5 results for "Cognitive Psychology"

The Sweet Spot The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning

Paul Bloom
"This book will challenge you to rethink your vision of a good life. With sharp insights and lucid prose, Paul Bloom makes a captivating case that pain and suffering are essential to happiness. It's an exhilarating antidote to toxic positivity." --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife One of Behavioral Scientist's "Notable Books of 2021" From the author of Against Empathy, a different kind of happiness book, one that shows us how suffering is an essential source of both pleasure and meaning in our lives Why do we so often seek out physical pain and emotional turmoil? We go to movies that make us cry, or scream, or gag. We poke at sores, eat spicy foods, immerse ourselves in hot baths, run marathons. Some of us even seek out pain and humiliation in sexual role-play. Where do these seemingly perverse appetites come from? Drawing on groundbreaking findings from psychology and brain science, The Sweet Spot shows how the right kind of suffering sets the stage for enhanced pleasure. Pain can distract us from our anxieties and help us transcend the self. Choosing to suffer can serve social goals; it can display how tough we are or, conversely, can function as a cry for help. Feelings of fear and sadness are part of the pleasure of immersing ourselves in play and fantasy and can provide certain moral satisfactions. And effort, struggle, and difficulty can, in the right contexts, lead to the joys of mastery and flow. But suffering plays a deeper role as well. We are not natural hedonists--a good life involves more than pleasure. People seek lives of meaning and significance; we aspire to rich relationships and satisfying pursuits, and this requires some amount of struggle, anxiety, and loss. Brilliantly argued, witty, and humane, Paul Bloom shows how a life without chosen suffering would be empty--and worse than that, boring.
HarperCollins Publishers 2021-11-02 304 pages

Maximum Brainpower Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom

Shlomo Breznitz,Collins Hemingway
“A wonderfully helpful book . . . After reading it, you will understand what you must do for your brain, and why you must do it.”—Norman Doidge, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Brain That Changes Itself Did you know that experts are often less mentally agile than jacks-of-all-trades? That crossword puzzles and sudoku are of minimal help in building brainpower? That multitasking poses unique dangers to the brain? Cognitive psychologist Shlomo Breznitz knows—and what’s more, he knows what to do about it. In Maximum Brainpower, Breznitz and technologist Collins Hemingway provide both an in-depth look at how the brain works and proven methods to increase its capabilities. Armed with the results of cutting-edge research, they champion the stimulus of continual change over the deadening effects of comfortable routine, show how to separate good mental stress from bad, and demonstrate how hope and socialization can help defend against forgetfulness, memory loss, even dementia. Filled with colorful real-life stories and fascinating psychological experiments, this revelatory work will help adults of any age keep their minds sharp, healthy, and cognitively fit throughout life. It’s a no-brainer! Praise for Maximum Brainpower “Everyone knows the importance of physical fitness; less appreciated is the necessity of cognitive fitness. How do you maintain an exercised, stimulated, flexible brain? Start by reading this book.”—David Eagleman, New York Times bestselling author of Incognito “Profound, rich, and enriching . . . Because of its forceful suggestions, its analyses, and its wide knowledge, this book is well worth reading. And rereading.”—Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and author “Many of us are petrified of Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, and other maladies that impair the functioning of the brain. Breznitz and Hemingway can deliver no ‘magic bullet’ to prevent dementia. But their book does get you thinking about what you can do to develop and maintain your gray matter, build on the plasticity of the brain, and increase the likelihood that you’ll live not just a longer but a fuller life.”—The Huffington Post “Most books about healthy brain maintenance just give you the ‘how’; this one tells you why. And it helps you do it.”—Rita Carter, author of Mapping the Mind
Random House Publishing Group 2013-07-30 288 pages

The Art Of Thinking

Dagobert D. Runes
The Art of Thinking by Dagobert D. Runes is a comprehensive guide to developing critical thinking skills. The book covers a wide range of topics, including logic, reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity. Runes explores the importance of clear and concise communication, and provides practical techniques for improving one's ability to express ideas effectively.The Art of Thinking is divided into three main sections. The first section focuses on the foundations of critical thinking, including the nature of thought and the principles of logic. The second section delves into specific thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The final section explores the practical applications of critical thinking in various contexts, including business, education, and personal relationships.Throughout the book, Runes provides numerous examples and exercises to help readers develop and apply their critical thinking skills. He also emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and continuous learning, encouraging readers to regularly evaluate their own thinking processes and seek out new information and perspectives.Overall, The Art of Thinking is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their critical thinking skills and become a more effective and thoughtful communicator.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
Literary Licensing, LLC 2011-05 96 pages

When Hungry, Eat

Joanne Fedler
By the time my fortieth birthday loomed, I'd married, had two kids, left the country of my birth for another and picked up plenty of baggage along the path. I was long overdue for a spiritual spring-clean. But I couldn't very well take a year off to meditate in an ashram. Who was going to make the lunchboxes? So instead, I opted for doing something about the fatty deposits on my rear-end before they fossilized. And that's where this story begins. Or so I thought. *** A photo of herself in a bikini on her son's fifth birthday led Joanne Fedler to take stock of her life. How had she reached a point where she could barely look at her own body without cringing? Armed only with the certainty that she did not want to be 'fat and forty' Joanne decided it was time to get rid of the excess weight she'd been carrying for far too long. While on a strict new eating plan in which she radically changed her relationship with food, Joanne began to see it wasn't only pounds she needed to lose, but the weight of fear, guilt and anxiety she was lugging around in her heart. In making friends with hunger and dropping a few dress sizes, Joanne found greater peace not only with her body, but with herself, her life and her adopted country. What began as a mission to get back into a bikini became a journey towards acceptance, proving that a spiritual journey can start by saying 'no' to the chocolate mousse. When Hungry, Eat is a celebration of unexpected spiritual insight, small portions and the gifts of hunger.
Joanne Fedler Media 2018-11 384 pages