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2011-06-15T09:00:12-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Don’t Take it Personally

Last updated on: June 15, 2011 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

Is it about you? The Practice Don’t take it personally. Why? Here’s an updated parable from the ancient Taoist teacher, Chuang-Tzu: Imagine that you are floating in a canoe on a slow-moving river, having a Sunday picnic with a friend. Suddenly there is a loud thump on the side of the canoe, and it rolls over. You come up sputtering, and what do you see? Somebody has snuck up on your canoe, flipped it over for a joke, and is... Read more

childhood experiences

personal health problems

2011-06-08T09:00:16-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

See the Person Behind the Eyes

Last updated on: June 8, 2011 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

Who is behind the mask? The Practice See the person behind the eyes. Why? Most of us wear a kind of mask, a persona that hides our deepest thoughts and feelings, and presents a polished, controlled face to the world. To be sure, a persona is a good thing to have. For example, meetings at work, holidays with the in-laws, or a first date are usually not the best time to spill your guts. Just because you’re selective about what... Read more

thoughts and feelings

2011-06-01T09:00:42-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Keep Hope Not Fear Alive

Last updated on: June 1, 2011 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

This recent series of posts has used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — a major feature of the brain’s negativity bias that helped our ancestors pass on their genes. Consequently, as much research has shown, we’re usually much more affected by negative — by which I mean painful — experiences than by positive ones. Besides the personal impacts of this bias... Read more

Cognitive Neuropsychology

2011-05-25T09:00:14-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Confronting the Negativity Bias

Last updated on: May 25, 2011 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

My previous post used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — since that helped keep our ancestors alive — so we are very vulnerable to being frightened and even intimidated by threats, both real ones and “paper tigers.” With this march, Colbert is obviously mocking those who play on fear, since we certainly don’t need any new reminders to keep fear alive.... Read more

March To Keep Fear Alive

Rick Hanson

Stephen Colbert

2011-05-18T09:00:58-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We Don’t Need To ‘Keep Fear Alive’

Last updated on: May 18, 2011 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have dueling rallies in DC coming soon. Stewart’s is “Rally to Restore Sanity” and Colbert’s is “March to Keep Fear Alive!” Obviously, Colbert is a great satirist who is poking fun here, since we sure don’t need a rally to keep fear alive. Alarming messages are all around us, like the news about global warming or the “Threat Level Orange” announcements every few minutes in the airport. Some of those messages are true and worth... Read more

Buddha's Brain

Dr. Rick Hanson

Your Wise Brain

2011-05-15T22:37:19-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Balancing Joining and Separating

Last updated on: May 15, 2011 at 10:37 pm By Rick Hanson

There is a natural balance within us all between the desire for joining and the desire for separation, between the desire for closeness and the desire for distance. These two great themes - joining and separation - are central to human life. Almost everyone wants both of them, to varying degrees. Read more

thoughts and feelings

wisdom

2010-10-14T09:00:03-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You Can Feel Safer

Last updated on: October 14, 2010 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

Feeling safer is a tricky subject, with complications that can be both personal and political. Read more

2010-09-30T09:00:05-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

21 Ways To Turn Ill Will to Good Will

Last updated on: September 30, 2010 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

It’s important to get a handle on “ill will” – irritated, resentful, and angry feelings and intentions toward others. While it may seem justified in the moment, ill will harms you probably more than it harms others. In another metaphor, having ill will toward others is like throwing hot coals with bare hands: both people get burned. Read more

speaking truth to power

traditional metaphor

vicious cycles

2010-09-16T09:00:30-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How Did Humans Become Empathic?

Last updated on: September 16, 2010 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

Empathy is unusual in the animal kingdom. So empathy must have had some major survival benefits for it to have evolved. Read more

computational requirements

early human ancestors

evolution of the brain

2010-09-02T09:00:13-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Wolf of Hate

Last updated on: September 2, 2010 at 9:00 am By Rick Hanson

I heard a story once about a Native American elder who was asked how she had become so wise, so happy, and so respected. She answered: “In my heart, there are two wolves: a wolf of love and a wolf of hate. It all depends on which one I feed each day.” Read more

compassion and kindness

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