Voices in the Family: Recent Episodes
WHYY
Thoughtful discussions dealing with the many aspects of personality, psychology, and inter-personal relationships.
A lot of people feel outrage when they’re online – about the news, about injustice or violence in their neighborhood, country, or the world. But where does that outrage take people?
A new study from Lancaster University analyzed over a million posts linked to online petitions. It found that moral outrage helps posts go viral, but it doesn’t significantly increase signatures on petitions.
Outrage doesn’t seem to lead to action, but – scientists are finding that feeling outraged while spending lots of time online can have real health consequences.
In one of their occasional conversations, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings.
Do you often beat yourself up when things don’t go according to plan? You didn’t meet the deadline at work, you didn’t lose the ten pounds you wanted to shed before your class reunion, or maybe you were impatient with your partner? Instead of berating yourself, forgiving yourself may be a better, more constructive way to go. WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss what that looks like in one of their conversations.
Are your New Years’ resolutions starting to fade away? Back to hitting the snooze button on your alarm instead of the gym?
Women are far more likely than men to suffer from conditions like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and migraines. Some researchers point to cultural norms and expectations as a contributing factor.
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the details:
After the devastating and deadly fire that raged across Maui, Hawaii, mental health professionals warn that survivors could face many challenges related to both the trauma and smoke inhalation. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the specifics.
Anxiety disorders are on the rise in this country, especially since the pandemic.
What are the reasons for this steep increase? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss anxiety, and Dan suggests a different way to look at the issue.
Your neighborhood affects your quality of life in many ways – whether you feel safe, comfortable, or have access to healthy food or green spaces. But – it goes beyond that. Rutgers researchers have found that the connections we have with our neighbors really matter.In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings:
A lot of people carry shame – about who they are, things they’ve done – or failed to do. And when that shame becomes overwhelming, therapists refer to it as “toxic shame.” What are the roots of that kind of deep shame – and how can people get over it?
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb explore this issue.
Levels of anxiety are way up among adults and children – and many people cope by avoiding activities and things they are afraid of. An approach called “exposure therapy” has long shown promise in helping people with anxiety – and it’s coming into play more these days.
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss how it works.
Acting in selfless ways – helping others – can make people feel like they have more control over their lives and can reduce feelings of despair. That’s according to new research. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the implications.
A new initiative headed by the American Board of Internal Medicine aims to re-build trust in healthcare organizations across different dimensions
Do you ever feel like you're just not good enough at your job - that any moment, you could make a huge mistake, and everyone would realize that you're a fraud?
In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY's Maiken Scott discuss what families can do to help kids navigate these difficult times.
A targeted psychotherapy approach shows promising results in treating chronic back pain, and potentially other forms of chronic pain. The approach was studied at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
“For a long time, we have thought that chronic pain is due primarily to problems in the body, and most treatments to date have targeted that,” said lead author Yoni Ashar, who conducted the study. “This treatment is based on the premise that the brain can generate pain in the absence of injury or after an injury has healed, and that people can unlearn that pain.
In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss the approach and results.
This prolonged period of living with uncertainty has put many people into a state of limbo, feeling like they are languishing.
When you have a health issue that requires surgery and a prolonged recovery period, you can feel a lot of anxiety and dread. How will you get through this time?
We tend to look for silver linings - even during this difficult past year with the pandemic. What will we learn or take away from this time?
Many people continue to feel a lot of anxiety because of the pandemic. What is safe or not safe once somebody is vaccinated?
Human touch is important for our well-being and health, but with the pandemic, lots of people are experiencing much less of it.
A new study finds that people who are cheerful and content, what psychologists call "positive affect," are less likely to experience memory decline as they age.
Being rejected hurts, not being accepted into a group, being turned down for a date, or being ditched by a friend.
A lot of people feel overwhelmed by the news lately. The pandemic continues, the political landscape is polarized, wildfires rage on the West Coast. This kind of upsetting information can leave people feeling conflicted if they are otherwise having a good day. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss these feelings, and how we can handle them.
The beginning of the school year is coming into very sharp focus for many families - and it's a time of high anxiety that can be tough to navigate.
Healthcare workers have witnessed so much suffering and tragedy, worked long hours, dealt with PPE shortages, and feared for their own safety.
Do you remember that old Turtles song that goes “you and me, and me and you”??
That sounds great when you’re newly in love, but during a pandemic all this togetherness can become very difficult to manage! Especially when you add all of this stress. How is this impacting relationships?
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.
A recent editorial in the New York Times urges families to have “the talk” – that is, the end of life talk. If you were critically ill, what would you want, what are your wishes? It’s a conversation that makes us uncomfortable, and we tend to avoid it.
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss how families can get started.
Remember when social distancing and staying at home was going to last for about two weeks? Weeks later, with little change, some aspects of this new life are becoming a bit more routine. Is that helping or hurting our mental health?
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.
We’re well into 2020, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Still going strong?
Or, already back to your old habits? If so, is that a bad thing?
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss what to do when our goals to do better get derailed.
Many people say we live in a “cancel culture” – where we banish those who express unpopular opinions or behave in seemingly offensive ways. We cancel and delete each other on social media in a flash of anger. But this also happens in real life, where political opinions often get in the way of friendships and relationships.
What does does this do to our mental health? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss.
Working around pets and animals sounds like it should be fun and enjoyable. But new research finds that veterinarians and people who volunteer at animal shelters face particular stressors that can place them at risk for mental health problems.
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings.
Are your friends suddenly looking a LOT older – at least on social media? Lots of people had fun with an app that allows you to dramatically age yourself in a picture. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss this sudden obsession with looking older.
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be physically and emotionally exhausting – and cause serious health issues like depression and anxiety.
A new British study evaluates a therapy intervention for caregivers, that helps them cope with the everyday challenges.
The intervention was developed by University College London, and is called “The START” which stands for “strategies for relatives.”
In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings.