Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t think that women can be funny? I have to admit that I didn’t hear that until recently, so I looked at some of the research on gender and perceptions of humor. I think you’ll be surprised. In this episode I summarize some of this research. Resources for this episode Are Men … Read More
Ep 324: Put Your Love Life on Automatic
In this episode I cover a few interesting topics. First, have you ever “blanked out” in front of an audience? I recently did and I was determined to find out why this happened. I found some answers in a great book called Stop Talking, Start Influencing. Also I’ll tell you about the memorization strategies I used in a recent play … Read More
Ep 317: It’s So Fluffy!
Have you ever seen something so cute you just want to squeeze it to death? Or a child so cute you want to pinch it’s cheeks really hard? Why do we have these odd, powerful, opposite feelings? It’s called “cute aggression” and we’ll try to explain it in this episode. We’ll also look at the bullying in Rudolph the Red … Read More
Ep 314: Trauma Recovery with Dr. Matt Jaremko
If you’re suffering from the effects of a trauma in your life or know someone who is, then listen to Dr. Matt Jaremko talk about his new book with Beth Fehlbaum called Trauma Recovery: Sessions With Dr. Matt. Dr. Jaremko’s approach to therapy with trauma victims is straightforward and respectful. It’s about helping survivors get their confidence back and move … Read More
Ep 310: How To Memorize Psychiatric Medications
Having a hard time memorizing psychiatric medications and which disorder they are used to treat? These memory tricks will get them into your head in minutes – and they’ll stick so you can get a better grade on your test. I’ve got ways to remember 12 medications like Zoloft, Prozac, Ritalin, Adderall, Lithium, and more – and which diagnosis (Depression, … Read More
Ep 265: How To Make Study Groups Effective
In a previous episode I talked about the kinds of dynamics that can occur in groups (social loafing, diffusion of responsibility) that can make them ineffective learning experiences as well as just not fun. In this episode I interview Dr. Karen Christian who has watched how many study groups in action and she has uncovered quite a few things that … Read More
Ep: 258 – Why It’s So Hard To Put Those Damn Phones Down!
Why do we find it so hard to put down our phones? I’ll give you 5 reasons drawn directly from psychological research on how we learn, how teenagers are strongly affected by reward, and how we are all drawn in by mystery. There is of course no easy answer for how to get teens to put down their phones but … Read More
Ep241: I know What You DID’T Do – the Internet of Things for Dementia and Alzheimer’s
How can technology be used to help people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s? Here are a few examples. You may have heard of the “Internet of Things” – this is the idea that we can place small Internet-connected devices onto everyday household objects in order to get information from them about what you are doing – and not doing – throughout … Read More
Ep 228 (video): Did B.F. Skinner Raise His Children in a Skinner Box?
You may have heard this rumor about B.F. Skinner raising his children in one of his (presumably oversized) “Skinner boxes”. Is there any truth to this? Related rumors: that Skinner’s daughter became mentally ill as a result of being raised in this box and that she sued her father when she became an adult. We finally find the answer to … Read More
Ep 225: What’s Best for Memory – Coffee or a Nap – or Both?
You may have been heard that taking a nap or going to sleep after you learn something helps you to retain it (which is true), but you may also have heard that drinking coffee helps your memory. So which is it? How can you drink coffee AND take a nap? Well, apparently you can get the benefit of both – … Read More
