Peter Toohey Ph.D.

About

Peter Toohey, Ph.D., taught for many years in his native Australia and is currently a professor of classics in the Department of Classics and Religion at the University of Calgary. He has a special interest in the nature and history of the emotions. His most recent books are Hold On: The Life, Science, and Art of Waiting (Oxford 2020) (Oxford University Press), Jealousy (Yale 2014) and Boredom: A Lively History (Yale 2011) (yalebooks.co.uk).

Books by Peter Toohey Ph.D.

Recent Posts

Let Waiting and Boredom Be Your Guide

Put that phone away, forget Netflix, and let waiting and boredom guide you.

Everyone Is Just Waiting

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the prospect of the future, especially right now. Waiting for the future can seem to be a bleak prospect. Or have we got it wrong?

What Do You Read When You Don’t Read?

Are people with literacy troubles emotionally sharper than those with higher-level literacy skills?

Sinkholes, Rotting Houses, Ghost Towns, and Psychology

Sinkholes, rotting old houses, and ghost towns are often in the news. What’s their appeal, and what do they say about psychology?

Don’t People Enjoy Reading Anymore?

The American Time Use Survey recently claimed that leisure reading is on a serious decline. Should we be concerned?

Mental Illness – Seeing and Hearing from the Inside Out

Brad Necyk curates a photovoice exhibit from the Mathison Centre for Mental Health at the University of Calgary that shows the visual and audial experience of mental illness.

Are You Just Daydreaming - Or Is It Boredom?

Can you tell daydreaming from boredom? If you talk for a living it helps. Why? If an audience is daydreaming you can get them back with a joke, but if they’re bored you’re done

The Dead, Their Cell Phones, Jealousy, and Digital Wills

Sometimes people really think that they need information from the digital devices of their late relatives. I’m not kidding. Should they get it?

Shoe Shaming in the Strictest School in Britain

Merchants’ Academy was called the strictest school in Britain, a tough label for a good school. But Merchants’ may not make it easy for itself by using shame to enforce behavior.

Why Would Anyone Build Their Own Coffin?

In the remote Tasmanian town of Ulverstone there’s a community group who’ve taken to building their own coffins years before they need them. Why are they doing it?