Selects: The Science of Break-Ups

You may have learned that a chemical imbalance in the brain causes depression, but that’s only part of the story. Biology lays the foundation, but trusted sources like the World Health Organization agree that your life experiences and the society you live in are the biggest causes of depression.

In Lost Connections, journalist Johann Hari investigates the psychological and social factors that contribute to mental illness (which he calls “disconnections”), as well as innovative social and environmental treatments for depression (or “reconnections”). Learn the questionable history of antidepressants, why Amish people hardely ever get depressed, and how mushrooms might be the antidepressants of the future.

Many of us have met someone who’s a little too vain and loves to show off—people often referred to as “narcissists.” However, despite this common understanding of narcissism as a mildly annoying personality trait, it can also be a severe clinical condition called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This type of narcissist—sometimes called a “malignant narcissist”—lacks empathy, has a grandiose sense of self, and often abuses their romantic partners, causing them long-term psychological distress.

In Power, researcher and abuse survivor Shahida Arabi describes the characteristics of malignant narcissists to help people avoid or end relationships with narcissists. She says understanding NPD is crucial because anyone can fall prey to narcissists, who often seem like ideal partners in the early stages.

In this guide, we’ll provide an overview of NPD, describe a narcissist’s signature manipulation strategies, and outline Arabi’s advice for healing after narcissistic abuse. We’ll also provide insight from other experts on how abuse impacts people psychologically and include tips that apply more broadly to navigating relationships and breakups.

Trauma can stem from abuse to a severe car accident to wartime combat—and cause a lifetime of flashbacks, nightmares, isolation, insomnia, hypervigilance, and rage. In The Body Keeps the Score, the author explores how diagnosing and treating trauma has evolved as new technologies, research, and fields of science emerged.

Trauma’s impact is not only mental, emotional, and neurological, but also physiological: Trauma rewires the brain to put people in a constant state of stress or numbness, leading to a host of physical problems.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• Why trauma survivors feel like their trauma is never-ending
• How flashbacks make parts of the brain shut down and others to go into overdrive
• Why some trauma survivors can’t recognize themselves in the mirror
• How activities like choral singing, yoga, and theater can be therapeutic