I grew up with my identical twin,

who was an incredibly loving brother.

Now, one thing about being a twin is,

it makes you an expert at spotting favoritism.

If his cookie was even slightly bigger than my cookie,

I had questions.

And clearly, I wasn't starving.

(Laughter)

When I became a psychologist, I began to notice favoritism

of a different kind;

and that is, how much more we value the body than we do the mind.

I spent nine years at university earning my doctorate in psychology,

and I can't tell you how many people look at my business card and say,

"Oh -- a psychologist. So, not a real doctor,"

as if it should say that on my card.

[Dr. Guy Winch, Just a Psychologist (Not a Real Doctor)]

(Laughter)

This favoritism we show the body over the mind --

I see it everywhere.

I recently was at a friend's house,

and their five-year-old was getting ready for bed.

He was standing on a stool by the sink, brushing his teeth,

when he slipped and scratched his leg on the stool when he fell.

He cried for a minute, but then he got back up,

got back on the stool, and reached out for a box of Band-Aids

to put one on his cut.

Now, this kid could barely tie his shoelaces,

but he knew you have to cover a cut so it doesn't become infected,

and you have to care for your teeth by brushing twice a day.

We all know how to maintain our physical health

and how to practice dental hygiene, right?

We've known it since we were five years old.

But what do we know about maintaining our psychological health?

Well, nothing.

What do we teach our children about emotional hygiene?

Nothing.

How is it that we spend more time taking care of our teeth

than we do our minds?

Why is it that our physical health is so much more important to us