Ep 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 326: Giving Voice To Our Digital Assistants
Why do our digital assistants such as Alexa, Google Home, Siri and Cortana have “feminized” voices and what are the effects of this trend? That’s what I explore in this episode. Are there negative...
View ArticleEp 327: The Team Behind Q – World’s First Genderless Digital Voice
In the last episode I talked about the potential downside to having most of our digital assistants speak to us using a female voice. “Q” – will give us an option. Here’s my interview with Emil...
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 329: Beauty and the Beast: Psychological Themes
Resources We are the Beast: On Toxic Masculinity and Social Responsibility in Disney’s Beauty and the BeastToxic Masculinity in “Beauty and the Beast”How to Fight Toxic MasculinityCats Do ScienceDog...
View ArticleEp 330: Trouble Sleeping? Psychologist Dr. Shelby Harris’ Approach to...
I haven’t talked about sleep problems yet here on the Psych Files so I brought in the perfect person to talk to us about sleep and insomnia. Dr. Shelby Harris has written the Woman’s Guide to...
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 332: How the Brain Lost Its Mind
Most of us have heard of Anton Mesmer and Jean Charcot. They were some of the first to dabble in the “mind cure” using hypnosis and the power of suggestion. But what role did syphilis play in the...
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 the...
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 ArticleEp 335: Conspiracy Theories – Why So Easy To Believe?
Why do some conspiracy theories seem to have so much evidence to support them? Well, that’s because if you look hard enough at any event, and you don’t have any particular theory before you start...
View ArticleEp 336: Why is it Usually Men Who Commit Violent Acts?
Another violent act in America. Another man who committed it. Why do men in our society seem to always be the ones who carry out violent acts? Is it how we bring up boys? Or is there another influence...
View ArticleEp 337: Why Do We Think Women Aren’t Funny?
Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t think that women can be funny? I have to admit that I didn’t hear that until recently, so I looked at some of the research on gender and perceptions of...
View ArticleEp 338: What Role Are Women Really Playing? The Bechdel Test
In movies and TV, women are understandably tired of playing roles like the “Wife” or the “Girlfriend”. Nowadays we’re seeing more women in film and TV but has their role in the production really...
View ArticleEp 339: What Makes a Song Appealing?
Music researchers analyzed over 700 top Billboard songs (which included examining over 80,000 chords) and they determined that the “Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da” is the most appealing song ever written. How in...
View ArticleEp 340 What’s a High Sensation Seeker?
Do you like to bungee jump? Perhaps you’re into parachuting or wing suit flying? If so, you’re probably a “high sensation seeker”. In this fascinating interview with Dr. Kenneth Carter, author of the...
View ArticleThe Chore of Getting Men to Do Housework
Like it or not, certain tasks around the house seem to have traditional gender roles attached to them. Females in the family often do the indoor tasks like cleaning and cooking and males often are...
View ArticleCats: Not As Aloof As We Think
Here’s a current topic you might want to add to the Development chapter of your psych text for students to consider: do dogs and cats get attached to their owners? We certainly get attached to them....
View ArticleThat’s Not Fair! How Unfairness Can Affect Your Work Motivation
Suppose you were working a job where everyone makes around $12/hour and your supervisor announced that she was raising salaries so that everyone at the company will now make at least $15/hour? You’d be...
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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