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Articles by Natalie Kerr Ph.D
Small Forms of Connection That Can Have a Surprising Impact - Natalie Kerr Ph.d
With the frenzied pace of modern life, many of us don’t socialize as much as we’d like. We often feel like there’s no time or energy for lunch with co-workers, a weekend getaway with friends, a visit to the new neighbors’ house, or even a phone call to our parents. We delay these opportunities—or forgo them altogether—and deprive ourselves of the human connection that’s so good for our health and happiness. It might help to remember that connection doesn’t have to be time or energy-intensive.
Modern Parenting Is Bad for Your Health - Natalie Kerr Ph.d
Aa Aa Aa - A + Today’s parents are stressed, even more so than other adults. According to a recent survey, As a parent of two kids, I can relate.
How to Feel Less Lonely
How to Feel Less Lonely Simple acts of kindness can make a person feel happier and less lonely, plus other science-backed strategies.
How to Make Friends
The question is not whether you’ll change; you will. Research clearly shows that everyone’s personality traits shift over the years, often for the better. But who we end up becoming and how much we like that person are more in our control than we tend to think they are.
How to Feel Less Lonely
The Secrets We Keep We all harbor secrets. Some are big and bad; some are small and trivial. Researchers have parsed which truths to tell and which not to.
How to Feel Less Lonely
There are many temptations to organize our life around the experience of earlier trauma. But that may short-change the future—which starts by our envisioning something better.
The Practice That Eases Loneliness
Many people have struggled with feelings of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2020, after months of social distancing, 36% of U.S. adults reported experiencing “serious loneliness.” Of course, loneliness was a significant public health concern even before COVID hit: A 2018 study found that 22% of adults reported they often or always felt lonely. Fortunately, research shows that there’s a simple way to feel less lonely, even during a pandemic. The key is to stop resisting loneliness.
How to Be More Likeable
Boost Your Likability By Natalie Kerr Ph.D. Making and strengthening social bonds. Smart and Amiable? By Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D. The potential link between intelligence and likability. The Power of Kindness By Gina Vild Transform hate into harmony.
Why the Lonely Are So Lonely
Isolated and Maladapted By Arash Emamzadeh Lonely people are more likely to use maladaptive patterns.
Binge-Watching "Friends?" This Might Be Why
The COVID-19 pandemic has apparently triggered a wave of nostalgia—a sentimental longing for the past. In early April 2020, when many people were in lockdown, Spotify reported a large increase in the streaming of music from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, and in the creation of nostalgic playlists. Also, according to a Nielson report given to USA Today, viewings of classic television shows such as Friends surged during 2020. What’s responsible for this resurgence of nostalgia?
A Simple Way to Feel More Connected to Others
Mounting evidence shows that exposure to nature—walking through the woods, observing a beautiful sunset, or simply tending to a plant—improves our psychological and physical health. Nature is also good for our social well-being. Indeed, being in nature seems to orient us toward greater concern for and connection with others.
Showing Vulnerability May Be Less Risky Than You Think
Apologizing for a costly mistake Being the first to say ‘I love you’ Disclosing your struggle with mental illness All of these situations require showing vulnerability, which can be defined as “an authentic and intentional willingness to be open to uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure in social situations in spite of fears.” Showing vulnerability is necessary for creating authentic relationships, but many people are reluctant to allow themselves to be seen.
The Benefits of Letting Yourself Be Vulnerable
People tend to view showing vulnerability as a strength in others, but see it as a weakness in themselves. Researchers call this discrepancy the beautiful-mess effect. We see the positive aspects of others’ displays of vulnerability but focus on the negative aspects of our own.
Loneliness and Trust
Health experts sounded an alarm about a growing epidemic of loneliness in the United States, where at least one-third of adults are lonely. At the same time, research shows that approximately one-third of U.S. adults are “low trusters” who believe that people can’t be trusted and that others would try to take advantage of them. Is there a connection between feeling lonely and being distrustful of others?
The First Step to Overcoming Loneliness
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many people felt isolated and alone. In 2018, 22 percent of U.S. adults reported they often or always felt lonely. In late 2020, after social distancing became a way of life, 36 percent of U.S. adults reported experiencing “serious loneliness.” That’s more than 93 million people. Loneliness is a normal, and often fleeting, human experience. When loneliness persists over time, however, it can wreak havoc on the brain and body.
Create a World of Wonder
Some experiences in life feel so special and magical that, for at least a moment, we feel transported to a place beyond the world of the common and ordinary. How to create wonder.
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