A new study finds that people who are cheerful and content, what psychologists call “positive affect,” are less likely to experience memory decline as they age. This new study adds to the growing body of research on the relationship between positive emotions and healthy aging.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss the findings.

Being rejected hurts, not being accepted into a group, being turned down for a date, or being ditched by a friend. Chances are, if you think of a time when you were rejected that happened years ago, you will still feel a little pang of “ouch!”

But why does rejection hurt so much?

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and Maiken Scott discuss some surprising reasons.

A lot of people feel overwhelmed by the news lately. The pandemic continues, the political landscape is polarized, wildfires rage on the West Coast. This kind of upsetting information can leave people feeling conflicted if they are otherwise having a good day. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss these feelings, and how we can handle them.

The beginning of the school year is coming into very sharp focus for many families – and many schools and school districts are still working out the details on how they will teach children. Return to the classroom? Stay online? A hybrid model? It’s a time of high anxiety that can be tough to navigate.

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss coping strategies for parents and kids to deal with this uncertainty.

Healthcare workers have witnessed so much suffering and tragedy, worked long hours, dealt with PPE shortages, and feared for their own safety.

Do you remember that old Turtles song that goes “you and me, and me and you”??

That sounds great when you’re newly in love, but during a pandemic all this togetherness can become very difficult to manage! Especially when you add all of this stress. How is this impacting relationships?

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.

A recent editorial in the New York Times urges families to have “the talk” – that is, the end of life talk. If you were critically ill, what would you want, what are your wishes? It’s a conversation that makes us uncomfortable, and we tend to avoid it.

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss how families can get started.

Remember when social distancing and staying at home was going to last for about two weeks? Weeks later, with little change, some aspects of this new life are becoming a bit more routine. Is that helping or hurting our mental health?

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.

We’re well into 2020, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Still going strong?

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss what to do when our goals to do better get derailed.

Many people say we live in a “cancel culture” – where we banish those who express unpopular opinions or behave in seemingly offensive ways. We cancel and delete each other on social media in a flash of anger. But this also happens in real life, where political opinions often get in the way of friendships and relationships.

What does does this do to our mental health? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss.