Insights – Damon Ashworth Psychology

Are You Playing the Right Games in Your Life?

A fascinating book that I read recently was The Status Game by Will Storr. I have enjoyed reading a few of his prior books too, including Selfie and The Science of Storytelling. In it, Storr says that it is impossible to not be part of some hierarchies. In other words, we can’t go through lifeContinue reading “Are You Playing the Right Games in Your Life?”

What’s a Better Life Goal than Happiness?

When I type ‘Happiness books’ into Amazon.com, over 60,000 results appear. Happiness is clearly a popular topic. However, when I hear people say to me in therapy that they “just want to be happy”, I find it hard to write this down as a goal for them to achieve in therapy. The problem with strivingContinue reading “What’s a Better Life Goal than Happiness?”

What Are the Secrets to Living Longer?

During my summer holidays, I read an interesting book called The Blue Zones: 9 lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest by Dan Buettner. Buettner travelled to five geographical areas around the world where people lived healthy lives for the longest time. These five areas included Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa inContinue reading “What Are the Secrets to Living Longer?”

The Importance of Seeing Fully Qualified Professionals

Please consider the following scenario: You require open-heart surgery to fix something that could otherwise severely impact your quality of life or kill you prematurely. I’m guessing that you would have a pretty similar hierarchy to most people of who you would try to book for the surgery: The best heart surgeon in the worldContinue reading “The Importance of Seeing Fully Qualified Professionals”

Five Lessons I Learned After Being Fired

When I was 18, I graduated from high school in Virginia in mid-2004. After a fantastic road trip across the USA, I returned to Australia and needed to find some work until I could attend University in February 2005. My first job after I returned was walking around and doorknocking at people’s houses, trying toContinue reading “Five Lessons I Learned After Being Fired”

20 Fascinating Paradoxes About Life

What is a Paradox? According to the Oxford dictionary, a paradox is a noun that has two meanings: 1. A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true. 2. A person or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. I love paradoxes because they areContinue reading “20 Fascinating Paradoxes About Life”

Which Activities Make Us the Happiest?

The app Mappiness pings people twice a day and asks them what they have just been doing, who they are with, and where they are. It can also tell what the temperature and weather are. It then asks people three questions: People can answer anywhere on a scale from “not at all” at one endContinue reading “Which Activities Make Us the Happiest?”

The Advice I’d Give to My Stepdaughter Before She Graduates from High School in 2027

My stepdaughter is now in year 7 and at a new school this year. We’ve all moved across to Melbourne, Australia, after being in Port Vila, Vanuatu, since 2018. Her new school seems to be going well for her. They have asked all parents of year 7’s to write a letter to their children forContinue reading “The Advice I’d Give to My Stepdaughter Before She Graduates from High School in 2027”

The 10 Truths of Longevity

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” — Isaac Asimov The Longevity Project Over 1,500 of the most promising and brightest boys and girls were recruited in 1921 by Lewis Terman. Unfortunately, he died in 1956, but the study continued for decades afterwards. All participantsContinue reading “The 10 Truths of Longevity”

Harvard University studied 700 People’s Health and Happiness from their Teen Years Until They Died

Here Are 10 Fascinating Findings from the Study The Harvard Study of Adult Development began in 1938. It is sometimes also called ‘The Grant Study’. This longitudinal prospective study aimed to identify predictors of healthy ageing in real-time. For 79 years, it has examined the lives of 268 physically and mentally healthy Harvard college sophomoresContinue reading “Harvard University studied 700 People’s Health and Happiness from their Teen Years Until They Died”