Speaking of Psychology
Episodes
Bonus Episode: The Most Boring Podcast Ever (Or, What to Do With Yourself During COVID-19) with Erin Westgate, PhD
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January. By March, most of us had been strongly advised – if not ordered -- to ke...
Coping with Financial Anxiety During COVID-19 with Bradley T. Klontz, PsyD, CFP
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you worried about your financial future in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic? Even before the coronavirus struck, many of us were prone to do unwi...
Bonus Episode: Coronavirus Anxiety (Part 2) with Baruch Fischhoff, PhD
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Turn on the evening news or open a newspaper these days and there’s virtually nothing but COVID-19 coverage. The story is moving as rapidly as the c...
Bonus Episode: Managing Your Mental Health during COVID 19 with Lynn Bufka, PhD
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The new coronavirus has upended our lives, compelling us to stay in our homes, keep our social distance and be wary of everything we touch. Some of u...
Inner Monologues with Ethan Kross, PhD
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard about the internet debate on inner monologues recently. It all started from a tweet that went viral. That tweet said that some peop...
Psychologically Sound Tips for Better Sleep with Robin Haight, PsyD
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you remember the last time you woke up during the work week without an alarm clock? When you didn’t need caffeine to get going? If you can’t, y...
Sober Curious? with Katie Witkiewitz, PhD
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Drinking is ubiquitous in American culture today. It’s hard to go out and not see people imbibing. In the midst of all this booze, there is a burgeo...
What to Do When You've Been Ghosted with Jennice Vilhauer, PhD
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ghosting is a heartbreaking fact in the modern dating world. It’s when a friend or someone you’ve been dating disappears from contact with no expl...
Bonus Episode - Coronavirus Anxiety with Baruch Fischhoff, PhD
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fear about the coronavirus has gripped the world. While nearly all cases have been in China, that has not stopped people in other countries from worry...
How to Know if You Have Seasonal Affective Disorder with Kelly Rohan, PhD
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even though winter can be a bear, most of us just bundle up, get through it or embrace it and find ways to get outside and stay active. But as many as...
Why People Hoard with Julie Pike, PhD
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While television shows about hoarding are quite popular and the term has now been embedded into our general lexicon, there is still a lot about hoardi...
How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions (SOP97)
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lose 20 pounds. Begin a meditation practice. Save $1,000 a month. 2020 is here and many people are fired up about their New Year’s resolutions. No m...
Bonus Episode: Psychologists Address Climate Change
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This special episode features a report by APA’s Kim Mills, who attended the first-ever International Summit on Psychology’s Contributions to Globa...
Transformation After Trauma (SOP96)
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Experiencing positive transformation after trauma is known as post-traumatic growth. People who experience post-traumatic growth may develop a new app...
The Decline of Empathy and the Rise of Narcissism with Sara Konrath, PhD
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Concern and care for others’ feelings are virtues we seek to instill in our children, yet they are sorely lacking in many adult Americans today. The...
Veterans' Mental Health with Terri Tanielan, MA, and Rajeev Ramchand, PhD
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
To mark Veterans Day 2019, in this episode we are discussing the mental health challenges that many veterans deal with, some of the latest psychologic...
Bonus Episode: Using Virtual Reality to Train Law Enforcement Officers with Gregory Kratzig, PhD
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gregory Kratzig, PhD, is an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada and a global expert in simulation-bas...
Bonus Episode: Your Boss is Watching You. Is that OK? with Dave Tomczak
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever get the feeling at work that you're being watched? To a certain degree you are and it's possible that you will soon be tracked even more c...
Does Nostalgia Have a Psychological Purpose? with Krystine Batcho, PhD
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What psychological purpose does nostalgia serve? Is it good or bad? Are we more nostalgic today in our hectic, connected world? Is there such a thing ...
Bonus Episode: How Virtual Reality Can Help Detect Racial Bias in Police Shootings with John Tawa, PhD
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's been a great deal of media attention focused on shootings in which a white police officer fired on a black or non-white suspect. Psychology ha...
Bonus Episode: How a Virtual Buffet Can Help Kids Learn to Eat Better with Susan Persky, PhD
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting children to eat healthy meals is a challenge many parents face but what if virtual reality could help? Researchers at the National Institute o...
Bonus Episode: The Role of Body and Dash Cams in Policing with Nick Camp, PhD
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cameras are playing a greater and greater role in law enforcement, whether that means cameras placed on dashboards in police cruisers or cameras that ...
The Psychology of Design (SOP92)
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The spaces we are in every day influence our mood and well-being whether we are aware of it or not. Creating spaces to make us feel our best is a hot ...
Bonus Episode: Driverless Cars and Body-less Therapy with Arnon Rolnick, PhD
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why drivers don't get carsick? If you've ever been seasick, are you curious to know what causes it and what, if anything, can b...
Bonus Episode: The Psychology of Esports with Kaitlyn Roose and Shawn Doherty, PhD
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Russell Shilling, PhD, guest host for Speaking of Psychology and Chief Scientific Officer for the American Psychological Association, sits down at APA...
How Memory Can Be Manipulated (SOP91)
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our memories may not be as reliable as we think. Once we experience an event, most of us likely assume that those memories stays intact forever. But t...
Bonus Episode: Human Trafficking with Kalyani Gopal, PhD, HSPP
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Human Trafficking occurs when individuals are economically exploited through force, fraud or coercion for labor or commercial sex. Worldwide, it is es...
Future of Work (SOP90)
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From automation, to artificial intelligence to employee surveillance, technology is rapidly changing the way we work. It’s raising ethical questions...
Understanding Racial Inequities in School Discipline (SOP89)
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Discipline in pre-K through 12 schools is not doled out equally, as black students, boys and students with disabilities are suspended and expelled at ...
Bonus Episode: Debunking Myths About Fertility with Angela Lawson, PhD
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
About 6% of U.S. women ages 15 to 44 experience infertility, with many of those reporting that infertility is the most upsetting experience of their l...
What Guides Our Buying Behaviors (SOP88)
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people buy so much, while others shun that lifestyle for simplicity or to save? How do brands reach into our psyches to get us to pull out...
Bonus Episode: Fake News with Chrysalis Wright, PhD
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fake news, 2017’s word of the year and recent edition to the Oxford English Dictionary, has become a widespread problem. This episode of Speaking of...
Why Popularity Matters (SOP87)
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Some of us recall high school as being filled with fun parties, football games and flirting while others think back to that time with a shudder and ar...
Why We Like the Foods We Like (SOP86)
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people scarf down anchovies by the pound while others recoil at the thought of a tuna fish sandwich? Why do the textures of certain foods,...
On the Front Lines of the Immigration Crisis (SOP85)
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The crisis at the U.S. southern border shows no signs of stopping and the system designed to serve immigrants and refugees is overwhelmed and ill-prep...
Suicide Science (SOP84)
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Suicide rates in the U.S. climbed in all but one state from 1999 to 2016, according to a CDC report from June 2018. This alarming report and notable...
Psychology of Fashion (SOP83)
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The clothes we put on everyday tell a story about who we are to the world and can have a major impact on our emotions and mood. Cognitive psychologist...
How Psychologists Can Do More to Address the Opioid Crisis (SOP82)
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Every day in America, 130 people die from overdosing on opioids and an estimated two million people around the country are grappling with opioid addic...
The Dark Side of Screen Time (SOP81)
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Americans spend nearly half of the day interacting with screens of all kinds -- smartphones, televisions and computers, according to a recent Nielsen ...
Anxiety and Teen Girls (SOP80)
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety among teens and young adults is rising, and studies have shown that it has skyrocketed in girls. One study found that the number of girls who ...
The Psychology of Climate Change (SOP79)
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we grapple with a warming world and increasingly unstable weather, our mental health is at risk. Psychologists say that stress, anxiety, depression...
The Mind-Gut Connection (SOP78)
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is your gut a second brain? Emerging research is showing that our brains and our gastrointestinal systems may be more connected than we previously tho...
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace (SOP77)
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a significant portion of our lives at work and feeling miserable on the job can be detrimental to our mental and physical health and producti...
Bonus Episode: After New Zealand - The Spread of Extremism in the Digital Age
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the aftermath of the New Zealand mosque attacks, we explore the psychological factors that cause a person to commit heinous acts of mass violence, ...
Bonus Episode: The College Admissions Scandal and the Psychology of Affluence
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The college admissions bribery scandal has generated a lot of conversations about the role of affluence and privilege in higher education. What would ...
The Molecule of More: Dopamine (SoP76)
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dopamine is known as the chemical of love, creativity and addiction. It pushes us to achieve greatness, but it can also lead to our downfall. To help...
How to Find Meaning in Life (SOP75)
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to find meaning in our lives, our reason to get up in the morning, yet doing so may not be easy. What is meaning in life and how do we fin...
Living in a Lonely World (SOP74)
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Half of Americans say they are lonely and the average person reports having only one close friend. Loneliness can also make us sick, contributing to h...
Stock Market Anxiety (SOP73)
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
2018 was the worst year the U.S. stock market has seen since 2008 and worries about the economy are continuing in 2019. How do you deal with anxiety i...
Giving Away Psychology in the Digital Age (SOP72)
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sharing your expertise with the world on YouTube and other social media platforms can be both thrilling and terrifying. If you want to know where to s...
The Science of Dreaming (SOP71)
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all dream yet many of us don’t know what to make of our nocturnal adventures. Dream scholar Deirdre Barrett, PhD, explains why we dream and what ...
How to Cope with Political Discussions and Keep it Civil this Holiday Season (SoP 70)
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Worried about making it through your next holiday gathering without it devolving into a political screaming match? Get advice from the experts, AP...
Philip Zimbardo, PhD, on Heroism, Shyness and the Stanford Prison Experiment (SOP69)
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Philip Zimbardo, PhD, is one of the most recognizable names in the field of psychology. In this episode, Zimbardo discusses recent criticism of his co...
Stress in America: Generation Z (SOP68)
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Headline issues, from immigration to sexual assault, are causing significant stress for teens and young adults in Generation Z with mass shootings top...
Using Psychology for Pain Relief and Opioid Reduction (SOP67)
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The national conversation on opioids focuses mostly on abuse and overdose deaths but there are millions of Americans using opioids to manage chronic p...
Making Love Last and Dating in the Digital Age (SOP66)
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Love. We all want it but sustaining that spark can be difficult in our hectic world, especially with life stressors beyond our control. How do we find...
Smartphones Are a Problem: Can They Be a Solution? (SOP65)
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Smartphones allow us to connect with loved ones, keep us informed and entertained and on time for our meetings, but they are also negatively affecting...
Something Happened In Our Town (SOP64)
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Something Happened In Our Town" is a children’s book about racial injustice from Magination Press, APA’s children's books imprint. The story fol...
Social Robots and Deception (SOP63)
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How people interact with robots is influenced by the robots’ characteristics. Whether a robot has eyes or arms or a human-like voice affects our res...
The Internet of Things and Consumer Risk (SOP62)
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Internet of Things devices such as smart televisions and thermostats often lack adequate built-in security, leading to privacy and safety risks not co...
Online Risks (SOP61)
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Every day, we are all called on to make online security decisions. Psychologist Emma Williams studies the contexts in which we make these decisions in...
Twitter and ADHD (SOP60)
11 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Looking at large numbers of social media postings in aggregate can tell us quite a bit about Americans’ mental state. Sharath Guntuku, PhD, has anal...
Big Data (SOP59)
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Social physics is the idea of using statistics to quantify and manage change in culture. This idea inspired the modern national census, but the diffic...
Suicide Contagion (SOP58)
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Conventional wisdom says that impressionable individuals will imitate all kinds of behaviors they see in movies and on TV — including suicide, espec...
Self-Driving Cars (SOP57)
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Several technology and automotive companies are already testing highly automated vehicles on public roads, and many automobiles can be driven with the...
Raising Children in the Digital Age (SOP56)
02 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Touchscreen use among children is ubiquitous. But how much is too much, and is there an age before which you shouldn’t hand a child a smartphone or ...
The Power of Persuasion (SOP55)
23 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini, PhD, talks about his formidable body of work developing and understanding what he calls the six universal principle...
Graying green (SOP54)
16 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change will have significant psychological effects on many people, including older adults, according to a report published by the American Ps...
Getting teens to eat healthy (SOP53)
16 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Since 1980, obesity in the United States has doubled among children ages 2 to 4, and nearly tripled among children and adolescents ages 6 to 19. In th...
How women become leaders (SOP52)
19 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, psychologists have been studying what makes people good leaders. But it isn’t just about possessing certain leadership traits. In this ...
Making talking about death easier (SOP51)
22 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Talking to loved ones about important end-of-life decisions can spark a complicated land mine of emotions. So much so, many people put it off until it...
Feminism A to Z (SOP50)
03 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Feminist discussions are often aimed at adults, while girls tend to be left out of the conversation. In this episode, Gayle Pitman, PhD, talks about h...
False confessions aren’t always what they seem (SOP49)
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It defies intuition to think innocent people would confess to a crime they did not commit. But, research has shown that everyone has a breaking point....
Understanding the minds of champions (SOP48)
20 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Mental preparation can affect performance, whether you're preparing for a big test at school or competing at the Olympics. In this episode, Steve Port...
Children, loss and stress (SOP47)
12 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Protecting children from sadness, anxiety and stress is a natural instinct for many adults. But, finding ways to help them address these inevitable ob...
Living the better single life (SOP46)
31 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Married people are often considered to be happier and healthier, while single people are often stereotyped as being isolated, self-centered and unhapp...
Treating anxiety in children (SOP45)
17 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fear and anxiety are part of most normal children’s lives. But how do we know when anxiety is a problem in need of professional help? In this episod...
Understanding mass violence (SOP44)
16 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Are terrorists flooding into our country? Are we facing an epidemic of mass shootings and violence? Whatever your thoughts are on gun control or terro...
How politics became so uncivilized (SOP43)
31 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Political elections ought to bring out the good in people – aren’t they a chance to talk about plans and hopes for the future? But lately they hav...
How to talk to teen boys about dating and sex (SOP42)
14 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are parents know they need to tell their boys something about sex but aren’t sure where to start. As a result, television, friends and the i...
Born bashful? Learning how to manage shyness (SOP41)
16 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt awkward, worried or tense during social encounters, especially with people you don’t know? We’ve probably all felt shy at one t...
Kids and psychologists team up to learn from one another (SOP40)
22 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In order to understand how children think and behave, psychologists need to study them. Most of the time, these experiments take place in university l...
Improving health care with psychology (SOP39)
08 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Where we live, work or socialize have an impact on our health. Poverty greatly increases the risk of heart disease, depression and stress, as do racis...
How masculinity can hurt mental health (SOP38)
10 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The availability and quality of health care is often substandard when it comes to serving low-income boys and men in ethnic/minority communities. As a...
Recognizing a narcissist (SOP37)
13 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Narcissism is not just something attributed to people who post selfies and list all their favorite meals on Facebook. It’s a diagnosable personality...
Discrimination and stress (SOP36)
08 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Experiencing discrimination in any form can be profoundly stressful for many people, according to the latest Stress in America™ survey, published b...
Planning for a successful career (SOP35)
11 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Succeeding in any profession takes careful planning and skills that may not be obvious to people at the start of their careers. In this episode, psych...
Nonverbal communication speaks volumes (SOP34)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If you think reading people is not a science, think again. Understanding expressions that only appear on someone’s face for tenths of a second can m...
Putting an end to bullying and school violence (SOP33)
15 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
School violence and bullying are a concern for parents and educators alike. As a result, thousands of school districts have implemented anti-bullying ...
Psychology’s influence on our digital world (SOP32)
14 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologists are key in understanding how and why we use technology the way we do. Our smartphones and activity trackers can gauge our moods, and the...
Understanding your racial biases (SOP31)
13 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Racial bias is everywhere but we may not always see it. However, understanding the way people feel about and behave toward those outside their own gro...
Helping transgender people thrive (SOP30)
05 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Transgender and gender nonconforming people are becoming more accepted in mainstream society, but they still remain misunderstood and understudied. In...
Integrated care for kids (SOP29)
08 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Combining mental and behavioral health services with pediatric medical care is a natural fit. But there have been relatively few studies on whether or...
Keeping your brain fit (SOP28)
17 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Much like in our arms or legs, our brain’s “muscles” can rebuild and grow if they’re given the right exercise. In this episode, neuroscientist...
Dispelling the myth of violence and mental illness (SOP27)
09 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Recent mass shootings have inevitably led to news reports of the suspected shooters’ mental health, but psychological research shows there is no cle...
Unlocking the psychology of millennials (SOP26)
15 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologists are studying millennials and trying to discover more about the motivations and desires of a generation often thought of as being narciss...
Making psychotherapy work for you (SOP25)
25 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Research has shown that psychotherapy is an effective tool for people who are dealing with a wide range of mental and behavioral health issues, yet ...
Stamping out mental health stigma (SOP24)
11 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of people suffer from mental illness but stigma prevents many of them from seeking out effective treatments. In this episode, psychologist Ar...
Surviving the AIDS epidemic (SOP23)
06 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Despite recent medical advances and drug treatments, HIV remains a burdensome condition for millions of people around the world. In this episode, psyc...
The stress of money (SOP22)
19 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
APA’s latest Stress in America survey found that 72 percent of Americans reported feeling stressed about money at least some time in the prior mon...