Category Archives: Personality

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What Influences Our Happiness the Most: What factors are crucial to well-being?

happiness, unhappy, genetics, experimental social psychologist,

I have two friends, Seth and Michael, and one of them is a lot happier than the other. Seth is chronically unhappy. He is often glum, frequently irritable, and sometimes hopeless, though he has never been clinically depressed. By contrast, Michael is a remarkable happy person. Although he has his low moments and periodic stress, he […]

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How to Spot Emotional Unavailability (Part 2)

relationship, emotionally unavailable, distance, alone, priorities, control, perfection, anger, secrecy, therapy, counseling

…continuing How to Spot Emotional Unavailability (Part 1) Most people reveal their emotional availability early on. Pay attention to the facts, especially if there’s mutual attraction. Even if the person seems to be Mr. or Mrs. Right, yet is emotionally unavailable, you’re left with nothing but pain. If you overlook, deny, or rationalize to avoid […]

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How to Spot Emotional Unavailability (Part 1)

relationship, emotionally unavailable, distance, alone, priorities, control, perfection, anger, secrecy, therapy, counseling

If you’ve ever been in a relationship full of emotional unavailability, you know the pain of not being able to get close to the one you love. They’re evasive, make excuses, or are just inept when it comes to talking about feelings or the relationship. Some use anger, criticism, or activities to create distance. You […]

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The Empty Nest: Opportunity or Crisis? (Part 2)

empty nest syndrome, change, parents, spontaneity, role model, self care, partnership, intimacy, therapy, adjustment

…continuing from Part 1 of The Empty Nest: Opportunity or Crisis It can be a crisis: If the kids have been the primary focus of your life. As important as it is to love our children and love the job of parenting, it’s also a stage of life, not the whole of it. Those who have thrown […]

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10 Rules for Friendly Fighting for Couples

fight, argue, negotiate, friendly fighting, conflict, respect, yelling, agreement, concessions, peace

For some people, this is a truly radical idea: There is no need to fight with your partner. Ever. Accusations, recriminations, character assassination, threats, name-calling, and cursing, whether delivered at top volume or with a quiet sarcastic sneer, damage a relationship, often irrevocably. Nobody needs to be a monster or to be treated monstrously. Nobody who yells will ever […]

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Stop Trusting Yourself: Becoming Self Aware

trust, promise, self awareness, counseling, therapist

TRUST is a double-edged sword. Though you can accomplish more in life if you put your faith in others, doing so also leaves you vulnerable. If your friend, business partner or political ally betrays you, he benefits — in terms of money, power or some other resource — at your expense. This risk is the […]

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