Category: Psychology

This week in psychology…

After the death of Albert Ellis this week, the papers were filled with obituaries for one of the grandfathers of cognitive therapy. Presciently, though, Prospect Magazine managed to get the last ever interview with him before he died. This article has a nice balance: the author’s personal experience of therapy along with insight into Ellis’ personality, his therapeutic method and his final days – still teaching students right up to the end.

There’s more insight into what Ellis’ therapy was all about over at moritherapy in a nice piece entitled ‘don’t should on yourself’

Continue reading “Last Albert Ellis Interview | Cannabis Risks | Seinfeld Tip”

Yesterday I got into an argument over this visual illusion (via MindHacks). Although it’s a pretty simple effect, it’s one of the best visual illusions I’ve seen. First the woman goes around one way, then suddenly, for no apparent reason, she switches. Impressive – once you see it.

The argument started out over whether the graphic itself is reversing its direction (it’s not) and ended up at the very doors of perception:

Continue reading “Best Optical Illusions Online”

People love to give each other advice. The web is full to bursting with all types of pseudo-psychological advice about life. The problem is, how much of this is based on real scientific evidence? Well, here on PsyBlog we’ve got the scientific evidence. So here’s my top 10 list of what you can learn practically from the psychological research discussed here recently.

Continue reading “10 Practical Uses For Psychological Research in Everyday Life”

Cognitive decline with age is not the whole story: recent research is suggesting older adults are more likely to notice positive emotional stimuli like happy faces in addition to experiencing less anger and regulating emotions more effectively.

As we get older lots of depressing things start happening to our brains. We can’t simultaneously manipulate as many items as we once could. We find it more difficult to retrieve memories. Our attention degrades, and so on. Essentially our brains are slowing down, just like the rest of our bodies. But, in this discouraging picture, there is one ray of hope: our emotions.

Continue reading “Ageing and the Positivity Effect”

There’s a new article on Psychology Today called Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature which should start a few conversations. And end a few marriages.

I won’t comment any further other than to provide you a few excerpts, link to the article and ask you to vote (down at the bottom) on whether you would go along with any, some, all or none of this.

Continue reading “Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Us?”

Think we live in a civilised society? Think again.

Research to be published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence shows that prejudice against minority sexual orientations still fuels violence and crime. The most comprehensive study to date found that in a US sample of 662 gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, almost 4 in 10 gay men and 1 in 8 lesbians and bisexuals have been the targets of violence or property crime because of their sexual orientation.

Continue reading “Anti-Gay Hate Crimes Still Widespread”

New research dispels the well-worn stereotypes that computer gamers having no social skills and girls avoid violent games like Grand Theft Auto.

A new study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, surveyed 1,254 children from the US. It asked how often children played computer games, which games, and what they got out of it (Olson et al., 2007).

The results revealed:

• 94% of young teens had played computer games in the last six months.
• Two-thirds of boys aged 12 to 14 and one in four girls had played an M-rated game (meant for those over 17) in the last six months.
• Children playing violent M-rated games were more likely to play in groups. Friendship groups amongst boys, in particular, were often based around violent computer games.
• One in five girls had played the violent game Grand Theft Auto ‘a lot’ in the last six months. It was their second favourite game, after The Sims – in which players manage a virtual person and their family.
• Children used games to help them manage their emotions. When angry or stressed they liked to use games to get these emotions out.

Continue reading “Myths Dispelled: Gamers Have Friends, Girls Like Grand Theft Auto”

People think sex sells. Advertisers know it, TV and film producers believe it and the internet was built on it. But does sex really help sell products, or is it just one of those expressions ad execs use so they can wile away an afternoon choosing models?

Continue reading “Sex Doesn’t Sell (Neither Does Violence)”

I was catching up with a friend I hadn’t seen for a while the other day when I noticed something unusual about our conversation. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

We were sat outside a pub by the Thames gazing out across the river with one eye on the famously changeable British summer. Each black cloud charging in from the west looked as though it would be the one to send us scurrying inside. But none of them did.

Then it hit me.

Continue reading “A Tale of Two Conversations (and Mrs Thatcher)”