Tag Archives: Psychology

Be a Winner in 2021

Posted on December 31, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Life is like a game of chess. I was going to say “life is like a box of chocolates,” but apparently someone else has used that already. In high school and college, I played a lot of chess. A chess … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology | Tagged Carpe diem, Courage, Life, Losing, Meaning of life, Personality, Psychology, Risk, Winning, Wisdom | 2 Comments

A Moment from the Middle Ages

Posted on October 19, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Let’s consider a moment from the Middle Ages. Of course, people in the Middle Ages didn’t think they were living in “the Middle Ages.” That term was invented during the Renaissance to denote the era between Late Antiquity (after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology | Tagged Courage, COVID-19, Fear, Freedom, History, Propaganda, Psychology, Rationality, SARS-CoV-2 | 2 Comments

A Pop Quiz About Government

Posted on October 14, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

We’ve got a pop quiz today, kids. But don’t worry: There’s only one question, and it’s multiple-guess. The authors of the U.S. Constitution were greatly influenced by a book called The Spirit of the Laws. It said there were three … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Courage, COVID-19, Democracy, Fear, Freedom, Justice, Politics, Propaganda, Psychology, Rule of law, SARS-CoV-2, Social harmony, Virtue | Leave a comment

A Visit with Esther and Joe

Posted on July 25, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Did you ever wish you could thank some people from your past who helped you when you needed it? For me, two of those people were Esther and Joe. They owned a little “mom and pop” grocery store around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology | Tagged Dreams, Family, Gratitude, Happiness, Judaism, Kindness, Moral Choice, Parenting, Psychology | 2 Comments

How to Beat the Social-Isolation Blues

Posted on May 9, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Are you discouraged? Depressed? Fearful? Confused? Unmotivated? Then I’ve got a cure for you. It’s guaranteed. It costs nothing. And it will pay dividends for the rest of your life. You need to know three things. The first two are … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Science | Tagged Evolutionary Psychology, Faith, Hope, Neuroscience, Optimism, Positive attitude, Psychology, Wisdom | 3 Comments

The Hidden Cause of Our Disagreement

Posted on April 4, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Note: This blog post explains one cause of society’s basic disagreements. It is not intended to denigrate anyone on either side of the argument. It’s obvious which side I favor, but I’ve done my best to be fair. There’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Science | Tagged Common sense, Different worldviews, Hierarchy of needs, Human history, Human Nature, Psychology, Social Conflict, Wisdom | Leave a comment

What If You Have No Answer?

Posted on January 2, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

In my previous blog post, I said you should always have an answer to the question, “What am I doing here?” But what if you don’t have an answer? The glory and the misery of being human is that we … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged Angst, Bipolar, Commitment, Courage, Depression, Ennui, Existential choice, Goals, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Purpose | Leave a comment

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

Trick or Treat

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

Is it okay to “trick people” for their own good? That question comes up early in John Staddon’s book The New Behaviorism. I’ve just started reading it, and it’s a thought-provoking analysis. Behaviorism is a psychological approach that, true to … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged B.F. Skinner, Behaviorism, Clickbait, Free Will, Freedom, Freedom of choice, John B. Watson, John Staddon, Operant conditioning, Power corrupts, Psychology, Staddon, The Fatal Conceit, Totalitarianism, Utopianism | 2 Comments

Embrace the Paradox of Self-Improvement

Posted on December 28, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Are you good enough as you are, or do you think you can do better? That question highlights the paradox of self-improvement. Before you can make your life better, you must believe you’re worthy of something better. That means accepting … Continue reading →