Emotional Agoraphobia

On a recent trip to the UK, I heard the term "emotional agoraphobia.' It was used by the headteacher of one of England's leading schools and she was referring to the tendency of children to use the Internet to make and sustain friendships. Her point was that children seem to favor digital relationships over full-blooded ones, finding screens more alluring than human connection. This in turn could lead to less nourishing relationships, and anxiety when it comes to actually meeting and developing friendships in the real world rather than in cyberspace. Could this explain in part the significant increase in anxiety and depression among teenagers in the UK over the past decade? The head of a charity dealing with mental illness among the young in Britain recently told the London Times that young people are always in touch with their friends through social media and texting, but still feel lonely. The question is: are on-line relationships as nourishing as real world relationships, or are they leading to a growing 'emotional agoraphobia' among the young?

Upcoming Talk: 'Win That Interview!' Nov 6, 2016 - San Francisco

How do you prepare for, and communicate successfully, during that all important job interview?  I'll be talking on this very topic at the San Francisco Main Public Library on Sunday November 6. The talk is open to the public and will be from 2pm to 4pm. 

Interviewing is a piece of skilled behavior that is quite separate from how well qualified you are for the job itself. And all too often people work hard at producing a great curriculum vitae and cover letter but then fall short when it comes to nailing the interview. Psychology teaches us a lot about effective communication, which is crucial when interviewing. Informed by my own experience of working in communications for over 20 years as well as by psychological research, my talk will cover the basics of successful interviewing. Areas covered will include: 

• how to present yourself well, communicate clearly, and answer tough questions without getting stressed
• the three stages of an interview and what to do in each one
• how to manage interview nerves
• the Do's and Don't's of interviewing

Details:

Talk:  Win That Interview!

Time: 2pm - 4pm

Date: Sunday Nov 6, 2016

Place: San Francisco Main Library,  100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102  

Cost: Free

 

US ranks 13 in world happiness index

A UN survey that measures the mean happiness level of people around the world has placed the U.S. in 13th position out of 156 countries. The U.S. scored 7.10 out of 10. The happiest place in the world tuns out to be Denmark (7.52) and the least happiest is the African nation of Burundi (2.91). Seven European nations are in the top 10 joined by Canada, Australia, and New Zealand while Syria, Togo, and Afghanistan join Burundi in the bottom four. What's interesting to me about the survey is that it focuses attention on happiness and subjective wellbeing as key measures of human development rather than just economic growth. In fact, when you look at the variables that explain the differences between the happiest and the least happy nations, it turns out to be things like social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. I wonder how government policies might change if we adopted gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product as our main development indicator?