Top 10 Psychology Articles in 2013

This new year, we look back at some of the topics and articles that resonated with our readers in 2013. Here are the 10 most read articles on Psychology Matters Asia.

1. Am I Doing what I Really, Really, Want to Do?

With clients who are dissatisfied with their lives and feel it is “all meaningless”, I have found it useful to ask “Are you doing what you really, really, want to do?” Initially many clients are a bit stunned by this question but then after a moment of reflection many reply “Absolutely not!” Read more

2. The Fight Fair Contract

Couples commonly engage in arguments throughout the course of their relationship. Whether it's about sharing the household chores, forgetting to get the groceries or even where to go on a holiday. However, fights over small issues can sometimes snowball into something more menancing if the argument is handled poorly by either party. What can couples do to make sure that they handle arguements in a way that does not bring irreparable harm to the relationship? Read more

3. Swim Yourself Happy?

It’s well known that exercise is an effective treatment for depression, but recent research has enabled psychiatrists to give guidance on precisely how much exercise is enough exercise to give the desired results when treating depression. So how are therapists using exercise in their treatment regimes, and should they be using it more? Are there psychological benefits to exercise as well as biochemical ones, and can exercise help with addiction? Read more

4. Eleanor Rigby and all the lonely people

Loneliness is something that most of us will feel at times in our lives. Some of us living in the city crave a quiet moment to ourselves from time to time, to reflect and think. Time for self is important, but loneliness is something completely different. It is never sought, and never wanted. Loneliness is something which happens to us but never by choice. It is little consolation for those already living with loneliness to know they are not alone in their suffering. Read more

5. 10 ways to improve your Relationship by Responding Reflectively and not Reflexively

We are respond reflexively when our hand touched a hot stove and we quickly pull our hand back. We don’t have to think about doing it, it just happens automatically and with great speed. Such reflex actions protect us from injury or even death. However in modern complex society acting reflexively, in many situations, can get us into a lot of trouble. Read more

6.Family Therapy in Addictions Work

When I actually came to work in Singapore in 2005, I realized how spot on I was. I realized later that many many Western professionals come to Singapore and provide training without having any idea of Singaporean culture. While I had always felt that I might be able to share addiction information which could be applied to any culture with some adjustments, family therapy is quite culture bound. Read more

7. Attachment: The Importance of First Relationships

If you are interested in relationships, you will be interested in learning about attachment theory. This theory highlights the importance of the relationship between infants and their caregivers. Our relationships in adult life are affected by the quality of this first emotional bond. Indeed, much of what couple counselling concerns itself with is uncovering the effect of these early bonds. Read more

8. Australian women talk about their experience with depression

Depression is a common illness, affecting people with very different lifestyles and backgrounds. Yet there are varying degrees of depression. Some kinds are much more incapacitating than others. Some people experience mild depression, which they recover from fairly quickly. This may happen after a divorce or during the grieving process. Mild depression can be recovered from in some cases without medication at all. Other more severe types of depression can take: medication, talking therapy or even psychiatric treatment to conquer. Read more

9. Why it is hard to measure Emotional Intelligence?

Intelligence can be defined as “A very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings—"catching on," "making sense" of things, or "figuring out" what to do”. What makes for the difference between general and Emotional Intelligence? Read more

10. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as Adjunctive Treatment for Psychosis

As mindfulness and CBT make their way into mainstream medicine, there are many hurdles to clear. We need to accomplish more research on the anatomical correlates, neural substrates and cognitive descriptions. We will also need to educate more healthcare practitioners who, until now consider illnesses such as psychosis as untreatable, especially since CBT has been shown to be effective. Read more