Life Changes
Healing Through Storytelling: Lessons from The Odyssey
The journey of Odysseus in Homer's 'The Odyssey' offers profound insights into healing...
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- Written by: Laurence D. Hurst, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath
The reason why, in terms of evolution, organisms have sex may seem rather obvious – they do it to reproduce. Clearly, natural selection must favour individuals who can reproduce over those who can’t. But this is missing the point. For many species there is an alternative: asexual reproduction.
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- Written by: Amy Schalet, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
American classrooms do not talk frankly about teenage love or emotional intimacy. Last month, Tom Porton, an award-winning, veteran Bronx high school teacher, handed in his resignation after colliding with the school’s principal.
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- Written by: Tamsin Saxton, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Have you ever thought there was an uncanny family resemblance between your friend and her partner? Or wondered for a fleeting moment whether the pair walking down the road were husband and wife, or brother and sister? You might not be imagining things. Animals of many species “learn” what a suitable
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- Written by: Steve Ahnael Nobel
Renewal is well described by Beat novelist and poet Jack Kerouac in his line, ‘I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted.’ After a smooth transition, renewal brings a gradual sense of stability and certainty after a time of rapid change. As we step towards our dreams...
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- Written by: Tamas Szekely, Professor of Biodiversity, University of Bath
When it comes to love, cheating and divorce, matters are never just of the heart. In a bid to understand the love lives of humans, scientists have turned to the romantic relations of birds since the family life of many birds is reminiscent of those exhibited by humans.
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- Written by: Rebecca Treiman, Burke and Elizabeth High Baker Professor of Child Developmental Psychology, Washington University in St Louis
We typically think of writing as something that is out of reach for preschool children. After all, young children can’t write recognizable letters, and they can’t spell words.
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- Written by: Paul Levy, Senior Researcher in Innovation Management, University of Brighton
We’ve been warned about the dangers of “frolleagues”, the friends we have at work that often fill the void left by having too little time for an external social life. As far back as 2008, Linkedin claimed that: “47% of the UK’s web users are mixing their social and professional lives by accepting networking invitations from ‘frolleagues’
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- Written by: Allison Hydzik, University of Pittsburgh
A new study offers the first clear evidence that testosterone treatment for men 65 years and older can improve mood and sex drive.
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- Written by: Chido Ndadzungira, PhD Student, The Open University
This Valentine’s Day will once again see a celebration of love. Unfortunately for many people with learning disabilities, this is just a dream.
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- Written by: Eric Levy, University Lecturer in Marketing (Assistant Professor), University of Cambridge
Money might not buy you love, but according to some studies in psychology and consumer behaviour, how you spend it could reveal a thing or two about your romantic intentions. These studies demonstrate that just thinking about meeting a new partner can actually impact our shopping decisions in surprising ways – affecting men and women differently.
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- Written by: Jeremy Adam Smith
In Western cultures, we mark the beginning of romantic entanglement by touching lips. Few actions are as fraught with anxiety and symbolism as that first kiss—and it’s no exaggeration to say that some kisses feel like life or death.
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- Written by: Marc Allen
Our relationships with others — whether casual or intimate — provide us with a constant, truthful mirror of ourselves. If you have created generally loving, supportive relationships, give yourself some appreciation, for you are obviously being loving and supportive yourself. If you have created difficult relationships...
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- Written by: Clare Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle
Throughout the ages, many cultures have searched for potent aphrodisiacs to increase sexual desire. The term derives from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.
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- Written by: Sarah Love McCoy
Happy February! It is the month of L-O-V-E! Which (let's be honest here) can mean you're either feelin' it or you're not. There's no in-between when we're talking about Valentine's Day, am I right?
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- Written by: Sarah Gomillion, University of Aberdeen
At the beginning of a romantic relationship, passion is not in short supply. The thrills of learning all about your beloved, sharing new experiences, and having plenty of sex, create an exhilarating state of desire and romantic love. In fact, a number of scientific studies have shown that this kind of love
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- Written by: Kira Asatryan
One of the beliefs our society holds most dear is that relationships are complicated. Not just romantic relationships, either — all relationships are fraught with intractable complexities. Watch any movie, read any novel, and you’ll begin to believe that even the best relationships are balancing on the edge...
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- Written by: Nora Caron
Growing up I had a lot of trouble distancing myself from other people's problems. I had every aspect of the Savior Complex embedded in my cells. It was this natural-born Savior Complex which resulted in a lot of drama in my life.
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- Written by: David Robert Ord
When the six-year-old showed his drawing to the grownups in his life, instead of seeing a boa constrictor digesting an elephant, they thought it was a drawing of a hat. Whenever he showed it to adults, he received the same response. The youngster concluded that none of the grownups had any imagination at all!
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- Written by: Jim PathFinder Ewing
Traditional Native American societies may be the best models of balanced societies in existence today—with only about 500 years of European contact and assimilation, versus 2,000 years. Native people viewed themselves—not their political, social, or religious lives—as individuals. The names that Native groups gave themselves generally translated to “the People” or “human beings.”
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- Written by: Alan Cohen
We were trained to believe that we are empty or broken, and if we can just get someone to give us what we are missing, we would be happy. Then we must control our supposed source of good so that person will keep doing the things that make us feel loved.
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- Written by: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com
While we "know" patience is important, it remains one of life's greatest lessons. In our modern society of instant gratification, it sometimes seems that patience is a forgotten commodity. It is somewhat like the joke that goes "God grant me patience, and give it to me right away.".
