Psychology

What role does mental health play in the larger narrative about gun violence and public health?

Emotions seems to only be appropriate after all the facts have come in, making uncertainty a major obstacle to catharsis.

We can condemn the violence at the Capitol without also condemning the emotional experiences that precipitated those acts.

What constitutes a worthwhile cause? And why do we so harshly judge others for donating to the wrong ones?

The problems of design and bias within scientific studies are only amplified by the way news outlets choose to frame findings.

A California law aims to address implicit bias, but recent research suggests that current training has little ability to change behavior.

Should we be pairing our moral arguments with a change in financial incentive to effectively alter human behavior? Is this the way to combat problems like climate change and factory farming?

Our understanding of neurological causation and personal responsibility is evolving. What is the impact of these findings for our criminal justice system?

What should our outlook be on "medically induced" happiness? Is it the same as "natural" happiness?

Is the western understanding of mental health and mental illness necessarily the best understanding?

Online dating offers people a wider choice in partners, but also might serve to intensify bias.

Euthanasia is already a much-debated practice, and the case of Aurelia Brouwers only intensified the controversy.

Beyond the sci-fi nature of human head transplants, we have to consider important ethical questions about the results of the transplants.

The marshmallow test was supposed to show that delayed gratification sets kids up for success, but it actually betrays classed biases.

Trump's presidency has led many to struggle with the ethics of trying to diagnose any mental illness he might have - and whether such illness would even justify his behavior.

"Is addiction a choice or a disease? If it is a disease, is it acquired because of voluntary behavior, or caused by biological or societal factors? Can addicts simply stop using drugs?"

Debates around psychiatrists' role in the political sphere have taken on new life under Donald Trump's presidency.

Shopping hangovers are just as real of a threat at this time of year as the drinking ones. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just behind us (but Christmas still ahead), it can seem once again like everyone’s busy typing denouncements of consumerism with one hand while grabbing sweet deals and swiping plastic with the other. Amidst … Continue reading "Consumerism, Capitalism, and Personal Identity"

Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform. Hypocrites are usually disliked and seen as lacking moral fiber. Many people claim that nothing annoys them more about a person than hypocrisy. I believe this is because we as a race dislike criticism and to … Continue reading "Hypocrisy: The Universal Trait of Mankind"

This post originally appeared on December 4, 2014. When I was 8, I started ballet. I was a disciplined kid who took everything seriously, and dance quickly became a great passion of mine. But for many years I wasn’t that good; I felt I lacked the natural physical abilities that bless talented ballerinas. One day something … Continue reading "Is Envy Always Malicious? (Part Two)"