Having what you want and wanting what you have are two different and important factors in predicting happiness.

Do you ever wonder why the world seems so hostile? Well it may not be the world, you yourself may be making the world a more hostile place. This is according to the findings of a recent study done by researchers at Iowa State University on how aggressive people can shape their social world.

A new study out of Australia finds that depressed women are more likely to be engaging in sex and sexual activity than their mentally well counterparts. So why aren’t they happy?

Maximizers must find the best possible option while Satisficers only need the option that is “good enough.” Which one feels better?

Dieting has become something of an American pastime. We are obsessed with our waistlines and look to new diets to help manage our insecurities. A recently published review in American Psychologist suggests that diets are not all they are cracked up to be. Not only does this review suggest that diets rarely work, but it also cites substantial evidence indicating that dieting my present substantial health risks.

Remembering birthdays close to your own birthday as an example of the egocentric bias in temporal memory.

Dan Ariely’s new book “Predictably Irrational” shows us how much we dislike having our options taken away.

Have you ever been sitting at your work desk and you just can seem to focus on what you are doing? It may be because the person in the desk next to you is doing something different.

As someone who loves great food, I thought this article in the New York Times was particularly interesting. It discussed how different food choices could be stressful on relationships. Discover what other studies say about why sharing food in your relationships may be important.

Feel like an imposter? Do people see you differently than you really are? This phenomenon is actually quite common and may even be beneficial. Find out what these are and if the benefits are built to last.

Economists have a funny way of looking at the world. They like to create models where consumers (we can call them “people”) will make decisions based on rational comparisons and decisions. A lot of times, the results are elegantly useless at predicting things on a broad scale (remember the “Laffer Curve?”). However, when it comes to “small” interactions, the calculus of rational thought can be found to be eerily effective at describing human behavior.

Forgiving someone can effect how good you feel about yourself. Find out how.

Recent research found that socializing could be just as important for the brain as completing more high-minded, intellectual tasks. Read why, then go out with your friends and discuss.

I will admit this blog is a bit selfish in motivation. This has been one of those weeks where the most consistent part of my job has been the number of interruptions. Not only am I trying to juggle about six or eight different tasks there has also been a plethora of personal issues going on. I used to think I was a Zen master when it came to concentration. But this week has challenged that perception; I started feeling like the interruptions were winning. So today I took a few minutes to see if there may be any suggestions in the literature on how to maintain concentration.