Speaking Of Psychology

Every year, millions of people go through harrowing medical experiences, from a stay in the ICU to a difficult childbirth to the frustration of dealing with chronic pain. These experiences can leave scars on our minds as well as our bodies. Psychologist James C. Jackson, PhD, author of “Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma,” talks about why medical trauma is so often overlooked, what kinds of experiences can cause it, and what interventions and treatments can help people heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tipping has long been a part of service culture in the U.S., but in the last few years, the number of places where we're asked to tip has multiplied. Social psychologist and tipping researcher Michael Lynn, PhD, discusses “tip creep” and how digital payment screens are reshaping expectations; why social norms drive our tipping behavior; how tipping norms vary from country to country; how biases affect who gets tipped more; and whether tipping is a fair way to compensate people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy now, pay later plans have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, adding yet another variable to consider when making spending decisions. Abigail Sussman, PhD, discusses the psychological biases that influence how we spend, budget and borrow, including why splitting payments can make purchases feel more affordable, why we underestimate irregular expenses, and why many people carry debt even when they have savings. She also shares research-based strategies to help you make more deliberate choices and better manage your money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before babies have the words to tell us what they're thinking, they can laugh. Developmental psychologist Gina Mireault, PhD, explains how she sets up a “baby comedy club” in her lab; what babies find funny and why; when babies start trying to make other people laugh; and what studying laughter can tell us about babies’ cognitive development and how they experience the world in their first year of life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much can you really tell about someone at first glance? Nicholas Rule, PhD, of the University of Toronto, talks about the science of first impressions: How your brain starts making judgments about other people in milliseconds--before you’re even aware of it--how accurate those judgments are and how they’re shaped by stereotypes and biases; the research on “gaydar”; to what degree you can pick up on traits like extraversion and trustworthiness; and the real-world consequences of our accurate – and inaccurate – snap judgments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tourette disorder and other tic disorders affect millions of people yet remain widely misunderstood. John Piacentini, PhD, director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic, explains the brain basis of Tourette disorder; talks about why tics are very common in young children; debunks common myths—such as the idea that Tourette disorder mainly involves uncontrollable swearing—and discusses how recent behavioral therapies are helping many patients manage tics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life is full of situations -- and people -- that try our patience, from a standstill traffic jam to an obstinate preschooler who won’t put on her shoes. Sarah Schnitker, PhD, talks about why patience can be so hard to come by; whether modern life and modern technology have made us less patient; the difference between patience and passivity; and cognitive strategies to build up your ability to be patient. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than half of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. involve stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine. There are no medications to treat stimulant addiction, but there is a behavioral treatment that works: contingency management, which involves offering tangible, immediate rewards for abstaining from drugs. Lara Coughlin, PhD, and Michael McDonell, PhD, discuss why contingency management works and the psychological principles it’s based on; how it can be used to treat other addictions including alcohol, tobacco and opioids; and recent momentum in moving it from research labs to the real world at large scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do some ideas, products, news stories and trends spread like wildfire, while others disappear? Jonah Berger, PhD, discusses the science of what catches on; the psychological forces that drive word of mouth, including social currency and high-arousal emotions like awe and anger; whether online and offline sharing differ; and what his research can tell us about the spread of misinformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From school pressures to friendship ruptures, all kids will face challenges as they grow. Mary Alvord, PhD, talks why building resilience is key to helping kids handle both everyday stresses and significant life setbacks; how to help children and teens develop foundational resilience skills like emotion regulation, problem solving and an “action mindset”; and how the Resilience Builder program is being scaled up to classrooms and schools to reach more kids who could benefit from it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Popular culture often frames love and dating as a competitive marketplace shaped by evolution and rigid gender differences, but relationship science tells a different story. Paul Eastwick, PhD, talks about what the research says about attraction, compatibility and long-term bonding; why men and women are more alike than different in what they seek; how dating apps distort romantic expectations and how to use the apps better; and how evolutionary ideas about love and relationships can be misused in ways that fuel harmful stereotypes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many women, being a daughter is not just a family role – it’s a lifelong job. Dr. Allison Alford discusses what she calls “daughtering”: the work of managing family dynamics, from coordinating schedules to soothing emotions to worrying about a parent’s future. She discusses why these expectations fall on daughters; why the work often goes unrecognized; the role of birth order and “eldest daughter syndrome”; and how daughters and families can rethink their roles to make them sustainable and fulfilling for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People with aphantasia can’t visualize images in their mind’s eye. Ask them to picture an apple and they see a blank screen. Aphantasia researcher Joel Pearson, PhD, discusses how scientists are developing new methods to measure aphantasia beyond self-reports; how aphantasia may affect people’s memory and emotions; the link between aphantasia and creativity; the opposite condition of hyperphantasia, or extraordinarily vivid mental imagery; and what these differences in our internal mental experiences can teach us about consciousness and neurodiversity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us could look at a decades-old yearbook and recognize many of the faces of our former classmates -- but humans aren't the only ones with this remarkable ability. Laura Simone Lewis, PhD, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses her research on the long-term social memories of chimpanzees and bonobos, including a bonobo who remembered family members after 26 years apart. She explains how these great apes navigate their social worlds and what they can teach us about the evolution of our own social cognition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Depression and anxiety look very different from one person to the next, and finding the right treatment can be a trial-and-error process. But researchers are working to change that. Leanne Williams, PhD, and Zachary Cohen, PhD, discuss the emerging field of precision or personalized mental health care; how advances in neuroimaging and big data are helping researchers identify subtypes of depression and anxiety and predict treatment response; and the challenges of bringing these methods from the research lab into treatment clinics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to have an AI boyfriend or girlfriend, or to turn to an AI friend for emotional support? Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, and Rachel Wood, PhD, discuss the rise of AI companions and how they may change our human relationships; the differences – and overlap – between AI companions and general chatbots; the role of psychologists in developing ethical AI; and what the future holds for AI-human relationships as technology continues to advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than half the world’s population speaks more than one language. Viorica Marian, PhD, of Northwestern University, talks about why speaking multiple languages may have far-reaching cognitive benefits, how the bilingual brain processes language, and how the languages we speak shape the way we think and perceive the world. Originally aired March 1, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you dreading the cold, dark months ahead? In Scandinavia, where the winters are among the coldest and darkest on earth, many people look forward to winter as a time of coziness, beauty, and rest. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz, PhD, author of How to Winter, talks about how cold weather and darkness affect our body and mind and what can we learn from the way that residents of cold-weather places approach the season. Originally published Dec. 4, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From classrooms to boardrooms, from sports to social media, we’re constantly sizing ourselves up against other people -- and being sized up in return. Dr. Stephen Garcia discusses what drives some people to be extremely competitive in their work, in relationships and in life; which situations bring out the competitiveness in all of us; and how to handle the overly competitive people in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s December, which means it’s peak season for charitable donations. But how do you decide which organizations to support? Joshua Greene, PhD, discusses how people make moral choices and the implications for where they donate their money; how people can donate using their head and their heart; and how moral psychology can offer avenues to help people cooperate across partisan divisions in a polarized world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices