Lives on Earth

emotions

  • The Brain Speaks Out

    Good Morning. I’m pleased to see so many members here today. I’ll be speaking about the basic functions of my department, Head Quarters. It’s my belief that many current descriptions of the so-called “mind”—expressions such a “self-aware,” “highly intelligent,” “imaginative”—point to… Continue reading

  • The Limits of Happiness

    If our expectations of happiness sometimes fall short. it may be because we often misunderstnad the nature of emotions in general. We tend to think that emotions come in pairs, that each pleasant emotion has its distressing counterpart, that happiness… Continue reading

  • “Comparison Is the Thief of Happiness”

    “Comparison is the thief of all happiness,” says former NFL star Joe Ehrmann in denouncing the pressures on boys to “be a man,” in the documentary The Mask You Live In.* Messages overt and covert, from video games, fathers and… Continue reading

  • Steven Pinker on Emotions and Genes

    Steven Pinker’s How the Mind Works might well be subtitled “And the emotions too.” This terrific book offers a barrage of insights and connections about humans and evolution that can feel intoxicating. It stirs up the nature-nurture controversy with a… Continue reading

  • Five Things I Expect My Core Belief To Do For Me

    I want a core belief that does the following things for me. It should help me feel a little less terrified of death. It should point me towards a meaningful purpose in living. It should clarify the foundations of right… Continue reading