HeyJaredHow to Feel Better
I'm a nerdy psychology professor who shares practical science-based strategies for living a happier & healthier life.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 9, 2026
Latest issues
I Needed Something on the Calendar (opens the original)
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I was feeling pretty blue a month ago, likely brought along in large part by the so-called “August scaries”—that feeling of anxiety as the summer winds to a close.There’s a common description for those who work in academic settings that the summer is like a weekend: June is Friday, July is Saturday, and August is Sunday.The fall is a crazy busy time for me and my husband. My semester starts in early September and this fall I’m also chairing a search committee and working on a book (wish me luck)
I Didn’t Want to Burden Anyone. I Was Wrong. (opens the original)
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January 2025 was decidedly the worst month of my entire life: I lost my stepfather, biological father, and father-in-law in less than four weeks (as I described in a newsletter last year). Most of my time was therefore spent planning memorial services, managing estates, and talking with doctors, hospice workers, and lawyers.I muddled through the work I urgently needed to do for the start of my spring semester as best I could, because I really didn’t want the personal challenges I was facing to a
The Class I Taught the Day After 9/11 (opens the original)
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On September 12, 2001, I walked into my Health Psychology class unsure what I could possibly say.I was in my fifth year as an assistant professor. By mid-morning on 9/11, the college had canceled classes for the day, understanding that faculty were in no position to teach and students were in no position to learn.But on Wednesday I taught my class at the regularly scheduled time. The topic for that day’s class was, ironically, managing stress. Even now I remember feeling the weight of what I wou
Why I Banned Laptops From My Classroom (opens the original)
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My fall semester just started, and after 29 years (!) of teaching, this year I’m doing something entirely new: banning laptops from my classroom.I experimented with this no-laptops policy last spring, when I was teaching a small seminar in close relationships. (If you’re interested in learning more about this class, check out this lovely article!) This seemed like the perfect way for trying out this new policy, given <a href="https://sandersonspeaking.substack.com/p/why-putting-away-you
My 4-Year-Old Was Exhausting. So Is My 20-Something. (opens the original)
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Many years ago, one of my children’s preschool teachers shared the following quote with me during a parent-teacher conference: “Oppositional behavior is a normal part of a child’s struggle for independence.”I won’t say more about how or why she shared that message, out of a desire to protect that child’s privacy. But that quote felt particularly apt at the time—and remained so for many years.The teacher was encouraging me to interpret my 4-year-old’s behavior in a more positive light. But I’ve f
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