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Updated by Michael Britt on Aug 11, 2015
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The Psych Files Most Popular 2007-2009

The most popular from the early years...

The Learning Styles Myth

Guess what? There's no such thing as learning style (the theory that each of us has a preferred way to learn new ideas. There are many supposed kinds of learning styles, such as a visual learning style, an auditory style, kinesthetic, etc.). Don't believe it? Neither did I at first. I was sure for a long time that I personally had a visual learning style. Now I'm not so sure anymore. Listen to this interview with professor and author Daniel Willingham as he and I discuss the topic of learning styles.

The Psychology of Music

Listening to music clearly affects our emotions, but how exactly? How can music make us feel sad, or happy? What's going on with the melody, rhythm, and harmony?

Your Sexual Orientation

How did you get to be heterosexual? Homosexual? Bisexual? Was it nature or nurture (or both?). Were you born with a sexual orientation or did it develop as you grew? What role did your parents play? In this episode I present the most recent scientific research on the topic of how we develop our sexual preference. You’ll find out whether heterosexual men have more testosterone than homosexual men, how most people know their sexual orientation when they are as young as 10 years old (blame your adrenal gland), how your third intersitial nucleus might be playing a role and finally, could it have something to do with the length of your fingers? Find out in this episode of The Psych Files.

Violent Video Games

Recent research on violent video games is pretty conclusive and you’re not going to like it: there’s good evidence that people if you play violent video games you might be less likely to a) notice aggressive events, b) perceive fewer or less severe injuries, c) feel less sympathy for violence victims, and d) have less negative attitudes towards violence. In this video I take a close look at this research.

Humorous Example of Correlation and Causation

What does this mean, Correlation does not imply causation? The image below provides two good examples. You'll understand it quickly when you look at this graphic.

Freud's Defense Mechanisms

Too many people dismiss Freud because he had a few controversial ideas, but as I try to point out in this podcast, many of Freud's ideas were very influential and can, with a little attention, be seen in everyday life.

is Positive Thinking Bad For You?

What's wrong with thinking positively? Could be a lot. I'll share some ideas for bringing about more positive events in your life and discuss how important negative - that is sad - feelings are in our lives. Those are moments not to run from, but to embrace.

Factorial Design - A Fun Example

Need to understand how factorial designs work? This video is for you. In this episode I show how a two factorial research design works using an interesting topic: physical attractiveness. You'll see what is meant by main effect and an interaction. Do you think attractive people get all the good stuff in life? Watch to find out how it can be to your disadvantage to be attractive and along the way learn about factorial research designs.

New Year's Resolutions: Why So Hard To Keep?

Why is it so hard to keep our new year's resolutions to lose weight? I explore this question in this episode in which I also take a tour through the various schools of psychology and show how each one would explain why you have trouble keeping your promise to yourself to lose weight (or stay out of debt, or stop smoking).