The World's Best Book Summaries
How are the Covid-19 pandemic and mental health correlated? What do the statistics say? Which group of people are most affected? The pandemic has taken a toll on workers’ mental health—some perhaps more than others. Anxiety and depression have increased for previous sufferers and manifested in people who’d never before struggled. Read on to learn how the pandemic has disproportionately affected some workers’ mental health.
What is the connection between stress and hormones? How could examining your childhood help you to lower your high stress levels? Nicole LePera, author of How to Do the Work, wants everyone to become more conscious of how childhood conditioning impacts mental and physical health. In her book, she aims to teach you how to develop positive patterns that improve your well-being by decreasing stress. Keep reading to find out the link between stress, hormones, and a dysfunctional childhood, according to LePera.
What is toxic masculinity, and why does it matter? What can be done about it? It’s probably fair to say that toxic masculinity is talked about more than it’s understood. It’s important to understand what it truly means and how it harms both men and women. Continue reading for a brief overview of toxic masculinity and its effects.
Would you say that your organization has a safe working environment? Why is it important to ensure psychological safety in the workplace? Safe work cultures prioritize learning and critical thinking over profit and end results. Creating psychological safety in the workplace starts with fostering an environment where employees feel like they can take risks when interacting with others without fearing negative consequences. With this in mind, here’s how to cultivate a sense of psychological safety in the workplace.
How do your emotions affect your circumstances? How do they impact your well-being? In The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman argue that getting in touch with your emotions is an important aspect of living a virtuous life. For the Stoics, clear thinking leads to well-regulated emotions and is negatively affected by unregulated emotions. Read more to understand why getting in touch with your emotions is so important.
Want to know how to change your beliefs? What are the benefits of adopting new beliefs? Which beliefs about yourself are harmful? Bestselling author Nicole LePera explored how painful childhood experiences led you to develop the defensive beliefs that form the foundation of all your self-sabotaging patterns. LePera claims that childhood beliefs take root in your mind and continue to influence all your patterns as an adult. Keep reading to learn how to change your self-destructive beliefs into positive ones, according to LePera.
Why do hurt people, hurt people? Can hurtful people change course by healing their own pain? James O’Brien would have counted himself among the “hurt people hurting people.” He started his own journey by exploring his childhood trauma in therapy. O’Brien claims that only by getting to the root of our pain can we learn to have empathy for others. Keep reading to learn O’Brien’s story of awareness and healing.
What are the biggest expectations of women? Why are women set at such high, yet unrealistic standards? In Burnout, Amelia and Emily Nagoski elaborate that women are expected to always be mild-mannered, humble, pretty, and willing to give their time and more to the people who need them. This is a standard that many men expect of women, but it’s completely unrealistic for any human to live up to. Here are just two unrealistic expectations of women that cause stress and anxiety.
Why is rejecting labels important? What is the value of different viewpoints? In Rebel Talent, Francesca Gino notes that rebels refuse to be limited by others’ definitions of them because they understand that people’s greatest potential and strength lie in their individuality. She also says that rejecting labels brings unique perspectives into conversations. Keep reading to learn more about why you should reject labels.
What are the dangers of overconfidence? How does overconfidence hamper critical thinking? When you’re overconfident in your knowledge, you’re prone to closed-minded thinking in which you don’t question your views or critique your conclusions. By continuously confirming your viewpoints, you reinforce your way of thinking as “right” and become blind to the perspectives of others. Here’s how overconfidence breeds closed-mindedness, according to Adam Grant.