Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Michael Britt

Learn how theories in psychology affect you in everyday life. Upbeat and interesting podcasts from experienced psychology teacher Michael Britt give you a bit more insight into you and your life.

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390 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes390

Newest first

Jan 18, 2024 · 30 min
Episode 64: Self Help Book - How To Tell if It's Any Good
Self Help books: why are there so many out there? How do you choose? Can they cure depression? Help you lose weight? Stop smoking? Can they replace psychotherapy? Find out how to weed out the best self-help book from all the others. Here's a list of...
Aug 8, 2023 · 18 min
How to Remember Names
It's hard to remember names - here's how to do it. You'll use your imagination and some weird imagery - but this works. Here's another great use of mnemonics. I'll give you a bunch of people's names and describe the images I created to help me...
Jun 29, 2023 · 30 min
Part 2: How Do Actors Memorize All Those Lines?
Here is part 2 of my interview with author and actor Jared Kelner. In this episode he tells how he uses the DSM (Diagnotic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in his work as an actor. We also talk a little more about his use of mnemonic...
Jun 10, 2023 · 33 min
How Do Actors Memorize Lines? Interview With Jared Kelner
You have no doubt asked yourself this question after watching a play: "How did those actors memorize all those lines?". In previous episodes of The Psych Files I have discussed a few of the techniques actors use to do this, but on this episode I have...
Apr 10, 2023 · 13 min
Do Brain Training Games Work?
You've probably heard about these Brain Training games. Do they really help you keep your mind sharp? Will they prevent cognitive decline as you get older or will they slow the effects of Alzheimer's disease? In this episode I review some recent...
Apr 6, 2023 · 4 min
How Actors Use the "Number-Shape" Mnemonic Technique
Another of my episodes on mnemonic techniques you can use for just about any purpose. I recently discovered a pegword system in a great book called, "". It's a book for actors that was written by a memory expert like myself, Jared Kelner. Check out...
Mar 29, 2023 · 33 min
Questionable Research - With A Famous Psychologist Involved
Might you be able to rid yourself of an illness by "turning back the clock"? That is, by immersing yourself in a time in your life when you were not ill? We know that thinking about things in a positive way - which we sometimes call "reframing" can...
Mar 24, 2023 · 4 min
Actors Use Keywords to Memorize Lines
I explain how the keyword mnemonic technique can help actors memorize their lines. It's an effective and fun strategy you can use in the beginning when you're first learning lines, or during performance if something really unexpected happens and...
Mar 15, 2023 · 16 min
Human Emotions: The Two Factor Theory
Where do our emotions come from? From our thoughts? Or do they begin somewhere else – like in our bodies? This week we look at the work of James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter and Singer. Also, I review two classic studies in the history of...
Mar 7, 2023 · 28 min
Games and Videos as Therapeutic Tools: Dr. Anna Vagin (part 2)
In part 2 of my interview with Dr. Anna Vagin, she talks about some of the videos she uses to help kids and teens better understand the emotions and challenges of characters in the videos and how those characters dealt with their difficult situations....
Feb 22, 2023 · 20 min
Using TableTop Games and Videos in Therapy: Interview with Anna Vagin
In part 1 of my interview with Anna Vagin, Ph.D. we talk about how she uses games and videos as part of her work with children and adolescents. I think you’ll be surprised how Dr. Vagin uses short videos she finds on YouTube in her sessions. These...
Jan 13, 2023 · 13 min
How Psychology Gets You To Slow Down While Driving
How can we use a little psychology to get you to slow down when you’re driving? You’d be surprised. Very often road signs like “Slow” or a posted speed limit of, say 20 mph does not work. Drivers go past these signs and nothing bad happens so...
Jan 12, 2023 · 22 min
The TV Show Luther, Logical Thinking and Crinkly Plates to Lose Weight
Here’s a new piece of weight-loss advice: eat on a crinkly plate! Um…sounds weird. It is kinda, but we’ll explore why this might be a good bit of advice. We’ll also take a minute and a half sound byte from the TV show Luther and wring all...
Dec 4, 2022 · 27 min
The Psychology of Tipping
How can waiters increase their tips? Would you believe psychologists have devoted a great deal of research to this question? We've looked at the effect of smiley faces, touching, crouching, telling jokes, giving customers a fun task to do, and drawing...
Nov 26, 2022 · 29 min
How Smart Do You Want Your Fitness Tracker to Be?
Fitness tracking devices are getting smarter. They're going to have to get a lot smarter if they are going to be powerful tools in your quest to be fit. But how much more "smart" do we really want them to get? Today they keep track of your steps and...
Nov 12, 2022 · 11 min
How to Prevent Violence in Your Neighborhood
Passengers on an airplane spring to action when a stewardess needs help – but a neighborhood in New York City does very little when a woman is attacked. What’s different ? How can we take what we learn from the airplane and apply it to the attack?...
Oct 4, 2022 · 35 min
Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 2)
In part 2 of my interview with Adele Faber, co-author along with Elaine Mazlish of “How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk” we talk about what do do when you’ve got nothing left emotionally to give to your children, how to...
Oct 4, 2022 · 26 min
Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 1)
Are you familiar with Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish‘s classic book “How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk“? You should be. It’s not just for parents. The ideas in this book and in their other books should be required...
Sep 26, 2022 · 30 min
Racial Divide: Why Does It Happen? How We Can Fix It
Why does conflict emerge as it did in Baltimore among the police and the African-American community? Is it caused by poor parenting? Poverty? Joblessness? I provide a psychological perspective on the situation. I look at how stereotypes develop and...
Sep 7, 2022 · 37 min
What is Music Therapy?
Interested in Music Therapy? Music therapy, which is often used with children with autism, can also be used in the classroom to help children learn patterns. In this interview music therapist Kamile Geist talks about types and techniques of music...

Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Episode 64: Self Help Book - How To Tell if It's Any Good

How to Remember Names

Part 2: How Do Actors Memorize All Those Lines?

How Do Actors Memorize Lines? Interview With Jared Kelner

Do Brain Training Games Work?

How Actors Use the "Number-Shape" Mnemonic Technique

Questionable Research - With A Famous Psychologist Involved

Actors Use Keywords to Memorize Lines

Human Emotions: The Two Factor Theory

Games and Videos as Therapeutic Tools: Dr. Anna Vagin (part 2)

Using TableTop Games and Videos in Therapy: Interview with Anna Vagin

How Psychology Gets You To Slow Down While Driving

The TV Show Luther, Logical Thinking and Crinkly Plates to Lose Weight

The Psychology of Tipping

How Smart Do You Want Your Fitness Tracker to Be?

How to Prevent Violence in Your Neighborhood

Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 2)

Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 1)

Racial Divide: Why Does It Happen? How We Can Fix It

What is Music Therapy?