Once the New Year’s celebrations wind down and the post-midnight fatigue fades away, the reality of your New Year’s resolution sets in. You’ve declared your goals to friends and family, and there’s no turning back. We’ve all been there: committing to healthier eating, more exercise, or mastering the guitar. Yet, our enthusiasm often wanes by…
Currently Viewing: Psychology
Cults are a thorny topic, because exactly what constitutes a cult is highly contentious and subjective. The commonalities they share can sometimes put a fine line between cult and religion. Some cult members may insist they’re involved of their own free will and are living happy lives, further complicating a consensus. Bear these facts in…
As the fall season nears, the spooky-loving souls of the world begin decorating their houses with ghouls and goblins, making orders for pumpkin spice lattes, and busting out old VHS tapes of “Hocus Pocus” for their annual rewatch. For some, the movie’s backdrop in Salem, Massachusetts, evokes thoughts of the Salem witch trials. Suddenly, their…
Did you know that modern casino design was influenced by a former gambling addict? Who would know better, right? While gambling industry organizations have fashioned guidelines for promoting responsible gaming, the methods establishments use to keep you playing are right there in plain sight. In fact, you can’t miss them—by design—even if you don’t understand…
“And may the odds be ever in your favor.” — Effie Trinket in “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins On November 8, 2022, Edwin Castro walked into Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, and walked out with a winning Powerball ticket worth $2.05 billion, the largest national lottery jackpot in history. The odds of Castro…
People often use the titles “psychologist” and “psychiatrist” interchangeably. But while they’re separated by just a few letters, practitioners of both specialties would tell you their professions are quite different. There are certainly similarities between psychologists and psychiatrists. Both are “mind experts” who treat their patients’ mental and emotional conditions, albeit in different ways that…
“Imposter syndrome” is a popular term on the internet lately, though it has been around since the late 1970s. Georgia State University psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term “imposter phenomenon” in their 1978 study on high-achieving women who felt as though their success was not attributed to their own abilities. What…
“If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?” The answer to this question isn’t as straightforward as you might think. When groups gather, invisible processes begin to work to alter attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions. What starts as a civil conversation becomes a lively debate, and soon, jumping off a cliff isn’t only rational; it’s a…
Nearly all of us are looking for the secret to personal success, quite literally. The self-help book “The Secret” has sold over 35 million copies worldwide by claiming success is derived from energy put out into the universe. Similarly, articles touting the “Top Habits of Successful People” promise that the key to a happy, healthy…
To call some of the most famous psychology experiments of all time scary would be an understatement. The Monster Study, Little Albert Experiment, and Stanford Prison Experiment are some of the most shocking and provocative studies ever conducted. Though they’ve captivated psychologists for decades, studies like these do little to accurately describe experimental psychologists or…
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