Human Behaviour
Introversion is not the same as shyness or antisocial behavior, and it can coexist…
Someone at a party once told me I seemed "a bit quiet." I smiled, nodded, and thought about it for the rest of the walk home.
Human Behaviour
Frequent apologizing can serve many purposes, from courtesy to conflict avoidance
Repeated apologies can reflect habit, culture, anxiety, or an effort to reduce tension. They do not by themselves establish trauma or a childhood survival response.
Human Behaviour
I stopped initiating — no calls, no texts, no suggesting plans — just to see who…
I want to be honest here. This wasn't some calculated social experiment I ran with detached curiosity.
Human Behaviour
People who are genuinely classy and sophisticated may not be the ones with the…
There's a person I used to know who could drop the name of an obscure Milanese restaurant into any conversation, pivot effortlessly to their thoughts on Proust, and somehow make you feel slightly smaller just by being in the same room.
Human Behaviour
Few people talk about what actually ends loneliness in your 40s and 50s
There's a particular kind of loneliness that tends to hit people in their 40s and 50s that nobody really prepares them for.
Human Behaviour
The introverts who seem genuinely happy in their 50s and 60s may not be the ones…
There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over some people in their fifties and sixties.
Human Behaviour
Few people talk about why some people seem to get more attractive after 40 while…
I've been watching this closely over the past few years. There's a guy I sometimes see at the same café near my apartment, probably mid-40s, not conventionally handsome, but people turn toward him when he walks in.
Human Behaviour
Few people talk about why the loneliest generation right now may be the boomers
There's a certain kind of phone call many people recognize. A parent rings to report the weather, mention that the footy was on, ask if you've eaten.
Human Behaviour
Research suggests accepting difficult emotions can support resilience, but…
There's a version of resilience we've all been sold. It looks like someone who never wavers, who absorbs hard news with a deep breath and a composed smile, who posts something motivational on a bad day.
Human Behaviour
Overthinking and hypervigilance can overlap, but one behavior does not reveal a…
Scanning a room or replaying a conversation can have many explanations. Those habits alone do not establish trauma, anxiety, or a particular childhood history.
Human Behaviour
People who are extremely kind but have no close friends may not be socially inept
You probably know someone like this. Maybe you are someone like this. They remember your birthday, show up when things fall apart, and somehow always know the right thing to say.
Human Behaviour
The reason older people stop caring may not be apathy
There's a moment you notice it in older people. The way they don't flinch when someone disagrees with them.
Human Behaviour
People who read before bed every night may be giving their brain a different…
Most nights, the last thing I do before turning off the light is read. Not because I'm disciplined or because some productivity guru told me to.
Human Behaviour
Deep thinkers often do not realize it, but the way they make decisions can be…
I have a friend, Mal, who can take an hour to make a decision most people would make in four seconds.
Human Behaviour
Reliable signs of genuine intelligence are often misread by the people around them
Picture a meeting room. One person talks quickly, handles every question with a confident answer, and dominates the conversation.
Human Behaviour
People who feel time slipping away faster every year may not be losing their minds
My wife said something at breakfast last week that I haven't been able to shake.