Society & Culture

Counter the Psychology of Pessimism

It’s the tendency to put more attention, value and weight on negative comments and experience than on the positive. It’s human. We seem to be hardwired to do it. Some theorists suggest that our survival depended on it when we were living in primitive times. People who didn’t stay alert for saber-toothed tigers probably didn’t [...]

iMatter: Rosie Batty’s App to Help Young Women Avoid and Leave Unhealthy Relationships

Source: Lucia Osborne-Crowley via Women's Agenda Australian of the Year and anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty has launched a phone app aimed at teaching young women how to recognise signs of unhealthy and abusive relationships. Batty has been campaigning tirelessly against domestic and family violence since her son Luke was murdered by his father on [...]

Domestic Violence Funding in NSW

Rosie Batty's elevation to Australian of the Year has intensified pressure on the NSW government, two months from an election, to overhaul its approach to tackling the "serious epidemic" of domestic violence. Buoyed by Ms Batty's calls for stronger leadership and increased funding to cut family violence rates, Domestic Violence NSW will demand an extra [...]

First National Report Released on Gender Identity and The Mental Health of Young People

An Australian first La Trobe University study of gender diverse and transgender young people has revealed high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety. The beyondblue funded report, From blues to rainbows: the mental health and well-being of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia, found that half were diagnosed with depression and two thirds had experienced [...]

Raising Non-Materialistic Children in a Material World

The last few weeks have seen me embark on a clutter clearing frenzy.  As I work to eliminate the clutter from my home, filling our rubbish bins and donation boxes to their brim, I can’t help but consider the meaning our society attaches to material objects and how this impacts happiness.  So, following another weekend of [...]

Psychology of Food Shaming – Why People Food Shame

Like a vegetarian censuring a meat-eater, a food-shamer will criticize someone who doesn't meet her definition of "good." The weird thing is that her idea of "good" could just as easily be a chia pod or a full-fat, finished-with-butter chocolate pudding—health doesn't seem to matter. via Psychology of Food Shaming - Why People Food Shame.

Report Shows No Major Differences In Parenting Style Based On Marital Status

Although single parents may not have the economic resources of married parents, they are still hitting the mark on what experts agree are beneficial parenting priorities: reading with their kids, having meals together and setting TV rules. This data comes from a newly released Census Bureau report on indicators of children's well-being, which was further analyzed by Sandra Hofferth [...]

Samantha Armytage Becomes a Swimsuit Cover Model

In her own words Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage reveals a healthy self-confidence as she prepares for her first magazine swimsuit shoot as the "fat police" scrutinise her weight. "I'm not some type of scrubber," she declares as the crew from Australian Women's Weekly (AWW) fuss about her. On Thursday, Armytage will appear on the magazine's cover in a [...]

Our Jobs Really Are Driving Us To Drink

We’ve all been guilty of it – dramatically exclaiming that work is going to drive us to drink after yet another gruelling day at the office. But it turns out there may be a little truth in the old saying after all. A new study published by the British Medical Journal suggests that working too [...]

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