Blog
11
Apr
Apr
Breaking the Ice: Neighbour Day 27 April 2013
Our definition of community is changing. It’s crazy how
few of us know our neighbours: their names, their phone
numbers, what they’re about. The explosion of online
"social" networking has only made it easier to avoid
face-to-face contact in the real world. What might...
25
Feb
Feb
Damon Young on Conversation
We are, as Aristotle noted, defined by words. Speech is a
uniquely human gift. Yet it is surprisingly hard to talk,
even with our intimates.
Take Mr. and Mrs. Hendy, from Monty Python’s wicked
Meaning of Life. We find the retired American couple at...
31
Jan
Jan
Romantic Love: Busting the Myth
I suspect that something has become skewed in the way we
think about love. You feel it keenly on Valentine's Day. It
is not the sentimentality, though it can be sugar-sweet. It
is not the commercialization, though it is annoying when
roses double in...
17
Jan
Jan
Office Politics
The expression ‘office politics’ has got a bad name. We
think of them as something undesirable, unwholesome, toxic.
In my book they are far from bad, just an inevitable part of
professional life. They must be embraced with as much
humour, self-conscious deliberation and...
06
Jun
Jun
Loretta Breuning on Why Love Is a Neurochemical Roller Coaster
Love triggers dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. That's why
it's so motivating. But happy chemicals come in spurts. They
do their job by turning off after they turn on. When your
happy chemicals dip, you might interpret it as a loss of
love. That turns...
09
May
May
Jules Evans on How Ancient Philosophy Saved My Life
It was around this time of year, just over a decade ago,
that I had a breakdown. During my three years at university,
my mental health had got worse and worse. It started with
panic attacks, that arose out of nowhere like tornadoes.
Then...
22
Mar
Mar
Susan Quilliam on Sexual Confidence
It is, surely, a self-fulfilling prophecy that the more
confident you are the more you will enjoy sex. This is not
about arrogance - the assumption that one is God's gift will
be an instant turn-off, particularly to women, if only
because they know...
15
Mar
Mar
Ben Martynoga on Friendship and the Prefrontal Cortex
Facebook will not improve your social life. Laughter is
crucial to satisfying conversation. Single people are more
sociable. And women do need to talk more on the telephone.
On Saturday I attended the TEDx
Observer[http://www.guardian.co.uk/tedx] event. One of the
talks really stood out for me....
24
Feb
Feb
Socrates on Love by Bettany Hughes
Plato’s Symposium takes place in a dining room in a back
street of Athens, a place where conversation is a factory
for beautiful ideas, ideas of beauty, beautiful things. Even
the silences sparkle.
At this dinner party, set more than 2,400 years ago, Love...
14
Feb
Feb
Goodbye Valentine's Day, Make Way for Generosity Day
The Generosity Revolution are rebooting Valentine's Day as
Generosity Day: one day of sharing love with everyone, of
being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to
practice saying "Yes." Let's make the day about love, action
and human connection -- because...
23
Jan
Jan
Ian Leslie on Why We Lie
Imagine, for a moment, attempting to get through a day in
which everyone told the truth to you, and you reciprocated.
Over breakfast you ask your partner what he's looking at on
his phone. Pictures of my ex-girlfriend,' he replies. 'I
still love her.'...
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