This week I had the pleasure of being contacted by a reporter from the Orange County Register (our local paper) with the question: "Q: Why do so many people enjoy going to scary movies, or putting...

Annie--one of my best SF friends who used to allow me to boss her around at an ad agency where we used to work together--once taught me a good lesson about perfectionism. She spent a day at a...

Our society is confronting many serious, chronic medical issues, including AIDS, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer's, MS, heart disease, and autism. What do all those conditions have in common? Every one is something you live with for a long p...

The limit testers, the ones who will always find out how far they can display a certain behavior and get away with it. The ones who always seem to be thinking two or three steps ahead of you.   ...

Schools in the United States have severely curtailed or eliminated physical education and performing arts programming because of the need to score higher on standardized tests in order to receive...

As a nation, we are concerned about obesity. Strategies are being proposed daily to address the problem. Yet, the race to find ways to help people eat healthier and manage their weight leads to simplistic and sometimes harmful solutions. Here is an...

If you're old enough and have been interested for a long time in psychological issues, you may remember Synanon, the California organization that specialized in treatment of addictions and was gradually revealed to have been both emotionally and...

Or the Obligation to Be Up-Beat The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that soon all New York City Metrocards will be stamped "OPTIMISM." Positive thinking, our unofficial national ideology, is becoming harder and harder to...

I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now. One of my favorite resolutions,...

As we enter the holiday season this week there are often many opportunities to volunteer our time, talents, and money to worthy causes directed to those who may be less fortunate than ourselves. Collecting food for the hungry, toys for children without...