The power of meaning (David Bryce Yaden & Emily Esfahani Smith)

The bad effects of addictive tech ... How much time do you spend on your phone? ... You might be addicted if... ... The World of Warcraft as a case study in tech addiction ... The tricks Silicon Valley uses to get you hooked ... Adam’s advice for breaking your screen addiction ...

Emily’s forthcoming book, The Power of Meaning ... Can an atheist be spiritual? ... What makes for a meaningful life? ... The dark side of finding meaning ... Are we in the midst of a “meaning crisis?” ...

From positive to humanistic psychology ... Must one risk madness to achieve genius? ... How creativity and spirituality overlap ... The light and dark triad of personality traits ... Mindfulness as the link between creativity and spirituality ...

David’s recent research on "self-transcendent experiences" ... Causes and effects of self-transcendence ... Is the loss of self real? ... Evolutionary explanations of mystical states ... The neurology of meditation ... Revisiting the mind-body problem ...

The road to scientific study of psilocybin ... The dark side of psilocybin use ... Spiritual experience is difficult to define—or miss ... Flavors of unity and sacredness ... Using psilocybin to give up smoking ...

Treating cancer-related anxiety with psilocybin ... How do you study a mystical experience? ... A bad trip as a path to catharsis and resolution ... Drug-induced vs. natural mystical experiences ... Will magic mushrooms become a prescription drug? ... Spirituality is collective work, says Alex, not a solo journey ...

Roy explains non-invasive brain stimulation ... Assessing the safety of this technology ... Can brain stimulation make you smarter? ... Does increasing memory decrease creativity? ... The possibility of unlocking savant-like abilities ... An ethical question about cognitive enhancement ...

Science and mindfulness meditation ... Dave: "Self" and "other" are societal constructs ... Teaching cognitive neuroscience to Tibetan monks ... Understanding the self as "500 milliseconds of selfing" ... Are mindfulness and creativity in conflict? ... New technology to facilitate meditation ...

Yes, you can be a "spiritual atheist" ... Intuitive beliefs about the body and the soul ... Julien: The soul (most likely) doesn't exist ... How believing in the soul makes you more punitive ... Crime, moral responsibility, and a suffering boulder ... Julien: We don't need God to provide us with meaning ...

Distinguishing between spirituality and religion ... The bonus benefits of searching for the sacred ... Measuring one’s religiosity and spirituality ... States of mind fostered by spiritual practices ... Meaning as a predictor of well-being ... The Protestant ethic and the science of spirituality ...