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Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy
Much ado is made over the role technology plays in interpersonal relationships, and psychologists spend quite a bit of time on understanding how the latest trends have impacted the human mind. This quick talk by a respected ethnographer, Stegana Broadbent, challenges many of the preconceived notions regarding communication breakdown at the hands of the internet. She argues that it actually results in the opposite effect, as people frequently use it to grow even closer, even faster than ever. Mastersdegree.net Watch the Ted Talk here
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Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time
One's perception of time, the infamous Philip Zimbardo argues, directly impacts broad concepts such as success and contentment. A sharpened ability to deeply consider the past, present and future when making decisions could very well lead to heightened productivity and an increased sense of satisfaction. One must also understand the role temptation plays before committing to anything in the long term, and the lecturer uses the failed "virginity pledge" as an effective example. Watch the Ted Talk here
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Martin Seligman on positive psychology
Because psychology and psychiatry plunge into the ugliest depths of human behavior, most people tend to associate the disciplines with mental illness and unrest. While this is certainly a major component of both fields, by no means should it be considered the only one. As Martin Seligman asserts, today's psychological climate possesses the knowledge to build people up in a manner far more effective and permanent than those ultimately empty self-help "guides." Watch the Ted Talk here
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Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer
For psychology students interested in the criminal justice sector, this particular TED Talk provides plenty to pique their intrigue. Jim Fallon uses both science and personal history to deeply dissect the complex genetic and neurological factors that contribute to homicidal impulses. However, some of the biological components do frequently require traumatic events to trigger. Watch the Ted Talk here
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Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory
Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahnman pioneered the study of behavioral economics, making note of some bizarre disparities between how different elements of the human brain process emotions. This lecture focuses mainly on the "cognitive traps" the mind sets for itself — a phenomenon most people never even realize in their lifetimes. Both the "experiencing self" and the "remembering self" impact perception, memory and personality in unique ways and shape individuals for good and for ill alike. Watch the TED Talk here
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A Vaccination Against Social Prejudice
Evolutionary psychologists suspect that prejudice is rooted in survival: Our distant ancestors had to avoid outsiders who might have carried disease. Research still shows that when people feel vulnerable to illness, they exhibit more bias toward stigmatized groups. But a new study in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science suggests there might be a modern way to break that link. “We thought if we could alleviate concerns about disease, we could also alleviate the prejudice that arises from them,” says Julie Y. Huang of the University of Toronto, about a study she conducted with Alexandra Sedlovskaya of Harvard University; Joshua M.
