One of the oldest myths in psychology is that our minds are separate from our bodies. Today, however, there is an overwhelming amount of research that shows how our mental health is directly influenced by our brains and biology. A big part of this influence comes from what we inherit from our genes, which we [...]

What are intrusive thoughts? Intrusive thoughts are involuntary and unpleasant thoughts, images, or ideas that pop into our mind. They are a common symptom in those with anxiety, depression, OCD, and PTSD; however, the truth is most people experience intrusive thoughts from time to time.

The purpose of thinking is to understand our world as best as possible. Our minds have evolved to think so that we can better adapt to our environment and make smarter decisions on how to survive and live. At a biological level, our thoughts are millions of neurons firing off in our brain. These brain [...]

What is Empathy? Empathy is the ability to recognize thoughts and feelings within another conscious being. It is a mental capacity in which we can understand the inner world of others – their beliefs, emotions, intentions, values, goals, and personal experience. With empathy not only comes the understanding that other beings have thoughts and emotions, [...]

In a recent TED video, psychologist Alison Gopnik describes how a child’s early cognitive development is a lot like the “Research & Development” sector in an economy. Babies and young children are constantly experimenting and playing with their environments, absorbing new information, testing new ideas and hypotheses (with scientific-like curiosity), and thereby gaining knowledge about [...]