Happiness in this World http://www.happinessinthisworld.com Reflections of a Buddhist Physician Sun, 13 May 2012 22:00:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Desire For Competence http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/13/the-desire-for-competence/ http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/13/the-desire-for-competence/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 22:00:10 +0000 Alex Lickerman http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/?p=8216 Photo: Tomas Sobek

Other than my autonomy, there’s nothing I dislike having challenged more than my competence.  I like to be good at things, and I don’t like it when people think I’m not.  I know this because when my competence is challenged in an area in which I think I’m competent, I [...]]]> http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/13/the-desire-for-competence/feed/ 6 The Desire For Autonomy http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/06/the-desire-for-autonomy/ http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/06/the-desire-for-autonomy/#comments Sun, 06 May 2012 22:00:03 +0000 Alex Lickerman http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/?p=8198 Photo: Vinoth Chandar

Why have people throughout history been willing to fight and even die for their freedom?  From one perspective the answer is obvious:  oppression causes suffering and we’re all hardwired to flee suffering.  But recent research suggests an additional reason:  we also seem to be hardwired to desire autonomy.

Autonomy can [...]]]> http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/05/06/the-desire-for-autonomy/feed/ 7 Do You Need Antibiotics? http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/29/do-you-need-antibiotics/ http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/29/do-you-need-antibiotics/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:00:07 +0000 Alex Lickerman http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/?p=8181 Photo: Nathan Reading

One hundred fifty million prescriptions for antibiotics are written each year in the United States.  By some estimates, one third of them are unnecessary.  One of the most common diagnoses for which antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed is upper respiratory tract infections (URIs).  The overwhelming majority of these infections are viral—infections [...]]]> http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/29/do-you-need-antibiotics/feed/ 10 Great Books http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/22/great-books/ http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/22/great-books/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:00:16 +0000 Alex Lickerman http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/?p=8168 Photo: shutterhacks

I love to read.  In fact, there are few things I enjoy more.  Though my great passion is fiction, I’ll read almost anything:  non-fiction, comic books, newspaper and magazine articles, blogs, poems, candy wrappers, it doesn’t matter—anything with words in it.  Reading is listening to someone else’s thoughts, learning from and [...]]]> http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/22/great-books/feed/ 22 How To Manage Diminishing Tolerance http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/15/how-to-manage-diminishing-tolerance/ http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/15/how-to-manage-diminishing-tolerance/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:00:54 +0000 Alex Lickerman http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/?p=8155 Photo: Esparta

Every year around December, my in-laws, who live in the north, do what thousands of other people do:  move to a warmer climate (in their case, Florida).  And though for years I never thought I would do the same, recently the idea has begun to appeal to me.  I’m finding for [...]]]> http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2012/04/15/how-to-manage-diminishing-tolerance/feed/ 19