Hal McDonald Ph.D. | Psychology Today

About

Hal McDonald, Ph.D., a professor of literature and linguistics at Mars Hill University, is the author of the medical mystery The Anatomists.

Recent Posts

Not All Moral Domains Are Created Equal

Some moral infractions make us more inclined to hate the sinner than the sin.

Brain Cleaning in Progress...

After a late night of work or play, our brains take advantage of lapses in attention to flush out harmful waste that it typically takes care of while we sleep.

Memories You Can Dance To

While catchy new tunes can get us tapping our feet and swaying in our seat, it’s nostalgia that gets us out on the dance floor.

Looking to the Past to Cope With the Pain of Present Loss

Nostalgia can act as a buffer in the face of bereavement.

Think Big, Feel Small, Live Well

Feeling small in the presence of something really, really big has some surprising wellness benefits.

Feeling small in the presence of something really, really big has some surprising wellness benefits.

Narrate Your Way to a More Meaningful Life

Lack a sense of meaning in life? Have trouble setting goals for yourself? Try taking a writing workshop.

Lack a sense of meaning in life? Have trouble setting goals for yourself? Try taking a writing workshop.

Want to Improve Your Memory? Spend More Time on the Internet

Rather than giving us “brain rot,” as people commonly assume, spending time on the internet may actually strengthen our memory.

Rather than giving us “brain rot,” as people commonly assume, spending time on the internet may actually strengthen our memory.

Shaping the "Episodes" of Our Memory

Emotional ups and downs may account for the episodic nature of our memory.

Emotional ups and downs may account for the episodic nature of our memory.

Taylor Swift's Healthy Escapism

Taylor Swift’s “I Hate It Here” expresses a yearning for escape, but it is an adaptive rather than a maladaptive escapism that it offers.

Taylor Swift’s “I Hate It Here” expresses a yearning for escape, but it is an adaptive rather than a maladaptive escapism that it offers.

Seeing the Past and Future with Our Own Two Eyes

The "mind's eye" gets an assist from our physical eyes in remembering our past and imagining our future.

The "mind's eye" gets an assist from our physical eyes in remembering our past and imagining our future.