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

Free Will

How to Improve the Human Ability to Forecast

Thomas Suddendorf Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Uniquely Human

Because we can conceive of multiple versions of the future branching from the present, we have an intuitive sense of free will and can devise ways to tip fortune in our favor.

Environment

The Importance of Nature in Our Lives

Rosemary K.M. Sword and Philip Zimbardo Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in The Time Cure

Time in nature provides us with a range of proven benefits and research shows that we can gain them in as little as two hours a week.

Consciousness

How Consciousness Is Different From Augmented Reality

Ezequiel Morsella Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Consciousness and the Brain

The difference between technologies involving augmented reality and the conscious mind reveal something interesting about the nature of consciousness.

Environment

The Climate Crisis: Helping Youth With Emotional Distress

Elaine Miller-Karas MSW, LCSW on October 2, 2023 in Building Resiliency to Trauma

Numerous initiatives exist to help young people combat feelings of powerlessness and anxiety regarding the climate crisis.

Body Image

How Social Media Distorts Our Body Image

Pernille Bülow Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Your Brain on Body Dysmorphia

Eating disorder influencers glamorize emaciated bodies, tube feedings, and emotional struggles on social media, causing an uprising in serious cases of eating disorders.

Autism

Is it Autism or OCD?

Debra Brause Psy.D. on October 2, 2023 in Psychology Meets Neurodiversity

Perseverative thinking in autism and OCD have considerable overlap. But there are some key differences that may help differentiate the two.

Memory

Memory of a Green Slipper

Richard M Brockman M.D. on October 2, 2023 in A Map of the Mind

A Personal Perspective: A green slipper is the clearest memory I have from an intensely traumatic experience of my childhood. This post explains the neuroscience behind it.

Parenting

What to Do When Your Child Has Difficulty at School

Elena Lister, MD and Michael Schwartzman, Ph.D., ABPP on October 2, 2023 in Facing Life's Challenges

The school year has started and some children are having new or ongoing difficulties. Here are six tips for how to handle it with your partner, your child and the school.

Bias

Should Color-Blind Thinking Be Taboo?

Christopher J. Ferguson Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Checkpoints

Staffers at TED attempted to shut down Coleman Hughes' TED talk on color blindness, arguing that it was scientifically invalid. But was it?

Aging

Aging: An Opinion

Andrea Rosenhaft LCSW-R on October 2, 2023 in From Both Sides of the Couch

Personal Perspective: Lines, wrinkles, and a couple of age spots don’t bother me. But I want to keep working.

Resilience

Orchestrating a Personal Turnaround

James R Langabeer Ph.D., Ed.D. on October 2, 2023 in How to Make Better Choices

With millions of individual defeats or failures each year, we must learn how to rebound, recover, and navigate personal turnarounds.

Meditation

3 Ways Mindfulness Meditation Makes Therapy Work Better

Loren Soeiro, Ph.D. ABPP on October 2, 2023 in I Hear You

If you meditate, you're already learning some implicit skills, like acceptance, and gaining distance on your feelings, that can help you benefit from psychotherapy.

Creativity

Overcoming Musician’s Block

Barton Goldsmith Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Emotional Fitness

It doesn’t matter what your state of mind is at the moment. These tips can help you begin to overcome the hurdles that block you and reignite your musical inspiration.

Fear

3 Questions to Help Conquer Fear and Feel More Alive

Donald Altman on October 2, 2023 in Practical Mindfulness

Is doubt holding you back from taking a risk or trying something new? Three simple questions can help you break free.

Alcoholism

The Link Between Alcohol and Suicide

Simon Sherry Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Psymon Says

Recent research shows that alcohol use has a significant impact on the risk of death by suicide, and some people are more at risk than others.

Feature

Ease Into the AI Revolution

How to Feel Confident and Safe

Sleep

Is Blue Light Good or Bad for You?

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Click Here for Happiness

Learn the facts about blue light, the threats it poses, and how to reduce your exposure.

Cognition

"Breaking Through" With Books

Melissa Rampelli Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in The Fainting Couch

Can literature truly transform minds and lives? Explore the findings in this study of Shared Reading as a therapeutic approach.

Therapy

Should Your Therapist Look Like You?

Michael Karson Ph.D., J.D. on October 2, 2023 in Feeling Our Way

Explore the patient’s expectations of therapy to avoid a misalliance around how alike the patient and therapist are.

Education

Befriending (Intense) Feelings: Practice

Amy Saltzman M.D. on October 2, 2023 in Find Your True Flow

Learning to befriend your feelings can help in every area of your life—work, family, friendships. and day-to-day activities.

Artificial Intelligence

Starting a Corporate Digital Transformation Journey?

Larry Stybel on October 2, 2023 in Platform for Success

Digital/AI transformation is the wave of the future: When should you respectfully decline to get involved?

Gender

Halloween: A Bit of Harmless Fun?

Cathrine Jansson-Boyd Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Consumer Psychology

Are Halloween costumes a good influence on young people? Or are they contributing to people holding on to negative female stereotypes?

Family Dynamics

The Value of Family Stories

Robyn Fivush Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in The Stories of Our Lives

Family stories define who we are and who we strive to be by anchoring us in our past and cementing our current connections.

Cross-Cultural Psychology

Robert LeVine: A Founder of Psychological Anthropology

Dinesh Sharma Ph.D. on October 2, 2023 in Leaders in the Making

The pioneering work of a cultural explorer of the psyche who researched childhood around the globe.

Wisdom

What Is the Opposite of Wisdom?

Jeremy E. Sherman Ph.D., MPP on October 2, 2023 in Jerkology

If you're dealing with a narcissist, you need to read between the lines to their simple robotic formula. Here it is.

Resilience

2 Ways to Cope with Homesickness

Tara Denneny LCSW on October 2, 2023 in Life in Transition

Homesickness is an unavoidable part of transitioning to a new place. These strategies can help.

Psychopathy

Psychopaths Use Negative Mimicry to Lure In Targets

Jourdan Travers LCSW on October 2, 2023 in Hard, Cold Research

How do psychopaths attract people when they have such repelling traits?

Genetics

Sperm Banks, Egg Facilities, and the Backfire Effect

Wendy Kramer on October 2, 2023 in Donor Family Matters

The backfire effect helps to explain why gamete brokers often struggle with changing policy in light of new evidence presented to them about donor families.