Ep 279: The United Airlines “Involuntary Deboarding” Incident: from Shock...
The involuntary removal of a passenger on a United Airlines flight has justifiably garnered a lot of attention. And as teachers we certainly want to capture students’ attention. But how do we create a...
View ArticleEp 280: Bystander Activation: Yes, There Are Things You Can Do To Change the...
We live in a time when facts are being questioned, and when respect for each others’ differences is on the decline. How often do we say to ourselves: “Yea, but what can I do about it?”. Actually, with...
View ArticleEp 285: Ketamine and Depression, Raven Intelligence, and Those Darn Fidget...
What are psychologists talking about this week? Well, we’re fighting back against the unbelievable claims made by the marketers of fidget spinners (does the toy really help people with ADHD, PTSD and...
View ArticleEp 286: What to do About Fake News? Apply a Little Psychology
We’re all aware of the problem of fake news, but why do we fall for it? When we read a post on Facebook that sounds a little questionable, why don’t we check into it further? You better believe there’s...
View ArticleEp 297: The Movie Coco – What’s the Psychology Behind It?
Have you seen the movie Coco? You should – it’s a very moving story. But if you pay attention to the music you’ll notice that the melody to the son “Remember Me” is played in several different ways –...
View ArticleEp 301: The Role of CTE in the Life of Aaron Hernandez
You have probably heard a lot about football and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), the brain degeneration that results from repeated head impacts. One of the worst cases so far of CTE was found...
View ArticleEp 302: Violent Extremism: What’s the Psychology Behind It?
What draws people toward violent extremist groups? Psychologists have conducted a lot of research to find this out and in this episode I summarize the findings of key researchers in this area....
View ArticleEp 303: Significance Quest Theory: How Do We De-Radicalize People?
We know a lot about why individuals join extremist groups, what can we do about it? How do we bring them back to society and help them have meaningful lives again? This is the second of 2 episodes on...
View ArticleEp 307: Do Those i-Statements Actually Work and Did Koko the Gorilla Really...
Remember those “i-statements” you’re supposed to use when you get mad at someone? “I feel ____ when you ____ because ____“. Does that actually work? Does talking in this way resolve problems better and...
View ArticleEp 308: How to Change the Mind of a Conservative
How do you get someone is is conservative to support climate change? Or stricter controls on guns? There is a way. Research confirms that conservatives tend to be focused on how good the past was,...
View ArticleEp 315: The Psychology of A Quiet Place and Mission Impossible
Did you see the movie A Quiet Place? How about Mission Impossible? It’s always fun to analyze movies from a psychological perspective and that’s what I do in this episode. A Quiet Place has a lot of...
View ArticleEp 316: Motivational Interviewing and the TV Show Columbo
Hopefully you’ve watched the TV show Columbo. Curious about what this character has to do with psychology? You’d be surprised. In this episode I analyze Columbo in terms of the psychological technique...
View ArticleEp 317: It’s So Fluffy!
Have you ever seen something so cute you just want to squeeze it to death? Or a child so cute you want to pinch it’s cheeks really hard? Why do we have these odd, powerful, opposite feelings? It’s...
View ArticleEp 322: An Introduction to Cross Cultural Psychology
Why is it okay – in some cultures – to jaywalk, while in others you could get arrested for jaywalking? Why was marijuana was sold – legally – for years in the streets of Amsterdam when it is only now...
View ArticleEp 325: Love Your Work? Someone Will Take Advantage of That
It’s ingrained in western society that people should find work they really enjoy – work that fulfills a passion. If you’re lucky enough to have found work you’re passionate about you ought to know that...
View ArticleEp 328: Authenticity – Is There a Hidden You?
Have you ever wondered if you’re really being true to some inner person of yours? Wondered if there isn’t someone else inside that you that you’re supposed to be actualizing? Guess what? Maybe not....
View ArticleEp 301: Hatred and Violence in America: It’s Not About Mental Illness
There are too many knee-jerk, brief (and incorrect) explanations for why the US is experiencing such a rise in hatred and violence. Claiming that violent perpetrators are “mentally ill” is wrong. We...
View ArticleEp 333: Bible Codes, Anti-Vaccination Beliefs and the Look Elsewhere Effect
In this episode I talk about whether there really is a bible code, anti-vaccination beliefs and whether jellybeans cause acne. It’s all part of how we humans love to find patterns in the world and...
View ArticleEp 334: The Psychology of the Fantasticks
Have you seen the musical The Fantasticks? Not only does it have wonderful music but it also has pearls of wisdom. Oh yea, and gender issues. In this episode I talk about the psychology inside this...
View ArticleWhen Good People Do Bad Things
For years, the Stanford Prison Study has been used to tout the idea that putting any individual in a position of absolute control brings out the worst in them (and in a more general sense, that people...
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