Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Can you tell your personality from what flavor ice cream you like?  There are lots and lots of so called Personality tests on the web.  How do you know when you've come across a good one?  For example, are the inner workings of your personality revealed in the playlists you have on your smartphone or mp3 device?  In this episode we take a look at the first thing you should demand from any test - reliability.  If you're interested in psychology you are going to learn A LOT about the different kinds of reliability.Ep 168: Reliability - the Foundation of Any Good Personality Test

Guess What? Bad news: if you've ever been overweight and you're trying to lose weight it's even harder than you think.  Yikes.  Pretty de-motivating.  However, let's see what motivational psychologists would have to say about this.  How to keep from throwing up your hands at the whole effort. 

What do you reveal about yourself in the way you use the smallest and seemingly most insignificant words you use every minute?  That's the focus of Dr. James Pennebaker's fascinating book and one of the most interesting psychology books of 2011: The Secret Life of Pronouns.  If you're fascinated by language then you'll find this episode especially interesting.

What's going on with Psychology?  There have been a number of reports about poorly conducted or completely fraudulent research in the field.  Well, there's bad research in all fields, but psychology, which has through its history struggled for scientific credibility, is particularly sensitive to this issue and many psychologists have come out with strong recommendations to make sure that our research is of the highest quality.In this episode I look at how research can be conducted poorly and what to watch out for when you either conduct or read about the results of research. 

Just about everyone finds poop disgusting right?  So who finds it not so disgusting?  Would you believe women in their 20s who are in the middle of their menstrual cycle, and who have motherhood as one of their goals in life?  Disgust has become quite a popular topic in psychology lately.  Join me as I discuss one of the more interesting studies that looks at how the intensity of our emotions can be affected by our nonconscious goals.  MOre interesting than you might think really.  And certainly not to be poo-pooed at…

Do animals smile?  Do they feel emotions and if so how many kinds of feelings do they share with us? In this episode we also take a look at the probiotics in yogurt - how do they affect your thinking and do they might help protect you from stress.  It turns out that these probiotics increase the production of the neurotransmitter GABA which helps quiet down your neurons.  I also talk about the work of female psychologists: Carol Dweck on the psychology of success, and and a tribute to Evelyn Hooker whose research helped in removing homosexuality from the DSM in 1973.

In episode 160 I discussed the first 2 ideas on how to spend your money wisely.  In this episode I'll talk about 4 more great ideas on how to get the most from your money and 2 things you have to be careful about.  Get the latest findings from positive psychologists on this episode of The Psych Files.

Looking for a self-help book with some meat?  One that won't insult your intelligence with flowery words and hyped up promises and pseudoscience?  Take a look at the book Redirect by psychologist and author Tim Wilson.  Redirect will give you a lot to think about and some new insights into human nature.

Why aren't rich people happier than those of us with less money?  We think that money will bring happiness, but research in the area of positive psychology has consistently found that having more money does NOT make us happier. Find out how to spend your money the right way.

What's Wrong With a Little Gossip?While some research points out that gossipers are in general disliked, there is an upside: sharing negative gossip can actually help two people like each other better. In this episode we'll find out the benefits of sharing a tasty piece of negative gossip.The Licensing EffectIf you take supplements you need to hear this news about how you might be using your taking of the supplements to "license" other activities that aren't so good for your health.Evidence in Favor of Affirmations?In a previous episode on self affirmations I presented some strongly negative evidence. However, in this study there might be a role for affirmations - especially in helping people with social anxiety to feel a bit more confident.