In the final episode of the first season of Conversations That Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take, we discuss and dissect the way that Aotearoa talks about mental wellbeing. Content warning: this episode contains extensive discussions of mental health, including brief mentions of suicide and abuse. It goes without saying that New Zealand’s approach to … Read more
We all have bad habits, picking her cuticles till they bleed is Ruby Clavey’s. She went on a mission to get to the roots of her compulsion – and how she can finally be free of it. Nail-biting, hair pulling, nose-picking, scab picking — most of us have bad habits. Some of us have more … Read more
The best of pals can fall out, never to speak again – and some friendships are only meant for a season. But if you find yourself haunted years later by the loss of a broken friendship, it’s worth trying to fix, writes Karyn Henger. I was 14 years old when I met Catherine. It was … Read more
With many workers being asked to take voluntary pay cuts to help struggling businesses stay afloat during the Covid-19 crisis, it begs the question: why are so many of us compelled to accept? Towards the end of March, Ben* was asked by his employer of almost 20 years to take a 15% pay cut. Working … Read more
The four days Paula Harris spent in the psych ward against her will, with only the overwhelming negativity of her own depressed brain for company, ‘breached the legislation’. It also scarred her forever. It was a Friday when I went into the psych ward. Friday the 13th. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was the second anniversary … Read more
More than 600 psychologists in New Zealand have voted to continue the strike they began last month. They say poor pay, long hours, and an institutional lack of respect are causing a mass exodus. A month ago, on the 31st July, 600 APEX psychologists in 16 District Health Boards (DHBs) stopped working overtime. APEX has since … Read more
Psychiatry always thinks it’s on the verge of understanding and curing mental illness, but its real history is a story of torturers and frauds, a new book shows. Danyl Mclauchlan reviews Mind Fixers by Anne Harrington. If you visit your GP and tell them you have the symptoms of a mental illness – maybe your … Read more
Sam Brooks, lifelong gamer, lost himself on a virtual battlefield in the days after his mother’s death. Here, he reviews a book by a kindred spirit: Lost in A Good Game: Why We Play Video Games and What They Can Do For Us, by psychologist Pete Etchells. The person who got me into video games … Read more
How do you reconcile wanting a kinder, gentler world and also wishing for nothing but misfortune for your enemies? You accept the cleansing power of a deep and passionate grudge, says Emily Writes. The famous philosopher Will Smith once said: “Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume … Read more
It’s not the screen use that’s the problem, but the type of content we’re consuming right before sleep. In both Europe and the US, more than 90% of adolescents have their faces buried in screens before bed. Often, this comes at a cost to sleep. Frequent screen users are much more likely to report falling … Read more
From the ‘sunk cost bias’ to decision paralysis, being overly fearful of regret can lock us into bad relationships, jobs and habits. But it doesn’t have to be this way, writes Eyal Winter. How many times have you thought about starting a company, taking a year out to write that novel or leaving a loveless … Read more
A new study reveals self-confidence among people in Australia can significantly differ because of their month of birth, and it’s down to when you start at school. Researchers Lionel Page, Dipanwita Sarkar and Juliana Silva Goncalves explain their findings (Spinoff editor’s note: In New Zealand, children start school between the age of five and six, typically following … Read more
Despair is understandable. So is shouting about the facts. But to effect real change we need to appeal to values, to deploy effective story-telling and psychological techniques, writes Jess Berentson-Shaw The latest report for the IPCC is out and the singular message is we need to pull finger on climate action. For many people the … Read more
Messages exhorting the importance of mastering self-control come loaded with cultural assumptions and overlook the hidden costs, writes anthropologist Catherine Trundle. We have finally unlocked the secrets of self-control. According to one recent article, it takes only 14 simple steps to master your willpower and reach your goals. Visualise. Prepare a plan. Hide temptations. Surround yourself with disciplined people. … Read more