Category: Mind

• The Virtues of Boredom: An Interview (The Atlantic)

  A reflective interview with Mary Mann about the virtues of boredom

  valsaksornchai

  May 14, 2017

  Curiosities, Life, Mind, Psychology, Self

  adulthood, Book, boredom, control, Julie Beck, Mary Mann, teenage, War

• What Is Trust?

  

  In my university admissions examination in 2009, I was asked whether I thought trust was the foundation of human society. My answer was yes, and my reasoning was that it is a necessary – though not sufficient – condition for relationships and economic transactions. Looking back, I realise that my answer was fundamentally flawed. I…

  valsaksornchai

  May 2, 2017

  Economics, Life, Mind, Musings, Philosophy, Self, Time

  definition, economic, economy, feelings, intimacy, relationships, sharing, thoughts, time, transactions, trust, university

• Ten Books

  In one of the latest and more enjoyable Facebook chain-statuses, I was asked which ten books have stayed with or touched me in some ways. Having spent a surprisingly large amount of time reflecting on and spelling out the significance of each book to my life thus far, I thought: why not share them here as well? So…

  valsaksornchai

  September 9, 2014

  Curiosities, Life, Mind, Philosophy, Reading, Reason

  Black Swan, books, Camus, Catch-22, Etranger, Facebook, Harper Lee, Harry Potter, Hofstadter, Human Conduct, John Hospers, Joseph Heller, Khaled Hosseini, Kinsella, Laura Ingalls Wilder, list, Little House, Millennium Trilogy, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, reading, Sartre, Shopaholic, Stieg Larsson, The Age of Reason, The Stranger, To Kill a Mockingbird

• Labels: Useful Heuristics or Dangerous Stereotypes?

  

  They say love blinds and power corrupts. Well, I’m starting to think morality is pretty good at both. When I was depressed in early 2013, I began attending weekly CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) sessions in the hope that it would make me better. During one of these sessions, the therapist (counsellor? psychiatrist? I never quite…

  valsaksornchai

  March 9, 2014

  Curiosities, Economics, Life, Mind, Politics, Psychology, Thailand

  Americans, awareness, brain, CBT, cognition, Depression, doctors, Education, ignorant American, label, labelling, labels, moral, morality, philosophy, Politics, Psychology, stereotype, stereotypes, stereotyping, super computers, Thailand, world

• Love Illustrated (from Maria)

  

  Susan Sontag on Love: Illustrated Diary Excerpts I’m giving in to the Valentine’s weekend at last. Here’s a little love-related post from Maria to follow the previous two (on defining love and telling love from passion).

  valsaksornchai

  February 16, 2014

  Love, Mind

  Brainpickings, definitions of love, diary, illustrations, Love, Maria Popova, Passion, poster, Susan Sontag, Valentine’s

• What’s Wrong with Being Selfish?

  

  I am writing this at 3pm, having slept a meagre 3 hours after a night of trying futilely to fall asleep. I am tired and my head throbs. But I want to write. This is my first post in a little over three weeks. I have been busy writing my essay (which by now is…

  valsaksornchai

  February 2, 2014

  Curiosities, Life, Mind

  brain, effort, Kahneman, logic, questions, rationality, self, selfish, selfishness, selfless, System, Thought

• How Not To Worry: A 1934 Guide to Mastering Life (Maria)

  I’m finding interesting parallels between Maria’s “How Not To Worry: A 1934 Guide to Mastering Life” and this TED talk I posted earlier today. Maybe there is a higher wisdom after all.

  valsaksornchai

  January 9, 2014

  Curiosities, Humour, Learning, Life, Mind, Psychology, Random, Self

  1934, Book, Brainpickings, Dan Gilbert, guide, how to, James Gordon Gilkey, Life, Maria Popova, master, ripped, TED, vintage finds, worries, worrying, You Can Master Life

• Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren’t we happy? (TED)

  

  valsaksornchai

  January 9, 2014

  Curiosities, Mind, Psychology, Talks

  affective, amnesiac, brain, choose, cortex, Dan Gilbert, Freedom, Happiness, mind, Monet prints, natural happiness, psychological immune system, Psychology, Stumbling on Happiness, synthetic happiness, TED, TED talks, want

• And It’s THAT Time of Year, Again – On New Year Resolutions and Checklists

  

  PART I That was a rather clunky title, wasn’t it? I quite like it. Maybe I’ll change it on my eleventh read – I tend to do that, change stuff. Usually it’s a word that isn’t quite right – most times I change the offending word back after a few reads. Sometimes I add more…

  valsaksornchai

  December 31, 2013

  Economics, Learning, Life, Mind, Psychology, Reason, Self

  accomplishment, change, Checklist, Happiness, health, Life, lists, mental, New Year, New Year Resolution, New Year resolutions, New Year’s Day, newyear, physical, planning, practice, procrastination, psychological, Psychology, routine, Thought, Time management, today, well being, WordPress

• On Mental Disorders, and Being Depressed

  

  What does Stephen Fry have to be depressed about? Have you read Alastair Campbell’s article on The Independent? The one from 7th June 2013? Most likely not. If so, I strongly recommend you go read it [opens in new tab]. Now. I’m going to make references to Campbell’s article throughout. So you really should read the…

  valsaksornchai

  December 31, 2013

  Life, Mind

  Alastair Campbell, Bipolar disorder, Major depressive disorder, Mental disorder, Stephen Fry, Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive