Robin Marantz Henig Quotations

Regret is a bitter emotion, so painful that the urge to avoid it often drives decision-making strategies.

For humans and animals alike, truly vigorous, wholehearted, spontaneous play is something of a biological frill.

The human brain has evolved the capacity to impose a narrative, complete with chronology and cause-and-effect logic, on whatever it encounters, no matter how apparently random.

The 20s are like the stem cell of human development: the pluripotent moment when any of several outcomes is possible. Decisions and actions during this time have lasting ramifications.

I'm always made a little uncomfortable by studies that assert that Millennials are the most narcissistic generation in history. To me, being young has always meant being self-absorbed; in many ways, that's what youth is for.

Friends and relatives might be surprised that I think of myself as lonely. I'm married to a man I not only love but like, and we spend a lot of time together. If I feel like socializing, I can usually find someone to meet for coffee or a drink.

As the brain matures, one thing that happens is the pruning of the synapses. Synaptic pruning does not occur willy-nilly; it depends largely on how any one brain pathway is used.

Many of us are tethered to bodies that sabotage us in our struggle to keep from getting fat, or to slim down when we do.

Biology sets the context, and that is critical, but obesity still boils down to whether a person eats too much or exercises enough.

Anxiety is not fear, exactly, because fear is focused on something right in front of you - a real and objective danger.