Hanan Parvez 
Masculinity and femininity exist on a spectrum. While most men are masculine, some have feminine tendencies, and some are ultra-masculine. Similarly, most women are feminine, some have masculine tendencies, and some are ultra-feminine. Levels of masculinity and femininity, like sexual orientation, are set before birth. Long story short, how masculine or feminine a person will
Learning is the process of moving from a state of not knowing to a state of knowing. Learning typically occurs by understanding new information, i.e., gaining knowledge or developing a new skill. Humans learn in a variety of ways. Some things are simple to learn while others are hard. The stages of learning described in
Lima syndrome is when a captor or abuser develops a positive connection with the captive. This positive connection could be sympathy, empathy, attachment, or even love. The captor, having developed a bond with the captive, does things in favor of the captive. Lima syndrome is the opposite of Stockholm syndrome, where a captive develops a
People display nervous body language when they find themselves in threatening social situations. When a person believes they won’t be able to handle a high-stakes, threatening social situation the way they want to, they get nervous and anxious. When you display signs of nervousness and discomfort, you make others uncomfortable as well. People have this
Limbic resonance is defined as a state of deep emotional and physiological connection between two people. The limbic system in the brain is the seat of emotions. When two people are in limbic resonance, their limbic systems are in tune with each other. Limbic resonance is also referred to as emotional contagion or mood contagion.
When watching a game on TV, have you noticed how some viewers shout at the players? “Make the pass, you MORON.” “You’ve got to hit the home run this time. COME ON!” I used to think these people were silly and that I could never do such a thing. To my dismay, I caught myself
When someone gives you a sideways glance, they look at you from the corners of their eyes. Normally, when we have to look at someone, we turn our heads towards them. If we’re really interested in engaging with them, we also turn our bodies towards them. These are direct modes of engagement with the other
“Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, ‘What else could this mean?’” – Shannon Alder The actor-observer bias occurs when people attribute their own behaviors to external causes and the behaviors of others to internal causes. External causes include situational factors that one has no
Humans are a social species that evolved to live in tightly-knit, genetically related groups. Early humans highly depended on their groups for survival. Being shunned by one’s social group likely meant death. Therefore, humans have developed psychological mechanisms to be sensitive to the signs of shunning. They seek to conform to their group and avoid
Being salty means being bitter towards something or someone. When others make you salty, they ‘leave a bad taste in your mouth’. Of course, they don’t physically put something bitter in your mouth. But it certainly feels that way. Human experiences are fascinating, as always. It’s natural to feel bitter towards someone when they intentionally