Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist

Today's Essential Reads Today's Essentials

Evolutionary Psychology

An Alternative View of Human Nature

By Steve Taylor Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Out of the Darkness

Evidence suggests that altruism and egalitarianism are more natural to human beings than selfishness and cruelty.

Parenting

Is Your Child in a Toxic Friendship?

By Erin Leonard Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Peaceful Parenting

Has your child suddenly lost confidence? Are statements like "I'm a terrible person" and "I can't do anything right" cropping up? If so, they may be in an unhealthy friendship.

Relationships

How Your Wedding Date Impacts Marital Success

By Wendy L. Patrick, Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Why Bad Looks Good

Engaged? Congratulations! Now comes the challenging part: planning the wedding. In addition to the rings, guest list, and location, choose your date carefully.

Sex

4 Scientific Ways Good Sex Brings You Closer to Your Partner

By Madeleine A Fugère Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Dating and Mating

Have you ever wondered why sex makes you feel so close to your partner? Here are four scientific explanations for the increased intimacy post-sex.

News

The Latest

Relationships

The Simplest Way to Spot a Liar, No Matter Who it Is

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D. on July 21, 2018 in Fulfillment at Any Age

Being able to tell who’s lying from nonverbal cues remains the holy grail of research on detecting deception. New research will help improve your own ability to spot a liar.

Personality

Why Are Some People Snobs?

By Neel Burton M.D. on July 21, 2018 in Hide and Seek

The psychology of snobbery and why snobbery is rampant.

Social Life

What the World Cup taught me about nationalism

By Mirta Galesic Ph.D. on July 21, 2018 in Our Networks, Our Selves

Watching the game evokes powerful feelings of group unity. Those same feelings lead to great accomplishments and can also leave us vulnerable to manipulation.

Procrastination

Addressing Procrastination

By Marty Nemko Ph.D. on July 21, 2018 in How To Do Life

Procrastination is merely the symptom. The cure must address its cause.

Animal Behavior

Do Uncaged Animals Produce More Reliable Science?

By Marc Bekoff Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Animal Emotions

An interview with Garet Lahvis about how to make research on other animals more reliable. One of his arguments is that uncaged animals produce better scientific results.

Health

Treason or Not Treason?

By Bandy X. Lee M.D., M.Div. on July 20, 2018 in Psychiatry in Society

It is a moment when defending democracy, the rule of law, and human rights also means responding appropriately to a mental health problem.

Health

A Look Into My Wife’s Response to Cancer

By Wayne Jonas M.D. on July 20, 2018 in How Healing Works

My wife, Susan, has experienced five types of cancer in her life — breast, melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell and we have always been very different in our responses to it.

Anxiety

The 4 R’s of Managing Anxiety

By Ronald E Riggio Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Cutting-Edge Leadership

Here are four steps for managing anxiety

Happiness

5 Ways to Simplify Your Life

By Amy Morin on July 20, 2018 in What Mentally Strong People Don't Do

Get rid of some clutter, clear some mental space, carve an hour into your calendar—make some room somewhere so you can feel lighter and freer.

Self-Help

What To Do If You Feel Trapped In Your Career

By Theo Tsaousides Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Smashing the Brainblocks

Our careers shape we who are and give our lives purpose. What if we picked the wrong one?

Work

Why You Shouldn’t Try to Discover Your Passion

By Ronald E Riggio Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Cutting-Edge Leadership

If you are waiting around for your life’s passion to suddenly emerge, you are going to wait a long time.

Resilience

Salvation: Brain on Training Wheels

By Shireen Jeejeebhoy on July 20, 2018 in Concussion Is Brain Injury

Audiovisual entrainment enables a person to achieve relaxed, focused attention, a cognitive skill that brain injury takes away and is necessary to restore other cognitions.

Relationships

Monogamy’s Double-Edged Sword

By Ari Tuckman PsyD, CST on July 20, 2018 in Sex Matters

Unhappy in your relationship? Get out of your partner's way.

Parenting

The Foundation for Effective Parenting

By Mike Brooks Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in Tech Happy Life

Being a parent is so rewarding, but we all know it can be very challenging as well. What's the foundation for effective parenting?

I Love My Selfie

The digital you

Before You Post

Onstage Online

Obsessive Selfie-Taking

The Psychology of Selfies

Eating Disorders

Nicole Cruz, RD, Shares What Helped in Her Own Recovery

By Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C on July 20, 2018 in Mindful Musings

Freedom from an eating disorder is possible.

Our fantasies have the potential to emerge from many different sources.

Sex

Where Do Our Sexual Fantasies Come From?

By Justin J Lehmiller Ph.D. on July 20, 2018 in The Myths of Sex

Our sexual fantasies are a complex product of biological, psychological, and social/environmental factors.

Resilience

Reflecting on Your Life Decisions With Kindness and Laughter

By Mica B. Estrada, Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Lead with Kindness

Four ways to be kind with ourselves when reflecting on our past life decisions and pathways taken.

Animal Behavior

"I Just Rescued My First Dog, Is It OK to Crate Her?"

By Marc Bekoff Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Animal Emotions

There's no simple or general answer to this common question about crating dogs. Some people emphatically say "no", others say "maybe," and a few say "yes" if it's done right.

Addiction

The Social Side of Nicotine

By Romeo Vitelli Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Media Spotlight

Does nicotine use play a role in how people function in social situations—and can this explain why smokers have so much difficulty quitting?

Race and Ethnicity

Which Country’s People Desire Control the Least?

By Arash Emamzadeh on July 19, 2018 in Finding a New Home

New research shows that both desire for control and perception of control over one's life are influenced by culture. Though no general patterns emerged, one country stood out.

Parenting

Autism Life Skills: What Do We Need to Teach?

By Chantal Sicile-Kira on July 19, 2018 in The Autism Advocate

As we considered how to best prepare Jeremy for the adult life he envisioned while he was still in high school, I wondered what we could have have done differently.

Memory

Remembering When

By Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Defining Memories

Even with social media, most of our lives are undocumented – except by memory. When remembering ourselves and our developmental timeline, how do we put our memories in order?

Ethics and Morality

The Chief Peril Is Not a Diagnosis, but the Polarized Mind

By Kirk J. Schneider Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Awakening to Awe

There is a reason why many of the most twisted and destructive people on this planet are not seen as mental patients. They are ordinary, even celebrated—with "normal" brains.

Sex

Trans Activists Reject Scarlett, Derail Trans Movie

By Marty Klein Ph.D. on July 19, 2018 in Sexual Intelligence

By insisting on special rules, trans activists are discouraging Hollywood from making films about trans stories.

Aging

The Younger Generation Is Doing Just Fine

By Morton H Shaevitz Ph.D., ABPP on July 19, 2018 in Refire! Don’t Retire

Here are some tips on how we can learn from the younger generation.

Intelligence

Humans, Technology, and the Asymptote Dilemma

By John Nosta on July 19, 2018 in The Digital Self

Our human capacity for information is vast, yet meager compared with the emergence of technology and artificial intelligence. So, where does that leave us poor mortals?