Speaking of Psychology

With U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ choice for vice presidential nominee, the challenges faced by female political candidates are back in the news again. This year is the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the United States, but true equality for women remains elusive in politics, business and many other areas. Alice Eagly, PhD, an emeritus professor of psycholog...

As the 2020 election cycle heats up, so will conversations among family, friends and acquaintances on opposite ends of the political spectrum. The United States may be more politically polarized than ever, but political disagreements don’t have to devolve into shouting matches and ideological one-upmanship. For people who want to engage in meaningful dialogues with those who disagree with them, Dr...

Compared with other animals, dogs are brilliant in one important way: They can understand and communicate with us, their human companions. Brian Hare, PhD, of Duke University, talks about what we know about canine cognition and how studying dogs’ evolutionary journey from wild wolves to domesticated pets can teach us more about humanity’s history as well.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

With the start of the 2020-2021 school year just weeks away, politicians, parents, health officials, school officials, teachers’ unions and other groups are debating whether it’s safe for students to return to physical classrooms. Heidi Schweingruber, PhD, a developmental psychologist and director of the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, discusses a report on how sc...

Psilocybin, LSD and other psychedelic drugs were once considered promising treatments for depression, anxiety and other mental health ailments. Now, after a decades-long lull, researchers are once again looking into the therapeutic potential of these drugs. Roland Griffiths, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses new res...

The protests against racial injustice that have made headlines over the past month may be prompting some white Americans to consider—perhaps for the first time--the advantages they've benefited from all their lives. Brian Lowery, PhD, a senior associate dean at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, studies the psychology of racial privilege in the United States. He discusses the facto...

Over the past several months, millions of newly remote workers have found themselves juggling work and family responsibilities from hastily improvised home offices. Kristen Shockley, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, discusses her research on how these new teleworkers are adapting and talks about what the pandemic may mean for the future of remote work. Join us online Au...

For more than a week, protestors have filled the streets of cities and towns across the United States and even around the world, demanding an end to racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Lauren Duncan, PhD, a professor of psychology at Smith College and an expert on the psychology of protest and collective action, discusses why this is happening right now...

Why are some people more susceptible to conspiracy theories than others? Do people actually panic during disasters, like the pandemic? And are the brains of liberals and conservatives physiologically different? Dr. Jay Van Bavel, who directs NYU’s Social Perception and Evaluation Lab, answers these and other questions. Episode Links Jay Van Bavel, PhD APA COVID-19 Resources Speaking of Psychology...

As we enter month No. 3 of living under the COVID-19 lockdown, parents and their kids may be getting on each other’s nerves. Parents working from home may be battling with their children – and each other - for computer access. As youngsters try to finish their school year via remote learning, they may be upset that there will be no summer camp this year, and certainly no big out-of-town vacation....

With most of us still following shelter-in-place rules, getting mental health care for people who need it can be a challenge. Fortunately, many psychological practitioners have been offering telemental health services for years, using electronic and telecommunications technologies to engage in psychotherapy virtually or by phone. APA’s Dr. Jared Skillings explains how to get this care and discusse...

The coronavirus is keeping us from experiencing some of the deepest and most meaningful rituals of our lives, from graduations to weddings to funerals. What is this doing to us psychologically? How important are rituals to our mental health and well-being? Dr. Michael I. Norton, a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, talks about the many rituals he has studied and t...

College and university students around the country are dealing with distance learning as their campuses have been forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Sian Beilock, a psychologist and president of Barnard College in New York, explains how her school is helping students finish the academic year and prepare for the fall. For instances, classes are being offered multiple times a day to a...

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting new and unforeseen pressures on all of us. Whether it’s trying to telework while the kids are screaming in another room or dealing with the loss of a job, this new normal is taxing our inner resources. Dr. Ann Masten, a professor in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, has spent more than 40 years studying human resilience. She offers...

While we do not have a complete national picture, data from a few states and cities are showing that COVID-19 is disproportionately infecting African Americans and Latinos. Why is this so? And what can we do to alleviate these skewed proportions and flatten the curve. Listen to what APA’s Dr. Brian Smedley has to say about the underlying reasons for these disparities and what we need to do to miti...

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January. By March, most of us had been strongly advised – if not ordered -- to keep at least 6 feet away from other people in public and pretty much to confine ourselves to our homes. Since many of our regular activities and pastimes are now off-limits, what are we doing to fill the time? Are we bored yet? Are if we are bored, is t...

Are you worried about your financial future in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic? Even before the coronavirus struck, many of us were prone to do unwise things with our money. What, if anything, is the pandemic doing to that very human tendency? How can we work against our worst financial instincts while our lives are so chaotic? Our guest, Dr. Brad Klontz, is a financial psychologist and a certif...

Turn on the evening news or open a newspaper these days and there’s virtually nothing but COVID-19 coverage. The story is moving as rapidly as the coronavirus itself. To discuss what we should be doing as we learn more about the virus, we have invited back Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert on public perception of risk and human judgment. He talks about w...

The new coronavirus has upended our lives, compelling us to stay in our homes, keep our social distance and be wary of everything we touch. Some of us are teleworking but others have lost jobs. This global pandemic touches everyone and it is causing many of us to feel stress, anxiety and hypervigilance. Our guest, Dr. Lynn Bufka, senior director of practice research and policy at the American Psyc...

You may have heard about the internet debate on inner monologues recently. It all started from a tweet that went viral. That tweet said that some people have an internal narrative, and some don’t. What ensued were thousands of comments, retweets and news stories on the topic. Turns out that people have a lot to say about their inner voices. According to our guest for this episode, University of Mi...

Do you remember the last time you woke up during the work week without an alarm clock? When you didn’t need caffeine to get going? If you can’t, you’re certainly not alone. Most of us fall short of the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep nightly and an estimated 50 million to 70 million Americans of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds suffer from sleep-related problems, according to the A...

Drinking is ubiquitous in American culture today. It’s hard to go out and not see people imbibing. In the midst of all this booze, there is a burgeoning movement in the opposite direction: Sobriety is having a moment in the spotlight. For the sober-curious crowd, this can mean taking a break from alcohol for a set period or it can mean quitting altogether. Either way, according to addiction resear...

Ghosting is a heartbreaking fact in the modern dating world. It’s when a friend or someone you’ve been dating disappears from contact with no explanation. Ghosting can shatter self-esteem and hurt just as much as physical pain. Our guest is psychologist Jennice Vilhauer, PhD, who wrote the popular Psychology Today articles “Why Ghosting Hurts So Much” and “Did the Internet Break Love?” Join us onl...

Fear about the coronavirus has gripped the world. While nearly all cases have been in China, that has not stopped people in other countries from worrying. This new illness certainly is frightening and needs attention, but it’s important to note that far more people die from an illness that’s all too familiar – the seasonal flu. Why are we so afraid of this novel coronavirus when we are much more l...

Even though winter can be a bear, most of us just bundle up, get through it or embrace it and find ways to get outside and stay active. But as many as six out of every 100 people in the U.S. experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD. It’s more than just the winter blues – it can be very difficult for people who suffer from it and this stretch of winter, January and February, tends to be...