“Ask Dr Neuman” Advice Column
Studies suggest that people are in a better mood when they are active, rather than in repose. Well, we knew that. People get caught up with doing things. There is an excitement in the moment. And, sometimes, joyfulness. On the other hand, someone upset about something...
Happiness: #1Those circumstances that are necessary to living happily.People do not come to psychiatrists, or psychotherapists, in general, because they want to understand themselves better, or because they are looking forward to changing their lives. They come to...
Arguments are not undesirable. All the way up and down the animal kingdom, animals argue. They bark, bellow, growl and spit at each other. They are attempting to influence the other animal, who is often of the same species. “Stay away,” they are saying, or “Stop doing...
Predicting marital success or failure.The people described below have been disguised.It has often been said that love is a necessary, but not sufficient, reason to get married. However, it is not necessary, and it is certainly not sufficient. Arranged marriages are...
How to bring up children properlyWhy haven’t we figured this out after fifty thousand years, or so?I was trained a long time ago as a child psychiatrist. That training usually lasts two years and takes place after the first two years of a psychiatric residency. In my...
There is always an argument about whether a particular psychological trait or symptom is genetic in origin or a product of environment. This is known as the “nature vs. nurture” debate. Most times the proper answer is “both.” For example, studies on twins have shown...
Edna, the cavewoman, knew what she was talking about.Bernie and Charlie, the cavemen, were both friends even though Bernie was a worrier and Charlie was relaxed. Charlie slept outside the cave on humid nights where he could look at the stars and listen to the...
Sex in marriage: Changes Over Time.Whether or not a couple has a normal, or happy, sexual life together cannot be determined just by knowing how often they make love. Other aspects of their marriage impact their sexual relationship, and to some extent reflect that...
Definitely the wrong amount According to the experts, some people make love five to six times a day, day after day, year after year. I never knew anyone like that, but I imagine I see them in the street every once in a while, walking or stumbling along, glassy-eyed,...
As usual, I disguise the patients I write about. When I started my psychiatric practice, I saw a 24 year old woman who came to me for treatment of her agoraphobia and panic disorder. It is my practice to ask about sexual matters as part of a routine psychiatric...
Down the street from the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, where Albert Einstein had been living recently and working, there was a pleasant clapboard house which I visited one Christmas vacation along with my roommate and his girlfriend, who lived there....
My brother used to be a customs officer.Aaron, my, brother, filmed various psychic phenomena around the world: psychic surgery in South America and the Philippines, ancient artifacts that were dug up in Mexico, like the crystal skull that had predictive powers, people...