The Psych Files - Michael Britt

Latest Episodes:

Ep 157: Do Pets and Religion Make You Happier? Aug 10, 2011

Show notes

You hear a lot these days about how pets make us happy. This is called the "pet effect". But is it so? The answer appears to be a qualified yes. But in what ways do pets make us happy? How strong is their effect on our lives? Also, how about religion? We also hear that religious people are happier, but is this true everywhere in the US or everywhere in the world? Why does religion make us happy and in what societies are people likely to benefit from this "religion effect"? Finally, some helpful advice on getting into grad school.

Ep 156: Grad School in Psychology: What's It Like and How To Get In? Jul 29, 2011

Show notes

What do you have to do to get into grad school in Psychology? A lot of people apply. Who ARE these people and how are you going to stand out among them? Meet one future grad student - Erin Breedlove - who is a college junior and she's already positioned herself very well for grad school. How did she do it? What is she doing that you ought to do? And how, of all things, is she using Twitter to get into grad school?

Ep 155: On Cuddling, Baths, Google, Body Language and Phantom Cell Phone Vibration - Psych Files Brief #2 Jul 19, 2011

Show notes

Is cuddling good - especially for men - in marriage? Do baths make you feel less lonely, is Google really making you stupid, how does your body language affect your feelings, and....is that your cell phone vibrating? In this 2nd Psych Files brief I take a look at some of the more interesting psychological research circling around the web this past month.

Ep 154: 5 Reasons Why Casey Anthony MIGHT Be Innocent Jul 08, 2011

Show notes

The trial of accused child murdered Casey Anthony is over and Casey was found not guilty. Most people are extremely upset because she appeared to be guilty for many reasons. I give you 5 reasons why Casey Anthony might not be guilty. None of these are based on evidence, but instead on what might be going on inside your mind that made you think she was guilty. Caution: open mindedness required!

The REAL Truth About Why You Support (or Oppose) Gay Marriage - Episode 153 Jun 28, 2011

Show notes

What is the REAL reason why you either support or oppose gay marriage? We may give logical reasons for our opinions, but the roots behind your opinion lies - where else? - in your past. So let's dive into your mind as we always do here in the Psych Files and learn how our attitudes develop over time and how strong attitudes especially come to be held.

How Do You Change Your Behavior? Interview with Scott Milford Episode 152 Jun 21, 2011

Show notes

How does Behavior Modification work? Find out in this episode as I interview Scott Milford, author of the Behavior and Motivation website. If you're about how to apply Psychology to everyday life then this is the guy to show you how he does it. In this episode we talk about how to get kids to practice the piano, but you'll quickly see how this approach could be applied to all kinds of other life challenges. Scott developed his approach over many years of working with young people both at the piano and with at-risk adolescents in school. See how Psychology can be put to work!

Audio: Object Permanence - Does Your Dog Have It? Episode 150 Jun 07, 2011

Show notes

Piaget's concept of object permanence is essential to understand. But how did they study this idea among 1 year olds? Obviously children can't tell you that they believe that something no longer exists when they can't see it, so how do we know what is going on inside a child's mind? How about this challenge: do animals also understand object permanence? If you've ever seen your cat or dog look under or around objects for a lost toy then yes - you've seen that they do understand object permanence.

How can you study object permanence - or a related idea called "expectancy violation" - in animals? Let's take a look in this 150 episode of The Psych Files.

Date Rape: How Can We Prevent It? Episode 149 May 31, 2011

Show notes

You've probably heard of many times when people knew that someone was hurt or might be hurt and they did not help. How can we prevent that from happening? You may have learned about bystander apathy and the concept of diffusion of responsibility. But now what do we DO with what we know? How can we put that knowledge into action? Meet Vicky Banyard and see what she and her colleagues at the University of New Hampshire are doing with a program called Bring in the Bystander.

What Can We Do To End Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools? Episode 148 May 22, 2011

Show notes

What can we do to end bullying against gays? There is a shocking increase in the number of young homosexuals who are commit suicide. Many anti-bullying programs don't work and in this episode I talk to Dr. Elizabeth J. Meyer of Concordia University about what can be done. No one should be bullied and we all need to care about those who are bullied to the point of considering suicide.

On Yawning, Swearing, Credit Cards and Sex: Psych Files Brief #1 May 18, 2011

Show notes

In this first Psych Files Brief episode, we look at whether swearing actually reduces your sensation of pain (ever stub your toe?), whether or not vertical stripes actually do make you look thinner (no surprise - the answer is no), whether you're more likely to run up that credit card when you're feeling low, and why is it (and when is it) that yawns become contagious?

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