As football fans around the world prepare for the start of Euro 2012 this Friday, we cannot help but reflect on the contrasting circumstances of two of the tournament’s most talked about teams. As summer is to winter, as joy is to sorrow, as hope is to despair – so is the mighty Spain to lowly England. Continue reading
Health psychology can be defined as the study of how biological, environmental, psychological and sociocultural factors influence health, healthcare and illness. Continue reading
It is a phenomenon that has baffled mothers, fathers and the classic “nice guys” throughout human history, but perhaps no one expresses the paradox quite as eloquently as acclaimed rapper Earl Simmons, better known to his fans as DMX – “Why do good girls like bad guys? Knowin’ that bad guys tell mad lies…”
Indeed, it is a truly profound question, one for which there is no simple answer. Nevertheless, researchers have uncovered one factor which appears to play a major role in this phenomenon – ovulation! Various studies (e.g. Gangestad, Simpson, Cousins, Garver-Apgar, & Christensen, 2004, cited in Durante, Griskevicius, Simpson, Cantu & Li, 2012; Thornhill & Gangestad, 2008, cited in Durante et al., 2012) have found that ovulating women have an increased desire for the prototypical sexy cads – men who are attractive, dominant and who live on the edge – even though these men may not be interested in a long term relationship. Continue reading
The playful lure of unhealthy fast food restaurants and the financial restrictions of school lunch programs have made it absolutely essential that children eat nutritious food at home. But as any parent is well aware, this is much easier said than done. How can concerned parents help their kids to eat healthier foods? Check out these 7 clever tips: Continue reading
This is the first of a series of blog postings related to my own series of research studies (my doctoral research at Saybrook University; Williams, 2011) of people who have made full and lasting medication-free recoveries after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. This is very exciting research because it is one of the few areas within psychological research that remains almost entirely wide open. One reason it is so wide open is that most Westerners don’t believe that such recovery is possible, in spite of significant evidence to the contrary. Since there are some very hopeful findings that have emerged within this research, I want to begin this series of postings by summing up one particularly hopeful aspect of my own research, which is a group of five factors that emerged which are considered to have been the most important factors in my participants’ recovery process. But before looking more closely at these factors, we should back up for a minute… Continue reading
The portrayal of individuals with autism in movies has come a long way in recent years. From the savant character of Rain Man to the multi-dimensional heroes of Salander and Khan, are we finally seeing the mainstream media develop a better understanding of persons on the autistic spectrum?
1. Rain Man
This film provided an entire generation with their first introduction to the subject of autism and is still highly regarded today, more than 20 years after its release. Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), the autistic character in Rain Man, is a savant. He has an incredible memory but he does not necessarily understand the things that he is able to recall. For example, he is able to remember numbers and help with card counting, even though he does not have a strong background in mathematics. At the outset, Raymond’s brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) mistakenly believes that Raymond’s autism can be cured and this is the source of much friction throughout the movie. Continue reading
