Externalities An under-considered factor in how we turn out?

Today, ever more of us is attributed to genes, from intelligence to behavioral flexibility, from self-control to political leaning.


But might our mindset’s pendulum have swung too far? Might we be underestimating the influences of environment or, to use the current argot, externalities?

To make that case, and hopefully to enhance your sense of gratitude and contentment, my PsychologyToday.com article today asks you to imagine if you were affected by any of 23 externalities.

The Case for Anger: Why calmness may not always be as wise as some gurus claim

 My PsychologyToday.com article yesterday made the case for being sad. My article today makes the case for anger.

The Case for Sadness: Why happiness may not be all it's cracked up to be

Of course, no reasonable case can be made for debilitating sadness, let alone for depression. But our perkiness-valuing society deems even mild sadness to be a character defect or at least needing of repair: “What’s wrong, Pat?”

Yet, a defensible case can be made for a mild state of sadness. Perhaps it will promote self-acceptance among people who, because of biology and/or environment, walk the earth a little less chipper than average. I tackle that in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Quotes about Work . . . and Counterpoints

Quotations are more memorable and hence are often more helpful than are tomes. In an attempt to reduce quotes’ tendency to reductionism, my PsychologyToday.com article today offers a “yes-and” or a “yes-but” for 11 quotations from the eminent.

The Lazy Person's Guide to Growing Roses

You’re attracted to growing roses because of the romantic image, the beautiful flower form or fragrance, or because your grandparent grew them.

The attraction to roses is understandable. In a world that's ever more high-tech, impersonal, and in which some people are ready to pounce if you say the "wrong" word, the peace of mind that can derive from a simple pleasure like rose growing can be appealing, especially now as we're at the year's best time to order and, in warm-winter climates, to plant roses.
But you’re much less attracted to the idea of fancy pruning, frequent feeding, let alone spraying with an arsenal that would have scared Saddam Hussein.

I'm not attracted to that either. I’ve read the frou-frou advice, even attended lectures by rosarians—Yes, that’s actually a term. I’ve even tried some of their methods and after having grown roses, over 200 in total, for 40 years now, I’ve concluded . . . Nah.

Yet I still have nice roses, maximum pleasure with minimal effort. My PsychologyToday.com article today tells how.

Yes, But: 10 Eminent Philosopher’s Quotes…and their limitations

Quotations, especially from the preeminent, can yield much benefit per moment of reading. To that end, my PsychologyToday.com article today offers 10 such quotations plus my humbly offered yes-buts, plus one one-liner of my own. They’re presented in chronological order.

Preventing and Ameliorating Counselor Burnout

What has worked for me in preventing and ameliorating burnout may not work for you, but because I know best what’s worked for me, internally and externally, I can most accurately describe that. So that’s my focus in my PsychologyToday.com article today.