Dear Dr. Hurd: When I find myself in a position to explain my new business to a crowd or to individuals, my preparation often fails me and I struggle to communicate my most ingrained concepts. The word that I can … Continue reading
Various studies are suggesting that loneliness is a growing problem, and can be just as bad for your physical health as obesity (if not worse.) Loneliness [according to research reported at theguardian.com 2/17/14] has dramatic consequences on health. Feeling isolated … Continue reading
My articles on psychology and human affairs all rest on one implicit premise: That free will exists, not as an article of faith, but as an observable, provable fact. Not all writers in psychology, and not all biologists, agree. Biologist … Continue reading
People I know who attended Catholic school in the 1950s and 1960s (or sometimes 1970s, as I did) will tell you about old-style nuns who used to tell children, “Finish your lunch. Don’t throw out that food. There’s a starving … Continue reading
A Nevada rancher, Cliven Bundy, has (according to politico.com 4/16/14) “reignited the debate about federal power and states’ rights: When the Bureau of Land Management seized nearly 400 cattle belonging to Bundy for grazing on federal land without a permit, … Continue reading
The New York Police Department said Tuesday it would disband a special unit charged with detecting possible terrorist threats by carrying out secret surveillance of Muslim groups. The squad that conducted the surveillance, known as the Demographics Unit, was formed … Continue reading
Most people assume that self-esteem is a very important thing; they’re right about that. Most people assume the definition of self-esteem is “feeling good about oneself;” they’re wrong about that. Evaluating self-esteem by feelings alone is kind of like evaluating … Continue reading
A reader quotes me from a recent article: “While nobody delights in being wrong, new knowledge is valued by a genuinely self-loving person. Finding out that one is wrong is tantamount to learning something new.” The reader goes on to … Continue reading
Should the Internet, as we know it, have private property status under the authority of the governments of free nations? Or should totalitarian governments with no freedom of speech or press — China, Iran, Russia — enjoy equal control over … Continue reading
The principles of responsible driving are the same principles as those required for living your everyday life — or at least they should be. In this 8-minute commentary, Dr. Hurd explores the prevailing theories of psychological/moral development and shows where … Continue reading
Many parents report having problems with their grown kids. More often than ever before, I hear of grown children moving in with their parents, not for specified reasons or defined periods of time (e.g., to attend graduate school), but because … Continue reading
Brandeis University has announced reversal of its decision to award an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, following complaints from faculty, an online petition, and pressure from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born American (formerly Dutch) … Continue reading