Emotions tend to rise up and wash over us like a wave in the ocean, taking us temporarily out of control. They can hit suddenly and without warning, sweeping our thoughts and feelings in an entirely different direction than they had been heading a moment before. But, as with ocean swimming, we can learn to Continue Reading
Affective System
Mood States and Emotion
The Affective system works at two levels – the active processing of our experience – the emotional charge, in the moment, and the background of emotional tone through which we experience things – the mood state. The Affective system puts a positive or negative charge on incoming information and outgoing responses. This charge motivates attention Continue Reading
Moving Beyond Anger
It is a very radical and ancient idea. We can learn to live free from anger. Well, without believing in it and getting caught by it. We will feel it from time to time, but we can loosen its grip and minimize its damage, to ourselves and to those we love. Anger is a hot Continue Reading
How Attention Works (and Why it Often Doesn’t)
Attention is a more complex process than we think. Wait, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention… What were you saying? In this complex modern world of ours, we are very rarely doing only one thing at a time. We read the paper while we eat, we talk on the phone while we drive, and, while we Continue Reading