Psychological Science & Research Insights
It’s fascinating to understand why people believe in astrology. The answer is not so obvious, but it is quite simple. There are many ways to approach astrology: as an alternative world-view, as a relic of the pre-scientific era, as a social reality, as a psychological reality, etc. This post will adopt the 3rd and 4th …
Read morePeople Believe In Astrology To Cope With Stress & Conflict
The mobile phone scrolling posture – Head down, finger on the mobile screen, and micro-expressions on the face – is an iconic human posture. That’s our social media posture. Is it iconic enough? Yes. 3.3 billion people use social media on their mobile phones (January 2019 stats). This brings us to a new field of …
Read moreThe Effect Of Social Media On Mental Health And Well-being
There is some debate on whether reading literary fiction has any effect on the brain. Can reading improve empathy, mentalizing (being aware of one’s and other’s thoughts), and desirable attitudes? Research in this area looks at the theory of mind and social cognition. Let us first understand these terms. Theory of Mind – This framework …
Read moreThe Effect of Reading Fiction on The Brain: Do Books Increase Empathy?
There are several ways to influence and persuade people, but this post will only focus on persuasion and motivation for adopting pro-environmental behaviors. Environmental awareness is one part of the solution. The other part is motivating people to adopt behaviors that help conserve, preserve, and sustain the environment. How can psychologists help in promoting these …
Read morePro-Environmental Behavior: Herd Mentality Motivates, Money Does Not
This is a long article with tonnes of research and explanations for factors related to the concept of ugly. I have detailed research insights on ugliness, beauty standards, our perception of beauty, and the concept of attractiveness. Oh, and I have a special message for you at the end. Scroll all the way to the …
Read moreThe Beautiful Science of Ugliness Reveals Ugly Truths About How we Judge Others
Picture this: A bunch of unique looking headbanging people listening to heavy music; entering a whirlpool of human collision in front of their favorite artist; raising their fists in the air; raising the devil’s horns \m/. What is that all about? Who are they? These are the metalheads. What is their psychology? We are going …
Read moreThe Social Psychology Of Heavy Metal & Rock Music: Research On Metalheads
If you are like most people, you must’ve wondered if you are weird. What a contradiction, right? Most people? Why would you be weird if you really are like most people? Ah wait… this is confusing. Let’s break down the problem a bit. Have you wondered if you are normal? Have you wondered if you …
Read moreAm I Weird? Yes, You Are. And That’s As Normal As You Can Be.
It really works. You can fake it till you make it. You can fake a smile to become happier. After analyzing 138 studies, researchers have strong evidence to show that smiling can make you happy. You can fake confidence to increase it and then lower anxiety. But not exactly, not always. If you wish to …
Read moreThe scientific truth behind ‘Fake it till you make it’
Today, I will discuss some of the main problems of popular psychology. These are related to mass awareness of certain concepts and data. Because we have access to so much psychology, a lot of trash is generated. Psychology is a science. However, people seem to corrupt the scientific endeavor and turn it into quackery. Take, …
Read moreThe problems with popular psychology: Psychology Myths
This is why you get attention when you don’t seek attention It’s funny when one is actively seeking attention but isn’t getting any while the silent non-seeker gets a lot of it. Attention seeking is usually about explicitly showcasing some observable trait or behaviour (Duh, right?!). The thing you want attention for maybe very subtle …