Determined to be Depressed?

Posted by on Feb 9, 2011 in education, positive psychology | 6 comments

By ‘determined’ I don’t mean single-minded in your resolution to paint it black.  I mean genetically determined.  That’s the news anyway.  Scientists have found a link between your genes and your ability to produce a brain molecule called neuropeptide Y (NPY) whose function it is to restore calm after stressful events.  Can I have a shot, please? The link between a...

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Nietzsche Was Right!

Posted by on Oct 20, 2010 in coaching, emotional intelligence, positive psychology | 1 comment

Maybe you’ve heard the saying: What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.  At first flush it seems like nonsense, while sounding sort of cool.  If someone almost stabs you to death, surely that makes you weaker? The phrase is from the German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche.  Now psychologists have discovered he was right, if you make it a matter of resilience. Resilience is the...

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One is Not Born, But Rather Becomes, Gifted!

Posted by on Jun 15, 2009 in education, emotional intelligence | 0 comments

The whole ‘nature versus nurture’ debate is increasingly fought out in the field of education.  In an interesting article called Nature, nurture and exam results, Mike Baker looks at the current state of play.  Which is, that a child’s family background largely dictates their potential for academic success. According to Professor Chris Woodhead – former controversial...

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Never Mind the Three Rs – What About The Three Cs?

Posted by on Aug 20, 2008 in learning | 0 comments

So I’m sick to death of hearing about the golden age of learning when pupils were taught the ‘3 R’s’ of reading, writing and arithmetic… even though only one of them starts with ‘r’. So much for the golden age. I’ve got a better idea. What about the ‘3 C’s’ of comprehension, calculation and confidence? Comprehension is more important than spelling or grammar, because it...

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