I cringe every time I hear someone say; women limit their success because they don’t have the confidence or because they underestimate themselves, or don’t value their contributions. Intuitively I have always thought this was wrong. Now there is a growing body of science that proves that this is ‘junk…
COVID19 has and will continue to impact the way we live and work. Even with low levels of community transmission that we are experiencing in Australia, we still have to get good at social distancing and when not possible, wearing masks. It is hard and not comfortable because it is…
COVID19 has created a profound disruption in ‘normal’ life. We have individually and collectively spent the last six months reacting and adapting to our new reality. Some of the changes have been dramatic and others more subtle but potentially life-changing. We have a minimum of another six months, where we…
Restrictions and challenges due to C19 can make staying healthy and feeling good harder to achieve. Sometimes when we are uncomfortable, we don’t want to go along with changes we did not ask for. Frustration is a normal feeling, but there are ways to make it easier to do the…
Research shows 1 in 2 Australians feel more lonely since C19. Physical isolation does not necessarily have to create loneliness. The authors of this study recommend staying socially-connected while remaining physically apart. In addition to phone/zoom calls and exercising while physically distanced, they suggest letter writing and making a gift…
As we continue to adapt to the world with COVID, some people must quarantine, and others choose to self-isolate to protect themselves and others from potential infection. In some ways, we are all participating in the biggest social experiment in our lifetimes. Scientists are seizing the opportunity to learn more…
Emotional expression is a central component of social intelligence. So what is the impact of wearing a mask? Ursula Hess, a psychologist and expert in the communication of emotion, says masks do not interfere with the expression or ‘reading’ of emotion. She highlights some of the research in a recent…
The news that 900 people in Melbourne ‘hotspots’ refuse COVID-19 testing has confused many and outraged some. It is easy to label people who refuse to test as selfish, but we can and must do better. We must think clearly rather than judge based on limited information or react unwisely…
Do you feel like you are ‘hitting the wall’ with regard to physical isolation? You are not alone. A recent study found that when socially isolated, people crave social interaction the same way a person who is fasting craves food. The brain’s response to wanting social contact is similar to…