Psychology & Living

Q: Dr. Hurd, I sometimes fight feeling low by telling myself, "It could be worse." Then I proceed to name examples of how it could be worse. Is this healthy -- or am I putting neurotic guilt on myself? A: It all depends on the context in which you say it. If you say...

To love a person is selfish because it means that you value that particular person, that he or she makes your life better, that he or she is an intense source of joy–to you.

You must stand tall for moral principles and the dignity of man. Award the Olympics to a country where rights are protected, not to the Butchers of Beijing.

Finding a career to be passionate about is like finding the love of your life.

Fear of failure -- you hear psychologists on "Oprah," and elsewhere, talk about it all the time. What actually is it? Fear of failure is simply what it self-evidently appears to be. It is the fear of not achieving your goal or value in some context -- specifically,...

People ask me all the time how they can develop proper tools of self-confidence. Allow me to save you a few steps. THERE IS NO BETTER TOOL OF SELF CONFIDENCE THAN COMING UP WITH A REALISTIC PLAN OF ACTION AND THEN FOLLOWING THROUGH ON IT, OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS AND...

With persistence, people almost always find the romantic partner they want. This is one of the surprising things I've learned from years of being a therapist. I spend countless hours talking with lonely people who wonder if they will ever find the romantic partner...

Try to do some activities that you have reason to believe will help you feel better…right now!

Dogmatic commandments are not enough.

Some interesting new research suggests that it's not divorce itself which harms kids psychologically; rather, it's the way parents interact with each other that affects children the most. This finding is totally consistent with my years of experience as a...