Mac LingMar 288 minCreativity & DarknessCan we utilize "artificial darkness" as effectively as we do "artificial light"? “Darkness endows the small and ordinary ones among...
Mac LingDec 10, 20218 minRewards & BeliefsHow does the prospect of a reward influence how we interpret sensory input, or "facts"? “If what one believed turns out to be false, it...
Mac LingNov 12, 20219 minIllusions & DiversityCan understanding the brain's visual processes teach us to accommodate a diversity of human perspectives? “Illusion is an anodyne, bred...
Mac LingOct 11, 20219 minQuestions & ClosureHow does the ability to instantaneously access information affect our thinking? “... a constant questioning, questioning as ritual,...
Mac LingJun 14, 20218 minWaiting & ActivityCan we view waiting as something other than an obstacle or a nuisance? "It's not the road It's not the miles Or being alone That tells my...
Mac LingMay 11, 20217 minThought Experiments & Assumptions Can applying thought experiments to our own lives free us from the assumptions that limit us? "Stop there! Your theory is confined to...
Mac LingApr 6, 20219 minImprov & UncertaintyCan principles of improv help us confront the unpredictability in our lives? "What survives on Earth is what effortlessly adapts to the...
Mac LingMar 9, 20217 minPossessions & IdentityCan infusing meaning into the physical objects that surround us help us (and others) understand ourselves better? “Let solidity be...
Mac LingFeb 4, 20219 minSerendipity & Self-DiscoveryCan cultivating opportunities for "accidents" help us reach our goals in ways that deliberate plans cannot? "The most exciting phrase to...
Mac LingJan 3, 202110 minPatterns & HabitsWhy do we find patterns in nature so alluring, and what can this teach us about recognizing and reorganizing our own habits? "All the...
Mac LingDec 5, 20202 minA Centering Exercise to Transform Anxiety and DepressionLao Tzu has a wonderful observation about how our emotional state is tied to the place in time where we spend our mental energy. He...
Mac LingDec 1, 20207 minTime & PerceptionHow does the way we conceptualize time affect what we choose to do with it? "Time is a game played beautifully by children" - Heraclitus...
Mac LingNov 12, 20209 minDaydreaming & CreativityHow might we benefit from daily allotments of imagination-time? "Our imagination flies—we are its shadow on the earth." - Vladimir...
Mac LingOct 5, 20208 minLanguages & ActivitiesCan you learn a skill more effectively if you practice it exclusively in a dedicated foreign language? "Learning how to speak with...
Mac LingAug 31, 20207 minColors & HistoriesHow do different colors affect your mood and your actions? “Colors, therefore, should be understood as subjective cultural creations: you...
Mac LingAug 24, 20203 minA Biblio-Prescription for What Ails YouThe first use of "bibliotherapy" in its modern sense—describing books as prescriptions for specific ailments—hails from 1916...
Mac LingAug 2, 20206 minNostalgia & The SelfHow is nostalgia a psychologically useful tool for building your desired future? “The past is a foreign country: they do things...
Mac LingAug 1, 20205 minLiterary Fiction & EmpathyHow is literary fiction uniquely suited to building empathetic psyches and promoting an open-minded global community?
Mac LingJul 20, 20202 min30-Day Social Media DetoxTry the 30-day program popularized by Cal Newport in "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World."
Mac LingJul 11, 20204 minSocial Media & Your ValuesHow can smartphones, social media, and new technology help us reach our goals?