The literature of self-esteem tells us that we need to gain self-esteem to be succesful. But this might be all wrong and a widespread misconception, according to a longitudinal study of nearly 2500 students. I’ll introduce you to self-compassion as an alternative to self-esteem, and the reasons why you should develop self-compassion more than self-esteem. Continue reading
Positive thinking can feel like a job to do, while negative thinking seems to happen more automatically. In fact, this is true at a very fundamental level of the brain, studies show. It is called the negativity bias. Continue reading
A large-scale study by Hudson and Fraley (2016), published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, finds that almost all people between the ages of 18 to 70 want to change aspects of their personality. Continue reading
Posted in Clinical Psychology, Personal Development, Personality Psychology
Tagged personality, the big five
What should you look for when buying a gift? This article tries to answer that question. A new paper, based on a survey of existing research, suggests that some gifts are great to give but not to receive. Scroll down and learn more from the infographic. Continue reading
Posted in Behaviors, Consumer Psychology, Relationships, Shopping, Success
Tagged gift giving, present
Human beings are social beings. The tendency to behave, talk and walk like others is what we call conformity, which has been documented in various studies. Continue reading
Posted in Behaviors, Empathy, Motivation, Personality Psychology, Self-help, Social Psychology
Tagged antisocial, empathy, generousity, prosocial, research, study
The human brain is sophisticated. It separates us from all other animals. It allows us to have abstract ideas and to solve complex problems. We are rational social beings, or are we? Continue reading
Four independent sets of studies show that there is a link between analytical thinking and religious disbelief. The results of the studies are described briefly in this post. Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Personality Psychology, Psychology
Tagged analytical, paranormal ideas, religion, religious
The fact that anger can have adverse effects on behavior is evident. When people get angry, they behave in ways that they normally would not do. So, anger seems to impair or even block rational thinking. Continue reading
Posted in Behaviors, Clinical Psychology, Mental Health, Stress
Tagged anger, anger management, angry, empirical, evidence, motivational intensity model
Hi! I’m Simon Moesgaard, a psychologist from Denmark, and this is my non-profit blog.
