Asking around, one would be hard pressed to find an individual who’s never fielded the question, “what’s your favorite color?” Some people prefer shades of yellow reminiscent of sunshine, hues of red that evoke a feeling of power, or calming tones of blue. Though one’s favorite color is not a reliable metric for determining facts […]
Tag Archives: Psychology
The Language and Psychology of Modern “Cults”
posted by Jacqueline Mosko
We use the term “cult” loosely in today’s colloquial language. Ask around, and you might hear the opinion that people who religiously attend expensive spin classes or CrossFit are in a cult. MLM’s (multi-level marketing schemes) are a cult. Academia is a cult! As a member of the cult of academia, I promise I am […]
The Fear of Missing Out
posted by Jacqueline Mosko
There is no shortage of slang to be found on the internet. In recent years, a piece of slang in the form of an acronym has piqued my interest – FOMO. This acronym stands for “fear of missing out,” and is something I am certain most people can relate to. Despite its prolific use in […]
A review: “How Emotions are Made” by Lisa Feldman Barrett
posted by Desi Chu
Take a moment and think about the last time you saw someone cry, or broke into a fit of laughter with your friends. It’s memories like these that last the longest in our minds and ultimately make up who we are – our ability to feel a vast range of emotions, and to share those […]
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
posted by Margot Wagner
What is anxiety? Many of us know how it feels; our heart rate increases, our minds race, our palms get sweaty. Maybe it’s before giving a speech or taking a big exam. Maybe it’s because we have so many work deadlines that we’re convinced our bosses think we don’t sleep. Anxiety is an incredibly common […]
Is Addiction a Disease?
posted by Nicholas A. Nelson
While it may not seem obvious, this question carries a great deal of emotional weight to sufferers of addiction, as well as their families and friends. The answer to one question – Is addiction a disease? – seems to hold the answer to yet another question: Are many of the hurtful things I’ve done […]
Interview with an Oxford Food Psychologist
posted by Meghan Rossi
The surprising ways our brains steer our eating experiences, and how to use them to our advantage According to Dr. Charles Spence, when it comes to experiencing food, taste is the least important factor. But can that really be true? To learn about food psychology – or how our brains process multisensory information about what […]
Stop, You’re Making Me Blush
posted by UCSDNeuro
I want to take you back to the most embarrassing moment of your life. Come on, you know what that was. For some people it was giving a presentation in front of a large audience. For some it involved saying or doing something really stupid, perhaps in front of someone you were attracted to; it […]
Fear IT
posted by elena vicario
There’s nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight – Lon Chaney [En español] With Halloween just around the corner and the latest clown craze hitting American and United Kingdom cities, it seems like a great time to talk about clowns. More specifically, about fear of clowns, which I recently found out there’s a term for: […]
Real Jedi Mind Tricks: The Psychology of Mind Control
posted by Alie Astrocyte
[En Español] Welcome, my young padawans, to Star Wars week. Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out THIS Friday, and the neurds on our team decided that it was a perfect opportunity to do one of our favorite things: connect neuroscience with pop culture! First up: real-world Jedi Mind Tricks. In Star Wars: A New […]
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