Up until only fairly recently psychology and philosophy were thought to go hand
in hand. It was only during the 1870's when psychology became an independent
scientific discipline. Since then through multiple studies and technological
advances, we have learnt a great deal although still only scratched the
surface. Check out these interesting psychology facts, and make sure to share
your own thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
01. If you announce
your goals to others, you are less likely to make them happen because you lose
motivation, studies confirmed.
There have been tests
since as early as 1933 that prove that once intended goals are announced,
people are less likely to follow through with them as they lose motivation.
This is thought to happen because doing so satisfies a person's self-identity
just enough to prevent them performing the hard work to achieve those goals.
02. Most people have a
favorite song because they associate it with an emotional event in their lives.
It is well known that
music has a direct effect on emotion. In a recent study on nine undergraduate
students, it turns out that the flip side is also true – similar in a way that
certain smells can remind us of moments in the past.
03. Music affects the
way you perceive the world.
A new study held at
the University of Groningen has shown that music has a dramatic effect on
perception. The study focused especially on the ability of people to “see”
happy faces and sad faces when different music tracks were listened to.
Listening to particularly happy or sad music can even change the way we
perceive the world.
04. Studies have shown
that spending money on others provides more happiness than spending it on
yourself.
Research performed by
Harvard Business School has shown that people are actually happier when they
give money to others. Of course, this should go without saying as we often
anticipate how people will react to our own gifts at Christmas, more so than
what gifts we may receive.
05. According to
studies, you'll be happier spending your money on experiences rather than
possessions.
Happiness has become an
increasingly popular field focused on the scientific study of emotional
well-being. Research has suggested that people often sacrifice things that make
them happy such as vacations or going out to certain events, in order to afford
possessions (such as property).
06. Kids are more
highly strung today, with high school students showing the same level of
anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950's.
Approximately 49% of
the general population suffer or have suffered from anxiety, depression or
substance abuse. In particular, there is proof that the collective human race
is becoming more anxious every decade and there are many speculative reasons
for that. For instance, people move more, have less interaction with their
communities, change jobs, are less likely to get married and more likely to
live alone.
07. It has been shown
that certain religious practices like prayer and attending services is
associated with lower psychological distress levels.
“The American
Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Mood Disorders” discusses several studies
that have demonstrated that people who partake in various religious activities
may have a lower risk of depressive symptoms and other psychological disorders.
08. While money can
buy happiness to an extent, studies show that after $75,000 per year, increased
income does little to boost happiness.
A study of 450,000
Americans in 2008 and 2009 suggested that there are two forms of happiness,
emotional well-being (day to day contentment) and an overall life assessment.
The more money people had, the higher their “life assessment”. However,
findings suggests that once people earn more than $75,000, additional income is
simply considered more “stuff”.
09. By surrounding
yourself with happier people, you'll become happier too.
We've all been in the
situation at one point of laughing out loud with someone purely because they
had an infectious laugh. New research published in the Psychoneuroendocrinology
journal shows that stress and happiness are both contagious, and being around
groups of either type has a direct influence on us.
10. People between
the ages of 18 and 33 are the most stressed in the world.
After the age of 33
stress levels tend to reduce. According to a 2012 Stress in America survey by
the American Psychological Association, people between the ages of 18 and 33
are the most stressed out, and that stress only seems to be increasing every
year.
11. Fooling yourself
into thinking you've slept well, even if you haven't, still improves
performance.
We've all been in
that situation when we wished for just one or two more hours' sleep. A recent
study published by the Journal of Experimental Psychology demonstrated that
when patients were told they had above average REM sleep (when they hadn't),
they performed better on a given test. They called it “placebo sleep”.
12. Intelligent
people are more likely to underestimate themselves, while ignorant people are
more likely to believe they're brilliant.
Known as the Dunning
Kruger Effect, some unskilled people believe they are superior and assess their
own abilities as much higher than what is accurate. On the other side of the
coin, some highly skilled people often underestimate their competence, assuming
that what is easy for them, is also easy for others.
13. If you remember a
past event, you're actually remembering the last time you remembered it rather
than the event itself.
One interesting
insight into how the brain works, is that every time we have a memory, we
transform it slightly. Recent research conducted by Northwestern Medicine has
shown that recalling memories often, makes them less accurate over time.
14. Decisions become
more rational if they are thought in a foreign language.
A recent study by the
University of Chicago conducted on United States and Korean citizens has shown
that thinking in a foreign language reduces deep seated and misleading biases.
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