Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of well-intentioned people make irrational or non-optimal decisions spurred by the urge to conformor the believe that dissent is impossible. The problematic or premature consensus that is characteristic of groupthink may be fueled by a particular agenda—or it may be due to group members valuing harmony and coherence above critical thought. Learn...

The term "toxic masculinity" has become ubiquitous over the past few years after lingering in obscurity for the better part of three decades. Coined by Shepherd Bliss, the Mythopoetic Men's Movement activist who spent the 1980s exhorting men to reconnect with their "preindustrial" emotions, the phrase became popular in academic settings well before emerging as the catchall description of gendered...

An emotional caretaker is someone who looks out for the feelings, needs and wants of an emotional manipulator. The caretaker defers to the manipulator's wants, giving up their own wants and even their own health and well-being needs. They give in to "keep the peace" and to please the other person—all with no improvement in the relationship. Tune in and learn how to deal with this toxic relationshi...

Something isn't right. It could be the job, the place you live, the relationship you are in, or the hobbies that consume your time. Day in and day out, you just don't feel happy. A research report found that as many as 1 out of every 3 people are unhappy most of the time. Unfortunately many people just live with their unhappiness. It's often the easiest route of least resistance to blame others, o...

As with many things, husbands and wives differ on when or how often to have sex. Men rarely see impediments to love-making and most think it's a good idea at almost any time. The condition of their marriage doesn't interfere, nor do other issues they're coping with. That's possibly because men tend to be good at compartmentalizing; the circumstances in one part of their lives won't necessarily spi...

Resenting somebody isn't as simple as disliking them, or finding them annoying; it's a feeling that is actually related to the repetition of painful patterns relating to unaddressed difficulties. Yep, I know that may sound hideously complex, but it's a relatively simple concept once you unpack it. And you should take the time to unpack it — because the truth is that resenting your partner (even if...

Shyness is a sense of awkwardness or apprehension that some people consistently feel when approaching or being approached by others. Shyness is a response to fear, and research suggests that although there is a neurobiology of shyness—the behavioral repertoire is orchestrated by a specific circuit of neurons in the brain—it is also strongly influenced by parenting practices and life experiences. T...

Everyone has an idea of what passion means, but when we start talking with others about our understanding, it often turns out that different people mean different things when they say "passion". Most people would agree that passion refers to a strong motivation mixed with intense emotions. Less clear is whether these intense emotions are positive or negative, as both have been linked to passion. F...

When we take the time to celebrate love and the people who are meaningful to us. Love — which could be defined as a field of resonating, often oscillating, and sometimes synchronous energy — is more than just a biological imperative to procreate. Tune in and learn more about Love.

Clearly, most of our daily decisions are not earth-shattering, but you can imagine how paralysis in the decision-making process would render us virtually incapacitated every day if we let it.  We are called upon to be courageous, reliable, and trustworthy with regard to the outcome of our decisions (i.e., to make decisions consistent with our core values and beliefs).  Tune in and learn about how...

Experts suggest that the negative feelings and experiences associated with prolonged isolation will come for us all. Humans are social creatures—yes, all of us. While the coronavirus pandemic is an extreme, largely unprecedented moment, the kind of seclusion that's been eating at people over the last few weeks is not as uncommon an experience as you might imagine. The impacts of social isolation o...

Sleep paralysis can be a terrifying experience that is surprisingly common. It can involve the inability to move, auditory and visual hallucinations, a strong sense of presence, difficulty breathing, sensations of movement, and intense emotion. The causes and interpretations of sleep paralysis are described in this show, as well as some practical suggestions for coping with it. Tune in and learn a...

Are you anxious or are you depressed? In the world of mental health care, where exact diagnosis dictates treatment, anxiety and depression are regarded as two distinct disorders. But in the world of real people, many suffer from both conditions. In fact, most mood disorders present as a combination of anxiety and depression. Surveys show that 60-70% of those with depression also have anxiety. And...

Though our need to connect is innate, many of us frequently feel alone. Even some people who are surrounded by others throughout the day—or are in a long-lasting marriage—still experience a deep and pervasive loneliness. Feelings of loneliness and isolation affect all types and ages of people. Tune in and learn how to improve your life!

In anticipation of an never-seen-before birth crisis after October 2020, a whole new set of zombies are about to inherit the earth. Robin LaCross is an absolute expert in birth control, women's health and the host of Holistic Sex Ed Radio on Voice America's Empowerment channel. I will interview her live about all topics SEX. Tune in and learn from Robin's dynamic expertise.

When a health problem like Ebola or coronavirus comes from abroad, we have poor information about it than we do about health problems in this country. Often foreign places have poorer surveillance capability, so they just gather poor information. Sometimes they have authoritarian regimes who suppress the information. We have greater uncertainty about things that come from places with poor informat...

One thing is certain about coincidence. The phenomenon fascinates believers and skeptics alike. It's a porthole into one of the most interesting philosophical questions we can ask: Are the events of our lives ultimately objective or subjective? Is there a deeper order, an overarching purpose to the universe? Or are we the lucky accidents of evolution, living our precious but brief lives in a funda...

The awareness of death is the downside of human intelligence. Life must end for all living beings, but only humans may grasp its existential meaning. Intellectually we may acknowledge our mortality, but deep down, we deny it. The fear of death is so overwhelming that we keep this knowledge unconscious. The repression of information about mortality results in several cognitive strategies that peopl...

Despite popular opinion, anger issues aren't only of the loud/screaming/throwing things variety. Sometimes the signs are a lot more subtle, and may even go mostly unnoticed. Recognizing them, however, can mean saving your relationships, having an easier time at work, and even improving your health. All anger is a problem or a sign there is an issue to be addressed. If you work through and recogniz...

Ghosting means suddenly discontinuing all contact with another person to end a relationship. Ghosting can be failing to respond to a text exchange with someone you've never met, cutting off contact with someone you've dated a few times, or even refusing to return someone's calls after a sexual involvement. Tune in and learn about how to work through the ghosting betrayal!

We all live a constant battle of pride vs humility, which is really just a war against two half's of the same person. It's you verses you. You are the only opponent against your inner greatness—against your humility. A person might consider their ego a great part of them, but the true greatness of a person is found in what motivates them and how they conduct themselves. Tune in and learn about pri...

Each of us tries to erect a boundary around the parts of ourself we want to keep private, or at least shielded from those with whom we're not intimate. Some people are more vigilant about raising those firewalls than others, however, which can lead to discomfort, if not open conflict, because it's harder to keep others' revelations out than it is. In healthy relationships, romantic or otherwise we...

Although we might use the term in a different way in our everyday life (e.g., "Hey, he's really got an attitude!"), social psychologists reserve the term attitude to refer to our relatively enduring evaluation of something, where the something is called the attitude object. The attitude object might be a person, a product, or a social group . Tune in and learn how attitude and behavior influence o...

No matter what their reasons or how they approach the question, agnostics and atheists are fundamentally different, but also non-exclusive. Many people who adopt the label of agnostic simultaneously reject the label of atheist, even if it technically applies to them. In addition, there's a common misconception that agnosticism is somehow a more "reasonable" position while atheism is more "dogmatic...

Political uncertainty can be challenging, regardless of your beliefs or where you might fall on the political spectrum. For many Americans, the transition of power and the rapid speed of change may cause stress and anxiety about the political environment and the future of our nation. APA's Stress in America™ survey revealed that 69 percent of Americans say the future of our nation is a significant...