Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Ep 217: Let's Be Honest: Is Your Dog Really Displaying Intelligence?

It's easy to find videos on the web of animals showing what appears to be some pretty smart behavior. But is it really "smarts"?  How can you tell? In this episode I'll point out examples that look like intelligence but probably aren't - as well...

Ep 216 (video): YouTube Power Search Tips

Find Exactly What You Want on YouTube

Ep 216: Working Remotely - the Psychological Advantages and Disadvantages

The idea of working from home sounds great - but be aware of the downside.  In this episode of The Psych Files I talk about what factors influence your job satisfaction and motivation when you work from home.  I also discuss the interesting...

Ep 215: What Was Life Like in an Asylum?

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a patient in an "insane asylum"?  "Asylums" changed names over the years (including "State Hospital" and "Psychiatric Center") and so did the treatment o fate mentally ill.  Hear from Dr....

Ep 214: Your Adolescence is Giving Me A Mid Life Crisis

We all know that adolescence is a time of change and often a tough time for the teen.  But what about the parent?  Today's parents are often older than years ago, and today's parents are sometimes going through their own self-examination,...

Ep 213: Leveraging Our Natural Curiosity for Learning and for Blog Clicks

We don't have to pay you to get you to do things - you're already a curious person.  How does our attraction to puzzles, questions, and unsolved mysteries get used to get us to click on videos or blog posts?  And how can it be used to get...

Ep 212: The Psychology of The Matrix Movie

What are the psychological themes in the movie the Matrix?  In this episode I talk about connections between the Matrix and Jung's idea of the Collective Unconscious, Joseph Campbell's notion of the Hero's Journey and some recent research that...

Ep 211: Is a Little Deception Okay? Paid Crowds and Native Advertising

We face more moral "dilemmas" in everyday life than maybe we realize.  How do we resolve them?  In this episode I discuss two interesting moral dilemmas: a) should you employ for-hire crowds of actors to attend your event in order to make it...

Brain Mnemonics video for bn2 app

Ep 210: How to Memorize Kolhberg's Stages of Moral Development

Need to memorize Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development really quickly?  This is what you're looking for - a brief audio podcast in which I give you some crazy images that will stick in your mind for a really long time.  You'll be...

Ep 209: If Freud Worked in Tech Support

In this actual fake recording we hear how Freud might have handled your call to an anonymous technical support service.  Can you identify each of the following Freudian techniques in this episode?

Ep 208: The Elaboration Likelihood Model in Less Than 2 Minutes

The elaboration likelihood model is complicated name for a not too complicated idea.  In this under 2 minute video I explain the key idea.  

Ep 207 (audio): The Psychology of Vine

Ep 207: The Psychology of Vine

Would you believe there's a lot of psychology you can fit into a 6 second vine?  Well there is.  In this video episode I show you a few of there vines I like and which are also good (unintended) demonstrates of a variety of psychological...

Ep 206: What It's Like to Have Autism - Interview with Alex Lowrey

Its time to hear from someone who has been diagnosed with autism what life is like.  Alex Lowery joins us to talk about growing up with autism - about the heightened sensations, the frustrations of not being understood and what has helped him get...

Ep 205: Secondhand Autism: What is it Like to Grow Up with an Autistic Sibling?

In this interview with Paul Brodie, author of Secondhand Autism, we talk about what it is like to grow up in a family with an autistic individual.  As you can imagine, there are challenges, but ultimately there lessons to be learned about life....

Ep 204: The Psychology of Fundraising

How do you use psychology persuasion techniques to get people to contribute to your cause?  That's what I discuss in this episode of The Psych Files.  I'm trying to help my friend raise money and in doing so I employed a number of persuasion...

Ep 203: Psychology of Dance

What are psychologists doing watching dancers?  They're trying to get a better understanding of how a dancer's emotions affect the way they move.  These researchers used some sophisticated equipment - including a motion capture apparatus -...

Ep 202 (audio): How To Memorize Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development

Need to memorize Freud's stages for a test?  Here's a mnemonic that should do the trick.  This is the audio version of video episode 202 in which the founder of psychoanalysis gives you a mnemonic and explains the 5 stages for you. ...

Ep 202: How To Memorize Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development

Need to memorize Freud's stages for a test?  Here's a mnemonic that should do the trick.  In this brief video, the founder of psychoanalysis gives you a mnemonic and explains the 5 stages for you.  Make sure to check out these other...