Go Easy on Yourself

The Eagles had it right, “Take it easy, don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?

That simple question is the basis for a burgeoning new area of psychological research called self-compassion — how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, berating themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.

Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges