Speaking of Psychology

40:34

The truth about why kids lie, with Victoria Talwar, PhD

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/07/20

Most parents want to raise their children to be honest adults, so the first time that they catch their child in a lie it may come as an unpleasant surprise. But psychologists’ research has found that lying is a normal part of childhood. In fact, it’s a developmental milestone. Victoria Talwar, PhD, of McGill University, talks about why kids lie, how lying is tied to cognitive development, how children understand the morality of lying (including the “gray areas” of keeping secrets and tattling), and

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51:14

Can we unlearn implicit biases? With Mahzarin Banaji,...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/07/13

The idea that people have biases that operate below the level of conscious thought is uncomfortable. But decades of research have found that many people who would never consciously agree with prejudiced statements against Black people, LGBTQ people or women can nonetheless harbor implicit biases toward these groups and others. Mahzarin Banaji, PhD, one of the pioneers of implicit bias research, talks about where implicit biases come from, the difference between implicit bias and prejudice, and which

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32:58

Perfectionism: When good is never good enough, with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/07/06

Perfectionism might seem like a minor hurdle to overcome – or even a welcome personality trait. But perfectionism is different from simply striving for excellence and perfectionistic people are at higher risk for anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. Perfectionism researcher Gordon Flett, PhD, and clinical psychologist Bonnie Zucker, PsyD, discuss where perfectionism comes from, why it’s an increasing problem, how it affects people’s mental and physical health and how to treat it.

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40:09

Revealing the Hidden Brain, with Shankar Vedantam

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/06/29

How much insight do people have into why they behave the way they do? Science journalist Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast and author of “Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain,” talks about why he is fascinated by the paradoxes of human behavior, what it takes to bring the popular podcast to life, and why it’s important to show the public the challenges as well as the triumphs of science. Links The Hidden Brain Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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40:06

Why can some people speak dozens of languages? with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/06/22

For those of us who speak only one language, the idea of learning twenty or thirty sounds impossible. But there are “hyperpolyglots” who have managed this remarkable feat. Evelina Fedorenko, PhD, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discusses what sets polyglots apart and what scientists might learn from studying them. She also discusses how language is processed in the brain, why it’s so much easier for kids to learn languages than adults, the relationship between language and thought and

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26:54

Abortion and mental health, with Antonia Biggs, PhD

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/06/15

Dozens of states are poised to outlaw or dramatically restrict abortion if the Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Antonia Biggs, PhD, a social psychologist at the University of California San Francisco, talks about the results of the Turnaway Study, which examined how receiving an abortion – or being denied one – affects mental health and well-being, the effects of laws that limit access to abortion, and what a post-Roe future might look like. Links Antonia Biggs, PhD The

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24:55

How living with secrets can harm you, with Michael...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/06/08

We all keep secrets – on average, people have about 13 secrets at any one time, five of which they have never told another person. Psychologist Michael Slepian, PhD, of Columbia Business School, talks about what types of secrets people keep, why keeping a secret bottled up inside can harm us, how keeping secrets -- or sharing them -- affects people’s relationships with each other, how we decide whom we can trust with our secrets, and whether other people can tell when we’re holding something back.

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38:46

Can an app improve your health? With Gary Bennett, PhD

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/06/01

Digital interventions that promise to help you achieve your health and fitness goals are everywhere. But do these apps work and are they a useful public health tool? Gary Bennett, PhD, director of the Duke University Global Digital Health Science Center, discusses how digital interventions can help address obesity and other public health challenges, how to find apps that are effective and backed by research, the challenge of weight stigma, and more. Links Gary Bennett, PhD Speaking of Psychology

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39:14

Racism, racial discrimination and mental health, with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/05/25

The past two years have taken a heavy toll on the health, mental health and well-being of people of color, who have suffered disproportionately from the COVID-19 pandemic while also facing what some call a second pandemic of racism. Riana Elyse Anderson, PhD, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, discusses why racism is like a virus and what can be done to help people deal with race-based traumatic stress and to protect children against its

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30:01

What is dissociative identity disorder? With Bethany...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/05/18

Dissociative identity disorder – which many people recognize by its former name, multiple personality disorder – is one of Hollywood’s favorite psychology-related topics, with a decades-long history of movie and TV portrayals, most recently in this spring’s “Moon Knight.” But in real life, DID does not look like it does on the screen. Bethany Brand, PhD, of Towson University, discusses why it is more subtle than TV and movie portrayals would lead viewers to believe, what is happening in the brains

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37:03

Are we in a ‘loneliness pandemic’? With Louise...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/05/11

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic scrambled our social connections, Americans were worried about an epidemic of loneliness. Louise Hawkley, PhD, principal research scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, talks about the difference between being alone and being lonely, how loneliness can harm our health, whether we really are lonelier than ever these days, and how to identify and address the root causes of loneliness. Links Louise Hawkley, PhD Speaking of Psychology Homepage Sponsor

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43:18

Is technology killing empathy? With Sherry Turkle, PhD

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/05/04

Over the past couple of decades, our devices have become our constant companions. More and more, we live in a digital, virtual world. Dr. Sherry Turkle, MIT professor and founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, discusses how digital communication has affected our ability to talk to each other, how conversation itself changed in the digital age, why she thinks social media is an “anti-empathy machine” and her advice on how to reclaim space for conversation in our lives. Links

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41:48

What psychology has to say about art, with Ellen...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/04/27

Art is universal – there has never been a human society without it. But we don’t always agree on what makes for good art, or even what makes something art at all. Ellen Winner, PhD, of Boston College, talks about how psychology can help answer the question “What is art?” why even non-experts can tell the difference between a child’s painting and an abstract masterpiece, why art forgeries bother us so much, the purpose of arts education, and more. Links: Ellen Winner, PhD Speaking of Psychology

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30:49

How exercise benefits the brain, with Jenny Etnier, PhD

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/04/20

Most people realize that being sedentary is bad for your physical health. But exercise – or the lack of it – can affect our cognitive health as well. Jenny Etnier, PhD, of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, discusses how exercise improves memory, the cognitive benefits of physical activity, the importance of youth sports and the downside of hyper-competitive youth sports culture. Links: Jenny Entier, PhD Speaking of Psychology Homepage Sponsor: Newport Healthcare

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36:07

Surviving the trauma of war in Ukraine, with Laura...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/04/13

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, more than 4 million Ukrainians have had to flee the country as refugees, more than 6 million others have been internally displaced, and tens of millions more have lived through shelling and other traumas. Laura Murray, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, talks about mental health care during war and other disasters, what providers in Ukraine are experiencing on the ground, and what we know about the mental health effects of

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47:13

How to keep stress from harming your health, with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/04/06

The American Psychological Association’s most recent Stress in America survey found record high levels of stress among Americans of all ages. Dr. George Slavich, director of the UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research, discusses how stress affects our brain, body and immune system, why it’s important to measure a person’s lifetime exposure to stress, and strategies to manage stress and minimize its negative effects on your health. Links George Slavich, PhD Stress in America Survey

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33:56

How grieving changes the brain, with Mary-Frances...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/03/30

Few of us will make it through life without losing someone we love. Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, of the University of Arizona, discusses howneuroscience can help us to better understand grief and resilience after loss, why grief is different from depression, effective therapy for grief, whether it’s possible to experience grief over the death of a celebrity, and how to support people when they are grieving. Links Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD Speaking of Psychology Homepage

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42:08

How to Keep Anger from Getting the Best of You with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/03/23

Anger is a normal human emotion, a natural reaction when you feel that something or someone has done you wrong. But anger can also turn violent and dangerous, can ruin relationships and can interfere with our health and happiness. Howard Kassinove, PhD, of Hofstra University, and Raymond “Chip” Tafrate, PhD, of Central Connecticut State University, discuss the difference between healthy and harmful anger, strategies to cope with anger, and why “primal screams,” rage rooms and other forms of anger

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42:56

Why psychopathy is more common than you think, with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/03/16

Most of us think we know what a psychopath looks like. The word brings to mind images of horror movies and criminals. But psychopathy is far more common than most people realize, and actually hard to recognize in other people. Abigail Marsh, PhD, of Georgetown University, discusses what researchers have learned about the causes of psychopathy and effective treatments for it, how to recognize psychopathy in those around you, and her work exploring the emotional processes and the brain differences

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29:08

Ambiguous loss and the “myth of closure,” with...

Speaking of Psychology ·

2022/03/09

March 11 marks two years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. With another variant waning, many people are hoping, yet again, to close the book on COVID and move on. But what if there’s a different way to think about life after loss? Pauline Boss, PhD, author of “The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change,” talks about what we have learned about grief, resilience and moving on after two years of pandemic life. Links Pauline Boss, PhD Speaking

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