Only the Lonely

You may be surprised that the level of social integration and the number of close relationships a person has is one measure of their life expectancy, but with reports suggesting loneliness is on the rise, are we facing a new epidemic? And are there specific social, demographic, or economic factors that are contributing to this […]

A little too much- The perils of some information

It’s never been easier to know a little about a lot. We live in an age of information overload, bombarded by 24-hour news cycles and endless refreshments of news cut down to 280 characters. Learning enough that we probably all think that our own opinions are valid, even if we do not have all the […]

You’ll have to speak up, I’m a little death!

As she lights the candle, her nostrils fill with cranberry smoke. “Are you sure this will work with scented candles?” “I’m sure spirits from beyond the grave can’t tell if it smells like pumpkin spice in here or whatever …. it’s just for ambience or something like that” her friend replied, spreading out tiny tea-lights, […]

Apparitions Apparently

Lying in the dark, not quite asleep, not quite awake. You wait for sleep to gently lift you away. Suddenly a strange heaviness spreads throughout your body; you cannot move, trapped within yourself. Any sense of tranquillity has been taken from you, all that is left is inexplicable dread. You close your eyelids so tight […]

In two minds?

We have all heard the myth of being more right-brained or left-brained, with all your creative thoughts emanating from the left half of the brain and the cold, hard logical ideas materialising from the right. However, the human brain is much more complicated than that, don’t believe that 10% BS, we actually need a lot […]

An ass out of you and me – Everyone’s a little bit racist

We live in a fast-paced world; this isn’t new. Now it is cars and the internet, previously it might have been wolves and bears. We have evolved to make decisions quickly, and we learn from our experiences so we can make these choices even more quickly in the future. This is great, even for non-dangerous, […]

The call of the absurd-Did I really want to do that?

I sometimes get the urge to do the really stupid stuff, throw my car keys into a canal, stick my hand in the plate of an outside diners food, trip over small children as they walk past me just to imagine what their scary Dad would do. As I list these thoughts my mind goes […]

Questioning the Myers Briggs test?

You’re such an ENTJ! We have always loved to put a label on people, from dragons and water carriers, to Hufflepuffs and Samantha’s. Having someone explain the intricacies of one’s own head seems to bring a slight sense of closure; it is sometimes quite cosy in a box! The Myers Briggs personality indicator is probably […]