Thomas Ramey Watson

Shadow Side

The Importance of Empathy

Empathy might seem like a squishy, vaguely liberal word—a sentimental virtue of minor importance. But the more we learn from neuroscience and psychology, the more it appears that much of human social and economic life, not to mention individual health, fundamentally relies on it. Which makes the rise of inequality— something that threatens empathy—all the …

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If You Want To Stop Violence Against People, Stop Violence Against Animals

Denise and Bray are right to be concerned. From Colorado to Australia, research on predictors of child abuse, domestic violence and other criminal behavior increasingly points to a link between animal abuse and violent crime. Now law enforcement and animal safety experts — as well as veterinarians, social workers, lawyers, judges and even the FBI …

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What Men Really Think About Mental Health Stigma

Talking about mental health is the first step to eliminating the negative stereotype around it — but for men, this can be particularly challenging. Approximately 6 million American men have depression each year, yet research shows many are reluctant to disclose their mental illness symptoms and are averse to seeking treatment. This is a dangerous …

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Josh Duggar’s Hypocrisy Is Part of a Much Larger Cultural Problem

From MATTHEW ROZSA’s article: The researchers discovered that individuals who identified as “highly straight” but had latent impulses for sex with other men were far more likely to favor anti-gay policies. In addition, those men were also more likely to call for stricter punishments against gay people who commit petty crimes. “Not all those who …

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Too much TV time makes kids more vulnerable to bullying

Parents are busier than ever, juggling multiple responsibilities at home and work, all the while doing their best to raise a healthy, happy child. Sometimes a child’s favorite TV show can be the only time to catch a breath. And in a world of smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs, minimizing screen time has gotten harder …

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Moral traits like kindness and integrity define who we are

“Contrary to what generations of philosophers and psychologists have thought, memory loss doesn’t make someone seem like a different person.” Strohminger and Nichols focused on three neurodegenerative diseases: frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS served as a control since it primarily affects movement, …

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