Remember those “i-statements” you’re supposed to use when you get mad at someone? “I feel ____ when you ____ because ____“. Does that actually work? Does talking in this way resolve problems better and not get the other person defensive? We’re going to find out. Also, Koko the gorilla died recently. But did she really master sign language? Or is … Read More
Ep 306: Why Do You Talk To Your Dog Like That? And Does It Understand You?
Alright, let’s all admit it – we talk to our pets in that funny pet voice. “Who’s a good dog?” Well, there’s been a lot of research on your use of this voice to talk to your dog as well how you talk to babies. What exactly are you doing with your voice? And most importantly, does your dog know … Read More
Ep 305: In the Movies, Why Does the Woman Always Have to Die? And Other Gender Stereotypes
What can we learn from an old, dusty book I found in the basement? Well, if that book is about gender role stereotypes then there’s a lot of things to uncover that explain why boys and girls act the way they do. In this episode we get an example of qualitative research by really diving into the book called “Those … Read More
Ep 304: Guess What? Testosterone Doesn’t Neccessarily Cause Men to be Aggressive
Most of us assume that one of the reasons men tend to act aggressively is that men have higher levels of testosterone. Let’s take a look at this “testosterone myth” because this isn’t always the case. In fact, in some cases, the higher levels of testosterone actually cause men to be MORE NICE than usual. Don’t believe it? Let’s take … Read More
Ep 303: Significance Quest Theory: How Do We De-Radicalize People?
So now that we know a lot about why individuals join extermist groups, what can we do about it? How do we bring them back to society and help them have meaningful lives again? This is the second of 2 episodes on this topic and what we learn here also applies to school shooters. Here are some concrete suggestions, supported … Read More
Ep 302: Violent Extremism: What’s the Psychology Behind It?
What draws people toward violent extremist groups? Psychologists have conducted a lot of research to find this out and in this episode I summarize the findings of key researchers in this area. Researchers Arie Kruglanski, Katarzyna Jasko, David Webber, Marina Chernikova and Erica Molinario explain how their theory, called SQT or Significance Quest Theory explains what leads young people to … Read More
Ep 301: The Role of CTE in the Life of Aaron Hernandez
You have probably heard a lot about football and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), the brain degeneration that results from repeated head impacts. One of the worst cases so far of CTE was found in the brain of football player Aaron Hernandez. The Oxygen network produced a fascinating account of Hernandez’s life entitled Aaron Hernandez Uncovered and I was asked to … Read More
Ep 300: The Psychology of Jazz Piano Improvisation
Ever wonder how the fingers of really experienced pianists seem to fly across the keyboard? How do they know where their fingers are going? How can they think that fast? In this episode I’ll tell you about some of what the brain is doing when pianists play the piano. Maybe you’ll be inspired to start playing yourself….? Resources for this … Read More
Ep 299: How Smart Do You Want Your Fitness Tracker to Be?
Fitness tracking devices are getting smarter. They’re going to have to get a lot smarter if they are going to be powerful tools in your quest to be fit. But how much more “smart” do we really want them to get? Today they keep track of your steps and heart rate, but if your fitness tracker “knew” how you were … Read More
Ep 293: Emotional Intelligence – How Is It Taught?
One of the hardest challenges as we grow up is to know how we feel and to understand how others feel. The next step after we’re aware of our feelings is knowing how we’re going to best act on them. That’s the essence of Emotional Intelligence and in this episode, school psychologist and author Kyle Carlin talks about a book … Read More
