"Speaking of Psychology" is an audio podcast series highlighting some of the latest, most important and relevant psychological research being conducted today. Produced by the American Psychological Association, these podcasts will help listeners apply the science of psychology to their everyday lives.
Advocates of cultured meat say that it could help solve many environmental and animal welfare problems. But psychologists have found that some consumers say they’d be reluctant to try it. Matti Wilks, PhD, and Daniel Rosenfeld, PhD, discuss the psychological factors at play when people consider eating lab-grown meat -- and meat in general -- and how moral values, disgust, and other factors contribute to people’s dietary choices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What’s your first reaction when someone cuts you off in traffic or you stub your toe? Do you let out a choice word or two? Richard Stephens, PhD, talks about the psychology of swearing, including his research on why swearing can increase people’s pain tolerance and strength during stressful or painful moments; how swearing is processed in the brain; and the increasing acceptance of swearing in daily life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What are the most important things you can do to reduce the risk of dementia and keep your brain healthy as you grow older? Neuropsychologist Vonetta Dotson, PhD, talks about what a healthy brain looks like; why you’re never too young – or old – to think about brain health; why physical activity, mental activity, and social engagement are all key; the relationship between depression and brain health; and small steps you can take to get started with a brain-healthy lifestyle. Learn more about you...
Do you think your ex is probably a narcissist? Do you worry that your boss is gaslighting you? In recent years, these words and others have entered the vocabularies of millions of Americans. Dr. Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, PhD, and Dr. Erin Parks, PhD, discuss the rise of “therapy speak,” what psychologists and other mental health professionals think about it, and how it’s changing the way many of us think about our friends, our family, our relationships and ourselves. Learn more about your ad choic...
For years, paranoia was seen a symptom of severe mental illness only. But in recent decades, some psychologists have begun to think about it differently. Daniel Freeman, PhD, author of “Paranoia: A Journey Into Extreme Mistrust and Anxiety,” discusses his research on the links between paranoia and other forms of mistrust and anxiety; why paranoid thoughts are relatively common; and new research on therapeutic treatments for paranoia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Between email, Zoom, Slack, and just walking down the hall, workplaces these days offer people more ways than ever to communicate with their virtual -- and in-person -- colleagues. Andrew Brodsky, PhD, author of “Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication,” discusses the best ways to use all these modes of communication; the advantages and disadvantages of “video on” vs. “video off” meetings; whether you should use emojis in your emails; and how to develop authentic, strong work relat...
Astronauts on a future mission to Mars will face many challenges, including three years in a tiny spacecraft and a Mars habitat, with just a few other crew members and a 22-minute delay for any communication back to Earth. Psychologist Suzanne Bell, PhD, head of NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Lab, talks about the human challenges of long-term space exploration, what it will take to keep astronauts mentally and physically healthy, and how researchers are using a simulated Mars habitat h...
For many years, ADHD was seen as a disorder of childhood. But in recent years, an increasing number of adults have been diagnosed with it as well. Clinician and researcher Russell Ramsay, PhD, discusses what’s driving the rise in adult diagnoses, what ADHD looks like in adults, how it affects people’s lives – including their work, relationships and health -- and what treatments are available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Disgusting” is a flexible word – it could describe everything from a putrid smell to your least-favorite food to a behavior you find immoral. But what does it really mean to be disgusted? Paul Rozin, PhD, talks about where disgust comes from, why some people are more easily disgusted than others, universal triggers of disgust, why the foods we consider disgusting vary by culture, why is gross-out humor can be funny, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How often do you “go along to get along,” or say yes when you really want to say no? Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah, PhD, author of “Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes,” talks about why it can be so hard to speak up and and how can you strengthen your resolve and ability to say no when the situation calls for it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Rachel Aaron discusses the biopsychosocial nature of chronic pain, highlighting the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. She explores various treatment options, including CBT, mindfulness-based therapies, and emotion-focused interventions. The conversation covers the link between chronic pain and mental health, the effectiveness of different treatments like acupuncture and antidepressants, and promising new therapies like pain reprocessing therapy.
What’s the difference between an inspiring boss and an infuriating one? What qualities do the best coaches, teachers and mentors share? Adam Galinsky, PhD, author of “Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others,” discusses why leaders often have even more power than they realize, the universal qualities of good leadership, and how anyone can learn to become a more inspiring leader in their work, as a parent, and in other aspects of their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Uvalde, the list of schools and communities devastated by gun violence grows every year. Dewey Cornell, PhD, an expert in school violence prevention, discusses how schools can respond when faced with a potential threat, and how students, teachers, administrators and law enforcement can work together to keep schools safe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study has been tracking the health and life experiences of more than 1,000 New Zealanders since 1972. Terrie Moffitt, PhD, a professor of psychology at Duke University and one of the leaders of the Dunedin study, discusses what researchers have learned from this remarkable study about how people age, why some of us age faster than others, and how our genes and life experiences shape our physical and mental health and the aging process. Learn m...
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called to add cancer warnings to alcohol labels. For many people, “Dry January” offers a chance try out a low- or no-alcohol life. Health psychologist Richard de Visser, PhD, talks about what’s driving public interest in Dry January and other “sober curious” trends; how temporarily giving up drinking can affect your mental and physical health; and how to succeed if you’d like to give Dry January a try. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
From Ponzi schemes to email phishing identity thieves, the world can seem full of people who want to deceive us. Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD, co-authors of Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It, talk about the cognitive habits that put us at risk of believing lies; famous frauds and cons from the worlds of business, science, and competitive chess; and what you can do to protect yourself, and your wallet, by spotting scammers before it’s too late. Lea...
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders, and one of the most misunderstood. Carla Sharp, PhD, of the University of Houston, discusses how BPD is diagnosed, defined and treated, how family members can help children and adults with BPD, and how the disorder fits in with researchers’ evolving understanding of personality disorders in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our dreams can be exhilarating, surprising, terrifying, even mundane. But where do they come from and what, if anything, do they mean? Dream researcher Antonio Zadra, PhD, talks about why some people remember their dreams vividly while others don’t remember them at all; whether exploring dreams can offer insight into our waking lives; why nightmares happen and effective treatments for problematic recurring nightmares; understanding lucid dreaming and sleepwalking; and more. Learn more about your...
In job interviews and in life, perfectionism is often seen as a selling point – an asset disguised as a flaw. But as psychologists have found rising rates of perfectionism in the United States and around the world in recent decades, they’ve begun to recognize the toll that the drive to be perfect can take on people’s mental health and well-being. Thomas Curran, PhD, author of “The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough,” talks about different types of perfectionism, why more and mor...
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Does shopping bring you joy? Or do you feel a bit of pain and regret every time you have to make a purchase? Many of us will be shopping for gifts in the upcoming weeks—whether we enjoy it or not. Scott Rick, PhD, of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, discusses how our emotions drive our buying behaviors, why some people spend money so easily while others find it so difficult, whether “retail therapy” actually works, and why Black Friday sales are so irresistible. Learn more a...
Strong, supportive relationships are key to our mental and even physical health. But what are the keys to a healthy, loving relationship? John Gottman, PhD, and Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD, talk about why it’s so important to pay attention to your partner’s “bids for connection,” how to have productive rather than destructive fights, whether any couple can learn to communicate better, and why it’s a myth that you should never go to bed angry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Our culture tends to prize being bold and outgoing, making the world harder to navigate for kids who are shy. Dr. Koraly Pérez-Edgar talks about temperament in young children, how shyness develops from babyhood on, the difference between shyness and introversion, how parents and other caregivers can best support shy kids, and recognizing the advantages of a shy temperament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Birdbrain” may be an insult, but birds are far smarter than they’re often given credit for. Irene Pepperberg, PhD, talks about her five decades of research with gray parrots, how she teaches parrots to communicate with English words, how birds’ mathematical and other abilities compare with young children, how the field of animal cognition has evolved over the decades and what it can teach us about intelligence in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From the surgical suite to the battlefield to the driver’s seat of a car, robots and other autonomous systems are increasingly part of people’s workplaces and their daily lives. Ericka Rovira, PhD, a professor of engineering psychology at the United States Military Academy West Point, talks about how robots are being used in the military, in medicine and in other complex, high-stakes arenas; how trust and collaboration work on human-robot teams; and how we humans can maintain our skills as we in...
Over the past few decades the U.S. has become an increasingly less religious country, and many people who grew up with religion have chosen to leave the faith they were raised in. Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD, author of “Done: How to Flourish after Leaving Religion,” talks about the changing religious landscape in the U.S.; what’s driving these religious “dones”; the spiritual, social and other challenges they face; and how people rebuild meaning in life after leaving religion. Learn more about your ...
Even as the average family size shrinks in much of the world, myths about only children remain common – including that they’re lonely, spoiled or maladjusted. Toni Falbo, PhD, talks about her decades of research with only children that have dispelled many of these myths, explains what researchers have found instead, and offers advice for parents of only children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Between raising young children, climbing the career ladder and handling the everyday demands of adult life, the 30s and 40s can be a particularly busy time. Developmental psychologist Clare Mehta, PhD, talks about the challenges and rewards of “established adulthood”; how relationships, friendships and work life change; and why it’s useful to think of the 30s and 40s as its own distinct life stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every year, there are more than 2.8 million traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. The risks of brain injury among youth athletes, pro football players and military veterans have all made headlines in recent years. But other populations are at increased risk as well – including people in the criminal justice system and domestic violence survivors. Concussion researcher and brain health advocate Kim Gorgens, PhD, talks about how to identify TBI, what happens to the brain when you get a concussion, ...
The U.S. feels more polarized than ever, and with election day around the corner, many of us are feeling the strain of political divisions among our friends, family members and loved ones. Keith Payne, PhD, author of “Good Reasonable People: The Psychology Behind America’s Dangerous Divide,” discusses the psychology that underlies how most people think about politics, how U.S. history has led us to where we are, whether polarization is really worse than it used to be, and what, if anything, we c...
