Did you know that simply sleeping and waking one hour earlier can cut the risk of depression? An earlier four-year study of 32,000 nurses who called themselves "early risers" had found that they were 27 percent less likely to develop depression symptoms. But newer research has homed in on how exactly shifting someone's sleep schedule can potentially affect them. Researchers collected data on over 800,000 people, including which hours of the day they were predisposed to prefer (also known as their chronotype). They determined that going to bed merely an hour earlier is associated with significantly lower risk of depression. So if someone who usually hits the sack at 11 p.m. instead goes to bed at midnight and sleeps for the same duration, they could lower their risk by 23 percent. The effect could potentially be almost twice that if shifted by two hours. The researchers aren't quite sure why they are getting these results, but it could have something to do with light a...

You may have read the title of the post and immediately retorted, "No, selfishness is wrong. Giving to and being there for others is what life should be about." I don't disagree with the latter statement. Whether it's helping an elderly woman cross the street or giving money to a homeless man, a small gesture that brightens one's day can be far more gratifying than, say, pampering yourself with material junk you may never even get around to using. But I would challenge the notion that being selfish sometimes is wrong. Yes, being selfish all the time is beyond the pale, especially if you have people (spouse, children, etc.) who greatly depend on you. But let's face it: Everyone is selfish , albeit in varying degrees. And it's not limited to spending money on themselves. Some people are selfish when it comes to their time. They want to do things according to their schedule, and there's little room for compromise. Still others want to call t...

There are two kinds of people who give excuses when it comes to establishing or maintaining contact with you: (1) Those who give excuses for why they can't call, text, or visit you, and (2) Those who come up with excuses to call, text, or visit you. Notice the difference? While the former can sometimes serve up valid reasons (e.g., have to take care of kid, have to do work at home, etc.), if the weeks continue to go by and the person doesn't bother to answer your texts or return your calls, face it -- they just don't care enough about the relationship. The latter group shows the exact opposite. Come hell or high water, they find a way to squeeze some time into their schedule for the two of you to catch up because they value you and do not want the relationship to falter. A little distance is commonplace even in the healthiest relationships. We all lead different lives with disparate schedules and changing priorities. But that doesn't mean a brief phone call ...

If it were up to most people, they would have it their way all the time. Why? It's simple: By and large, people want things to be as convenient for themselves as possible. They wish to expend as little time and effort on whatever (or whoever) brings them minimal to no gratification. Even some of my closest friends are guilty of this. They want to be the ones to decide the places you meet at, the time of the day you call one another, and the kinds of activities you partake in together. Intractable and inflexible, such people make awfully poor negotiators because they don't know the meaning of meeting in the middle. Unfortunately, these individuals fail to recognize that in order for relationships to thrive, both parties ought to be well-versed in the art of compromise. That's because relationships are about give and take, not just latter. If time and time again you find yourself acceding to someone else's demands yet fail to ever see them do the same, it should m...

There's no question that planning is an integral part of lives. We schedule everything from meetings at work to haircuts and dentist appointments. But did you know that scheduling leisure activities like happy hour can actually make them less enjoyable? According to a series of 13 studies from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, leisure, once scheduled, becomes more like work. That causes people to become less excited by and even resentful towards such scheduled leisure. In the end, people enjoy such activities as going to a movie and grabbing a bite to eat much more when they're unscheduled. It makes sense that we would derive less pleasure from activities we've jotted down in our planner or smartphone calendar. Think about it: We've all made plans ahead of time, only to blow them off because we weren't in the mood or just didn't feel like standing up and getting dressed. On the other hand, if a friend proposes that you g...