Speaking of Psychology

How Sesame Street teaches kids about emotional well-being, with Rosemarie Truglio, PhD

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sesame Street has entertained and educated generations of children. Developmental psychologist Rosemarie Truglio, PhD, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice...

What déjà vu can teach us about memory, with Chris Moulin, PhD

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The eerie sensation of “déjà vu” -- feeling a strong sense of familiarity in a new place or situation -- is one of memory’s strangest tricks. ...

The psychology of sports fans, with Daniel Wann, PhD

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a sports “superfan”? Or do you wonder what’s driving the superfans in your life? Daniel Wann, PhD, of Murray State University, talks abo...

You can learn new things at any age, with Rachel Wu, PhD

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Picking up a new skill as an adult can seem daunting. But research suggests that learning new things as you age may be key to keeping your cognitive s...

Understanding the mind of a serial killer, with Louis Schlesinger, PhD

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Jack the Ripper to Jeffrey Dahmer to the Gilgo Beach killer, serial killers have long inspired public fear – and public fascination. Louis Schl...

Coping with family estrangement, with Lucy Blake, PhD

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being estranged from a family member -- a parent, sibling or adult child -- is far more common than people think. Dr. Lucy Blake, author of “No Fami...

How to help kids navigate friendship, with Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It isn’t always easy to navigate the complicated social dynamics of elementary, middle or high school. Clinical psychologist and kids’ friendship ...

Bridging the generation gap at work, with Megan Gerhardt, PhD

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Gen Z enters the workforce and older workers put off retirement, some workplaces may see five generations sharing an office -- from the Silent Gene...

Expressive writing can help your mental health, with James Pennebaker, PhD

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Writing can be a powerful tool to help people work through challenges in their lives and improve their mental health. James Pennebaker, PhD, of the Un...

How music, memory and emotion are connected, with Elizabeth Margulis, PhD

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The right song can make us feel chills, help pull us out of a bad mood, or take us back in time to the first time we heard it. Elizabeth Margulis, PhD...

What’s going on inside your cat’s head? With Kristyn Vitale, PhD

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cats have long had a reputation as standoffish pets, but many cat owners will tell you that the cat-human bond can run deep. Cat psychologist Kristyn ...

Designing cities to improve mental health, with Jenny Roe, PhD

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world is an increasingly urban place, and with urban living comes traffic, noise, pollution and other hassles. But cities don’t have to wear us ...

Love and algorithms: The future of dating apps, with Liesel Sharabi, PhD

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past two decades, dating apps have become the most common way for people to meet a partner. Liesel Sharabi, PhD, director of the Relationship...

How video games can help kids learn and grow, with Susan Rivers, PhD

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Video games get a bad rap -- but the right games can be a tool to reach kids and teach them important social emotional and academic skills. Susan Rive...

How to use AI ethically, with Nathanael Fast, PhD

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is already changing how people work, learn, play and live. As these technologies develop, it will be crucial to understand how...

How to learn from regret, with Robert Leahy, PhD

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Regret is painful – but it can also be productive, pushing us to make better decisions and needed changes in our lives. Dr. Robert Leahy, author of ...

How to fail successfully, with Amy Edmondson, PhD, and Samuel West, PhD

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Remember New Coke? Colgate frozen lasagna? The Hawaii chair? History is littered with commercial failures. Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmon...

Why diversity matters, with Robert Sellers, PhD

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The words diversity, equity and inclusion have become political flashpoints -- but the science and evidence on why diversity matters is often ignored....

The benefits of being bilingual, with Viorica Marian, PhD

03 Jan 2024

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 - How to get unstuck with Adam Alter, PhD

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone gets stuck sometimes: in a creative pursuit that stalls, in a job or a relationship that isn’t working out, or even just at an exercise pla...

Encore - Living a happy single life, with Geoff MacDonald, PhD

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More Americans than ever before are single -- about half of American adults are unmarried and close to three in 10 are not in a committed relationship...

Why we learn best through play, with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Playtime isn’t just for fun -- psychologists who study children’s learning have found that kids learn best through play. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, o...

Why we need hope, with Chan Hellman, PhD, and Jacqueline Mattis, PhD

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When the news is filled with war and climate change and other disasters, remaining hopeful about the future can feel impossible. But psychologists’ ...

Stopping the spread of misinformation, with Sander van der Linden, PhD

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Misleading news stories. Propaganda. Conspiracy theories. Misinformation has always been with us, but with the rise of social media it can spread fart...

Treatment and recovery from serious mental illness, with Kim Mueser, PhD

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Among the many challenges people with serious mental illness face is the stigma surrounding illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Kim ...

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

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Caregiving as a source of stress and strength, with William Haley, PhD

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of people in the U.S. are caregivers for their family members and other loved ones, providing billions of dollars worth of unpaid care to lov...

OCD myths and realities, with Dean McKay, PhD, and Uma Chatterjee

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you heard people say, “I’m so OCD”? There are a lot of myths around obsessive compulsive disorder. In reality, it’s a multi-faceted menta...

Why do we love scary movies? with Coltan Scrivner, PhD

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

October may be the month that our fascination with all things ghoulish and grisly reaches its peak, but for many people, a fascination with the darker...

Why do we dream With Mark Blagrove PhD

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever your dreams consist of, you’ve probably wondered where they come from and what they might be trying to tell you. Psychologists, too, have l...

What do we get from celebrity crushes? With Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster, PhD, and Karen Dill-Shackleford, PhD

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Parasocial relationships -- the relationships that people have with media figures such as actors, celebrity influencers, or even television characters...

How to help with math anxiety, with Molly Jameson, PhD

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Math is essential to our everyday lives, from household budgeting to buying the right size rug for your room. But for people with math anxiety, any ta...

What’s the difference between guilt and shame? With June Tangney, PhD

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People often use the words “guilt” and “shame” interchangeably, but the two emotions affect us in different ways. June Tangney, PhD, of George...

Why are people drawn to extreme sports? With Eric Brymer, PhD

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For most of us, the idea of jumping off a bridge with a parachute or surfing a wave 70 feet tall seems to defy comprehension.  Psychologists, too, ha...

Why it’s important to talk about money, with Wendy De La Rosa, PhD

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all heard the advice: Save for retirement, start saving early, don’t spend more than you earn. But rules like these are far easier said than...

How hormones and the menstrual cycle affect mental health, with Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, PhD

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the sexist jokes, the menstrual cycle doesn’t cause significant changes in mood or behavior for most people. But a small percentage do suffe...

How to combat microaggressions, with Derald Wing Sue, PhD

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Microaggressions, the indirect, subtle, sometimes unintentional incidents of racism and bias that members of marginalized groups experience every day,...

Red with anger or feeling blue? The link between color and emotion, with Domicele Jonauskaite, PhD

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re sad, do you say that you’re feeling blue? Have you ever felt green with envy? Domicele Jonauskaite, PhD, of the University of Vienna, ...

Encore - Can a pathological liar be cured? with Drew Curtis, PhD, and Christian L. Hart, PhD

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Almost everyone lies occasionally, but for a small percentage of people, lying isn't something that they do every once in a while -- it's a way of lif...

Encore - Understanding the teenage brain, with Eva Telzer, PhD

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a common stereotype is that teenagers’ brains are immature and underdeveloped, and that teens are “hard-wired” to take unwise risks an...

Encore - Waiting, worrying and dealing with uncertainty, with Kate Sweeny, PhD

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is there anything more agonizing than being in limbo? Time may seem to slow to a crawl when you’re waiting for high-stakes news like a hiring decisi...

Will easier access to gambling mean more gambling addiction? with Shane Kraus, PhD, and Lia Nower, JD, PhD

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It used to be that if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to a casino or a racetrack to do it. But the expansion of online gambling and newly loosened...

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

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Ponzi schemes to e-mail phishing identity thieves, the world can seem full of people who want to deceive us. Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher ...

The power of forgiving those who’ve hurt you, with Robert Enright, PhD

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When someone hurts you, it can feel justifiable or even satisfying to nurse a grudge. But psychologists have found that forgiveness, when done right, ...

How studying human cognition can help us make better AI systems, with Tom Griffiths, PhD

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From ChatGPT to self-driving cars, AI is everywhere these days – but its rollout hasn’t always been entirely smooth. Tom Griffiths, PhD, a profess...

Are you angry at God? How spirituality and spiritual struggle affect us, with Julie Exline, PhD

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Religion and spirituality can be a source of comfort and strength but can also cause stress and conflict in people’s lives, when for example they wo...

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

21 Jun 2023

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 al...

How to get unstuck, with Adam Alter, PhD

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone gets stuck sometimes: in a creative pursuit that stalls, in a job or a relationship that isn’t working out, or even just at an exercise pla...

Digital therapeutics and mental health apps, with Vaile Wright, PhD

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the U.S. struggles with a shortage of mental health providers, advocates say that digital therapeutics – evidence-based mental health treatments ...

Crowds, obedience and the psychology of group behavior, with Stephen Reicher, PhD

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when people gather in crowds – whether for political rallies, protests, football games or religious pilgrimages? Stephen Reicher, PhD, ...

Medical Deception: Understanding Munchausen Syndrome/Factitious Disorder, with Marc Feldman, MD, and Janet Cahill, PhD

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Factitious disorder, more commonly known as Munchausen syndrome, is a mental health disorder in which people fake serious illness to gain sympathy, at...

How parents and their adult children can build strong relationships, with Laurence Steinberg, PhD

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The lives of young adults look far different than they did a generation ago: The average age at which people marry and have children is higher than ev...

How social media affects teens’ mental health, with Jacqueline Nesi, PhD

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Congress and state legislators are considering laws to restrict teen social media use, and school districts are suing social media companies for harmi...

The ‘silent epidemic’ of eating disorders, with Cheri Levinson, PhD

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers who study eating disorders sometimes call them the silent epidemic. Despite the stereotype that these disorders afflict only young white w...

The promise of brain stimulation treatments for depression, with Sarah Lisanby, MD, and Diana Daniele

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been a treatment option for people with major depression since it was approved by the FDA in 2008. Today, ...

How do you build a successful team? With Eduardo Salas, PhD

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Very few people do their jobs entirely on their own. For most of us, doing our job well means being part of a well-functioning team. Eduardo Salas, Ph...

What you know about aging is probably wrong, with Manfred Diehl, PhD

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While ageism may be one of the last socially acceptable biases, research shows that aging often comes with positive changes. And by believing in and p...

How early detection could change autism diagnosis and intervention, with Geraldine Dawson, PhD

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

About one in 36 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Geraldine Dawson, PhD, of Duke University, discusses why the nu...

What does modern retirement look like? With Mo Wang, PhD

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forget the stereotype of a good-bye party in the break room followed by endless days on the golf course. Today, workers are staying on the job longer ...

What’s behind the crisis in teen mental health? With Kathleen Ethier, PhD

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recently released CDC data found that teen girls are experiencing startling levels of sadness and violence -- nearly 1 in 3 had seriously considered s...

Psychedelic therapy: Will it be a game changer for mental health treatment? with Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In just a few years, psychedelics have gone from being a symbol of the 1960s counterculture to being touted as highly promising mental health treatmen...

Hypnosis in therapy - pain management for the body and mind, with David Patterson, PhD

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hypnosis is more than just a stage trick. Psychologists and other researchers have found that it can be useful in treating pain, anxiety, and a range ...

The secret to living a happy life, with Marc Schulz, PhD

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes for a good life? What makes for a happy life? Marc Schulz, PhD, associate director of the 85-year-old Harvard Study of Adult Development, t...

Why clutter stresses us out, with Dn. Joseph Ferrari, PhD

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all your stuff? If so, you're not alone. In recent years, a thriving decluttering industry has sprung up to help ...

Why you should aim to be a “good enough” parent, with Tim Cavell, PhD, and Lauren Quetsch, PhD

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Being a parent can be tough these days. Dozens of books and articles offer competing answers to questions from how to help siblings get along to how m...

Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

These days, most of us live our lives tethered to our computers and smartphones, which are unending sources of distraction. Research has shown that ov...

How to live with bipolar disorder, with David Miklowitz, PhD, and Terri Cheney

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Up to 4% of people in the U.S. have bipolar disorder, but as common as this mood disorder is, it is also often misunderstood. Psychologist and researc...

How psychology can help people make better decisions, with Lace Padilla, PhD, and Hannah Perfecto, PhD

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All day, every day, we have to make decisions, from what to have for breakfast to how to spend our money to whether to evacuate ahead of a hurricane. ...

Can a pathological liar be cured? with Drew Curtis, PhD, and Christian L. Hart, PhD

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Almost everyone lies occasionally, but for a small percentage of people, lying isn't something that they do every once in a while -- it's a way of lif...

Understanding and overcoming phobias, with Martin Antony, PhD

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Specific phobias – such as fear of heights, needles, flying or spiders – affect up to 13 percent of people at some point in their lives. Clinical ...

What our possessions mean to us, with Russell Belk, PhD

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The things that we own can be central to our identity, part of how we see ourselves and how other people see us. Russell Belk, PhD, of York University...

Encore - The people who never forget a face, with Josh Davis, PhD, and Kelly Desborough

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Super-recognizers have an extraordinary ability to recognize faces—they can pick faces they’ve seen only briefly out of a crowd and can recognize ...

Encore - Psychology takes toys seriously, with Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, and Doris Bergen, PhD

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for toy-buying season, Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, a toy designer and professor of product design at the University of Minnesota, and Doris Ber...

The challenge of long COVID, with Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, millions of Americans are still living with the effects of the virus. Neuropsychologists Tracy V...

How our brain makes sense of a noisy world, with Nina Kraus, PhD

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our life experiences shape the way that our brain processes sound, and sound is deeply intertwined with everything from our ability to read to our cog...

How to learn better using psychology, with Regan Gurung, PhD, and John Dunlosky, PhD

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From kindergarten through college, very few students are taught a crucial skill set – how, exactly, to study effectively. Regan Gurung, PhD, and Joh...

How to cope with news overload, with Markus Brauer, PhD, and Don Grant, PhD

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you suffering from news overload? Do you find yourself doomscrolling when you should be sleeping, eating, playing with your kids or doing your job...

Living a happy single life, with Geoff MacDonald, PhD

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More Americans than ever before are single -- about half of American adults are unmarried and close to three in 10 are not in a committed relationship...

Why humans and other primates care so much about fairness, with Sarah Brosnan, PhD

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Questions of fairness, justice and morality might seem unique to humans. But research suggests that non-human animals notice inequality as well. Dr. S...

Why you should apologize even when it’s hard to, with Karina Schumann, PhD

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies have the potential to heal relationships, soothe hurt feelings and even begin to address historical wrongs. But they’re not always easy to...

Understanding medical marijuana, CBD and more, with Ziva Cooper, PhD

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few years, the number and variety of cannabis products legally available to American consumers has soared. Ziva Cooper, PhD, of the UCLA...

Relationship advice from a couple psychologist, with Anthony Chambers, PhD

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When relationship issues arise -- around money, fidelity, kids or even just coping with the stress of everyday life -- couple therapists can help part...

Why we procrastinate and what to do about it, with Fuschia Sirois, PhD

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all know the feeling of scrambling at the last minute to finish a task that we could have and should have tackled much sooner. Fuschia Sirois, PhD,...

How to stop mass shootings, with Jillian Peterson, PhD

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Americans have become accustomed to tragic headlines of mass shootings in schools, grocery stores and other public places – these shootings still sh...

The psychology of political messaging, with Drew Westen, PhD

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologists’ research has found that it’s not the nuances of policy debates that drive voter behavior but instead how voters feel about candidat...

Reading minds using brain scans, with Kenneth Norman, PhD

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of a machine that can read your thoughts sounds more like science fiction than actual science. But in recent years, it’s come closer to rea...

How the need to belong drives human behavior, with Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The desire to belong is a fundamental part of human nature. Geoffrey Cohen, PhD, of Stanford University, talks about how feeling like an outsider can ...

How to spend your time more wisely, with Cassie Holmes, PhD

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When you feel time-poor, endless hours of free time might sound like the ultimate luxury. But psychologists’ research suggests that it’s not simpl...

How job loss and economic stress affect workers and their families, with Anna Gassman-Pines, PhD

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For many Americans, the past two-and-a-half years have been a time of economic turmoil. Anna Gassman-Pines, PhD, of Duke University, talks about how j...

Understanding the teenage brain, with Eva Telzer, PhD

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a common stereotype is that teenagers’ brains are immature and underdeveloped, and that teens are “hard-wired” to take unwise risks an...

Can you be addicted to food? With Ashley Gearhardt, PhD

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a nation awash with cheap, easy-to-get calories, mostly from highly processed convenience foods. Now, some researchers argue that these foo...

Encore - How to overcome feeling like an imposter, with Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD, and Kevin Cokley, PhD

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel like a phony? Like you’re not really qualified for the job you’re doing, despite your achievements? Those are signs of the impost...

Encore - Tasty words, colorful sounds - How people with synesthesia experience the world, with Julia Simner, PhD

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More than 4% of people have some form of synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes senses to link and merge. People with synesthesia may taste...

What is borderline personality disorder? With Carla Sharp, PhD

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Borderline personality disorder is one of the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders, and one of the most misunderstood. Carla Sharp, PhD, of...

The truth about why kids lie, with Victoria Talwar, PhD

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most parents want to raise their children to be honest adults, so the first time that they catch their child in a lie it may come as an unpleasant sur...

Can we unlearn implicit biases? With Mahzarin Banaji, PhD

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The idea that people have biases that operate below the level of conscious thought is uncomfortable. But decades of research have found that many peop...

Perfectionism: When good is never good enough, with Gordon Flett, PhD, and Bonnie Zucker, PsyD

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Perfectionism might seem like a minor hurdle to overcome – or even a welcome personality trait. But perfectionism is different from simply striving ...

Revealing the Hidden Brain, with Shankar Vedantam

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How much insight do people have into why they behave the way they do? Science journalist Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast and author...

Why can some people speak dozens of languages? with Ev Fedorenko, PhD

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For those of us who speak only one language, the idea of learning twenty or thirty sounds impossible. But there are “hyperpolyglots” who have mana...

Abortion and mental health, with Antonia Biggs, PhD

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dozens of states are poised to outlaw or dramatically restrict abortion if the Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Antonia Biggs,...