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Showing posts with the label social psychology

Matsuri Majime

 Martin Seligman noticed that much present-day psychology concerned diseases and their redressal. This prompted him to look at wellness and mindfulness as a psychological study, ushering in a new age of positive psychology. In the later years, even corporates noticed that employees' mental health was much more closely related to their productivity than many other factors, including competence. This begs a profound question about the importance of positive social reinforcement in its role towards a developing society.  India celebrates multiple public holidays compared to most other places, which relish a vacation during Easter and Christmas break. However, Indian holidays are mostly a day or two, but much more frequent. To look at the positives, these are primarily social celebrations, so instead of a day off from work, it is dedicated to family, friends and community. A rejuvenated mind works much better. Secondly, it is essential to note that the holiday season, as it is called i

Purge of Shame

Faced with the dearth of religiousness, the 21 century has a new guidebook to the purpose of life. A complex interplay of identity and oppression, and revaluation of self as the saviour. From the speaker's perspective, it is a brilliant story of liberation and may have some benign outgrowths like the cancel culture. The first step is identifying the oppression.  The first context in which oppression came into my vocabulary was the freedom struggle from colonisation. Thus a scary picture of pressure is etched into my memory. But, the oppression, like everything else, could be subjective. When I learnt of the hardship of my parent's childhood, I was to believe that I had successfully leapt out of oppression. However, it's clear now that I was a victim of an oppressive third-world system, where my counterparts in more prosperous economies lavishly spent their young years. There is a subjective truth in this. And perhaps masked envy. But what is distinct is that it combines dis

What if "Maggus" don't have a choice ?

There are two possible reasons for stopping by this post; you happened to be among those hard-working study-serious college-goer who lament not being perceived as fun by his/her peers. Or you have a soft spot for these people, striving to pay off the debt from when he single-handedly completed your group project. There could be a hundred other reasons, so let's jump into the matter. Let's construct a scenario with simplified assumptions. Suppose there are 5 students in your project team. Each of you has decided whether you want to work or not. If you decide to work, you must put in an effort of value "e". The project will be possible if at least 3 of the students participate. A successful project rewards everyone in the team "r", which is greater in value than "e". So what do you think will happen. Let's assume that each of you is rational (which secretly implies you will maximise your personal gain whenever possible). Will all five contribute

Why Hollywood loves Marvel Heroes ?

Superhero movies have been the talk of Hollywood town over the last decade. The resurgence of Marvel Movies is testimony to what extent the millennials have popularised the superhero concept. The franchise, struggling to keep up with its bread-winners like Spiderman and Hulk, has become a cult. Big theatre release, a massive ensemble of characters and whooping budgets that promise to win back the investment. It would be untrue to claim that superheroes have disappeared from the movie scene, but the extent to which they have captured the Hollywood market makes it a compelling case. So why not look deep into the invincible suits... There is a theory to makes a hero. The first part is the discovery, where you introduce your star as an average person struggling with mundane jobs, mostly away from attention. The journey unfolds his realisation of power and subsequent claim to fame. For a lot of the superhero movies, directors had kept their these lives distinct. In many films, the heroes ha