Being in a relationship is not easy. It requires effort and devotion to keep that romantic flare and interest there. Sometimes we get lazy and take it for granted. We stop making that extra effort to please our partners and the relationship becomes hollow. It turns into what is known as companionship love, where two people are together just for the company and they become more like friends. Most people see this companionship love as a natural progression in a long term relationship, but a review of existing research suggests that this depletion of romance in a relationship can make people unhappy and dissatisfied with their relationship and themselves in general.... Read More

We live in a time where the choices that are provided to us are almost infinite. The choices of where to live, what to study, where to work, what occupation to persue and what product to choose can sometimes be overwhelming and it can make deciding which option to choose very hard. There are different strategies we can undergo that help us make a decision. But because of the endless amount of options provided to us, there are some of us (maximisers) who like to make the most of that and need to invesitigate all possibilities, whereas others (satisficers) are content with the first option they stumble upon that satisfies them. But what effect can this decision making process have on our general life satisfaction? Are maximisers happier because they find the best possible option, or are satisficers happier because they spend less time agonising over the decision? Barry Schwartz and colleagues provide the answer to these questions.... Read More

I am a musician. Although i don’t study music, I spend one night a week playing in a community brass band. Along with being a musician comes a lot of fear. For example, last week the girl I sit next to (I will call her R) was about to play a solo that she has in one of the pieces. She leaned in to me and said, “Trudy, I’m scared”. I asked her why she should possibly be scared and she said, “I’m scared I won’t be good enough.” She was afraid because that night was the first of a new player in the band.  This new member plays the same instrument and consequently the same music as us but she happens to be studying music at university and is obviously very accomplished on her instrument. Basically R was afraid that she wouldn’t play the solo good enough and the conductor would give the solo to the new and more accomplished player, eventhough R had played the solo well about 20 times.  This situation made me question the purpose of fear. Why is it that we fear things that can’t do us any physical harm? Does fear really do us any good?... Read More

Put aside the saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder because recent reports suggest that it is in the brain of the beholder.  I’m talking about the difference between men and women and the way they interpret beauty. Have you ever noticed a difference in the way males describe and see beauty from the way that women do? Perhaps you’ve noticed that women have a tendency to talk about and describe what they see as beautiful, whereas men silently admire the beauty in what they see. A recent report suggests that this difference lies in the brain processes that occur when we look at an object.... Read More

If you are having a long conversation on the phone, do you just sit still and enjoy the sounds of the voice on the other end of the phone, or do you seek out a pen and a piece of paper and start drawing cute little pictures or shapes? This action, commonly known as doodling, is something that many of us do when we are involved in a phone conversation. Personally I am the Doodle Queen. I work in a call centre and by the end of my shift, I always have to throw 3 pieces of paper in the bin as they are always filled with my pointless pictures and scribbles.  Despite the pen scribble that I do, I always seem to be able to carry a perfectly fluent conversation with the respondant on the other line. This mindless act that we all seem to carry out when listening to another person talk actually has benefits and a purpose.... Read More