Read about and understand the various psychological phenomena you observe in your day-to-day life. Get answers to common curiosities about everyday behavior. Understanding the root causes of your behaviors and those of others will greatly improve your understanding of human psychology. No human behavior, however small, is insignificant.
This article will throw light on the major psychological causes of superstitions. While people have countless superstitious beliefs, the underlying psychological tendencies that give rise to them are more or less the same. Superstitions are everywhere. From the chain messages that ask you to ‘forward this to 10 people and something good will happen soon’ …
Simply put, a cognitive bias is a biased way of thinking that conflicts with logic and rationality. As much as we like to call ourselves rational, the truth is that the human psyche is loaded with many cognitive biases. Being rational, therefore, is a continuous process of being aware of these biases and not letting …
We don’t always perceive time as it flows. In other words, there can be a discrepancy between psychological time and actual time shown by a clock. Primarily, our mental states influence or distort our perception of time. Our minds have an amazing ability to keep track of time, despite the fact that we have no sensory …
Ever wondered why do we laugh? What’s the psychology of laughter? As much as I enjoy laughter and jokes, I also find these phenomena weird. I mean, if you think about it, laughter is creepy. You open your mouth wide open as if to engulf the earth and go ‘HAHAHA’ whilst shaking your body like a vibrator …
You listen to a new song that you like and make your sibling, partner or best friend hear it, often against their will. You watch a brilliant movie or a TV show and go about recommending it to everyone. You read a chilling novel and swear to your friends that they’d be thrilled if they check …
Why do we do what we do?Why do we choose a certain behavior/action over other options?What rules govern our decision-making? Why do we become indecisive at times? Answers to all these questions are contained in a terminology that we’ve borrowed from economics, namely ‘cost/benefit analysis’. In economics, a business decision is made after weighing its potential …
Why are some people overly controlling?What causes someone to be a control freak? This article will explore the psychology of controlling people, how fear makes people controlling, and how the behavior of control freaks might change. But first, I want to introduce you to Angela. Angela’s mother was a total control freak. It seemed like …
Ever had that experience where you see a friend on the street and walk up to greet them, only to realize that they’re a complete stranger? Ever mistaken a total stranger for your crush or lover? What’s funny is that sometimes you realize they’re a stranger after you’ve greeted them and they’ve greeted you back. Even funnier is when …
Many believe our first reaction to stress or impending danger is the fight-or-flight response. But before we take flight or fight, we need time to assess the situation and decide what the best course of action would be to fight or run away. This results in what is known as ‘the freeze response’ and is …
In this article, we discuss self-sabotage behavior, reasons why people engage in this behavior, and common examples of self-sabotaging behaviors. How many times do you hear people telling you, rather sanctimoniously, “Be yourself”? And to complete the famous Oscar Wilde quote, they add, “Everyone else is taken”. Let’s say you decide to heed the advice. …