Essays
One essay every Wednesday on why we feel and act the way we do. 29 essays in four arcs.
How the Self Defends Itself
Now
Coming Wednesdays
29 essays
The Gut
You have something important ahead of you.
Nine Chemicals and How Life Feels
Why can wanting something feel stronger than having it?
The Nervous System
You’re sitting on the couch on a Wednesday evening, and suddenly you hear the door slam behind you.
From Camp to City
Think of the people you would call at three in the morning if something went badly wrong tonight.
The Sapiens
Whatever is going on in you right now is happening inside an animal.
The Code and the Coder
Every cell in your body carries the same complete set of instructions.
Why You Feel The Way You Do
Most of the time, nothing obvious explains how you feel.
Six Things Your Mind Does
A friend is telling you about a meeting that went badly.
How You Talk to Yourself
Two people finish the same piece of work on the same afternoon.
The Familiar vs The Uncertainty
You probably know someone who has been describing the same problem for years.
The Atlas Complex
Someone snaps at the waiter, and you are the one who apologizes.
What the Mind Protects
Every experience you have arrives with a sense of who is having it.
Made of Other People
We are a social animal.
The Filters in Your Mirror
Look away from this text for a moment and find everything red around you.
How Well Can You Really Know Yourself?
“Why did I snap at them like that?
The Making of Personality
Do you think people can change?
A Century of Psychology
You’ve probably tried to understand yourself.
The Wounds of Adulthood
Think of the last time someone’s reaction made no sense for what caused it.
The Wound
There’s a moment in a podcast between Gabor Maté and Mel Robbins who is sharing
The Attachment
You’ve probably noticed this before.
The Installation
Psychology is the study that looks at the patterns in how we think, feel, and behave.
Contents of Consciousness
What would you say goes into having an experience?
Who are you?
Close your eyes and picture yourself at fifteen.
The Scanner
Have you ever noticed the restlessness doesn’t stop when things improve?
Inside a Mood
You’re out with a group of friends.
Built to Feel
In the first few posts in this series, we looked at two things that are almost always present when we turn attention inward: the narrator and the observer.
Something In You Is Watching
You’re mid-thought and something briefly pauses.
You Are Almost Always Thinking
Right now, as you read this, something is running alongside it.
The Question You Keep Walking Past
It usually arrives without warning.
No essays match.