I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for New Year's resolutions. I get swept away with the promise of a fresh start and new beginnings. But honestly, if you think about it, what makes Jan. 1 different from May 1? Making resolutions at the end of December won't magically make them easier to keep. You see the thing is, I know all that, but I still can't help falling for the New Year hype. It appears that Read more

Who knew your Chanel bag would make you a better person, at least in other people's eyes. Wearing brand-name clothing and toting high-end bags will get you better job recommendations and a higher pay, according to a study by psychologists at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Researchers Rob Nelissen and Marijn Meijers write: The present data suggest that luxury consumption can be a Read more

If the daily grind is getting to you, slacking off (even though it might sound counterproductive) will reduce the stress from work, according to a study by the Journal of Applied Psychology. That means that if problems are popping up at work, sleeping on it or avoiding the issue would be beneficial for your mental health. The researchers say that "disengaging from stressful roles temporarily, may Read more

With tweens and extended adolescence now a part of our vocabulary, it's easy to forget that adolescence didn't always exist. It's only been acknowledged in Western culture for the last 50 or so years. You were a child until you weren't. One defining birthday —13, 16, or 18 — changed everything from clothes to the quotidian details of daily life. It wasn't until the '50s and '60s that youth Read more

Most of you — 84 percent — said that March Madness betting is all in good fun, in a recent poll. But did you know that the enjoyment you get while watching the college basketball games will be reduced if you're betting on the outcome? In fact, it even "ruins it for many people," says Stephen Nowlis, professor of marketing at Washington University. Fortune cites Nowlis: It's basic psychology, Read more

Sarah White is not a licensed therapist — how can she be when the APA strictly forbids nudity? — but nonetheless her naked therapy sessions are in demand. Clothes, she says, are limiting, and she frees clients to open up by taking hers off. Whether stripping down is a metaphor of the therapeutic process or not, Sarah does not deny she's Read more

Surely there are more than five myths floating around, but the authors of The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find — and Keep — Love are clearing up a lot of misconceptions. We all have an attachment style in relationships (find out yours here). Anxious (20 percent of the population), avoidant (25 percent), and secure (54 percent) are the three top-level styles, though Read more

When you're slogging through those job applications and waiting anxiously by your phone, you must be thinking, there's got to be an easier way to do this. There is — having the six degrees separation mentality will help make the job hunting process a lot smoother. It's the theory that everyone in the world is connected to each other within six steps, so this means that if there's someone you're Read more

The science of happiness can seem like a cruel joke. Most studies tell us who is happier — 54-year-olds, West Coasters, or people with sisters — rather than how to be happier. And tangible advice usually oversimplifies life and states the obvious. But psychotherapist Philippa Perry's advice in today's Guardian on how to rewire our brains sounds like it could actually work. It's not easy, or Read more