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How do we process and store memories in our tech-enabled world? With information readily available online, we no longer have to remember random information like our friend’s birthday or the address of our favourite restaurant. Instead, we are now more concerned about how to retrieve the necessary information. Can this increasing reliance on technology affect the accuracy of our memories?
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Can empathy be learned? According to neuroscience researchers from the University of Zurich, most definitely. By measuring brain activations, these researchers found that positive experiences with a stranger triggered a learning effect in the participant’s brain, leading to a stronger brain response which can be interpreted as an increase in empathy at the neural level.
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It's a mistake to think of ourselves as individuals Our brains are like a neural parliament: we've got all these competing political parties fighting for control. If I put some chocolate-chip cookies in front of me, part of my brain wants to eat them, as it's a rich energy source, but part of my brain doesn't, as it says I'm going to get fat. Who you are emerges from these brain-wide battles for dominance. It's why I so enjoyed the movie Inside Out: that's the right way to think about the brain, made up of all these different drives.
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Emotional management skills can be developed, primarily via psychotherapy. Emerging research has also raised the possibility of cognitive training to regulate emotional reactions, which can be potentially used for depression / anxiety treatment. Participants who completed an intensive computer-training task of identifying the target accurately while simultaneously ignoring irrelevant information, were found to have reduced responses to emotional events in the amygdala, which is the key brain region involved in negative emotions.
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All of us have our moments of insecurity, though some are more susceptible than the rest. To overcome our self-doubt, we need to first pinpoint the root cause. Is it due to a past failure that has affected the way we feel about ourselves? Or is it because we are fearful of being judged by others? Read on for some tips on how to combat insecurity.
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Stress is an inevitable part of life. To effectively manage stress, we first need to understand it. While stressful experiences may vary from one person to another, the fundamental attributes of stress remain constant. So what are some myths about stress?
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Do you know that feeling grateful is beneficial to one’s mental health? Or that the emotion of gratitude is uniquely different from other social emotions? Gratitude may also be self-perpetuating, which means that the more you practise gratitude, the more you become attuned to expressing it, which in turn enables you to enjoy its psychological benefits. No wonder many researchers consider gratitude to be a highly important emotion!
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Narcissism, as represented in Hogan Development Survey by the Bold scale, is often ranked as one of the top managerial derailers. Findings suggest that a modest leader tend to be more successful than an overconfident one. What can organisations do to reduce arrogance and instil humility in their managers? Read on to find out what Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Hogan CEO, recommends.
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Why are some leaders able to foster team engagement better than others? While their personalities and subsequent demonstrated behaviours play a part, it may not be the only reason. Leaders are also able to engage by crafting meaningful and rewarding tasks for their team members. It is also worth noting that engagement is a two-way street, which means that for the leader’s efforts to be successful, the members’ personalities and attitudes also matter.
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Smith said while some reports were made by staff about Savile's conduct, these were never escalated due to a culture of "not complaining about anything". Employees were reluctant to say anything to management which might "rock the boat", for fear it might result in damage to career prospects or even dismissal.
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We often believe that emotions are irrational and we cannot help what we feel. Are these misconceptions? In this article, the author points out 10 common myths about emotions, and suggests that we have more control over our emotions than what we typically believe.
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Findings from a recent neuroscience study show that the brain devotes more processing resources to situations that signal threat, and that there are differences in how people process such situations. Those who are more laidback use the sensory circuits in their brains to recognise the situation at hand. However, anxious individuals may be better equipped to produce quick and timely responses to the threat, since they process with their motor circuits.
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