Faith on the Couch
From infancy, every human person has an innate sense that "there is something more than just me." Read more
From infancy, every human person has an innate sense that "there is something more than just me." Read more
Every parent wants children who will be helpful around the house. It turns out, the words parents choose to encourage helping behavior in children may make all the difference in determining how easy it is to raise helpful, self-donative kids. How do you get a preschooler to help with chores and other household tasks? Adults’ word choice can make a big difference. A new study has found that parent word choice matters when encouraging preschool-age children to help others. Children... Read more
Chances are, if asked, most people would say that women are more likely to say, “I love you” first in a relationship. New research challenges this stereotype. According to Dr. Gary Lewandowski at the Science of Relationships Blog... In a survey of 171 people, researchers confirmed that most (over 70%) believe women fall in love first and are quicker to say “I love you” compared to men. However, the survey also found that the stereotype is WRONG. In reality, men fell... Read more
It surprises many people that the Church will be canonizing both Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II this Sunday, April 4/27. Most of the commentary I’ve read sees this in political terms. That is to say, the perception by many secular observers seems to be that the Church is throwing a bone to liberals by canonizing their guy while the Church throws a bone to conservatives by canonizing their guy. I doubt there is much to this political... Read more
One of the most liberating teachings of our Catholic faith is the idea that suffering–though undesirable and not part of God’s original plan–is an inescapable part of living in a fallen world. That might not sound terrifically liberating on the face of it. Who wants to suffer? No one, of course. But although life is filled with trials and problems, much of the suffering we endure is brought on by the idea that suffering itself means that there is... Read more
Yesterday, I linked a study reporting that 40% of US children suffer from insecure attachment. To the degree that anyone thinks about attachment at all, most people tend to think of it in terms of its psychological and relational ramifications. What fewer people realize is that, because attachment style predicts people’s attitudes toward all their relationships, it also impacts our experience of God. Let’s take a look at four of the most common attachment styles and how each influences our... Read more
Attachment is psychological term for the process that wires the social brain. Strong attachment is correlated with strong empathy, good moral reasoning, strong faith, insight, impulse control, and emotional and bodily regulation (i.e., the ability to reset yourself after stress). Having poor attachment leads to deficits in all these areas. If you’ve been wondering why so many kids are selfish, morally lax, faithless, deluded, impulsive and reactionary look no further than this study of 14,000 American children. In a study... Read more
We tend to pick on materialists for being grasping, shallow people but it turns out that might not be the case. According to new research from Baylor University, what drives materialism is a struggle to feel grateful for what one has and the belief that happiness is always just around the corner with the next acquisition, the next accomplishment, the next goal achieved. People who are better at being grateful can still achieve goals, but they can do so from... Read more
Are people who say they are “spiritual but not religious people” not as healthy as people who are both spiritual and religious? That could well be the case. Religion and spirituality have distinct but complementary influences on health, new research from Oregon State University indicates. “Religion helps regulate behavior and health habits, while spirituality regulates your emotions, how you feel,” said Carolyn Aldwin, a gerontology professor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at OSU. Aldwin and colleagues... Read more
Pope Francis has been beating the drum for more affectionate connections in families, again and again urging parents to “Be close to your children.” Two new studies show the practical import of Pope Francis’ words. First, new research from the University of Adelaide shows that disturbances in the development of the child’s oxytocin system (aka “the love or bonding hormone”) predicts later drug use. Newborns do produce some oxytocin, which facilitates the biological foundations of bonding, especially when being held... Read more
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