47% reported feeling anxious, and 57% of Black adults said they worried about their future. In addition, 54% of essential workers admitted to drinking alcohol and overeating to ease their emotional pain. Anyone who’s experienced anxiety knows the distress it can bring. Often, this spiky emotion causes a racing heart, headache and knotted stomach. Frequently, we interpret these sensations as a danger sign.
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From Clowns to Buttons, These Weird Phobias Afflict Many People
Fear itself is not a bad thing — it can actually serve a protective, useful purpose. In some cases it leads to fight or flight , the body’s sympathetic nervous system response to a perceived threat. But when fear is irrational, excessive and detrimental to someone’s life, it’s classified as a phobia. About 19 million people in the U.S. have at least one phobia. You’ve probably heard of common phobias, such as agoraphobia (public places or open spaces), claustrophobia (confined spaces), or arachnophobia (snakes). But there are other rather unusual phobias that present unique challenges to people’s lives. ...
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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the Father of ‘Flow,’ Dies at 87
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist who showed how everyone from artists to assembly-line workers can be transported to a state of focused contentment by getting caught in the “flow,” a term he coined and later popularized, died on Oct. 20 at his home in Claremont, Calif. He was 87. His son, Chris Csikszentmihalyi, said the cause was cardiac arrest. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi, who went by Mike and whose full name is pronounced mee-HIGH CHEEK-sent-me-HIGH-ee, was a polymath whose passions for painting, chess playing and rock climbing informed his work on subjects as diverse as the teenage brain and the psychology of interior design.
