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Based on 15 years of original research, psychologist Ickes examines "empathic accuracy"--the mind's potential to intuit what other people are thinking and feeling.
With selections from ancient texts and contemporary teachers, "Everyday Mind" is a solid source for the fundamentals of Buddhism, introducing the novice to precepts such as mindfulness, meditation and dharma. This sourcebook of daily mediations serves as a way to open the mind and awaken the spirit.
BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug. In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I? Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from. Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid? To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.
Where do our thoughts come from? Do we all see the same blue? And how much is our eye really like a camera? The mind is the tool that sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, and the most crucial part of our very being – but what actually is it? From trying to decide whether or not we’re robots, understanding why some people commit acts of violence, to figuring out the art of persuasion; this essential guide to the inner workings of our minds explores the questions we really want to know the answers to. Making the complex comprehensible, this informative book provides a new insight into how our minds work and the role they play in modern life. Whether it’s pondering over why you’re usually right about everything, or discovering colour; Man vs Mind shows that you don’t need to be a psychologist to understand more about what’s going on up there!
Renowned mentalist Lior Suchard has mystified audiences all over the world with demonstrations of his phenomenal gifts of mind reading, thought influencing, and telekinesis. In Mind Reader, Suchard celebrates the extraordinary capacity of the mind and shares secrets from his own performances and life stories, as well as from psychological studies. His creativity-boosting techniques enable readers to embrace their inner mentalist—and harness untapped mental powers to create positive change in their day-to-day life. Filled with illusions, riddles, puzzles, and practical tips, Mind Reader will help you unlock the hidden powers of your own mind.
This latest installment in the Psychology of Popular Culture series turns its focus to superheroes. Superheroes have survived and fascinated for more than 70 years in no small part due to their psychological depth. In The Psychology of Superheroes, almost two dozen psychologists get into the heads of today's most popular and intriguing superheroes. Why do superheroes choose to be superheroes? Where does Spider-Man's altruism come from, and what does it mean? Why is there so much prejudice against the X-Men, and how could they have responded to it, other than the way they did? Why are super-villains so aggressive? The Psychology of Superheroes answers these questions, exploring the inner workings our heroes usually only share with their therapists.
For the first time for general readers, the Dalai Lama presents a comprehensive overview of the most important teaching of Buddhism. Perhaps the main difference between Buddhism and other religions is its understanding of our core identity. The existence of the soul or self, which is central in different ways to Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is actually denied in Buddhism. Even further, belief in a “self” is seen as the main source of our difficulties in life. Yet a true understanding of this teaching does not lead one to a despairing, cynical worldview with a sense that life has no meaning—Far from it, a genuine understanding leads to authentic happiness for an individual and the greatest source of compassion for others. In 2003 and in 2007, the Dalai Lama was invited to New York to give a series of talks on the essential Buddhist view of selflessness. This new book, the result of those talks, is now offered to help broaden awareness of this essential doctrine and its usefulness in living a more meaningful and happy life. While the Dalai Lama offers a full presentation of his teachings on these key philosophical points for contemplation, he also shows readers how to bring these teachings actively into their own lives with recommendations for a personal practice. It is only by actually living these teachings that we allow them to bring about a genuine transformation in our perception of ourselves and our lives A Profound Mind offers important wisdom for those committed to bringing about change in the world through developing their own spiritual capabilities, whether they are Buddhists or not.
Empathic inference, or "everyday-mind reading", is a form of complex psychological inference in which observation, memory, knowledge, and reasoning are combined to yield insights into the subjective experience of others. This comprehensive volume addresses the question of how accurate our "readings" of thoughts and feelings of others actually are, introducing two innovative methods for objectivity measuring this key dimension of social intelligence. Presenting cutting-edge research in this emerging area, the volume offers essential insights into how and why people sometimes succeed, and sometimes fail, in their attempts to understand each other. Leading experts cover such topics as the evolutionary and social-developmental origins of empathic accuracy; physiological aspects of empathic accuracy; gender and other individual difference variables; empathic accuracy and processes of mental control; the dynamic role of empathic accuracy in personal and psychotherapeutic relationships; and the relation of empathic accuracy to applied domains in psychology. This book will be of interest to students, researchers, and professionals in a range of disciplines, including personality and social psychology, clinical and counseling psychology, communication, developmental psychology, and marriage and family studies.
Charlotte Joko Beck offers a warm, engaging, uniquely American approach to using Zen to deal with the problems of daily living—love, relationships, work, fear, ambition, and suffering. Everyday Zen shows us how to live each moment to the fullest. This Plus edition includes an interview with the author.
