An open-access digital library of research-based information and reflections on psychology, wellness, and culture

Category: Cognition

  • Our Own Labor Makes It Worthier Than It Actually Is
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    Our Own Labor Makes It Worthier Than It Actually Is

    Have you ever looked at a slightly crooked, self-assembled coffee table and felt a wave of profound pride? If so, you have experienced the IKEA effect. This psychological phenomenon explains why we place a disproportionately high value on products we helped create, regardless of the end result’s objective quality. The Origin Although it sounds corporate, the…

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  • Unmet Expectations Are More than Just What You Want
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    Unmet Expectations Are More than Just What You Want

    Expectation can feel neutral, like an honest read of what’s likely to come, or like a personal standard that fits your narrative. The pain of unmet expectations, therefore, is not just about an outcome. It feels like a loss, grieving the reality, or in some cases, a part of identity. There Is Real Science Behind…

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  • Learning a New Language Is Beneficial to the Brain
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    Learning a New Language Is Beneficial to the Brain

    For most people, learning a second language is a practical decision: career advancement or immigration. What tends to get less attention is what the process is doing to the brain in the background. But there are many benefits of learning a new language that can change the brain structure. Over the past decades, research on…

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  • What if Your Anxiety Actually Starts in the Gut?
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    What if Your Anxiety Actually Starts in the Gut?

    The breakthrough came quietly in psychotherapist Julie Chen’s practice, buried in what seemed like routine patient complaints. For months, she’d noticed a pattern: patients struggling with treatment-resistant depression often mentioned digestive issues. Bloating after meals, chronic stomach pain, irregular bowel movements… Those details that might have been dismissed as stress-related side effects just a decade…

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  • Do We All Have a Built-in Fortune Teller?
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    Do We All Have a Built-in Fortune Teller?

    Patricia noticed it first during her morning commute. As she walked down the familiar path to the subway, her hand automatically reached into her tote bag for the MetroCard—except she had switched to the Metro company’s new digital wallet App. Her fingers closed around the air, and for about 300 milliseconds, she petrified. “Am I…

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