Positive reinforcement-based training (PRBT) techniques are a highly effective and humane way to train animals. Rather than punishing unwanted behaviors, these techniques focus on rewarding desired behaviors, which can help to encourage animals to repeat these behaviors in the future. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using PRBT techniques with animals. Benefits of positive reinforcement-based training … 1. Improves behavior PRBT techniques have been shown to be highly effective in improving animal behavior. By rewarding your desired behaviors, animals learn to associate these b ..read more

You may find this hard to believe at first, but playing Pokemon can help with emotional regulation in several ways. This article provides a serious rationale for why playing Pokemon can be beneficial in your life, or the life of your children. Reinforced Goals The primary way playing a role-playing game (RPG) like Pokemon helps is that it provides a structured, goal-oriented activity. This works in two ways. First, progressing towards goals is a functional and deeply rooted way for people to achieve feelings of happiness and self-worth in a socially appropriate way. Second, the time dedication ..read more

If you feel more than a little angry on a regular basis, you might want to incorporate a few anger management techniques into your life. Anger can cause a whole host of challenges, from health issues, to career challenges, to even finding yourself in jail. Most people avoid relationships with someone that is frequently angry. This is due to most people having learning histories with significantly aversive moments when encountering the anger of others. Simply put, anger just isn’t attractive, and it drives others away, both in your personal and professional life. Luckily, there are strategies y ..read more

Learning how to control your anger is one of the best skills you can learn in life! While difficult, it can open up doors for you that may never open for others. Here are 8 tips that can help you learn to cope with feelings of anger and regain focus. Limit Yourself to “I” Statements It is more productive to say, “I feel upset when you’re late” as opposed to, “You’re always late.” This allows you to focus on your feelings, which can be worked on, versus the actions of others, which you have no control over. Only Express Your Anger When You Are Calm Expressing your feelings at the peak of y ..read more

Everyone has a good understanding of which habits are good and which are not. However, some bad habits are much worse than you might realize. When you understand how damaging many common negative habits really are, you should be more motivated to start engaging in positive changes to your behavior. Always remember, a bad habit is generally more damaging than a good habit is helpful. See how eliminating a negative habit will often be of greater benefit than instilling a positive habit: Not Sleeping Long Enough. Failing to sleep enough results in several problems, including but not limited to d ..read more

Strategies to overcome procrastination: Create habits by taking small steps forward, everyday. Doing small increments can allow you to achieve large gains. If you want to finish a 500 page book. Start by reading 10 pages per day, not 100 pages. Note. If everyday you do 10 push-ups in the morning and 10 push-ups at night, that means you’ll done 20 per day, equalling 140 per week. That’s 7,280 push-ups per year worth of gains. Increasing those 10 push-ups to 25 will result in 18,200 push-ups worth of gains per year. Just start! Force yourself to start and to make the first step. The first st ..read more

Who doesn’t have negative thoughts now and then? But what if your negative thoughts were constant and generalizing to different areas of your life? How would you get rid of them? Fortunately, there are many methods available to get rid of incessant negative thinking and their resulting anxieties. Here is an effective step-by-step process that will work if you use it regularly. As our ongoing example in this process, we’ll use the negative thought, “I’m too dumb to do anything right.” Turn the thought into a mental image. (Make the negative thought silly) Imagine looking and acting completely ..read more

Most people will tell you that being baptized is about a symbolic cleansing that allows you to be reborn, cleansing yourself of the sins of your past. Behaviorally, there is a lot more to this concept than most people would give it credit for, helping have success in a lot of different areas. Social Contracts Baptisms can be done in private, but are typically done with witnesses, usually in public settings. This creates social contracts between you and those in attendance. Similar to the concept of marriage containing aspects of publicly telling the world you are married, baptisms result in yo ..read more

I was listening to a Tony Hawk interview, in which he explained that skateboarding and the stereotype that police hate skateboarders, evolved from skaters not having skate parks like they do today. In the 80’s and 90’s most skateboarders had to either skate on private properties or in public spaces (e.g., parking garages, parks, business areas). Due to this, police kept chasing off skateboarders and/or arresting them for trespassing. This made me think about how the behavior(s) of skateboarding evolved. The Function Skateboarders had a function of Access to Tangibles. They wanted access to the ..read more

Do you feel like your life is unfulfilling and overly full of challenges? If so, you’ll be happy to know that you can make changes, starting today, to turn your life around! Creating the life you want is the consequence of building and maintaining behaviors, that turn into habits, that support your happiness and fulfillment. Decrease stress and increase your quality of life by working on these behaviors: 1. Be proactive. Avoid waiting until you’re forced to take action – the longer you wait, the more aversive taking action becomes. Waiting is not a behavior (it’s a lack of behavior), but it i ..read more