Society & Culture

Attention, Teenagers: Nobody Really Looks Like That

Flikr Images The universal truth of puberty and adolescence is body change, and relatively rapid body change. Teenagers have to cope with all kinds of comparisons, with their peers, with the childhood bodies they leave behind, and with the altered images used in advertising and in the self-advertising on social media. It may [...]

Relationships – Trust

Pixabay Images Trust is the foundation of a successful relationship. It is the first element in the Relationship Quotient (RQ). Trust is the belief that a person will not put their interests ahead of yours. Without trust there can be no growth, no emotional healing and no peace. Trust is an act of honesty [...]

The Neuroscience Of ‘Cool’

Pixabay Images Cool is a target that’s constantly shifting. It’s an attitude, a term of approval, and today, as much as any of these things, it’s a game of superficially rebellious status-chasing, centered on consumerism. Cool turns out to be a strange kind of economic value that our brains see in products that [...]

Kindness Contagion

Flikr Images We find that people imitate not only the particulars of positive actions, but also the spirit underlying them. This implies that kindness itself is contagious, and that it can cascade across people, taking on new forms along the way. We still don’t fully understand the psychological forces that power kindness contagion. [...]

The Global Community Is Failing To Address Mental Health

Pixabay Images When it comes to mental health, the global health community has failed. Mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders are among the leading causes of the global burden of disease. By 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability. Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents. People with severe [...]

The Power Of Rewards And Why We Seek Them Out

Pixabay Images Any dog owner will tell you that we can use a food reward as a motivation to change a dog’s behaviour. But humans are just as susceptible to rewards too. When we get a reward, special pathways in our brain become activated. Not only does this feel good, but the activation [...]

Are These Children Being Sexualised? Dancewear Company Under Fire For Seductive Pre-teen Images

Pixabay Images Frilled Neck Fashion is an Australian dancewear company, but you would be forgiven for thinking that the pictures on their Instagram account belonged on the centrefold of an old school men's mag. The models pose seductively in skimpy outfits. The captions use words like 'this beauty' and 'this angel'. The comments [...]

Drinking: When Is It Safe?

“What’s the safe age to start drinking?” This is a very common question that students, teachers and parents ask when talking about the risks of drinking. Whilst the legal age for drinking in Australia is 18 years, there are many different opinions about when and how it is safest for a person to try alcohol [...]

Pokémon GO Or NO? What Parents Need To Know

Pixabay Images Pokémon GO is only days old, but already it’s a monster success. It’s all over the news and social feeds, crashed servers here in Australia and compelled millions of big and little kids world-wide to hit the streets to chase colourful creatures that don’t really exist. Yeah great, you say, but [...]

Sonia Kruger’s Migration Comments Highlight ‘Uncomfortable’ Reality For Australian Muslims

Flikr Images Public debate on Islam has been "on for young and old" since Attorney-General George Brandis' asserted that people have "a right to be a bigots", and "bigoted" views are expressed repeatedly. "My view is that we're going to see more of this. We're going to see this particular theme opening up again and again and again," Dr Jakubowicz said. "In a [...]

Go to Top