When did you last feel bored? Was it during a never-ending Zoom call, or one hour into a mind-numbing dinner party conversation? Although many assume boredom reflects our increased leisure time and reliance on technology, people have complained about boredom since ancient times. For instance, the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote of the restlessness of boredom, …
Have you noticed that sometimes you can make decisions in an instant, but at other times the choice feels overwhelming? Anxiety can reduce your willingness to take risks, leading to a phenomenon known as decision anxiety. Decision anxiety causes a fear of making the wrong choice and later suffering the consequences. This may cause you …
What are your values? Who are you? Such complex questions, and yet, few people spend enough time defining their sense of self. As a result, they answer with polite conversation ice-breakers, perhaps providing their name and their occupation. Beyond knowing yourself better, a strong sense of self has many benefits, including better performance and better …
Our world is seldom at rest. It often feels like we have to run to keep up with life’s increasing pace, which can lead to an overwhelming feeling of stress and anxiety. This is where mindfulness meditation comes into the equation. Meditation does not only help in gaining focus and perspective, it also helps in …
Bored and underpaid at work while colleagues seem to easily move up in their careers, jealous when a friend buys a new car, worried you cannot afford a product everyone around you is raving about… That feeling of being stuck while others around you appear successful is called status anxiety. Alain de Botton first introduced …
Gone are the days when phones were strictly used for voice communication. Your phone allows you to take photos, read the news, listen to music, track your exercise routine, follow your friend’s whereabouts, keep up with the life of celebrities, collect art, and buy virtually anything you can — or even cannot — afford. Today, …
If you have ever worried that poor performance in an evaluation will lead to a friend or colleague developing a negative opinion of you, then you are not alone. Fear of judgement by others is common. Athletes may fear judgement if they do not win a race, students may dread the disappointment of others upon …
Imagine standing on stage in front of a few hundred people. Your heart is beating fast, your hands are sweaty, and you can feel a knot in your stomach. This is the fight-or-flight response at play. While it may be helpful in dangerous situations, such as an encounter with a wild or angry animal or …
Humans are very good at getting in their own way. We make our lives more challenging than they need to be, often without realizing it. Why do we place these hurdles in our way? What can we do to address our self-handicapping behaviors? Self-handicapping as an insurance policy In short, self-handicapping is an insurance policy …
We all have experienced regret, perhaps after making a hurtful comment or acting in a way that later turns out to be harmful. Regret is a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment at something that you have done, or failed to do. Psychologists Shai Davidai and Tom Gilovich have investigated the psychology of regret, illuminating a …