What do you absolutely love to do? You know, the kinds of things into which you'd happily plunge yourself 60 hours a week -- for FREE -- if you could. Most of us find ourselves with more time to spare as we work from home during this coronavirus pandemic. In my case, I'm happily pouring myself into my writing and allocating time for reading my history and psychology books -- many of which have been collecting dust on my shelf for years. An avid history and architecture buff, I've also been catching episodes of Museum Secrets, You Live In What?, and Travel Thru History -- all outstanding shows I highly recommend. Because my employer isn't all that gung-ho about letting people work from home, I am poised to capitalize on this rare opportunity to enjoy these activities in the comfort of home. Think about your deepest passions and how you can incorporate them into your work-from-home routine. Maybe you can squeeze in a morning walk with your dog, a painting ...

I want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy New Year filled with love, laughter, health, happiness, and everything else you could possibly want! 2017 was a milestone year for this blog. It garnered more views, comments, and likes than in any of the prior years since it was launched. And it's all thanks to loyal readers like you! Without you guys, this blog would have become obsolete long ago. All the time and hard work I put into it is well worth it because I have the most engaged, intelligent, and -- put simply -- amazing audience I could ever ask for. Whether you'll be awaiting the New Year at home with family, at a fancy restaurant with your significant other, or at a concert with friends, I hope you enjoy the final hours of 2017 to the max. I encourage you to reflect on the moments -- good and bad -- that defined the year for you, as they will help you chart a course for 2018. You'll not only want to replicate those good times in the new year, but build on...

We give up our power when we become convinced we don't have any. What power, you ask? While we may not be able to control everything that happens to us, we have the power to shape what comes after that. In other words, we can control what we do with what happens to us. Though it may seem difficult at times, we should try to look at hardships and challenges in a positive light. Notice how we emerge stronger after overcoming obstacles life throws our way, and are better able to navigate future ones. We should never take a defeatist attitude in life. Getting down on yourself won't solve anything. Instead, believe in the power within you to shape your own destiny. If you want to effect change, let your voice be heard. It doesn't mean you'll get what you want every time, but you will at least have tried. Imagine if people who changed the course of history -- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King Jr. among th...

When I look at paintings of historic figures, I can't help but notice that a great deal of them sport powdered wigs. Since my days as a youth in history class, I've wondered why this is so, and recently I stumbled upon an article that demystified the practice for me. As it turns out, it was a syphilis outbreak in Europe in the late 1500s that triggered a huge demand for wigs. People used powdered wigs called perukes -- made of goat, horse, or human hair and coated with scented powder -- to hide the baldness, bloody sores, and unseemly aromas caused by the STD. Interestingly, at the time, long hair was a trendy status symbol, and a bald head was considered hideous enough to besmirch one's reputation. Thus, it's no surprise people went to such lengths to acquire perukes and avoid that kind of shame. Although common, wigs weren't considered stylish until 1655, when Louis XIV, the King of France, began wearing them to hide his balding. Five years later, Charle...

On this day in 1780, following a siege that began on April 2 of that year, Americans suffer their worst defeat of the American Revolution, with the unconditional surrender of Major General Benjamin Lincoln to British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton and his army of 10,000 in Charleston, South Carolina. The British captured more than 3,000 Patriots and a great quantity of munitions and equipment, with 250 of their own killed and wounded in the process. Confident of British control in the South, Lieutenant General Clinton sailed north to British-occupied New York after having learned of an impending French expedition to the northern state. He left General Charles Cornwallis in command of over 8,000 British forces in the South. South Carolina was a bitterly divided state, and the British presence unleashed the full violence of a civil war upon the population. The guerrilla warfare strategies employed by Patriots Thomas Sumter, Nathanael Greene, and Francis Marion throughout the ...

On this day in 1917, in a pivotal move toward U.S. entry into World War I, President Woodrow Wilson is apprised of the so-called Zimmermann Telegram, a message from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to Mexico proposing a Mexican-German alliance in case of a war between the U.S. and Germany. British authorities handed Walter Hines Page, the U.S. ambassador to Britain, a copy of the Zimmermann Telegram, a coded message from Zimmermann to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Mexico. In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence in late January, Zimmermann instructed his ambassador, in the event of a German war with the United States, to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter the conflict on the Germans' side. Germany also pledged to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. The State Department quickly sent a copy of the Zimmermann Telegram to Preside...

Trends. Fads. People wanting to do what everyone else is doing because it's the "it" thing. Whether it's dressing a certain way, decorating one's home in a popular style, or buying a particular product everyone and his brother seems to own, trends can spread like wildfire quickly. But I see trends as overrated. I equate them with the so-called herd mentality, where people are driven to shadow their peers in their choices -- just so they can fit in. I'm not like most people, which is why I don't subscribe to the herd mentality. I'm big on uniqueness and doing whatever you -- not the rest of society -- think is cool, however socially unacceptable it may be. Most people probably don't place me on their "coolest people I know" list. Why? Because I'm not materialistic, I don't drink, and I'm a huge psychology and history geek. Probably not most people's idea of fun. Regardless, I take pride in bucking trends r...

If you're looking for a place to add to your bucket list, The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut merits consideration. Samuel Longhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, wrote such famous works as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . The house -- which Twain lived in between 1874 and 1903 -- recently opened up his library for use by writers, who have the chance to write in the library for three-hour stretches. The price tag? A not-so-cheap $50, and that's as long as they reserve in advance. The house already offers a wide array of classes and workshops, but the chance to write uninterrupted in Samuel Clemens’ study is an exceptionally rare one. The resplendent, Victorian-era library was one of the crowning gems of Clemens’ home. Inside, members of the family would recite poetry and Clemens would regale guests with excerpts from his new works. Interestingly, though it’s imbued with literary s...

What do you hunger for so much that no matter how hard you try, your appetite never seems sated? Is it food like chocolate or French fries? Hugs and kisses? Approval from others? For me, this is an easy one: knowledge. I love learning about all things history and psychology. A day that passes without learning something -- a new word, a new phrase, about groundbreaking research in consumer psychology, and so on -- feels like a day wasted. Nothing in this world can extinguish my intellectual curiosity. While everyone has their reasons for lamenting the fact that life is short, mine include the harsh reality that we can only learn so much during our limited time on this planet. To me, few things are as enriching as becoming more knowledgeable, more intelligent, more erudite. Whether it's learning how to use a formula to solve a mathematical problem or being able to expound on significant historical events, it feels great to "get" something -- and it's...

Yesterday, I stopped by Barnes & Noble on the way home, and I couldn't help but notice it looked unusually crowded. I felt like I was at a jam-packed Toys ''R" Us or Wal-Mart rather than a bookstore. Then I remembered: It's the holidays, dummy! And I went on a good day: Magazines were 30% off, so I snagged a special edition of TIME , which focused on the psychology of relationships, and the latest edition of Lapham's Quarterly , which centers on none other than my favorite historical figure of late -- Alexander Hamilton. I later ventured over to the kids aisle and saw a Star Wars toy that I know my nephew will go gaga over. And I grabbed it just in time, as a kid came up to me and asked where exactly had I seen the toy. To his dismay, it was the very last item of its kind in stock. It was only one day after Black Friday and I had already gotten a taste of the holiday shopping frenzy that's sure to sweep the nation over the next couple of week...

The word of the day is none other than polymath , which sounds like something right out of an algebra book.  I first came across this world earlier this year while watching a YouTube video that described Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, as a polymath.  So what does polymath mean, you ask? The fact that it contains "poly" means you can at least infer that it has to do with  many  of something.  Per Wikipedia, it's a person whose expertise spans a wide range of subject areas. Dictionary.com defines polymath as a person of encyclopedic learning. The term is often linked to great thinkers of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment who excelled at various fields in science and the arts. Aside from Jefferson, other famous polymaths include: Galileo Leonardo da Vinci Aristotle Copernicus Benjamin Franklin Isaac Newton I probably won't be a polymath in this lifetime, but it's because I strive to be highly knowled...

While everyone around me seems to do anything they can to fit in and follow the herd, I strive to highlight what makes me unique. Many people are leery of being too different from other people because they fear they won't be able to relate to them. In the worst cases, some even fear social isolation. Being a huge bibliophile, history geek, and psychology lover sets me apart in that most people don't delve into these things for leisure and personal fulfillment. They see it merely as work -- something that has no place outside of a corporate or college setting. I love to hit up museums and historic sites while on vacation. Most people would derisively call that a field trip, not a vacation, and proceed to sunbathe on a picturesque island somewhere. The fact that I have such a strong proclivity for learning and ideas doesn't make me any better or worse than the next person. It just means that I'm probably more intellectually curious than most individuals I come a...

Can you think of something that's simultaneously fun and stressful? At first blush, those two words may seem all but contradictory. While many of us might point to parenthood, school, or our jobs, there's one thing I'm in the midst of doing that might also make the list for many of you: travel planning.  My wife and I are currently planning a trip to Boston.  As you probably know, there's a plethora of things to do and see in Beantown, from walking along the 2.5-mile stretch known as the Freedom Trail to taking a tour of Fenway Park to visiting a wide array of colleges and universities in the area, most notably Harvard and MIT. As a history nerd, the thought of soaking up so much of it is highly stimulating, not to mention orienting myself with a city I've only seen up to now in pictures, books, and movies.  But as any avid traveler would note, planning a vacation takes some time and effort. For example, you have to be mindful of the busine...

My psychology blog, How to Understand People , has now garnered a whopping 150,000 views  -- a remarkable feat for a site that came into being only two years ago. I want to thank everyone for reading, commenting on, and resharing my posts. Without my readers' support, I would have never amassed this many hits in such a short period of time. I continue to urge my readers to share these posts with friends and family so that they, too, can benefit from my advice and tips, which touch on subjects ranging from social psychology to relationships to consumer behavior. I also feature intermittent posts that include history fun facts and others that highlight and examine famous quotes from historic figures. Here are 10 of my most popular posts from the last couple of months: Why cheating should never be tolerated Here's a trick to make people like you... Why you should NEVER take back a cheater SECRET: Why people judge you Life is what YOU make of it Do what makes YO...

Recently, my wife and I bought a decorative frame we hung up on my kitchen wall. It reads as follows: "Do more of what makes you happy." I couldn't agree more. That's why I amble to the kitchen to read the quote anytime I feel bored or sad. As long as what you love doing isn't hurting anyone or breaking the law, you should indulge in whatever hobbies or activities tickle your fancy. Mine are simple: I love writing, reading, and learning. A day doesn't go by where I don't seek knowledge on history and psychology, the two subjects about which I'm most passionate. If you find those areas of interest dull, you're not alone. Many people tell me that history puts them to sleep. But that's the beauty of life -- we all have different passions, and we should spend our finite time on this earth exploring and enjoying them as much as possible . I might not have the slightest interest in your hobbies, but I fully appreciate a person throwing th...

It's not every day that you have the opportunity to stay at one of the oldest hotels in the United States. If you ever decide to visit Concord, Massachusetts, you'll get just that. Concord's Colonial Inn's original structure was built in 1716. One of the Inn's original buildings served as a storehouse for arms and provisions in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. When the British arrived to seize and destroy the supplies, the Minutemen met them head-on at the North Bridge for what became the first battle of the American Revolution. The event is commemorated every April with a parade near the Inn and a ceremony at the North Bridge on Patriots' Day. In the early 1800s, parts of the Inn's were used as a residence and variety store. From 1835-1837, author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who was born and died in Concord, stayed at the Inn while attending Harvard. In the mid-1800s, the building was used as a boarding house and a small hotel called the ...

I'm a firm believer in doing what makes you happy, so long as it isn't hurting someone else in the process. As I've noted repeatedly on the blog, what makes you happy isn't always in line with societal expectations. Sometimes the things we do and people we associate with won't make us the coolest, most popular person in town by society's standards, but we do it because they feel right. Here are a few examples: Working in a traditionally low-paying field like teaching or non-profit work Dating someone who looks "different" (e.g., gothic, heavy set, etc.) Becoming heavily invested in something that most people care little about (e.g. reading 18th century literature) Opting not to have children Opting not to get married Renting rather than buying a home Riding a motorcycle rather than driving a car Staying home reading rather than attending a party If we all did to the letter what society expects of us, what a boring world this would be! ...

Maryland, a Mid-Atlantic state characterized by its plentiful coastlines and waterways on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic, doesn't get as much hoopla as states like New York and Massachusetts. Yet, it's still steeped in unbridled history and charm, making the state known for blue crabs worthy of a Fun Facts post of its own. Without further ado, here are 12 interesting facts about the Old Line State: Many people mistakenly think that Baltimore is the capital of Maryland. While Baltimore is the state's largest city, Annapolis is its capital. The state is named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England and mother of Charles II and James II. One of the thirteen original colonies, Maryland is considered the birthplace of religious freedom in America, not Massachusetts. It was formed in the early 17th century as a refuge for persecuted Catholics from England by George Calvert, the first Lord of Baltimore. It became the thirteenth state to ap...

I hear so many people complain of boredom on a daily basis. This leaves me quite flummoxed considering the wealth of things to do nowadays. I find nothing to be as big a boredom buster as learning. There's a widely-held if erroneous view that learning stops the moment you receive your college diploma. This couldn't be further from the truth. Even though I'm no longer in college, I continue to indulge my passions for history and psychology by reading on my own. I get such bad traffic on the way to work and back that I'm usually able to get a great deal of reading done on my commute. (I only read while at a red light or in bumper-to-bumper traffic, of course.) I also read during my lunch break and before going to bed. To me, learning is not only intellectually enriching, but it gives me something to look forward to and build upon each day. I love coming across a word I didn't know the meaning of and looking up the definition. I have fun learning new historic...

Thanks to your support, How to Understand People continues to garner views at meteoric levels! The blog launched in the summer of 2014 and continues to draw people from all corners of the internet -- from Facebook users to message board posters -- who are interested in reading about and discussing human behavior. My readers say they love delving into why people act and think in certain ways and exploring the wide array of topics I cover, from personality and relationships to consumer psychology. They also say they've found my advice and tips to be most helpful in their lives. In addition, many have also told me that they appreciate my intermittent posts on figures in history, as it allows them to learn about people and decisions that forever changed the world. If we don't learn from past mistakes -- whether committed by ourselves or other people -- we're doomed to repeat them. As always, I encourage you weigh in on every post that I submit. Share your thoughts and qu...