…

Speaking of Psychology

…

American Psychological Association

"Speaking of Psychology" is an audio podcast series highlighting some of the latest, most important and relevant psychological research being conducted today. Produced by the American Psychological Association, these podcasts will help listeners apply the science of psychology to their everyday lives.

#217

Are we in a ‘loneliness pandemic’? With Louise Hawkley, PhD

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 <a href= "https://www.norc.org/Experts/Pages/louise-hawkley.aspx">Louise Hawkley, PhD</a> <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com) ... Read more

11 May 2022

37 MINS

37:03

11 May 2022

#216

Is technology killing empathy? With Sherry Turkle, PhD

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 [Sherry Turkle, PhD] (https://sherryturkle.mit.edu) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com) ... Read more

04 May 2022

43 MINS

43:18

04 May 2022

#215

What psychology has to say about art, with Ellen Winner, PhD

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: <a href= "https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/office-of-university-communications/for-the-media/boston-college-faculty-experts/ellen-winner.html"> Ellen Winner, PhD</a> <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor: [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com) ... Read more

27 Apr 2022

41 MINS

41:48

27 Apr 2022

#214

How exercise benefits the brain, with Jenny Etnier, PhD

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: <a href= "https://kin.uncg.edu/about-us/our-faculty/jenny-etnier/">Jenny Entier, PhD</a> <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor: [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com) ... Read more

20 Apr 2022

30 MINS

30:49

20 Apr 2022

#213

Surviving the trauma of war in Ukraine, with Laura Murray, PhD

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 living through war. Links: <a href= "https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/2085/laura-k-murray">Laura Murray, PhD</a> <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor: [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com) ... Read more

13 Apr 2022

36 MINS

36:07

13 Apr 2022

#212

How to keep stress from harming your health, with George Slavich, PhD

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 <a href= "https://www.uclastresslab.org/people/george-m-slavich-ph-d/">George Slavich, PhD</a> [Stress in America Survey] (https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress) [Stress effects on the body] (https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> Sponsor [Newport Healthcare] (https://www.newporthealthcare.com/) ... Read more

06 Apr 2022

47 MINS

47:13

06 Apr 2022

#211

How grieving changes the brain, with Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD

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] (https://www.maryfrancesoconnor.com) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> ... Read more

30 Mar 2022

33 MINS

33:56

30 Mar 2022

#210

How to Keep Anger from Getting the Best of You with Howard Kassinove, PhD, and Raymond “Chip” Tafrat...

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 catharsis can do more harm than good. Links <a href= "https://www.hofstra.edu/academics/colleges/hclas/psy/phdcp/phdcp_faculty_kassinove.html"> Howard Kassinove, PhD</a> [Raymond “Chip” Tafrate, PhD] (https://www2.ccsu.edu/faculty/TafrateR?p=0) [APA Psychology Topics - Anger] (https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Home Page</a> ... Read more

23 Mar 2022

42 MINS

42:08

23 Mar 2022

#209

Why psychopathy is more common than you think, with Abigail Marsh, PhD

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 that underlie both psychopathy and its opposite, extraordinary altruism. Links [Abigail Marsh, PhD] (https://abigailmarsh.com) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Website</a> ... Read more

16 Mar 2022

42 MINS

42:56

16 Mar 2022

#208

Ambiguous loss and the “myth of closure,” with Pauline Boss, PhD

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] (https://www.ambiguousloss.com) <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Home Page</a> ... Read more

09 Mar 2022

29 MINS

29:08

09 Mar 2022

#207

How our siblings influence our lives, with Laurie Kramer, PhD, and Megan Gilligan, PhD

Our brothers and sisters are our first friends and first rivals, and the relationships that we have with our siblings are often the longest lasting relationships of our lives. Laurie Kramer, PhD, of Northeastern University, and Megan Gilligan, PhD, of Iowa State University, talk about how our siblings influence our lives from childhood through adulthood, how parents can help foster close relationships among their children, and what people can do in adulthood to maintain and improve relationships with their own siblings. Show Links <a href= "https://bouve.northeastern.edu/bchs/directory/laurie-kramer/">Laurie Kramer, PhD</a> <a href= "https://hs.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mgilliga.pdf">Megan Gilligan, PhD</a> <a href= "https://www.funwithsistersandbrothers.org">funwithsistersandbrothers.org</a> <a href= "https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology">Speaking of Psychology Homepage</a> ... Read more

02 Mar 2022

40 MINS

40:19

02 Mar 2022

#206

Poker, con artists and the psychology of risk and deception, with Maria Konnikova, PhD

Why do intelligent people give money to self-proclaimed psychics or get sucked into Ponzi schemes? Why are most of us so bad at judging risk? Journalist, psychologist and professional poker player Maria Konnikova, PhD, author of the “The Biggest Bluff” and “The Confidence Game,” talks about why anyone can fall for a con, the psychology of risk, and how her knowledge of psychology did—and didn’t—help her at the poker table. Links [Maria Konnikova, PhD] (https://www.mariakonnikova.com) ... Read more

23 Feb 2022

41 MINS

41:52

23 Feb 2022

#205

Fighting the stigma of mental illness, with Patrick Corrigan, PsyD

Despite how common mental illness is, people with mental illness often keep their diagnosis a closely guarded secret in the face of widespread stigma and discrimination. Patrick Corrigan, PhD, editor of APA’s journal Stigma and Health, discusses where this stigma comes from, how it affects people’s lives, why it’s important for those with mental illness to share their stories, and whether or not celebrities’ new openness about mental health is decreasing stigma. ... Read more

16 Feb 2022

31 MINS

31:58

16 Feb 2022

#204

What makes love last? With Arthur Aron, PhD

Most of us expect the intensity of new love to fade over time. But some couples remain deeply in love for the long haul, even after years or decades together. What sets those relationships apart? Are some couples just lucky? Or are there things that you can do to sustain love, or rekindle it, in any long-term relationship? Dr. Arthur Aron, of Stonybrook University, discusses what the science says about the secrets of long-term love. Links Arthur Aron, PhD - <a href= "https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/psychology/faculty/faculty_profiles/aaron"> https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/psychology/faculty/faculty_profiles/aaron</a> 36 Questions in Love - <a href= "http://36questionsinlove.com">http://36questionsinlove.com</a> Sponsor Love Crunch <a href= "https://naturespath.com/love-crunch">https://naturespath.com/love-crunch</a> Get 14% all Love Crunch products during the month of February Use promo code love14 ... Read more

09 Feb 2022

35 MINS

35:26

09 Feb 2022

#203

Why we choose to suffer, with Paul Bloom, PhD

Why do people like to watch scary movies or listen to sad songs? We do we run marathons and raise children, even though both of those pursuits come with struggle and pain? Dr. Paul Bloom discusses why suffering is linked to meaning in life, the connection between pleasure and pain, and the difference between chosen and unchosen suffering. Links Paul Bloom, PhD - <a href= "https://psychology.yale.edu/people/paul-bloom">https://psychology.yale.edu/people/paul-bloom</a> Speaking of Psychology - <a href= "https://www.apa.org/speakingofpsychology">https://www.apa.org/speakingofpsychology</a> ... Read more

02 Feb 2022

20 MINS

20:36

02 Feb 2022

#202

Why is it so hard for adults to make friends? With Maris Franco, PhD

As an adult, making new friends – and maintaining old friendships – can be tough. Life is busy and friends end up taking a backseat to other relationships and responsibilities. Dr. Marisa Franco, psychologist and friendship expert, talks about how to make new friends and strengthen and rekindle old friendship ties, why Americans’ friendship networks are shrinking, the differences between men’s and women’s friendships, and more. ... Read more

26 Jan 2022

29 MINS

29:35

26 Jan 2022

#201

The people who never forget a face, with Josh Davis, PhD, and Kelly Desborough

Super-recognizers have an extraordinary ability to recognize faces – they can pick faces they’ve seen only briefly out of a crowd and can recognize childhood acquaintances they haven’t seen in decades. Dr. Josh Davis, a professor of applied psychology at the University of Greenwich, and super-recognizer Kelly Desborough, discuss the origins of this ability, why you can’t train yourself to be a super-recognizer, how super-recognizers compare with facial-recognition algorithms, and why security organizations are interested in working with super-recognizers. ... Read more

19 Jan 2022