Unique Gifts Blog - Ooonique!

Issue: July-August 2008

If you're looking for "something else" (apart from the usual women's/fashion magazines), this is one magazine I've found exceptionally good: Psychology Today.

It's cool because of this combination: the articles are very informative, and written in a concise manner, that sustains the reader's interest.

Most magazines (such as Cosmopolitan; Elle however, is fine :P) have bored me for ages. I just about roll my eyes when I see the new covers each month at a supermarket/wherever. I personally find that a lot of the material is heavily recycled, and I don't get anything useful from the publication after a while (apart from pages of high-gloss, uber pretty advertisements).

Anyway, back to Psychology Today.

A sample of my pick of articles, that are available online:

1. Scents and Sensibility
"Sexual chemistry"--the subtle chemical keys that help determine who we fall for.

2. Plight of the Little Emperors
Coddled from infancy and raised to be academic machines, China's only children expect the world. Now they're buckling under the pressure of their parents' deferred dreams.

3. Neanderthink: Good Girls, Bad Girls
The vagaries of paternity have led men to sharply categorize women—even in a hookup culture. Women can get savvy about this male propensity.

4. Accounting for Taste
Our choices in books, movies, music, and art go to the core of who we are. What your tastes reveal about you.

5. The Style Imperative
Style is more character than clothes, more attitude than affluence. It's you making visible your inner self; so forget what you learned about appearance not counting.

~

Psychology is a fascinating subject. By and large, I find academic sort of publications an annoyance to read. The text tends to be...stuffy. None of that in this magazine.

PS: The publication is bi-monthly (one issue covers two months).
6 issues for $15.97, 46% off the cover price, if you're in the US.