A new study reported in the General Archives of Psychiatry suggests that differences in people’s brains make some people susceptible to hypnosis, and others not. The authors of the study maintain that there are no personality differences explaining the different … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, Please explain very simply like Economics 101 how to deal with people who insist that the rich do not pay their fair share. Before people get paid money is taken out for taxes. How does it work … Continue reading
One of the biggest impediments to human associations is the unwillingness to say what you think and request what you want. Notice how I phrase this. I say ‘request’ what you want. None of us are entitled to something—time, or … Continue reading
A true debate is over ideology and principle. This wasn’t that. It was a debate over attitude; but in this respect, there was a winner. Obama’s attitude — as we know from watching him govern for four years — is … Continue reading
Self-help and psychology spend a lot of time exploring ‘how to find love’ or ‘how to keep the love that you want.’ But rarely do we actually take the time to ask: ‘What is love?’ To start this study, I’ll … Continue reading
Q: What are your thoughts on the psychology behind the old saying, ‘the grass is always greener,’ where people search endlessly for something better than what they already have? Is that an unhealthy mindset? I know that it’s always good … Continue reading
Someone once offered me a great analogy of being in a dysfunctional relationship. People asked her why she stayed in it so long. She replied, “It’s kind of like being in a room with a bad odor. After awhile, you … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: When someone in a romantic relationship expresses no preferences for both small things and values, are they compromising or self-sacrificing? Is it wrong to resent a love interest who consistently does this to themselves? Dr. Hurd’s … Continue reading
Freedom is crucially important for mental health, as well as the other things psychotherapists and psychiatrists “treat.” For example, consider a person who’s depressed. Depression is a state of learned helplessness. In a free country with a booming economy, and … Continue reading
Several readers have asked me to be more specific about the difference between “short term compromises” and all-out sacrifice, the latter of which I’ve written should not be part of romantic love or marriage. A short-term compromise is doing something … Continue reading
I’ve been doing some research on the upcoming DSM-5. The DSM-5 is the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association. It’s used by all psychotherapists and mental health professionals in diagnosing mental disorders, syndromes and other problems. The current version, … Continue reading
The sad thing about the upcoming presidential election is that Mitt Romney is losing — for the wrong reasons. Basically, Romney is so far losing because Obama supporters have been successful at painting him as a “rich guy who’s out … Continue reading