I love watching YouTube videos for information; and if you are like me and countless others, exploring science via video (thanks YT algorithm) is nothing short of a goldmine.
In this short article, I’ll share 5 of the best video channels about psychology with a few other notable mentions and a selection guide.
Top 5 Psychology Channels on YouTube for beginners, enthusiasts, and professionals (2022)
If you like psychology, you MUST follow these psychology channels on youtube. I would personally vouch for them (not endorsed, oh how I wish, sigh). They are all engaging, fun, and informative. Each of these channels has creators who put a crazy amount of effort into making quality content.
1. PBS BrainCraft
Short simple videos with a fun animation style. Vanessa hill really makes her content accessible. BrainCraft videos are usually very specific and crisp. I find BrainCraft to be on the fun side of psychological sciences. The topics she chooses can very well become topics of conversation in real life; without the pretense of intellectual debating. Goes without saying, the content is based on empirical research but the content isn’t a numerical overload. She focuses on the concepts and the overarching ideas.
2. SciShow Psych
There are times I miss important recent research and SciShow Psych is almost always there to fill in that gap. Their topics are very well curated. They have multiple speakers who directly speak to the camera with a straightforward fluff-free narration. Well, there are these occasional cheesy remarks which are entertaining. Although, not as much as thoughty2. The way SciShow Psych explains is satisfying to both a casual audience and a hungry-for-information audience. They also have important sentences shown in writing. I do end up pausing to re-read to make a mental note. I’d call this channel neat and can certainly be viewed to bolster actual academic learning.
3. VSauce
Questions, Tangents, Raised eye-brows, Fun facts, More tangents, Crazy facts, In-depth research. Michael Stevens is a master. He does his videos unlike anyone else. In my opinion, he has the most iconic style across all informational channels. He asks and answers the most interesting questions – What is the speed of dark, Is your red the same as my red, etc. The background information he gives is exciting and unexpected. And he knows how to impress his audience with information and drama. Vsauce really isn’t about just psychology but he focuses on math, physics, history, neuroscience, etc. Everything. He covers all bases and that is why I have put him up in this list of psychology channels on YT because psychology is vast and multiple perspectives help. His web series called Mind Field is exclusively on psychology topics and goes more in-depth with research. In Mind Field, he typically conducts experiments, interviews experts, and explains ideas directly to the viewer.
4. Bite Size Psych
The positively odd thing about Bite Size Psych is that the channel feels familiar even if it isn’t. If you have been watching explanation videos, this channel is the perfect blend of ease of communication and rigor. The creator of this channel walks you through concepts and relatable applications of psychology. He makes sure that solid sources are cited. So if you want to snowball around the topic and read, this psychology channel would be a great start.
5. Psych2go
A small US company started making psychology videos which I best term as ‘applied psychology.’ Their content is useful in day-to-day contexts. I would like to highlight this channel’s cognitive load (mental demands). I think it is just perfect – visually speaking, it is light. The animation compounds the content and does not distract. The spoken content is just detailed enough for non-serious viewers. Don’t judge the slight
Other notable channels with reliable psychological content
- Charisma On Command[1]: The channel covers self-help and how-tos about communication, professional interactions, personality development, social IQ, and relationships. The advice is top-notch. Charlie Houpert is an articulate orator who organizes advice in meaningful, applicable ways. Highly recommended for those who want psychological advice more than psychological theory.
- Kurzgesagt[2] – In a nutshell: They are one of the best channels on YoutTube that covers science with a high amount of detail and top-tier animation. And they frequently include psychological topics that tie in with other sciences. Like intelligence and evolution, for example. This channel does not disappoint. They release their content in many languages including Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese, and make details accessible with just-enough technical terms, quality metaphors, philosophical contexts, and visual processes. And all of that feels like a story with a message at the end.
Selection Guide: Suggestions based on what you are looking for
- If you are looking for technically heavy topics without a goal in mind – go for Vsauce.
- If you are looking for quick edutainment – go for BrainCraft.
- If you are looking for balance – go for SciShow Psych.
- If you are looking for understanding processes – go for Bite Size Psych.
- If you are looking for descriptions and pointers – go for Psych2go.
- If you are looking for popular science ideas with psychological and philosophical perspectives – go for Kurzgesagt.
- If you are looking for self-development advice – go for Charisma On Command.
Do you like my list of the best psychology channels on youtube? Leave a comment if you have other channels in mind!
Prefer reading over watching youtube?
Here is my list of the top 5 psychology books for everyone.
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Hey! Thank you for reading; hope you enjoyed the article. I run Cognition Today to paint a holistic picture of psychology. My content here is referenced and featured in NY Times, Forbes, CNET, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, 10-15 books, academic courses, and research papers.
I’m a full-time psychology blogger, part-time Edtech and cyberpsychology consultant, guitar trainer, and also overtime impostor. I’ve studied at NIMHANS Bangalore (positive psychology), Savitribai Phule Pune University (clinical psychology), and IIM Ahmedabad (marketing psychology).
I’m based in Pune, India. Love sci-fi, horror media; Love rock, metal, synthwave, and pop music; can’t whistle; can play 2 guitars at a time.
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