Speaking of Psychology

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 lives. Dr. Angela Lawson helps us separate fact from fiction when it comes to infertility, a complicated and often uncomfortable topic that people don’t always talk about. Join us online August 6-8 for APA 2020 Virtual.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 our wallets and credit cards? What are some of the motivations behind companies that try to appeal to our sense of social responsibility to get us to spend? Our guest is psychologist Kit Yarrow, PhD, an expert on consumer behavior and professor emerita at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She studies why and how people shop and buy and how companies can best meet consumer needs. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Psychology discusses how this phenomenon of intentionally spreading fabricated content and presenting it as factual is impacting our views of the world and why that matters. Recorded live at APA 2019 in Chicago with Vaile Wright, PhD, as guest host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 are just glad it’s over. But is it really over? Does our social status as teens follow us for the rest of our lives? Can we raise today’s children and teens differently in our ever-status-obsessed culture? Our guest is Mitch Prinstein, PhD, distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who wrote "Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Kinds of Relationships.” APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, like mushrooms, turn people off? Not only is taste a biologically complex experience, it is quite psychological. Our guest is psychologist Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, an international leader in taste research, who is the Bushnell professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida and director for psychophysical research at the university’s Center for Smell and Taste. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-prepared to handle the influx of people. Psychologists all around the country have been moved to help with the growing humanitarian crisis by providing mental health and advocacy services and forensic psychological evaluations to these vulnerable people. Our guest for this episode is psychologist Claudette Antuña, PsyD, a volunteer forensic psychological evaluator at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project where she provides pro-bono evaluations that have helped hundreds of immigrants. Read the Monitor on Psychology article on this topic: http://www.apa.org/advocacy/immigration/tackling-immigration-crisis APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 celebrity suicide deaths like Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have pushed this topic further into the national spotlight. Psychologist Samuel Knapp, EdD, discusses the factors that cause people to die from suicide, the effects of past trauma on mental health and how psychologists can successfully treat suicidal patients. Suicide is the cover story for the July/August issue of the Monitor on Psychology, APA’s magazine for members. Read the story at apa.org/Monitor. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Carolyn Mair, PhD, who created the psychology of fashion department at the London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts London, explains the psychology behind our fashion choices and why psychologists are needed to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry now and in the future. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every day in America, 130 people die from overdosing on opioids and an estimated two million people around the country are grappling with opioid addiction and it is devastating families and communities. In the face of these grim statistics, APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, explains how psychologists can offer new solutions to help end the opioid epidemic, including non-pharmaceutical treatment for pain and other interventions. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americans spend nearly half of the day interacting with screens of all kinds -- smartphones, televisions and computers, according to a recent Nielsen report. While these technologies have made our lives better in many ways, it is easier than ever to become addicted to screens. Guest Adam Alter, PhD, author of "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked" discusses the dark side of screen time and how our devices are affecting our well-being and happiness. APA is currently seeking proposals for APA 2020 sessions, learn more at http://convention.apa.org/proposals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices