Dr. John Grohol's weekly update of news and articles on psychology. Since 1999.
Video: Recovering from Cheating
by John M. Grohol, PsyD8 Feb 2012 at 11:46 am
Last week, Drs. Marie and Dan covered the general aspects of cheating in relationships. It’s a common enough problem that as many as 1 in 5 relationships will face a cheating partner.
So how does a relationship recover from cheating? How do you make amends with it personally?
I’m pleased to introduce the second in a series of interviews and conversations with two of our resident th
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Interview with Margarita Tartakovsky
by Jamie Hale8 Feb 2012 at 8:34 am
Recently I had the chance to ask Margarita Tartakovsky, an associate editor at Psych Central, a few questions about eating behavior. She blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her blog Weightless.
Q. Why doesn’t the current model of treating obesity — only telling people what and how much to eat — work for most people?
A. Great question, because the current model def
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Why Do We Care What Others Think?
by Lauren Suval7 Feb 2012 at 11:54 am
I was recently approached by a frazzled woman at a train station who was on the verge of tears. With an unsteady, quavering voice and a shaky demeanor, she explained that she’d been approaching strangers for several hours, while looking to collect enough fare to purchase an Amtrak ticket. Her wallet was lost, and she needed to get home in order to avoid spending the night in Manhattan’s Penn S
Best of Our Blogs: February 7, 2012
by Brandi-Ann Uyemura, M.A.7 Feb 2012 at 6:30 am
Are you still sitting in the exact place you were a few months ago when you were bright-eyed and ready to take on the world? But now you’re just a little bit jaded, frustrated and disappointed with what little you’ve accomplished? Maybe you’re not exactly where you thought you’d be. Maybe you realized that you placed too much importance on the beginning of the new year. May
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Psych Central Week in Review Video #2
by Summer Beretsky6 Feb 2012 at 5:45 pm
A few weeks ago, we tested out two new ways of delivering some of the week’s top news stories to our readers: an audio podcast and a video podcast.
We’ve listened to your feedback regarding both formats…and the winner is video!
This week’s “Psych Central Week in Review” video brings you some news about the role of social media in mental health, a request from &#
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Media Manipulation of the Masses: How the Media Psychologically Manipulates
by Samuel López De Victoria, Ph.D.6 Feb 2012 at 2:38 pm
Even though I have worked in academia for years and have enjoyed the benefits of helping learning minds to expand their horizons, I have had one gnawing concern. Learning institutions typically help students, at best, to make a living but they fail miserably at teaching how to live life. These areas pertain to the realm of accumulated wisdom. Of course, wisdom presupposes knowledge, that is, the
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Ritalin Gone Right: Children, Medications and ADHD
by John M. Grohol, PsyD6 Feb 2012 at 12:45 pm
A week ago, an op-ed appeared in the New York Times by L. Alan Sroufe, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development, questioning society’s reliance on medications to help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He suggested that Ritalin has “gone wrong,” in that we simply rely too heavily on drugs to t
Integrative Medicine to Treat Eating Disorders
by Carolyn Coker Ross, MD6 Feb 2012 at 7:51 am
Integrative medicine can be defined as “a healing-oriented discipline that takes into account the whole person — body, mind and spirit — including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of both conventional and alternative therapies.”
Complementary and alternative therapies used in integrative medicine can include acupuncture, chiropract
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Scrupulosity: What It Is and Why It’s Dangerous
by Therese J. Borchard5 Feb 2012 at 6:45 am
If you sprinkle a hefty dose of Catholic (or Jewish) guilt unto a fragile biochemistry headed toward a severe mood disorder, you usually arrive at some kind of a religious nut. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! For I am one.
I have said many places that growing up Catholic, for me, was both a blessing and a curse.
A blessing in that my faith became a refuge for me, a retreat (no pun in
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9 Tips For Building a Loving Relationship
by YourTango Experts4 Feb 2012 at 9:26 am
This guest article from YourTango was written by Dr. Lynda Klau.
How many of us have learned how to build loving relationships? Where did we learn? At home? At school? There is an art and science to building strong relationships. These indispensable tips were written with romantic relationships in mind, but with a little modification you can apply them to your friendships, family and even work
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Be Careful Driving on Super Bowl Sunday
by John M. Grohol, PsyD3 Feb 2012 at 10:35 am
As folks get ready to watch the Super Bowl on television this Sunday in the U.S., many of us will be joining or attending Super Bowl viewing parties. If you’re like most Americans, you’ll probably drive to get to that party.
But unlike most Sundays, when you drive this Sunday coming home from your Super Bowl Party, be especially careful. Why?
Because unlike other Sundays when a footba
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Best of Our Blogs: February 3, 2012
by Brandi-Ann Uyemura, M.A.3 Feb 2012 at 6:30 am
I went on a trip to Las Vegas recently. Being surrounded by lights, the sound of money gobbled up by slot machines, and the smell of greed temporarily seduced me into the land where money = happiness. Have you fallen for it before? It’s the hope that money can solve all your problems. It’s the belief that lack can be equated with unhappiness or low self-worth. It’s the same erron
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6 Ways To Tell Your Kids You’re Divorcing
by YourTango Experts2 Feb 2012 at 5:01 pm
This guest article from YourTango was written by Dr. Megan Fleming.
First, let me congratulate you for having your priorities in order with your concern about the kids. You are facing one of the greatest parent challenges. Realize this is a big moment. Take a deep breathe. Another. Now do what you always do when you tackle anything important: have an action plan and rehearse it. If you do this wel
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Manic Symptoms Not Linked to Specific Criminal Acts
by John M. Grohol, PsyD2 Feb 2012 at 9:02 am
Why does the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) misrepresent psychological research?
For instance, in its post on its website titled, “STUDY: Manic Symptoms Linked to Specific Criminal Acts,” the unattributed and undated article suggests that a new study was released that demonstrated a causal link between manic symptoms, and well, specific criminal acts.
But when I read the study, and c
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Back to Basics: 4 (Free) Online Psychology Courses
by Summer Beretsky1 Feb 2012 at 11:43 am
I live in a college town.
In fact, I live in the college town in which I used to attend college.
I moved back here a few months ago and I pass my (er, the college’s) library daily. It brings back plenty of academic memories — and, surprisingly, they’re not the stressful ones. In the six years that have passed since my graduation, the memories of stress and panic and due date
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