Have you ever been to a restaurant or a store with your parents and grandparents and heard them reminisce about the past? Perhaps they’ve said something like, “Back in my day, gas was only 50 cents a gallon!” While the sentiment is a mix of nostalgia and surprise at how prices have risen, there’s a deeper psychological process at play here. They perceive current gas prices as expensive because their reference point—the anchor—is that old price of 50 cents....

Tell me if you know someone like this. They walk around like a hot shot, claiming to be an expert in their field or at a certain skill, and no one can question them. No one can give them any criticism. No one could eventryto convince them that they’re not the best at what they do. And the worst part is - this person isn’t even good at what they do....

When we relive episodic memories, we are the main character. We can place ourselves in our memories as if we were the narrator and the audience was watching from our perspective. What Are Episodic Memories?What Type of Memory is Episodic Memory?Where Are Episodic Memories Stored? What Are Episodic Memories? What Type of Memory is Episodic Memory? Where Are Episodic Memories Stored? Episodic memory falls under the larger umbrella of declarative, or explicit memories....

In this video, I’m going to break down this phrase. Psychologists do believe there is ahindsight biasthat leads us to think that we can see things more clearly from the rearview mirror. But this bias isn’t always helpful. Highsight Bias What is it?StudiesWhat causes it?Problems With Hindsight BiasThe Power of Emotional Memory: Why We Remember the Extremes What is it? Studies What causes it? Problems With Hindsight Bias The Power of Emotional Memory: Why We Remember the Extremes...

Now think about all of the things that you had to remember in order to recall that memory. On the surface, this may appear to be justonememory. Like a piece of a puzzle. But that one memory of you on the airplane is actually a puzzle of its own - filled with different pieces of semantic memory that support this memory. Semantic memory is often taken for granted, but scientists are beginning to see the importance of studying semantic memory and how we acquire it....

Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty kind of person? We ask this question because seeing a glass as “half-empty” and seeing a glass as “half-full” are two different ways to look at the same type of glass. A glass that is half-empty seems like a dud. A glass that is half-full is a treat. When we describe the glass as “half-full” or “half-empty,” we put it in a frame. Understanding “the framing effect” and how it helps us understand the world....

Here’s a bit of classic advice: it’s important to make a good first impression. You might know from personal experience that a good first impression makes just as much of an impact as abadfirst impression. Why?The Halo Effect.I’m not talking about the video game - think of the halos that sit above religious figures in paintings. What Is the Halo Effect?Examples of the Halo EffectWho Discovered the Halo Effect?The Privileges and Pitfalls of the Halo EffectHow to Avoid the Halo Effect...

I want to tell you a story about a person named John. John is passionate about gun rights. He believes everyone should have the freedom to own as many guns as they wish and that they should be allowed in all public places. Sure, his views may seem extreme to some. But this story isn’t solely about gun rights. It’s about understanding the underlying psychology behind how individuals, like John or even you, might support or reinforce their beliefs....

At the age of 11 or 12, children enter what famed psychologist Jean Piaget identified as the formal operational stage. While this represents the last of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, it’s important to note that development continues in various aspects throughout life, including emotional, moral, and social dimensions. In the formal operational stage, children begin to think abstractly and can apply these abstract thoughts to problem-solving. It’s during this stage that they also become acquainted with a process known as deductive reasoning....

Our brains have to make many decisions quickly: whether we want to cross the street, leave our jobs, or bet on red or black. But biases and fallacies, like the gambler’s fallacy, cloud our judgment and may lead us astray. What Is The Gambler’s Fallacy?Is Gambler’s Fallacy Real?More Examples of the Gambler’s FallacyHow to Explain the Gambler’s FallacyHow to Avoid The Gambler’s FallacySunk Cost Fallacy vs. Gambler’s FallacyQuiz What Is The Gambler’s Fallacy?...

Can you feel the weather in your body Well, I have some bad news for you. These connections aren’t exactly true. They’re common examples of a phenomenon called the “illusory correlation.” I’m going to talk about the illusory correlation, how we form false connections between two events, and why it’s very important to be aware of the ways our brain tricks us into believing stereotypes and other false correlations. What is the Illusory Correlation?...

For many people, deciding how to deal with emotions or what they should do next requires looking back to past experiences. If a quick walk around the block made you feel better after a stressful day, you may decide to take a quick walk around the block the next time you have a stressful day. This decision-making process, concluding previous experiences, is known asinductive reasoning. What is Inductive Reasoning?Who is the Father of Inductive Reasoning?...

Let’s say you sign up online for a free yoga class. But on the day of the class, you feel sick, and you don’t want to go to the class. Do you go? What about this? The yoga class wasn’t free. You paid $15 to attend the class, but you still feel sick on the day of the class. Do you still go? Most likely, you may or may not go to the free class....