The Mental Compass

In recent years, China introduced strict regulations that prevent individuals without verified credentials from giving public advice online about sensitive fields such as finance, medicine, and health. At a surface level, these rules appear to be about controlling misinformation. At a deeper psychological level, they reveal how modern societies struggle with trust, authority, fear, and the mental consequences of unregulated information in digital spaces. In an era where anyone with a phone can sound like an expert, these regulations highlight the emotional and cognitive costs of unchecked advice. The digital age has dramatically blurred the line between expertise and opinion. Social media platforms reward confidence, clarity, and emotional appeal rather than accuracy. A person who speaks persuasively about investment strategies or medical cures can attract millions of followers regardless of their actual knowledge. For audiences, especially during times of uncertainty, such voices feel...

“Science is a way to ask questions and understand the world with curiosity and care,”  This is a phrase that captures the essence of C. V. Raman, whose work on light scattering led to the discovery of the Raman Effect and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Every year on 28 February, India observes National Science Day to celebrate his contribution to Physics and to celebrate science not just as a subject but as a way of thinking, exploring, and staying curious about the world. It is not just a day to remember a discovery in physics but also a day to reflect on how the mind works, how questions are asked, and how humans make sense of what they see, which brings us to a fascinating question: What is scientific thinking, and how does psychology, in particular, the study of the mind, explore it? Scientific thinking is beyond just performing experiments or writing results in a research log; it is a way of approaching the world with questions about “why” things happen and “ho...

Even though the world is moving forward at an unbelievable speed, the Indian classroom often remains stuck in the same old silence. It is 2025, yet many students still feel uncomfortable or embarrassed when teachers mention topics related to sex, consent, or bodily awareness. The moment these subjects come up, the room goes still, eyes drop to the floor, and an invisible wall rises between teachers and students. The same happens when politics is brought into discussions. Many schools treat it as a dangerous zone rather than a subject meant to build informed citizens. This silence is not accidental. It is the result of cultural hesitation, generational beliefs, and the fear of addressing topics that society itself is not ready to handle openly.  To understand why this discomfort exists, we need to begin with the home. Many parents avoid speaking about sex or relationships because they grew up believing that silence equals protection. They fear that talking about these topics will en...

February is the shortest month of the year, with just 28 days and sometimes 29. It often feels quick and “incomplete”. But its short length is not a plain coincidence or calculation mistake. February’s extremely short duration comes from ancient calendars, rituals, and the ways people first estimated time using the sky. To understand the basis of this, we have to go back to the moon. A moon cycle is the time it takes for the moon to change from a new moon to a full moon and back to a new moon again. This takes about 29 and a half days. Since a cycle repeats itself, it wasn't long before people noticed and mapped the patterns shown during the cycle, creating a calendar. A calendar based on the moon is called a lunar calendar. In a lunar calendar, each month begins with a new moon and follows the moon’s phases. Twelve lunar months make up a year in this system. Many early societies used these lunar calendars because the moon was easy to observe, before and after the sun would come. I...

In the remote village of Longwa in Nagaland stands one of the most extraordinary homes in the world, the house of the Angh, the traditional king. Unlike any other residence, this majestic wooden structure sits directly on the international border that separates India and Myanmar. The line isn’t symbolic; it literally runs through the middle of his home, dividing rooms and spaces between two sovereign nations. Villagers often say, “We cook in Burma and eat in India,” a simple sentence that captures the fluid coexistence of two identities, two cultures, and two ways of life within a single household. This rare reality offers a powerful metaphor for the way emotional borders and internal landscapes work within us. The Angh’s house is built in traditional Konyak Naga style, massive, carved beams, wooden pillars etched with ancestral patterns, and a roof that feels both protective and commanding. From its hilltop view, the structure overlooks vast stretches of both India and Myanmar, remi...

The story of Phineas Gage is one of the most fascinating in the history of neuroscience. His accident not only amazed doctors at the time but also changed the way we understand the brain and personality changes, making it an important discovery in the field of Psychology. What We Know About the Phineas Gage Incident Phineas Gage was born in 1823 in Grafton, New Hampshire, US. He grew up in a rural environment and worked on farms and small construction projects before becoming a railroad construction foreman. By the time of his accident, he was known to be responsible, hardworking, and well-liked by his colleagues. In 1848, while working on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Cavendish, Vermont, Gage was preparing explosives to blast rock when an iron rod accidentally shot through his skull. The rod entered below his left cheekbone and exited through the top of his head. Remarkably, against all odds,  Gage survived. Many textbooks emphasize that the accident changed his personali...

In the digital age, identity formation has undergone a radical transformation, particularly for Generation Z, those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has grown up with the internet and social media as omnipresent influences, shaping their perceptions of self and the world around them. This generation experiences identity as a fluid and multifaceted construct, shaped by a complex interplay of personal, social, and digital interactions.  One of the most significant aspects of identity formation for Gen Z is the prevalence of social media as a platform for self-expression and feedback. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and similar platforms enable young individuals to cultivate their identities through curated images, videos, and narratives. The desire for acceptance and validation in these digital spaces can foster a sense of belonging but can also lead to anxiety and pressure to conform to idealized standards. As they present different facets ...

When Achievement Feels Uncomfortable Success is typically viewed as something beneficial. We assume that when we achieve our objectives, we will be proud, serene, and confident. However, for many people, success evokes a peculiar sense of terror rather than delight. Instead of rejoicing, they start to worry. Instead of feeling capable, they feel vulnerable. A student who receives great grades may suddenly feel pressured to maintain that level. A young professional who is promoted may be concerned that others may realize they are not fully capable. An artist who receives praise may wonder if the next work will fail. Success becomes heavy. This experience is more common than we think. It shows that achievement does not always heal insecurity. Sometimes it reveals it. Understanding Impostor Syndrome Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern where a person doubts their abilities even when there is clear evidence of competence. They believe their success is due to luck, timing, or extern...

  There’s a quiet superpower we don’t talk about enough, our emotional vocabulary. Not the big, flowery words we use in essays, but the tiny, everyday ones that slip into our conversations, arguments, apologies, and even the way we speak to ourselves. We underestimate how much damage or relief a single sentence can carry. But the truth is simple: emotional vocabulary shapes the way we connect, the way we cope, and most importantly, the way we understand ourselves. Most of us grew up in homes where emotional language was… well, limited. If you were sad, you were told to “stop overreacting.” If you were anxious, you were asked to “be strong.” If you were angry, suddenly you were “disrespectful.” Many of us didn’t learn the difference between frustration and rage, worry and fear, disappointment and rejection. So we ended up mislabelling everything as “I’m fine” until our bodies started screaming what our words refused to say. Emotional vocabulary didn’t fail us, we were simply never h...