Speaking of Psychology

The psychology of spending, debt and budgeting, with Abigail Sussman, PhD

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Buy now, pay later plans have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, adding yet another variable to consider when making spending decisions. Abig...

Why babies laugh, with Gina Mireault, PhD

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How accurate are our first impressions? With Nicholas Rule, PhD

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 impress...

Understanding Tourette disorder and other tic disorders, with John Piacentini, PhD

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tourette disorder and other tic disorders affect millions of people yet remain widely misunderstood. John Piacentini, PhD, director of the UCLA Child ...

How to become more patient, with Sarah Schnitker, PhD

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 sh...

Incentivizing recovery: Why contingency management works to treat addiction, with Lara Coughlin, PhD, and Michael McDonell, PhD

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

More than half of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. involve stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine. There are no medications to treat stimulant ad...

Catching fire: What goes viral and why? With Jonah Berger, PhD

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some ideas, products, news stories and trends spread like wildfire, while others disappear? Jonah Berger, PhD, discusses the science of what ca...

How to build kids’ resilience, with Mary Alvord, PhD

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From school pressures to friendship ruptures, all kids will face challenges as they grow. Mary Alvord, PhD, talks why building resilience is key to he...

What relationship science says about finding love, with Paul Eastwick, PhD

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Popular culture often frames love and dating as a competitive marketplace shaped by evolution and rigid gender differences, but relationship science ...

The invisible work of being a daughter, with Allison Alford, PhD

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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”: t...

When your “mind’s eye” is blank: Understanding aphantasia, with Joel Pearson, PhD

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 researche...

Inside the social minds -- and amazing memories -- of chimps and bonobos, with Laura Simone Lewis, PhD

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Precision mental health and personalized treatment, with Leanne Williams, PhD, and Zachary Cohen, PhD

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 research...

How will AI companions change our human relationships? With Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, and Rachel Wood, PhD

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Encore: The benefits of being bilingual, with Viorica Marian, PhD

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More than half the world’s population speaks more than one language. Viorica Marian, PhD, of Northwestern University, talks about why speaking multi...

Encore: Learning to embrace winter, with Kari Leibowitz, PhD

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

How competition drives our behavior, with Stephen Garcia, PhD

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From classrooms to boardrooms, from sports to social media, we’re constantly sizing ourselves up against other people -- and being sized up in retur...

What moral psychology has to say about charitable giving, with Joshua Greene, PhD

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s December, which means it’s peak season for charitable donations. But how do you decide which organizations to support? Joshua Greene, PhD, di...

Why nature is good for your brain, with Marc Berman, PhD

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an age of increasing distractions, researchers have found that spending time in nature can be an antidote that helps us restore our focus and atten...

How to raise grateful kids, with Andrea Hussong, PhD

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Studies have shown that gratitude can help us cope with challenges and is good for our relationships and our health. But figuring out how to foster gr...

When sounds are unbearable: Understanding misophonia, with Heather Hansen, PhD

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For people with misophonia, certain sounds – like chewing, coughing or pen clicking – can trigger strong emotional reactions including anxiety, di...

Navigating the mental health impact of GLP-1s, with Rachel Goldman, PhD

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past several years, the rise of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy has changed the conversation around weight and obesity in the U.S. Rac...

Why humblebragging is never a good idea, with Övül Sezer, PhD

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We all want to be liked and respected. But sometimes, our intuitions about how to make a good impression lead us astray. Övül Sezer, PhD, talks abou...

Understanding trichotillomania (hair-pulling) and other body-focused repetitive behaviors, with Clare Mackay, PhD, and Suzanne Mouton-Odum, PhD

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Body-focused repetitive behaviors such as hair pulling (trichotillomania) and skin picking are relatively common but remain stigmatized and misunderst...

Why we love to travel, with Andrew Stevenson, PhD

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are you dreaming of your next vacation? Many people see travel as a chance to escape their routines, explore new places and maybe even ‘find themsel...

Courage is taking a worthwhile risk, with Cynthia Pury, PhD

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of courage, we often picture dramatic, high-stakes moments, but courage comes into play not only in extraordinary situations but also in...

Dyslexia myths, misconceptions and facts, with Tim Odegard, PhD

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences, yet it’s still widely misunderstood. Tim Odegard, PhD, talks about how dyslexia is diagnose...

Lefties, righties and mixed-handers: The psychology of brain asymmetry, with Sebastian Ocklenburg, PhD

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Left-handers make up about 10.6 percent of the world’s population. Sebastian Ocklenburg, PhD, talks about why handedness and other brain asymmetries...

Teens, AI and the science of risky decisions, with Valerie Reyna, PhD

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might think the best way to make decisions is to know all the facts. But psychologists’ research suggests that getting the “gist” – the co...

How to support children after traumatic events, with Robin Gurwitch, PhD

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From hurricanes to wildfires to gun violence, trauma and disaster touch the lives of millions of children each year. Robin Gurwitch, PhD, discusses ho...

Financial scams: Why some older adults are at risk, with Duke Han, PhD

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Financial scams targeting people over age 60 cost victims more than $3.4 billion in 2023. Neuropsychologist Duke Han, PhD, talks about why some older ...

Hot flashes, heart health and hormones: Rethinking menopause, with Rebecca Thurston, PhD

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many women, the shifting hormones of midlife bring troubling symptoms like hot flashes, mood and memory changes. Now, researchers are learning mor...

Why “boy" culture is creating a crisis of connection, with Niobe Way, PhD

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many boys form deep friendships in childhood. But as they become teens, they report fewer close, rich friendships. Niobe Way, PhD, author of “Rebels...

Why numeracy counts in everyday life, with Ellen Peters, PhD

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From deciding whether to buy a house to weighing the risks and benefits of taking a new medication, many important life decisions hinge on understandi...

Encore - How science can help you change your behavior for the better, with Katy Milkman, PhD

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can you learn from the science of behavior change that can help you make the changes you want to see in your life? Katy Milkman, PhD, a professor...

Encore -- Why we choose to suffer, with Paul Bloom, PhD

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people like to watch scary movies or listen to sad songs? Why do we run marathons and raise children, even though both of those pursuits come w...

Encore -- Why is it so hard for adults to make friends? With Marisa Franco, PhD

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As an adult, making new friends—and maintaining old friendships—can be tough. Life is busy and friends end up taking a backseat to other relations...

What the movies get right (and wrong) about relationships, with Paul Eastwick, PhD, and Eli Finkel, PhD

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many of us, movies offer our earliest lessons in love and help shape our expectations about what romance and relationships might look like. Relati...

Can AI help solve the mental health crisis? With Vaile Wright, PhD

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People are increasingly turning to chatbots for mental health advice and support – even as researchers work to develop safe, evidence-based AI menta...

Why can’t you remember being a baby? With Nicholas Turk-Browne, PhD

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why can’t you remember your first birthday party? Or the house you lived in at age 2? Nicholas Turk-Browne, PhD, talks about new studies that sugges...

How to be happier, with Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Want to be happier? Some of our happiness level is due to genes or life circumstances, but research shows much of it is within our control. Sonja Lyub...

The psychology of wealth, empathy and entitlement, with Paul Piff, PhD

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can money make you mean? Most of us like to think we’d stay grounded if we were to become wealthy, but psychologists’ research suggests that money...

Coping with job insecurity, with Mindy Shoss, PhD

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between economic uncertainty, the rise of AI and major changes in government policy, many U.S. workers feeling stress. A recent survey found more than...

“Dad brain”: How becoming a parent changes the brain, with Darby Saxbe, PhD

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Becoming a parent is a huge life transition. Now, researchers are finding evidence that parenthood actually changes the brain – and these changes ha...

Attachment bonds: Understanding our closest relationships, with Ximena Arriaga, PhD

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What makes us feel secure, safe and supported in our relationships with partners, friends and family? Ximena Arriaga, PhD, talks about how early and o...

Time going too fast? How to slow it down, with Ruth Ogden, PhD

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why does time fly when you’re having fun – and slow to a crawl when you’re not? Ruth Ogden, PhD, talks about how our experiences and emotions in...

Building resilience in the face of adversity, with George Bonanno, PhD

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No one gets through life without encountering adversity. But many people survive terrible things without lasting trauma. George Bonanno, PhD, talks ab...

Digging out: Can we help people with hoarding disorder? With Mary E. Dozier, PhD

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hoarding disorder affects about 2 percent of the population and is more common among older adults. Psychologist Mary E. Dozier, PhD, talks about the c...

How moms can help their daughters build a healthy body image, with Janet Boseovski, PhD, and Ashleigh Gallagher, PhD

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Girls begin receiving messages that will shape their body image as young as preschool. Janet Boseovski, PhD, and Ashleigh Gallagher, PhD, author of “...

What drives people to extremism? With Arie Kruglanski, PhD, and Sophia Moskalenko, PhD

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The word “extremist” might call up images of violence or terrorism. But extreme behaviors are all around us and can be a force for good as well as...

Why do we cry? With Lauren Bylsma, PhD

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pain, sadness, joy, awe – under the right circumstances, any of these emotions can bring on tears. Lauren Bylsma, PhD, talks about why crying evolve...

Meat and morality: Will people eat lab-grown meat? With Matti Wilks, PhD, and Daniel Rosenfeld, PhD

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Advocates of cultured meat say that it could help solve many environmental and animal welfare problems. But psychologists have found that some consume...

The psychology of swearing, with Richard Stephens, PhD

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, ta...

Keeping your brain healthy as you age, with Vonetta Dotson, PhD

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The rise of ‘therapy speak,’ with Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, PhD, and Erin Parks, PhD

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Understanding paranoia and extreme mistrust, with Daniel Freeman, PhD

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For years, paranoia was seen a symptom of severe mental illness only. But in recent decades, some psychologists have begun to think about it different...

Email, Slack, Zoom and text: How to master virtual communication, with Andrew Brodsky, PhD

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between email, Zoom, Slack, and just walking down the hall, workplaces these days offer people more ways than ever to communicate with their virtual -...

Mind over Mars: The psychology of space exploration, with Suzanne Bell, PhD

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Why are more adults being diagnosed with ADHD? With Russell Ramsay, PhD

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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. Cli...

Yuck! What disgusts us and why, with Paul Rozin, PhD

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Disgusting” is a flexible word – it could describe everything from a putrid smell to your least-favorite food to a behavior you find immoral. B...

How to say ‘no’: The power of defiance, with Sunita Sah, PhD

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 “Def...

Understanding and treating chronic pain, with Rachel V. Aaron, PhD

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Each year, more than 50 million U.S. adults experience chronic pain. Increasingly, researchers and patients are finding that behavioral treatments and...

How to be an inspiring leader, with Adam Galinsky, PhD

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between an inspiring boss and an infuriating one? What qualities do the best coaches, teachers and mentors share? Adam Galinsk...

Can we prevent school shootings? With Dewey Cornell, PhD

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Why do some of us age faster than others? With Terrie Moffitt, PhD

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study has been tracking the health and life experiences of more than 1,000 New Zealanders since 1...

Dry January: Why more people are taking a break from alcohol, with Richard de Visser, PhD

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Encore - Why we get conned and how to avoid it, with Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 C...

Encore - What is borderline personality disorder? With Carla Sharp, PhD

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders, and one of the most misunderstood. Carla Sharp, P...

Dreams, nightmares and sleepwalking: What can happen while we sleep, with Antonio Zadra, PhD

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our dreams can be exhilarating, surprising, terrifying, even mundane. But where do they come from and what, if anything, do they mean? Dream researche...

Why do we push ourselves to be perfect? With Thomas Curran, PhD

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Learning to embrace winter, with Kari Leibowitz, PhD

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Encore - Tightwads and spendthrifts: How emotions drive our shopping behavior, with Scott Rick, PhD

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Lessons from the ‘Love Lab’ on how to strengthen your relationship, with John Gottman, PhD, and Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Strong, supportive relationships are key to our mental and even physical health. But what are the keys to a healthy, loving relationship? John Gottman...

Why are some kids shy? With Koraly Pérez-Edgar, PhD

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 temp...

Some birds talk, but do they understand you? With Irene Pepperberg, PhD

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“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...

The future of human-robot teams, with Ericka Rovira, PhD

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 wo...

Why people quit religion, with Daryl Van Tongeren, PhD

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Are “onlies” lonely? Busting myths about only children, with Toni Falbo, PhD

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The ‘rush hour’ of life: Navigating your 30s and 40s, with Clare Mehta, PhD

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Reducing the risks of brain injury, with Kim Gorgens, PhD

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The psychology behind our political divide, with Keith Payne, PhD

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

Supporting mental health for youth of color, with Alfiee Breland-Noble, PhD

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, a psychologist who has spent decades working to advance the mental health of youth of color, was selected as one of 12 globa...

Harnessing the healing power of music, with Renée Fleming and Aniruddh Patel, PhD

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, music therapies are being used to help treat mental and physical health conditions as diverse as chronic pain, Parkinson's disease and stroke. ...

Road rage, traffic jams and why driving stresses us out, with Dwight Hennessy, PhD

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is your commute the most stressful part of your day? Traffic psychologist Dwight Hennessy, PhD, talks about what’s going on when we get behind the w...

How to handle health anxiety, with Karen Lynn Cassiday, PhD

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those with health anxiety, worrying about sickness can be a constant struggle that can harm their mental health, relationships and even physical h...

Job therapy and toxic coworkers, with Tessa West, PhD

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you and your job just not clicking anymore? New York University psychology professor Tessa West, PhD, author of “Job Therapy: Finding Work that ...

Encore - How to have great conversations, with Charles Duhigg and Michael Yeomans, PhD

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Conversational chemistry might seem intangible, but psychologists are beginning figure out what makes some conversations work while others fall apart....

Encore - Why you should take a vacation—and how to get the most out of it, with Jessica de Bloom, PhD, and Sarah Pressman, PhD

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether your idea of the perfect vacation involves the beach, exploring a city, or just relaxing at home, you probably look forward to your time off a...

Encore - What is it like to be face blind? With Joe DeGutis, PhD, and Sadie Dingfelder

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a lifetime of thinking that she was just a little bit bad at remembering people, Sadie Dingfelder learned that she had prosopagnosia, a disorder...

Inside the mind of an octopus, with Jennifer Mather, PhD

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Octopuses haven’t shared a common ancestor with humans in at least 600 million years. But somehow, separately, these invertebrates evolved remarkabl...

Why psychological safety matters in a changing workplace, with Dennis Stolle, PhD

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

APA’s 2024 Work in America survey found that younger workers are more likely than older workers to feel stressed, lonely and undervalued at work. De...

The future of brain-computer interfaces, with Nicholas Hatsopoulos, PhD

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A few decades ago, the idea of being able to interact directly with a computer using only your thoughts would have sounded like science fiction. But t...

How to use psychology to write a best seller, with Jennifer Lynn Barnes, PhD

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From getting lost in a novel to binge-watching a favorite TV show, we humans spend a lot of time in fictional worlds. Jennifer Lynn Barnes, PhD, a psy...

How noise pollution harms our health, with Arline Bronzaft, PhD

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From roaring leaf blowers to screeching trains, the world is full of unwelcome noise – and researchers have found that noisy environments can take a...

Mental health in a warming world, with Kim Meidenbauer, PhD, and Amruta Nori-Sarma, PhD

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last year -- 2023 -- was the world’s warmest on record, and 2024 could bring another record-shattering summer. Psychologist Kim Meidenbauer, PhD, an...

How to motivate yourself and others, with Wendy Grolnick, PhD, and Frank Worrell, PhD

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why can’t I get myself to run that 5K? Why isn’t my child getting better grades? We all have things that we struggle to accomplish – or that we ...

The benefits of solitude, with Thuy-vy Nguyen, PhD, and Netta Weinstein, PhD

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The average American adult spends up to one-third of their waking hours alone. Psychologists are exploring how those hours spent on our own affect us ...

Which countries are happiest and why? With Lara Aknin, PhD

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 2024 World Happiness Report, which ranks the happiness levels of countries around the world, found that young Americans are less happy than their ...

Choosing to be child free, with Jennifer Watling Neal, PhD

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A growing number of adults in the U.S. are choosing not to have children. Jenna Watling Neal, PhD, of Michigan State University, talks about her resea...

How to cope with political stress this election season, with Brett Q. Ford, PhD, and Kevin Smith, PhD

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If the thought of the upcoming election sends your stress level through the roof, you’re not alone. Psychologist Brett Q. Ford, PhD, and political s...