Speaking of Psychology

About 6% of U.S. women ages 15 to 44 experience infertility, with many of those reporting that infertility is the most upsetting experience of their lives. Dr. Angela Lawson helps us separate fact from fiction when it comes to infertility, a complicated and often uncomfortable topic that people don’t always talk about.

Join us online August 6-8 for APA 2020 Virtual.

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Why do some people buy so much, while others shun that lifestyle for simplicity or to save? How do brands reach into our psyches to get us to pull out our wallets and credit cards? What are some of the motivations behind companies that try to appeal to our sense of social responsibility to get us to spend? Our guest is psychologist Kit Yarrow, PhD, an expert on consumer behavior and professor emerita at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She studies why and how people shop and buy and how companies can best meet consumer needs.

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Fake news, 2017’s word of the year and recent edition to the Oxford English Dictionary, has become a widespread problem. This episode of Speaking of Psychology discusses how this phenomenon of intentionally spreading fabricated content and presenting it as factual is impacting our views of the world and why that matters.

Recorded live at APA 2019 in Chicago with Vaile Wright, PhD, as guest host.

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Some of us recall high school as being filled with fun parties, football games and flirting while others think back to that time with a shudder and are just glad it’s over. But is it really over? Does our social status as teens follow us for the rest of our lives? Can we raise today’s children and teens differently in our ever-status-obsessed culture? Our guest is Mitch Prinstein, PhD, distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who wrote "Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Kinds of Relationships.”

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Why do some people scarf down anchovies by the pound while others recoil at the thought of a tuna fish sandwich? Why do the textures of certain foods, like mushrooms, turn people off? Not only is taste a biologically complex experience, it is quite psychological. Our guest is psychologist Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, an international leader in taste research, who is the Bushnell professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida and director for psychophysical research at the university’s Center for Smell and Taste.

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The crisis at the U.S. southern border shows no signs of stopping and the system designed to serve immigrants and refugees is overwhelmed and ill-prepared to handle the influx of people. Psychologists all around the country have been moved to help with the growing humanitarian crisis by providing mental health and advocacy services and forensic psychological evaluations to these vulnerable people. Our guest for this episode is psychologist Claudette Antuña, PsyD, a volunteer forensic psychological evaluator at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project where she provides pro-bono evaluations that have helped hundreds of immigrants.

Read the Monitor on Psychology article on this topic: http://www.apa.org/advocacy/immigration/tackling-immigration-crisis

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Suicide rates in the U.S. climbed in all but one state from 1999 to 2016, according to a CDC report from June 2018. This alarming report and notable celebrity suicide deaths like Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have pushed this topic further into the national spotlight. Psychologist Samuel Knapp, EdD, discusses the factors that cause people to die from suicide, the effects of past trauma on mental health and how psychologists can successfully treat suicidal patients. Suicide is the cover story for the July/August issue of the Monitor on Psychology, APA’s magazine for members. Read the story at apa.org/Monitor.

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The clothes we put on everyday tell a story about who we are to the world and can have a major impact on our emotions and mood. Cognitive psychologist Carolyn Mair, PhD, who created the psychology of fashion department at the London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts London, explains the psychology behind our fashion choices and why psychologists are needed to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry now and in the future.

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Every day in America, 130 people die from overdosing on opioids and an estimated two million people around the country are grappling with opioid addiction and it is devastating families and communities. In the face of these grim statistics, APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, explains how psychologists can offer new solutions to help end the opioid epidemic, including non-pharmaceutical treatment for pain and other interventions.

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Americans spend nearly half of the day interacting with screens of all kinds -- smartphones, televisions and computers, according to a recent Nielsen report. While these technologies have made our lives better in many ways, it is easier than ever to become addicted to screens. Guest Adam Alter, PhD, author of "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked" discusses the dark side of screen time and how our devices are affecting our well-being and happiness.

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Anxiety among teens and young adults is rising, and studies have shown that it has skyrocketed in girls. One study found that the number of girls who often felt nervous, worried or fearful jumped by 55 percent over a five-year period. What factors are behind rising stress and anxiety in girls and what can we do about it? Our guest is Dr. Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist and executive director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls. She has a new book out called "Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls."

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As we grapple with a warming world and increasingly unstable weather, our mental health is at risk. Psychologists say that stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD will increase as climate change’s physical impacts accelerate, as many scientists predict. Is there anything we can do to mitigate the mental health risks of climate change? Our guest for this episode is Dr. Susan Clayton, a professor of psychology and environmental studies at The College of Wooster.

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Is your gut a second brain? Emerging research is showing that our brains and our gastrointestinal systems may be more connected than we previously thought – potentially holding profound influence over our moods, mental health and sense of well-being. Our guests are Faith Dickerson, PhD, a psychologist who researches the role of infectious and immune factors in serious mental illness, and Emeran Mayer, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on brain-gut interactions in GI disorders.

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We spend a significant portion of our lives at work and feeling miserable on the job can be detrimental to our mental and physical health and productivity. A work environment that is psychologically healthy is one that focuses on employees’ health and well-being and the bottom line. Our guests for this episode are David Ballard, PsyD, who leads APA’s Office of Applied Psychology, and Bryce Veon, president and CEO of Autosoft, a winner of our 2019 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards.

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In the aftermath of the New Zealand mosque attacks, we explore the psychological factors that cause a person to commit heinous acts of mass violence, technology’s role in spreading extremist propaganda and what governments and communities can do to prevent terrorism. The guest for this episode is Arie W. Kruglanski, PhD, an APA fellow and distinguished university professor in psychology at the University of Maryland, who is an expert on terrorism, radicalization and deradicalization.

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The college admissions bribery scandal has generated a lot of conversations about the role of affluence and privilege in higher education. What would cause a parent to go to such great lengths to ensure their child’s spot at a prestigious university? What does this tell us about our high-pressure society? Our guest for this bonus episode is Suniya S. Luthar, PhD, foundation professor of psychology at Arizona State University, and an expert on affluence, resilience and adolescent development.

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Dopamine is known as the chemical of love, creativity and addiction. It pushes us to achieve greatness, but it can also lead to our downfall. To help us understand this tricky molecule, the guests for this episode are Dr. Daniel Lieberman, professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University, and Michael Long, a speechwriter, screenwriter and playwright who teaches writing at Georgetown University. They co-wrote a book called The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, Creativity – and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race.

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We all want to find meaning in our lives, our reason to get up in the morning, yet doing so may not be easy. What is meaning in life and how do we find it for ourselves? The guest for this episode is Clara Hill, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland and author of Meaning in Life: A Therapist’s Guide.

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Half of Americans say they are lonely and the average person reports having only one close friend. Loneliness can also make us sick, contributing to heart disease, depression, suicide and cognitive decline. Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, explains the science behind why social connectedness is so essential for our health.

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2018 was the worst year the U.S. stock market has seen since 2008 and worries about the economy are continuing in 2019. How do you deal with anxiety in a volatile market? Psychologist Frank Murtha, PhD, co-founder of MarketPsych, a consulting firm to the financial industry, explains how to calm stock market fears and ways to build a savvy investor identity.

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Sharing your expertise with the world on YouTube and other social media platforms can be both thrilling and terrifying. If you want to know where to start, look no further than Ali Mattu, PhD. He’s a licensed clinical psychologist and creator of “The Psych Show” whose videos have been watched over 700,000 times. Mattu gives advice on where to begin, how to overcome impostor syndrome and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

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We all dream yet many of us don’t know what to make of our nocturnal adventures. Dream scholar Deirdre Barrett, PhD, explains why we dream and what our dreams may be trying to tell us. She also offers tips on how to better remember your dreams to harness the power of your sleeping mind.

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Worried about making it through your next holiday gathering without it devolving into a political screaming match? Get advice from the experts, APA's Dr. Lynn Bufka and Dr. Jeanne Safer, host of the podcast, "I Love You But I Hate Your Politics."

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Philip Zimbardo, PhD, is one of the most recognizable names in the field of psychology. In this episode, Zimbardo discusses recent criticism of his controversial 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment as well as his other work on time, shyness, men and heroism.

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Headline issues, from immigration to sexual assault, are causing significant stress for teens and young adults in Generation Z with mass shootings topping the list of stressful current events and more than two-thirds of adults reported feeling major stress about the nation’s future, according to the 2018 APA Stress in America™ report. APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, explains the findings and shares coping strategies to combat stress.

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The national conversation on opioids focuses mostly on abuse and overdose deaths but there are millions of Americans using opioids to manage chronic pain. Can integrating psychological approaches into pain care offer some patients low-risk pain treatment options? Beth Darnall, PhD, from Stanford University, explains how psychology and mindfulness can treat pain and help people with chronic pain live better lives.

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Love. We all want it but sustaining that spark can be difficult in our hectic world, especially with life stressors beyond our control. How do we find love and keep the passion alive throughout the years? Relationship expert Benjamin Karney, PhD, from the UCLA Marriage Lab shares valuable insights.

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Smartphones allow us to connect with loved ones, keep us informed and entertained and on time for our meetings, but they are also negatively affecting our attention spans, relationships, sleep and mental health. What if smartphones could be used to monitor our mental health and wellbeing? You guessed it. There’s an app for that.

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"Something Happened In Our Town" is a children’s book about racial injustice from Magination Press, APA’s children's books imprint. The story follows two families — one white, one black — as they discuss the police shooting of a black man in their community. The story aims to answer children's questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives.

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How people interact with robots is influenced by the robots’ characteristics. Whether a robot has eyes or arms or a human-like voice affects our response to them. Jeff Hancock, PhD, has studied the research to date on social robots and learned that robots’ perceived warmth and competence have the strongest effect.

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Internet of Things devices such as smart televisions and thermostats often lack adequate built-in security, leading to privacy and safety risks not commonly understood by consumers. John Blythe, PhD, argues that a labelling scheme for these devices will provide consumers with a clear picture of the security of an IoT device and help them to choose technology that meets their security and privacy needs.

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Every day, we are all called on to make online security decisions. Psychologist Emma Williams studies the contexts in which we make these decisions in an effort to develop safer practices.

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Looking at large numbers of social media postings in aggregate can tell us quite a bit about Americans’ mental state. Sharath Guntuku, PhD, has analyzed the language in tweets to identify regional variations in stress and well-being.

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Social physics is the idea of using statistics to quantify and manage change in culture. This idea inspired the modern national census, but the difficulty of acquiring data limited what could be accomplished. Today’s technology produces a continuous trail of digital breadcrumbs that allow human behavior to be examined even in complex natural environments. Alexander “Sandy” Pentland, PhD, discusses how large-scale studies can be used to predict and shape a wide range of important common behaviors.

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Conventional wisdom says that impressionable individuals will imitate all kinds of behaviors they see in movies and on TV — including suicide, especially in the wake of the TV series "13 Reasons Why." But is there such a thing as suicide contagion? The evidence is weak, according to Christopher Ferguson, PhD, who details a scientific review he conducted to try to answer that question.

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Several technology and automotive companies are already testing highly automated vehicles on public roads, and many automobiles can be driven with the assistance of semi-automated systems. Through the development of these systems, significant public attention has been placed on the promise of removing drivers from the vehicle; however, more limited focus has been drawn to the role of people in automated vehicle systems. David Friedman discusses how automation inside and outside vehicles may shape the future of self-driving cars.

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Touchscreen use among children is ubiquitous. But how much is too much, and is there an age before which you shouldn’t hand a child a smartphone or tablet? Roberta Golinkoff, PhD, discusses how this relatively new technology can help young children learn and why it’s different from television and books.

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Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini, PhD, talks about his formidable body of work developing and understanding what he calls the six universal principles of influence.

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Climate change will have significant psychological effects on many people, including older adults, according to a report published by the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica. In this episode, Michael Smyer, PhD, talks about how to get older adults to move from anxiety to action in reducing the effects of climate change.

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Since 1980, obesity in the United States has doubled among children ages 2 to 4, and nearly tripled among children and adolescents ages 6 to 19. In this episode, Eleanor Mackey, PhD, talks about why improving eating habits among children and teens should be a family affair.

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For decades, psychologists have been studying what makes people good leaders. But it isn’t just about possessing certain leadership traits. In this episode, Alice Eagly, PhD, talks about how stereotypes grounded in everyday psychological observations and stereotypes affect how women are perceived as leaders and how society can change those perceptions.

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Talking to loved ones about important end-of-life decisions can spark a complicated land mine of emotions. So much so, many people put it off until it’s too late. In this episode, Brian Carpenter, PhD, talks about why it’s important to have these conversations and how to approach these discussions successfully.

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Feminist discussions are often aimed at adults, while girls tend to be left out of the conversation. In this episode, Gayle Pitman, PhD, talks about her new book, “Feminism: A to Z,” and how parents and teachers can use a feminist theory and perspective to give teenage girls the support, courage and energy to face the challenges of adolescence.

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It defies intuition to think innocent people would confess to a crime they did not commit. But, research has shown that everyone has a breaking point. In this episode, Saul Kassin, PhD, talks about the psychology behind false confessions and how law enforcement officials and legislators can take steps to prevent them.

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Mental preparation can affect performance, whether you're preparing for a big test at school or competing at the Olympics. In this episode, Steve Portenga, PhD, talks about the psychology behind performing at your best and how to help overachievers handle stress.

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Protecting children from sadness, anxiety and stress is a natural instinct for many adults. But, finding ways to help them address these inevitable obstacles to happiness is a challenge parents, teachers and other caregivers have to face head on. In this episode, Bonnie Zucker, PsyD, talks about how to explain death to young children as well as the research into the effectiveness of relaxation and mindfulness techniques for kids.

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Married people are often considered to be happier and healthier, while single people are often stereotyped as being isolated, self-centered and unhappy. But what if these are myths? In this episode, psychologist Bella DePaulo, PhD, talks about the benefits of remaining unattached and calls on psychology to pay more attention to why certain single people do, in fact, thrive.

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Fear and anxiety are part of most normal children’s lives. But how do we know when anxiety is a problem in need of professional help? In this episode, Golda Ginsburg, PhD, talks about how to recognize the signs of an anxiety disorder in your child and what are the most effective, evidence-based treatments.

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Are terrorists flooding into our country? Are we facing an epidemic of mass shootings and violence? Whatever your thoughts are on gun control or terrorism, psychologists who study human behavior, specifically thrill-seeking and risk taking behaviors, have a lot to contribute to the discussion. In this episode, Frank Farley, PhD, talks about why mental health experts need to be on the front lines of violence prevention efforts.

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Political elections ought to bring out the good in people – aren’t they a chance to talk about plans and hopes for the future? But lately they have come to resemble brawls on a playground. When did it become OK to wave insulting signs at rallies or call candidates ugly names? Why are so many candidates focusing on the personal instead of policy? In this episode, Jonathan Haidt, PhD, talks about incivility in politics and how psychological research can help us understand each other a little better and return civility to politics.

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