Tag: psychology
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Childhood trauma is over-blamed for adult dysfunction
Childhood trauma is real and matters, but the explanatory weight it now carries in pop psychology outruns the evidence. The full picture is more useful.
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The Placebo Effect Is More Powerful Than People Think
The placebo effect isn’t just imagination. It produces measurable physiological changes, sometimes rivaling real drugs. Here’s what the research actually shows.
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Stress changes how you react
Under stress, your decision-making shifts in predictable ways — and not for the better. Here’s what acute stress does to judgment and how to plan around it.
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Conspiracy Theories and Mental Health: What Pizzagate Believers Reveal About Radicalization
Pizzagate believers weren’t uniformly mentally ill, but the social and psychological patterns of their radicalization tell us something important about belief itself.
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People who married objects (bridges, roller coasters, even the Eiffel Tower)
Object-sexual marriages sound like tabloid bait, but the people behind them describe stable lives and real attachment. The phenomenon is stranger and more human.
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Peace of Mind Is Often What You’re Buying
Many products and services are sold as practical when they’re really sold as reassurance. Here’s how to tell when you’re paying for utility versus comfort.
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The First Seconds Matter Most
From emergencies to introductions, the opening seconds shape outcomes. Here’s the evidence behind first impressions and why they’re hard to override.
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Most people in long-term therapy don’t actually need it
Therapy is genuinely useful — for most issues, in finite courses. The drift toward open-ended weekly sessions isn’t always serving the people in them.
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Why medical labels can change how you feel
Getting a diagnosis can be a relief — and also reshape symptoms in ways that aren’t simple. The label effect is real, and worth understanding.