Help When it Helps, Don’t When it Doesn’t
There was a wonderful article in the NY Times last week that described when it is helpful to help your children (and others) and when it actually hurts their development.
Read MoreThreat vs. Challenge in Sports
I have found that a simple distinction appears to lie at the heart of whether athletes are able to rise to the occasion and perform their best when it really counts or crumble under the weight of expectations and tough conditions on the day of a competition: Do they view the competition as a threat or a challenge. What happens when you are threatened by something (think mountain lion). First, what direction do you want to go? Of course, you want to run away from the threat as fast as you can. Physiologically, your muscles tighten up, you hold your breath, your balance goes back, and your center of gravity rises. Psychologically, your motivation is to flee from the threat. Your confidence plummets because you don’t feel capable of confronting the situation (that’s one reason it’s a threat to you). You are focused only on protecting yourself from the threat. And, naturally, you feel fear, helplessness, and despair (because the mountain lion will eat you!). In sum, everything both physically and mentally goes against you, making it virtually impossible for you to overcome the threat and success in your sport. Where does threat come from?
Read MoreWhat Do Young People Say About Their Relationship with Technology?
To give you a sense of the scope of the effect of technology on the psychological and emotional health of young people, I want to describe the results of an international study involving more than 1000 students from ten countries across five continents that asked students to disconnect from technology for 24 hours. The results and insights, […]
Read MoreCycling: Turn Your Negativity into Positivity on Your Bike
No two ways about it, negative thinking hurts your cycling confidence. If you’re on ascending a long and steep climb and negative thoughts, such as “I’m gonna bonk” or “I can’t hang with this group,” pop into your head, the chances are you’re not going to keep up your pace. What’s worse is that if […]
Read MoreHow Do We Humans Ever Make Good Decisions?
It’s a wonder that good decisions are ever made by the species known as Homo Sapiens. The reality is that the cards are stacked against us whenever we are faced with choices, especially when the decisions are of consequence. Think about all of the horrendously bad decisions that have been made in recent history and […]
Read MoreLatest News: Taylor Comments on the Value of “Smart” Fridges
I was recently interviewed for an article about the benefits and costs of the new trend toward so-called smart refrigerators, that is, fridges with internet-connected screens built in (think tablet stuck on a fridge). A still a few years away for most of us, but I would guess that many of you already have a […]
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