Category Archives: Psychology

In Defense of Taylor Swift

Posted on August 25, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who think that Glenn Miller’s 1941 song “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” absolutely rocks, and those who don’t. I think that the song absolutely rocks, which explains why I don’t know much about … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Big Band music, Gay, Glenn Miller, Leftist, LGBT, Life of Brian, Never satisfied, Party Line, Political correctness, Pop culture, Pop music, Taylor Swift, Woke | 2 Comments

Which Values Are Most Important?

Posted on August 22, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I don’t live in a bubble. I’m lucky to have friends, family members, and loved ones who disagree strongly with some of my beliefs. That gives me perspective. Challenges to our beliefs help us in three ways: They make us … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Anti-Semitism, BDS, Haidt, Ilhan Omar, Israel, Jihad Squad, Moral Psychology, Rational disagreement, Tlaib | Leave a comment

Believe in the Future

Posted on August 21, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Many people dismiss faith as “believing what you know isn’t true.” But that’s wrong. At its most helpful, faith is believing what might be true: We will be alive tomorrow. The future can be good. Life has meaning and purpose. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Life, Psychology | Tagged Belief, Believe, Confidence, Faith, Hope, Moral order, Optimism, Set an example, Trust in God, Trust in the future, William James | 2 Comments

What You Can Do About the World

Posted on August 7, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

The world can be a scary place. It is now. As one website commenter remarked: “We wake up, have breakfast, send the kids to school, walk the dog, go to work, come home and everything seems just fine, and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Fake news, Hateful rhetoric, Humility, Hysteria, Inflammatory rhetoric, Intellectual humility, Internet, Live and let live, News Media, Peaceful cooperation, Peaceful disagreement, Propaganda, Rational Argument, Social discord, Social Media | 3 Comments

Wise Paths to Happiness

Posted on July 28, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

What’s the best way to find happiness in life? In some ways, that’s a silly question. There are many ways to be happy in life. Or unhappy. But despite individual differences, most people can find happiness in similar ways. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Psychology, Society | Tagged Attitude, Constructive attitude, Good advice, Good habits, Happiness, How to be happy, Life advice, Overcoming challenges, Positive thinking, Rationality, Reasonableness, Self-improvement, The meaning of life, Wisdom | 4 Comments

What We Are and What We Do

Posted on July 27, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Would you like to join the Chess Club? It’s for people who like chess, like to talk about it, and like to play it. It’s a human group. You can be a member if you satisfy at least one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Common interests, Culture, Freedom of association, Gaijin, Group membership, Hafu, Human groups, In-Group, Japan, Japanese culture, Membership, Out-Group, Voluntary association | Leave a comment

Turn Strangers into Friends

Posted on July 17, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

How can strangers quickly become friends? Or at least avoid being enemies? On my way back from vacation, I passed through Miami International Airport. It’s an enormous place, so I spent a half hour walking from one terminal to another. … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged America, Group identity, Group membership, Group solidarity, In-Group, Leadership, Out-Group, Outreach, Social groups | 6 Comments

Christakis’s Blueprint for Sanity

Posted on July 9, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I’ve started reading Yale sociologist Nicholas Christakis’s book Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society. Christakis is something of a hero not only of free speech, but of sanity itself. His wife Erika, also on the faculty, was denounced … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Blueprint, Christakis, Mob hysteria, Nicholas Christakis, Protesters, Psychology, Yale | Leave a comment

When Smart People Get Stupid Ideas

Posted on July 8, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

If you want to hear stupid ideas, talk to a stupid person. But if you want to hear incredibly, mind-bogglingly stupid ideas, talk to a smart person. It’s not a new insight. Political pundit William F. Buckley once said that … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Arrogance, Common sense, Dartboard fund, Evolutionary Psychology, Intelligence, Over-confidence, Prediction, Satoshi Kanazawa, Smart people, The evolutionary legacy principle, The Savannah principle | 3 Comments

Grokking Our Disagreements

Posted on June 26, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I finally got around to reading Robert Heinlein’s science fiction novel Starship Troopers. When I was growing up, I read two or three science fiction novels a week. How I missed Starship Troopers, I don’t know. And one of my … Continue reading →