When it comes to trusting another person or organization, it is all about predictability. Does the other entity conform with pre-existing patterns of expectation? If not there is a high-level of uncertainty. While we would always like our expectations be met, that is not always the case. Therefore, it is a matter of judgment whether there's a reasonable expectation of predictability or not. It is reasonable that over time a person will develop a reasonably accurate ability to judge. However, if that level of confidence never develops, it could be said that the person has a significant problem...

What is smoking, why should I care, and how do I quit?

Smoking includes the inhalation of burning tobacco into your airways – to include your lungs. It is done as an addictive habit. Once a non-smoker gets past the initial awkwardness of the act of smoking, the social benefits and simultaneous calming and stimulus benefits lead to a frequent repetition. Unfortunately, this seemingly harmless act both stimulates the release of various pleasure-related chemicals in the brain and become a learned habit, which eventually becomes deeply ingrained in their brain. The fact that the act...

Like many other phobias, a fear of heights can be overcome. I know this personally, because it is a phobia that I suffered most of my adult life. Although I did not realize it until I was in my early 40s, it started when I was only four years old. It was then that I observed by older sister fall off a cliff behind our house in France. My father, with the time was a young airman, and several of his friends were able to rescue her. However, during my teen years I began discovering that I had a very significant hesitancy whenever I was asked to do anything involving heights. During my early...