Psychology

Ah, the mysteries of the human mind. What mystical elements push us to think and act the way we do? Are we, these fully conscious creatures capable of abstract thought, are we truly masters of our own domain? Or are we naught but the playthings of gods? Philosophers have long pondered…

Isn't it wild that for most of human history, questions about the brain were esoteric and almost mystical? We're not saying the human mind isn't still a mystery, but there's something weirdly cleaner and more scientific about the word “psychology.” You picture studies done by people wearing lab coats and carrying clipboards, or a therapist's office with hardcover books and mahogany furniture. Turns out a lot of our perception of psychology is based on movies, and pop culture's psychologists are as low as a filthy John Oliver. Yep, turns out our understanding of mental health is evolving, and the field remains fluid. [Eyes roll back in head, voice drifts mysteriously] perhaps we humans who fancy ourselves enlightened are not yet so far removed from the mystics of old…

5 Ridiculous Lies You Probably Believe About Psychology

After a semester of intro to psychology and a dozen BuzzFeed quizzes, you might think you've got a pretty good understanding of how the human psyche works. But not so fast ...

Authors: By Carmen Burana, M. Merberg
Published: July 22, 2014
Comments: 1239

4 Shocking Psychological Dark Sides of Being Funny

Comedy, like the Force, the moon, and what we now know about Michael Jackson, has a light and a dark side.

Authors: By Kristi Harrison
Published: April 21, 2014
Comments: 0

5 Weird Psychological Dangers of Giving People Gifts

The whole gift-exchange scenario is a lose-lose situation. Science has spent a surprising amount of time studying it an everything you thought you knew is wrong.

Authors: By Daniel Nest, Alan Boyle
Published: December 23, 2013
Comments: 545