Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology
Episodes
Overcoming Anxiety
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation. Mentally it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into ...
Tribalism
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our lives begin within our most intimate tribe, our family, whose job it is to protect and nurture us until adulthood. But then gradually, over time, ...
How to Think Like a Wealthy Person
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thoroughly woven into the tapestry of American culture has been the mythology or cult of the millionaire, a term which originated in France (by Disrae...
Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD or cPTSD) describes a set of disruptive symptoms that emerge after experiencing inescapable traumatic l...
Why Marriage Does Not Work
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With marriage having a fifty percent no‐go rate it's obvious that people don't follow their best thinking, just like people don't eat healthfully ev...
The Effects of Constant Criticism
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Constant criticism, even if it's self-inflicted, slowly chips away at your sense of self-worth over time. Before you know it, you're left feeling inad...
Shadenfraude: Joy from Pain
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Schadenfreude[emdash]the sense of pleasure people derive from the misfortune of others[emdash]is a familiar feeling to many, yet it's poorly understoo...
Cross Cultural Relationships: A Walk in Jurassic Park
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Intercultural relationships are increasingly common, especially in "hyperdiverse" Western cultures, where mixed marriage has been steadily rising over...
Transactional Communication: How to Break Down Walls
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Transactional communciation helps people see how these three states operate within them and how they shift between states in different situations. It ...
Surfacing the Subconscious
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The conscious mind can be described as whatever you are currently aware of. What you are feeling, doing, seeing, touching, experiencing. You are consc...
Turn Ons
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Relationships thrive on emotional and physical connections, and one of the most intriguing aspects of romantic bonds is the concept of a "turn on." Bu...
Transhumanism: Building a Better Human
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates using advanced technologies—such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence...
Repent for What?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
•Repentance is not so much a feeling or sentiment but rather a process. It's the process of honestly and thoughtfully reviewing one's past actions...
Crazy or BiPolar?
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition characterized by unusual shifts in mood, energy, and ability to function. These shifts involve extreme "...
White Collar Criminals
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The psychology of white-collar crime involves understanding the motivations, personality traits, and decision-making processes of individuals who comm...
Married for the Kids
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is staying married for the kids the right choice? This is one of the most heart-wrenching decisions a parent can face. It's a question that weighs hea...
Apathy: No More to Give
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What, exactly, is apathy? In a sense, it's something like falling in love. You can describe it all you want, but until you've experienced it, you can ...
Psychology: Conspiracy Theories and Fake News
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories, from a psychological perspective, are often linked to distrust of authority, political cynicism, and psychological traits like pa...
Artificial Intelligence and Us
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes known as machine intelligence, refers to the ability of computers to perform human-like feats of cognition inc...
The Power of Anticipation
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
•Anticipation is a psychological process we engage in to mentally prepare for a certain outcome that we expect to happen in the future. Anticipating...
When We Are Wrong
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For most of us mere mortals, admitting we are wrong is very difficult, even under the best of circumstances. At times, we argue vehemently over trivia...
Resentment in Relationships
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not all couples can pinpoint a specific trigger for a spiral of relationship resentment, but studies have shown that resentment is often a response to...
Parenting Teenagers
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adolescence is a challenging time for young people, bringing on not only the physical changes of puberty, but emotional transformation as well and in ...
Cognitive Bias: How We Are Influenced
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking, affecting how we process information, perceive others, and make decisions. It can lead to irrational...
Low Emotional Intelligence
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's start by saying that intelligence is one of the messiest topic areas in all of psychology. We don't really know what it is (debate and controver...
Impulsivity: Can't Stop Myself
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You have probably done it before: fired off an offensive response to an email, said something you later regretted or did something to you wish you wou...
How Psychology Works: Theories
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Psychological perspectives are different ways of thinking about and explaining human behavior. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to studying and u...
Finding Purpose and Meaning
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For most of the 20th century, philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists argued that meaning in life is a rare, profound experience, attainable th...
Real Deep Communication
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Open and vulnerable communication between intimate partners is at the core of a relationship's capacity to survive and thrive. It is what builds trust...
The Mind of a Psychopath
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Psychopathy is a condition characterized by the absence of empathy and the blunting of other affective states. Callousness, detachment, and a lack of ...
Re-Dating Ex: Relationship Churning
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To grasp the concept of relationship churning, it's essential to explore its key elements and historical context. Relationship churning isn't a new ph...
Why Manners Matter
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Good manners are a reflection of the Golden Rule: if you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you. The Golden Rule exists in every culture on the planet. A...
Pathocracy: Psychology of Leadership
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People with psychological disorders so easily rise to positions of power and take over the governments of countries. Pathocracy is arguably one of the...
UnMet Needs: Emotional Deprived
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Maslow's hierarchy, lower-level needs (physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem) are considered deficiency needs, which arise from a lack ...
Panic Attacks
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Panic attacks are dramatically abrupt bursts of acute anxiety that feel life-threatening but are not. They build into a crescendo of fear within minut...
Smart But Stupid
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are advantages to being smart. People who do well on standardized tests of intelligence (IQ tests) tend to be more successful in the classroom a...
Horrible People
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Horrible people are draining; encounters leave you emotionally wiped out. Time with them is about taking care of their business, which will leave you ...
Emotionally Detached
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Broadly speaking, emotional detachment is the inability or unwillingness to connect with others on an emotional level. Emotional detachment can also m...
Understanding Manipulation: How Narcissists Work
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
•We can consider the ego as the "I" or our sense of self, and so we all have an ego because we all have a sense of self. The ego is not inherently b...
Why Marriage Fails
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With marriage having a fifty percent no‐go rate it's obvious that people don't follow their best thinking, just like people don't eat healthfully ev...
Commitment Changes Everything
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does the word commitment suggest? It usually evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. It typically is accompanied by a statement of purpose ...
Altruism: Live Like Jesus
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyal...
Filtering and Narratives: How We Destroy Our Relationships
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you hyperfocus on the one thing that went wrong? The one little mistake you made or that one mean comment on social media? Instead of the hundreds ...
Seducers and Seduction
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seduction, an age-old dance of attraction, has long captivated the hearts and minds of those seeking to unravel its mysterious allure. It's a complex ...
Healing Heartbreak
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
•Most of us have had our hearts broken at some point and in some form or another, whether through the loss of a loved one or the ending of a romanti...
Finding Passion and Purpose
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Too many people work just for the paycheck. And the paycheck is important – there are kids to feed, rent to pay, and new shoes to buy when the old o...
Have You Finally WOKE Up?
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Social awareness and progressivism have become increasingly important for many people, especially when it comes to dating and relationships. Unfortuna...
The Price of Resentment
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the worst psychological pieces of advice on the internet is that which describes resentment as a healthy emotion. Contrary evidence in psycholo...
Conflict Avoidant: To Be Whimpy
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The desire to avoid conflict in a relationship is common, but for very different reasons. First, involvement with a partner who is unable to perspect...
Reverse Abandonment: Parents Abandoned By Their Adult Children
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While cultural tropes suggest that adult children estrange in a fit of pique, that doesn't actually appear to be the case for the preponderance of adu...
Hybristophilia: Attraction to Predators
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hybristophilia is a term that has emerged to describe a peculiar and often misunderstood psychological phenomenon: sexual or romantic attraction to da...
A Life Filled with Regret
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Regret can be an incredibly painful emotion. While rooted in feelings of contrition, disappointment, guilt, or remorse for things that have happened i...
The Makings of an American
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Living in a foreign country and adjusting to a new culture can be a very rewarding experience. But, it can also be a difficult one if you do not under...
A Narcissist Family Christmas
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If a family member suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder or displays significant narcissistic tendencies, the holidays can mean great chao...
Life as Eeyore: Persistent Depressive Disorder
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Persistent depressive disorder, known as dysthymia or low-grade depression, is less severe than major depression but more chronic. It occurs twice as...
The Cost of Loneliness
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Though our need to connect is innate, many of us frequently feel alone. Loneliness is the state of distress or discomfort that results when one percei...
Where You Live Influences How You Think
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Geographical psychology examines links between location and psychological phenomena, such as how and why personality traits, life satisfaction, and ...
How to Make and Sustain Friendship in a Busy Life
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You just moved to a new city. All your friends are getting married or having kids. You retired. You got divorced. You've outgrown your childhood fr...
Meaning: What is the Point of Being Here?
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The question of the meaning of life is perhaps one that we would rather not ask, for fear of the answer or lack thereof. Still today, many people be...
Chunky Children: Childhood Obesity
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With all the buzz around childhood obesity, it's easy to become desensitized to the statistics. But the shocking figures can't be ignored: Since 1980,...
Sexual Promiscuity: The Love Parade
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Promiscuity is formally defined, according to Webster, as including not only frequent but indiscriminate sexual behavior. Preference for frequent sexu...
What Marriage Use To Be
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Through most of Western civilization, marriage has been more a matter of money, power and survival than of delicate sentiments. In medieval Europe, ...
Bi-Polar Opposites: To Be Manic
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mania can range from mild (known as hypomania) to severe; at its most extreme, mania can trigger delusions, violence, and an increased risk of suicid...
Victim Blaming
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Virtually anyone who has survived sexual assault or experienced sexual harassment knows how painful victim-blaming can be. Survivors are often a...
Body Talk: Understanding Our First Language
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Body language is a silent orchestra, as people constantly give clues to what they're thinking and feeling. Non-verbal messages including body movement...
Search for Identity through Politics
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If nothing else, the conflict in the Middle East has made it clear that identity politics isn't going away. In fact, many individuals who previously c...
Childhood: No More
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While American children had once commonly enjoyed the freedom to run around outside with minimal adult interference, they began to spend more time ind...
Grudgy People: The Unforgivers
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we hold grudges when they are in fact quite painful to maintain, and often seem to work against what we really want? Why do we keep wounds open...
How Media Programs Our Lives
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Media especially through portrayals of characters, narratives and scenarios can serve as powerful models for learning behavior. We have seen this in t...
Kids Who Refuse To Go To School
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's always difficult to hear your children yelling or sobbing that they don't want to go to school. You may be even more sensitive to their reluctanc...
When Did Marriage Start To Require Best Friends?
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes friendship in marriage a potential benefit is that you will need to have someone you can talk to and fight alongside when life gets tough...
Meh...Living With Apathy
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What, exactly, is apathy? In a sense, it's something like falling in love. You can describe it all you want, but until you've experienced it, you can ...
Ego: Delusional Reality
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you take things personally, you allow many issues to consume your well-being. This way of thinking exhausts your energy with little good and a lo...
Married to Bat Shxt Crazy: (BPD) Borderline Personality Disorder
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People who have borderline personality disorder tend to have more tumultuous, chaotic romantic relationships. Such relationships are often marked by s...
When Should I Divorce
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While some partnerships are beyond repair—whether it's due to infidelity or emotional abuse—other couples call it quits at the first sign of confl...
Can't Find a Date: Let Alone a Real Partner
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You're sick and tired of all the dating apps and websites and trying to meet people in your kickball league? And how many awkward first dates can you ...
Mid-Marriage Life Crisis: Finding Yourself After
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The severity of midlife crisis symptoms can vary from person to person. Gender can also play a role in how a midlife crisis unfolds. Women may be more...
Before You Marry: You Never Know Who You Marry Until You Divorce
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They say marriage is a covenant, and keeping that covenant requires two committed people. It doesn't matter the grand wedding you had, the gifts you r...
Men Without Friends
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You don't need a degree in psychology to know that friendships are different, depending on gender. Men have historically bonded by relentlessly deridi...
How to Raise Children
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To parent effectively, it's not enough to simply avoid the obvious dangers like abuse, neglect, or overindulgence. Indeed, The National Academy of Sci...
Battle Tested Relationships: Keeping Love Strong
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a relationship is always fun and exciting, but making a relationship last is hard work. Once you've gotten settled in your relationship, you ...
Wimpy Boundaries: The Cost
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you protect yourself in this world? How do you ensure that the things you care for are protected on a daily basis? One way we protect ourself i...
Unsafe: The Psychological Impact
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People feel emotionally safe when they feel free of excessive criticism, free of excessive control by others, free of uncalled for blame or shaming ...
Lost in Translation: Relationship Communication
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone who chooses to be in a relationship will experience conflict at some point. There may be mismatched expectations about how often partners spe...
Psychological Frontiers: The Next World War
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Psychological warfare or mental warfare is the use of techniques and tactics designed to influence the attitudes, emotions, and behavior of an individ...
Past Sexual Trauma: The Effects on Relationships
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sexual trauma is exposure to any amount of inappropriate sexual behavior that's caused intense fear and anxiety. It's also referred to as sexual abuse...
Toxic Times: Good and Terrible Humans
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Good human traits typically refer to qualities or characteristics that contribute positively to individual well-being, interpersonal relationships, an...
Raising Generation Alpha: 2010-2024
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is a growing generation that few people have heard of. Within the next few years they will outnumber the Baby Boomers, and many of them will liv...
Gender Blender: The Age of Confusion
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gender is related to but distinctly different from sex; it is rooted in culture, not biology. The APA (2012) defines gender as "the attitudes, feelin...
Deep Marriage Insights
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The ever-increasing explosion of data puts more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before, but you need to know what to do with it. Otherwise, it i...
Twisted Truths: Public Gaslighting
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false infor...
Tiny Troublemakers: Spotting Childhood Mental Illness
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mental illness in children can be hard for parents to identify. As a result, many children who could benefit from treatment don't get the help they ne...
Incels: Involuntary Celebate Men
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Online message boards and communities comprised of incels—men who are involuntarily celibate—have gained notoriety in recent years due to mass kil...
Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology - February 13th, 2024
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Byte Me: Digital Addiction
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Technology addictions, also commonly known as digital addictions or internet addictions, are often overlooked due to the acceptance that society has p...
Ex-Files: Partner Resents Your Past Relationships
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Talking about a past relationship is a tricky affair. What starts off as a fun round of twenty questions can turn into an icy chill in no time if you ...
Psychedelic Therapy: Tripping into Healing
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The psychedelic experience feels as though this self-referential moment-to-moment updating of the ego has suddenly disappeared. The perception of our ...
The Making of a Narcissist
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Narcissism tends to develop in environments where there's a mix of both overindulgence and under-indulgence. Typically, it's an overindulgence in focu...
Recognizing Depression
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody gets depressed sometimes, typically in response to events or experiences in which goals go unmet and expectations are dashed, but such react...
So You Think You Are Smort? The Dunning-Kruger Effect
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occu...