The last two years messed with our heads, as the New York Post describes. The Post says that the vast majority of U.S. adults (87%) agreed it feels like there has been a “constant stream of crises” during the past two years, and more than seven in 10 (73%) said they felt “overwhelmed” by it. […]
Constant stress in the news Read More »
We see in the news the back-and-forth emotional ping-pong game. When this happens, emotions go back and forth like a ping-pong ball goes back and forth in a ping-pong game. In a ping-pong game, the opposing player automatically hits the ball right back, as hard as possible (sometimes being so hard they hit it awkwardly
THE EMOTIONAL PING-PONG GAME Read More »
The current fiasco which is called the Russia-Ukraine war is an unprovoked attack by a psychopathic killer, who is the leader of the attacking country, on an underdog country which has not attacked anyone. This horrible attack raises so many emotions in people that are characterized by a sense of helplessness, a helplessness that we
Russia – Ukraine war and emotional contagion Read More »
We don’t have to look very far to see that Emotions Don’t Think. Various events where people get emotional and just react automatically are in the news every day. Emotions trigger automatic reactions in people without them thinking about whether their reaction is healthy or proper. They just react. In front of millions of TV
Emotional Contagion is a daily event in the news Read More »
There is a major convoy problem in Ottawa and in many of the large cities across Canada and now starting to spread around the world. People who drive big semi-trucks and other rigs have discovered that if they park their rigs in the middle of the downtowns in major cities without moving them, honking their
Convoy Turmoil in Canada Read More »
Did you ever notice how emotions flow through society from person to person, from group to group, because of the effects of emotional contagion? They provide the context and the backdrop for most controversies that hit the news. Emotions are powerful and often determine the outcome of an event, as emotions drive actions. Protests, marches,
Emotions Flow Through Society Read More »
As we enter the New Year we are all hoping that it will bring the end of the pandemic, so we can return to our normal life. But this is unlikely to occur. We should prepare for the pandemic likely continuing and for more drama occurring without letting it get us down emotionally too much.
Handling Fear of the Omicron Variant Read More »
Let’s take a look at the psychological and emotional aspects of the tragedy at the hip-hop music festival in Houston, at the Astroworld Festival in November 2021, when eight died during a crowd surge. It became apparent that emotion was at a height before and during the occurrence of the crowd surge that apparently caused
EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL AND THE TRAGEDY THAT FOLLOWED Read More »
As a clinical psychologist I am aware that the emotions people experience in life, whatever they may be, are very meaningful to them, more meaningful than most people may realize. People often strive for an emotional experience and that is usually one of the primary motivations for their actions. If we can determine a motivation
GUNS & THEIR TRIGGERS Read More »
Bruce Hutchison, Ph.D. Retired Clinical – Counselling Psychologist Author of Emotions Don’t Think: Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil I am writing this in a quest to lower the heated rhetoric between the group of people who are in opposition against vaccinations designed to protect us from covid-19 and the group of people who
THE VACCINATION DEBATE Read More »