Women’s History Month: Honoring 5 famous female psychologists of the 20th century by Jason Crosby | Mar 22, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Women's Issues Psychology has long been a field of study where researchers have explored and examined themes, ideas, and subjects that may be avoided or ignored by society as a whole. For female psychologists, breaking new ground has always come with the job title—but too often in the past, that meant simply…
How to have a creative renaissance! (Even when you have artistic burnout. And kids. In a pandemic. When everything is awful.) by Wistar Murray | Jan 25, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Self-Improvement For every Taylor Swift flourishing artistically during the pandemic, there are millions of suffering and burnt-out people who aren’t composing songs or painting portraits or writing novels. What have they been doing instead? Well, if they’re anything like me, they’ve been drowning in domestic labor, work, anxiety, childcare, and other…
What is character bonding? Exploring the connection we feel with fictional characters by Jason Crosby | Jan 7, 2022 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Relationships Ask anyone headed to watch the next Marvel flick: It’s hard not to idolize the heroines and heroes within the realms of popular fiction. Whether they’re on the silver screen, in books, TV series, or even video games, many of us admire these depictions of larger-than-life characters. But, even though…
How psychologists can assist in criminal investigations using offender profiling by Wistar Murray | Dec 10, 2021 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Work & Careers Psychology is applied in law enforcement and the justice system in a variety of ways, some with more mass appeal than others. For example, most people are familiar with the concept of criminal profiling through television shows like “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter” as well as books like “The Silence of…
How to live like you just won the lottery: Hacking the psychology of wealth by Wistar Murray | Oct 11, 2021 | Mental Health Topics, Money & Financial Issues, Psychology What’s the next best thing to being a multi-millionaire? Feeling like a multi-millionaire. We’ve all fantasized about that moment when we scratch our lotto ticket and see the winning numbers. What do we do first with all our bags of money? The exercise reminds me of the “miracle question” that…
Predicting human behavior and mental health conditions with genomics by Jason Crosby | Sep 3, 2021 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology You may not remember when The Human Genome Project completed its 13-year massive undertaking in 2003. The researchers involved with the project finished mapping the entire human genome sequence, which represents the full 20,000-25,000 genes that we carry in our DNA. Every trait that can be physically expressed is contained…
Astrology and the Barnum effect: Understanding our personal belief systems and why so many people love horoscopes by Jason Crosby | Aug 30, 2021 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Self-Improvement You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion about astrology, which assigns meaning to the placement of the planets and the stars. Twenty-nine percent of Americans believe in horoscopes, and the people who say they don’t are quick to defend their reasons why. As much as…
Novelty-seeking 101: The ups and downs of neophilia by Jason Crosby | Aug 2, 2021 | Feelings & Emotions, Mental Health Topics, Psychology I can specifically recall eating shrimp-fried rice for the first time (it’s still my favorite food) at seven years old. I was blown away by the fact that food could taste that amazing. On the other end of the spectrum, I can remember my first solo camping trip in Bridger…
Music and mindfulness can supplement stroke recovery! (Video) by Taylor Bennett | May 15, 2019 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Research Listening to music and practicing mindfulness can aid stroke recovery. Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and East Anglia recruited 72 participants who had suffered from a stroke and divided them into three groups. One group listened to music, another to audiobooks, and the final group to music as…
What’s the psychology behind humor? How can it help? Does it ever work against us? by Taylor Bennett | May 1, 2019 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology Humor can help us cope during embarrassing or uncomfortable situations, as well as manage stress and anxiety. However, it isn’t always helpful—it can stand in the way of our addressing serious challenges and even cause harm to our relationships. This makes determining the appropriate time and circumstances for humor important….
Curiosity As One Of The Methods To Achieve Your Goals by Ryan Pell | Apr 29, 2019 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Self-Improvement “How do I achieve my goals?” This is probably the most common inquiry on Google. People are always looking for tools to help them achieve their greatest goals and dreams. Yet, the best tool for this matter lies within ourselves. It’s our curiosity. Psychiatrist Judson Brewer says that you should…
Music doesn’t enhance our creativity—it impairs it (Video) by Taylor Bennett | Apr 10, 2019 | Mental Health Topics, Psychology Despite popular belief, music doesn’t always enhance creativity. In fact, it can produce the opposite effect. Researchers from Lancaster University found people who listened to music experienced a dip in creativity. This study presented participants with verbal tasks in either a quiet environment or one in which they listened to…