Category Archives: Psychology

Type Casting: Deep Cuts from the Land of Myers-Briggs Personality Test

My latest column for Industry is hot off the virtual presses. Read it here: Type Casting

I had taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test (MBTI) years before, but as my boyfriend had just done it at work I decided to do a retake. Not too long after that, I became obsessed with it. For an analyzer like me, personality tests offer a kind of cheat sheet for thinking about people, and are an interesting jumping-off place for exploring boundaries in relationships.

You can take the Myers Briggs here. Then come back and tell me your type, how it impacts your relationships, how you choose people, or any other observations.

Love for Sale: To Give Gifts or Not, and Why?

In Industry‘s holiday issue, I tangle with the idea of gift-giving.  Gifts can be desired, expected, inappropriate, or downright creepy. When we feel obligated to get everyone a gift, is the whole point of gift-giving grifted? Love for Sale…

 

 

“As with most things in life, there are avowed reasons and unspoken ones for gift-giving. PR adorns pretty much any idea of civilized society, and below its surface sheen lurks all the other things we feel about things but are too polite to say.”

This is really an unofficial homage to my mom, who instilled these ideas in me from the get-go.

Read the rest here

Getting My Kicks in Psychodrama

Here’s my Flavor of the Week for New York Press

Getting My Kicks in Psychodrama by Emily Johnson

“Every week I got a good dose of reality when we met again as indifferent people, barely acquaintances, even though we knew each other better than most. I thought maybe I’d see him somewhere at some point, and we’d have coffee, and start to develop a real relationship.”

Positive emotions make us more vulnerable…

This long read by Joshua Wolf Shenk in the Atlantic is well worth the time. It is reminiscent of the 7-Up to 42-Up movies…

“Positive emotions make us more vulnerable than negative ones. One reason is that they’re future-oriented. Fear and sadness have immediate payoffs—protecting us from attack or attracting resources at times of distress. Gratitude and joy, over time, will yield better health and deeper connections—but in the short term actually put us at risk. That’s because, while negative emotions tend to be insulating, positive emotions expose us to the common elements of rejection and heartbreak.”

The Atlantic :: Magazine :: What Makes Us Happy?