The Mindapples blog has been our outlet for our thoughts, inspirations and company announcements since 2008. It’s actually how Mindapples started, just blogging about mental health and wellbeing, and inviting people to share what they do that’s good for their minds.
Now we use it in two ways: for occasional announcements and updates about what we’re doing, and to post articles about psychology and health research that could help people get to know their minds better. Browse the recent posts below, and get in touch if you find something interesting that you think we should be reading.
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Should you explain your decisions?
When we make decisions, we often spend time weighing up the pros and cons and thinking through the reasons for our choices. While this can make us feel like we are deciding carefully, findings from psychology studies suggest that this doesn’t always lead to making the best decisions. Wilson and colleagues carried out an experiment […]
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Drink water! What dehydration does to your mind
We all know water is good for us, and it’s certainly easy to get hold of it, but we don’t often stop to think about how beneficial it can be, not just for our physical health, but for our minds too. Recent research shows that dehydration not only affects our physical wellbeing, but also our […]
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What can you do about a bad mood?
We all find ourselves in a bad mood from time to time. The triggers and stresses may vary, but understanding what’s going on in our mind and body can make it easier to deal with it. Some psychologists believe a bad mood can be caused by ‘ego depletion’ – a form of mental tiredness – […]
Continue reading → Kindness is good for you
Being kind to other people is officially good for you – and it seems it’s all down to a nerve that links social contact with positive emotions. The vagus nerve links directly to nerves that tune our ears to human speech, coordinate eye contact and regulate emotional expressions. It influences the release of oxytocin, a […]
Continue reading → The Downsides of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is often touted as the key to personal and professional success, but it can also have its dark side. Research suggests that when people have self-serving motives, emotional intelligence can become a weapon for manipulating others. In a work context, employees who engage in the most harmful behaviour often possess high emotional intelligence, […]
Continue reading → How to think like Sherlock Holmes
Most of us want to be smarter. The idea of being able to analyse situations more accurately, spot things others have missed, is appealing – like being a star detective. Maria Konnikova, author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, has been exploring how our minds make deductions and come to conclusions, and how […]
Continue reading → How to stay motivated
Next time you’re struggling to stay motivated and focused it might be worth taking a fresh look at why. Research suggests that it is likely to be because you feel forced, can’t see the point of the activity or doubt your own capabilities Studies show that we are more motivated when we feel in control. […]
Continue reading → How to hack your to-do list
Bottomless inboxes and endless to-do lists have become the bane of our lives. Trying to keep track of outstanding tasks can be stressful – our attention has a limited capacity and we can only fit so much in our mind at any one time. But help is at hand. Research suggests that rather than removing […]
Continue reading → Why we feel anxious
We’re all aware of the negative connotations of anxiety, but new research suggests that we may be able to learn to harness it to our advantage. Anxiety can be a fear of imminent danger, but it’s also a broader anticipation of possible threats. We make a powerful mental record of signals that alert us to […]
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Setting the record straight about introverts and extroverts
Of all the psychological concepts that have made it into modern culture, one of the most popular is that of ‘introverts and extroverts’. Yet there are also few that have been more misunderstood, and many myths still persist about this tricky personality trait. Popularised by psychoanalyst Carl Jung in the early Twentieth Century, the concept […]
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