Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about relationships, personality, and everyday psychology. Have you ever heard or saw something that left your body ...

What do the sounds of whispered affirmations, page-turning, and tapping fingernails have in common? What about the sight of slow hand movements, soap being gently cut to pieces, and hair being brushed ...

Now and then, before I settle down for some shut-eye, I insert my earbuds and let a YouTube video massage my brain. It isn’t long before my heartbeat and breathing slow down, even as I begin to feel ...