Mary Martin

Together, wanting and liking encourage us to pursue rewards. But these sensations can also stand alone, creating situations where you might know that you enjoy something but don’t want to go after it, or where you might have a strong desire for something that you don’t get much pleasure from.

A new study shows that the large language models (LLMs) deliberately change their behavior when being probed—responding to questions designed to gauge personality traits with answers meant to appear as likeable or socially desirable as possible.

the nervous system is not only a biological entity but also a complex network highly responsive to personal interests. This concept suggests that when individuals engage in activities they are genuinely interested in, their nervous system is more likely to respond positively, leading to increased focus, creativity, and overall well-being.

a problem with mindfulness as a strategy

In recent times, degrowth has in various ways been linked to the notion of a wellbeing economy. The extent to which the two are compatible has however not been subject to much discussion. The present contribution contrasts the wellbeing economy and degrowth, finding that they differ markedly in their stances on economic growth, capitalism and the... See more

Interestingly, many users who emotionally mourned the ‘loss’ of GPT-4o expressed complete awareness of its lack of consciousness. And yet, in many cases, the subjective grief that they felt was no less real. This demonstrates that the power of the illusion is such that a given user might not actually believe that their AI companion is conscious,... See more

The reduced degree of caring and tension about outcomes that mindfulness meditation promotes may also help you approach uncertain situations in the spirit of curiosity and exploration, rather than being overwhelmed and consumed by negative possibilities. You can move forward by thinking of uncertainty as a companion by your side, rather than an... See more

Participants said the workshop helped them notice they were not considering certain groups in their future thinking. Socially oppressed groups are left outside their typical future imagination. This was one of the aspects that participants considered central learning, the necessity to think about others.

Another learning that participants identified... See more