The word “altruistic” might conjure images of a selfless, charitable individual who puts the needs of others above their own, but what does it really mean? The American Psychological Association (n.d.) offers one possible definition of altruism as “apparently unselfish behavior that provides benefit to others at some cost to the individual”. As a concept, altruism has captured the academic [...]
photo credits to owner You walk into a room with your shirt on backwards. You realize it halfway through the meeting. Panic. Everyone must’ve noticed, right? You can already feel the judgment. But here’s the kicker—they probably didn’t even care. This is the spotlight effect in action: our tendency to overestimate how much attention others are paying to [...]
photo credits to owner Every time we recall a memory, we’re not just replaying it — we’re rebuilding it. Details get altered, gaps get filled in, and sometimes, entirely new elements appear. This process, known as reconstructive memory, reveals just how unreliable human memory can be. Memories are guided by schemas—mental frameworks or patterns of thought—that help us organize [...]
picture credits to owner Fascinating coding, we have here Predictive coding has become one of the most fascinating and influential theories in neuroscience today. At its core, predictive coding suggests that the brain is not a passive receiver of information but rather a constant predictor. When our brains compare these predictions to actual sensory input, the brain updates its [...]
Our guessing brains Ever misheard a word only to realize a little while later what was said? That minor hiccup may seem random, but it is your brain in action – constantly making educated guesses about the world around you. These “guesses” are not accidental or clumsy but rather powerful, structured processes that lie at the heart of how we [...]
He wakes up at 6am in the morning, battling against her closing eyelids—a consequence of her sleep-deprived schedule. But he forces herself to be up, because in this hour before dawn is the only time he has with himself and when the world expects less from him. He checks his to-do list and the calendar, finding a laundry list of [...]
photo credits to owner I can almost see your wheels turning through this virtual screen, wide-eyed: “ANTs??” Yes. Do I mean the eusocial insects of the family Formicidae? The annoying little creatures that overtake our kitchen counters when we forgetfully leave our half-eaten donuts undefended? The stubborn species that thrive no matter the amount of pesticides sprayed in their direction? [...]
picture credits to owner What is Imposter Syndrome? Have you ever felt like a fraud, convinced that your achievements are a result of sheer luck rather than your skills or hard work? If so, you may be experiencing what is known as Imposter Syndrome. First coined by Clance and Imes (1978), Imposter Syndrome refers to a sense of self-doubt [...]
picture credits to owner Unless you are a trust fund baby or do not need to work, you have probably experienced work-related stress at some point in your life. High workplace stress is associated with negative outcomes such as poor health, decreased job productivity and poor quality of work (Kakiashvili et al., 2013; Prasad & Vaidya, 2020; Yu et [...]
Ah, Christmas! The season of joy, togetherness, and… A whole lot of stress. Why do we go all out with traditions like gift-giving, decorating, and spending time with distant relatives whose names we barely remember? Why does the festive season sometimes feel like a marathon we didn't sign up for? Well, nothing says “holiday cheer” quite like diving into the [...]