Have to memorize lines for a play or musical? There are a lot of techniques. Let me tell you about a few that are backed by science. I’ve been involved in the theatre for many years and I’ve done a lot of memorizing of both lines and song lyrics. Typically, actors and singers use […]
It’s hard to remember names – but here’s how to do it. You’ll use your imagination and some weird imagery – but this works. This is another great use of mnemonics. I’ll give you a bunch of people’s names and describe the images I created to help me remember them. Give your brain a […]
How many times when a parent is arguing with a teen has the parent either said – or wish they could say – “Do it because I said so!”. As a parent myself, I’ve had more than a few of those times. But it just doesn’t work – especially with teenagers. In this episode […]
You probably know someone who is just plain…well, funny. They may not necessarily even tell that many jokes, but they know how to come up with funny interpretations for what’s going on around you (“That guy looks like….”). They just know how to make you laugh. Researchers have studied this in great depth to find […]
Complete strangers in New York City come together in a simple but moving act: they decide as a group to work together to remove offensive graffiti in a subway car. How did they overcome the social pressures to do nothing? In this episode I show how diffusion of responsibility, Modeling, the Big Five personality types […]
One reason stereotypes exist is because, sometimes, there’s some truth in them. As an Italian-American I can say that, yes, a lot of the times I use my hands when I talk. And it appears to be true that men think about sex more often and are more easily sexually aroused (in general). So what […]
Have you used Siri, Hey Google, or Alexa? These voice-enabled digital assistants are pretty cool and getting smarter, but why do some of them sound more like a “person” than others? What is it about your voice that makes people believe that there is a thinking human being behind it? In this episode I […]
There are a lot of mobile apps that include the term “psychology” but many of them are just for fun. Are there any really good apps for psychotherapists? Yes there are and one of them is called NovoPsych. In this episode I interview Dr. Ben Buchanan who is the creator of NovoPsych and he tells […]
The US just had a very contentious election which showed us, if nothing else, that we are a divided nation. How did we become this way? In this episode I talk about group polarization – how it happens and what we can do about it. Along the way, I’ll talk about Moral Reframing – and […]
Do “Blue Sky” brainstorming sessions actually produce anything creative? If you’ve ever sat around with a group of people and tried to “just come up with something creative” you probably found that it’s pretty hard. We actually don’t think that creatively when we’re told to just “throw things out there” and “nothing will be judged”. […]
