Speaking of Psychology

Abigail Sussman, PhD, behavioral researcher and marketing professor at Chicago Booth, explores why payment plans and retail tactics change how we feel about purchases. She discusses why installments make spending feel cheaper, why we miss irregular expenses, how social comparison drives conspicuous buying, and practical fixes like adding friction and realistic buffers.

Gina Mireault, PhD, developmental psychologist who runs the Infant Laughter Lab, studies how babies react to surprises and early humor. She describes what triggers baby laughter, how infants detect incongruity, when they begin trying to make others laugh, and how social and cultural context shape early giggles.

Nicholas Rule, professor of psychology and vice provost at the University of Toronto who studies snap judgments and person perception. He explains how impressions form in milliseconds. He covers accuracy limits, cues like eyebrows and gendered signals, debates around gaydar, the role of stereotypes and bias, and why first impressions persist and shape real-world outcomes.

John Piacentini, PhD, a UCLA clinical psychologist who directs a clinic for OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders, explains what tics are and how they start in childhood. He debunks myths like the idea that swearing is typical. He outlines brain mechanisms, discusses pandemic-related increases and social media links, and describes behavioral treatments like habit reversal and CBIT.

Sarah Schnitker, PhD, psychology professor studying patience, self-control, and virtue formation. She explains why patience is hard, how it develops across life, and the different types and contexts where patience matters. Listens to when patience can be harmful and practical cognitive strategies—like reappraisal, distraction, and mindfulness—to build a varied patience toolbox.

Lara Coughlin, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist researching contingency management for stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco. Michael McDonell, PhD, psychologist studying contingency management and implementation in rural and clinical settings. They explain contingency management’s reward-based principles, why small immediate incentives shift choices, how it’s used for stimulants, alcohol, tobacco and opioids, and challenges to scaling it in real-world systems.

Jonah Berger, Wharton professor and best-selling author on why ideas spread, talks about what makes things contagious. He outlines the STEPS drivers like social currency, triggers, emotion, public cues, practical value, and stories. He explains high-arousal emotions, online vs offline sharing, triggers that make things top of mind, and ways to combat misinformation by making truth more shareable.

Mary Alvord, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and creator of the Resilience Builder Program, discusses helping children bounce back. She highlights foundational skills like emotion regulation, problem solving, and an action mindset. Practical parent tools, classroom scaling of the program, and signs of low resilience are explored in short, actionable segments.

Paul Eastwick, PhD, a UC Davis psychology professor who studies attraction and relationships, discusses what relationship science actually shows. He tackles myths from evolutionary narratives. He explores compatibility versus popularity, how dating apps reshape matching, why men and women are more similar in desires, and how small early interactions shape long-term bonding.

Allison Alford, PhD, clinical associate professor who researches women, work–family balance, and invisible labor. She defines “daughtering” as the lifelong visible and invisible tasks of caring for parents. She outlines four kinds of daughtering work. She explores why daughters inherit these roles, eldest-daughter patterns, how sons compare, and ways families can renegotiate and share the load.