You know the feeling, that intense rush that follows a perceived threat. The flushed face, the perspiration, and the increased heart rate: they are all signs of activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This system’s job is to ready you for a fight or fleeing when danger appears. This incredibly adaptive and automatic system has …
Read more “You Are Your Beliefs and Your Brands”
I recently heard a RadioLab story that was, well, moving. It touched upon a feeling that I have, a somewhat romantic notion of love, and I found it to be incredible. By incredible, I mean unbelievable, and by unbelievable, I also mean, “It cannot be true!” Of course, it is just a story. But, stories …
Read more “The Power of a Story”
Mahatma Gandhi once said that Poverty is the worst form of violence. At the very least it appears to be a neurotoxin. Evidence continues to build a solid case for the notion that poverty itself is self-propagating and that the mechanism of this replication takes place in the neuro-anatomy of the innocent children reared in …
Read more “Poverty is a Neurotoxin – Quality Preschool: An Antidote”
I’m not an emotional man. As such, I rarely experience the extremes of sadness or joy. This is not to say that I do not experience joy or sadness – I do. I take great pleasure in life and also feel the pain that comes with it. But, I am very stable and steadfast – …
Read more “The Tears of Strength in Cancer’s Wake.”
I have often said: “Life has a way of getting in the way of itself.” I had been implying that life plans don’t necessarily work out due to the vagaries of life itself. In my wife’s case, a more literal interpretation is fitting. A DNA replication error set in place a rapid cell duplication process …
Read more “Up and ever onward: My wife’s battle with cancer.”
Do you believe that economic success is just a matter of having a good work ethic and strong personal motivation? Most people do. But in reality this is a perfect example of the Fundamental Attribution Error and the Self Serving Bias. Attribution Error occurs when we negatively judge the unfortunate circumstances of others as …
Read more “The Economic, Neurobiological, and Behavioral Implications of Poverty.”
In my last post, Halting the Negative Feedback Loop of Poverty: Early Intervention is the Key I looked at the evidence from two quality studies of preschool intervention programs that substantiated a capacity to counteract the impairing impact of growing up in economic deprivation. Both studies, Perry Preschool Program and the Abecedarian Project demonstrated positive …
Read more “Poverty Preventing Preschool Programs: Fade-Out, Grit, and the Rich get Richer”
The United States is the richest nation in the world, nevertheless, 2007 Census data indicates that 17.4% of our children live in poverty. That translates into 1 in 6 kids living in a state of economic deprivation. These huge numbers of our most vulnerable are growing up in circumstances completely beyond their control; yet, they, …
Read more “Halting the Negative Feedback Loop of Poverty: Early Intervention is the Key”
Having a loved one with cancer is a life changing experience. It necessitates coping with the medical demands and perhaps equally challenging, the psychological ones. One of the most curious issues my wife has had to deal with are the things people say. Many people do say the right thing, but often she recounts horrible …
Read more “What not to say to someone with cancer: And what helps”
I have little tolerance for unabashed patriotism. When you look closely at the facts with regard to important quality of life indicators, the good ole US of A falls short in many areas. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and unalienable rights seem to apply more to corporate entities than they do to we the …
Read more “We’re Number 37! USA! USA! USA!”