SciShow Psych

  • Premiered: Mar 2017
  • Episodes: 398
  • Followers: 1
  • Running
  • YouTube
  • at 15
  • Documentary

You need to be logged in to mark episodes as watched. Log in or sign up.

Season 2018
2018x1
How to Stick to Your Resolutions This Year
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 01, 2018
Failed at keeping your resolutions in the past? Psychologists have some insights and advice for you to stick to them this year.
2018x2
4 Common Misconceptions About OCD
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 04, 2018
The term "OCD" often gets thrown around lightly by people describing their affinity for neatness, but actual obsessive-compulsive disorder is a serious condition that goes well beyond just cleaning and counting.
2018x3
When Do Kids Develop Empathy?
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 08, 2018
Empathy is important for understanding the feelings and problems of other, but when do we develop it?
2018x4
Alien Hand Syndrome: When a Limb Goes Rogue
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 11, 2018
What would you do if your hand seemed to develop a mind of its own, beyond your control?
2018x5
Me, Myself, and I: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 15, 2018
Edward Norton and Jim Carrey might be charming actors, but their film portrayals of people with multiple personalities aren’t even close to accurate.
2018x6
Occupational Burnout: When Work Becomes Overwhelming
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 18, 2018
Even if you like your job, it’s not unusual to feel "burnout." But the idea of what that means has evolved over time.
2018x7
Juvenoia: The Psychology Behind Millennial-Bashing
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 22, 2018
If you hate avocado-toast-loving, technology-addicted millennials, you might hate them for the wrong reasons.
2018x8
Are You Doomed to Turn Into Your Parents?
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 25, 2018
Worried about turning into your parents? Hank unpacks the connection between personality, genetics, and upbringing. Ultimately, though, you are your own person.
2018x9
The Truth About Subliminal Messages
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 29, 2018
Subliminal advertising would be every advertiser’s perfect fantasy and every consumer’s worst nightmare… if it really worked.
2018x10
Tourette Syndrome: What Makes People Tic?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 01, 2018
The internet is full of all sorts of wild claims about shadow governments, lizard people, and the shape of the earth. How can these stories inspire tin foil hats despite hard evidence against them?
2018x11
Why Do So Many People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 05, 2018
The internet is full of all sorts of wild claims about shadow governments, lizard people, and the shape of the earth. How can these stories inspire tin foil hats despite hard evidence against them?
2018x12
The Real Reason Kids Have Imaginary Friends
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 08, 2018
You might be concerned with your kids talking to their invisible friends, but those imaginary friends might have some positive impacts on your kids.
2018x13
Would You Be Able to See Through Superman's Disguise?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 12, 2018
You might have wondered if putting on or taking off glasses is enough to completely transform Clark Kent/Superman’s appearance. Researchers have looked into this, and the result is pretty surprising.
2018x14
What Many People Get Wrong About Schizophrenia
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 15, 2018
Scientists have learned a great deal about schizophrenia in the past few decades, but public perception of the disorder is still often rooted in outdated myths.
2018x15
Does Psychotherapy Work?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 19, 2018
You might’ve heard people talking about how awesome psychotherapy can be, but it is actually effective?
2018x16
Are Digital Screens Actually Bad For Kids?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 22, 2018
From TVs to tablets, screens are ubiquitous in our modern society. What effect does that have on childhood development?
2018x17
How Ancient Viruses Might Have Changed Our Brains
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 26, 2018
Recent discoveries about the Arc protein have shown that its function and origin may be even more complicated than scientists originally thought.
2018x18
Surprise! Your Brain Has a Secret Sewer System
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 01, 2018
Scientists have found a hidden network in the brain, and it might prevent people from developing certain diseases.
2018x19
How Your Baby Changes Your Brain
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 05, 2018
You might feel overwhelmed, and have no idea what you're doing when you first have a baby, but evolution has prepared you to take care of your kids.
2018x20
Does Everyone Have a 'Midlife Crisis'?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 08, 2018
Midlife crises are a common plot device in films, TV shows, and books. Like most psychological phenomena, though, they don’t always get it quite right.
2018x21
Why Are Challenge Videos a Thing?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 12, 2018
From cinnamon to Tide pods, “challenge videos” are dangerous. So why do people do them?
2018x22
Does Having Abusive Parents Mean You'll Become One?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 15, 2018
Growing up in a violent household creates the risk of perpetuating that violence later in life, but is it avoidable?
2018x23
How Doctors Accidentally Discovered Psychiatric Drugs
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 19, 2018
The brain is incredibly complex and things just go wrong sometimes, but scientists have managed to create effective medications... with the help of a few happy accidents.
2018x24
Should You Stop Saying 'Like' and 'Um'?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 22, 2018
Y’know lots of people say you shouldn’t use, like...filler words, but uh, should you really like, stop using them?
2018x25
Why Stimulants Help ADHD
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 26, 2018
It seems like stimulants and hyperactivity shouldn't mix, so why are they so often prescribed to treat ADHD?
2018x26
The Dangerous History of Electroconvulsive Therapy
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 29, 2018
We’ve had a number of false starts that did more harm than good to figure out new treatments, and ECT is one of those treatments which came from a complicated history.
2018x27
The Complex Bond Between Hoarders and Their Stuff
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 02, 2018
We all struggle with clutter, but something quite distinct might be happening in the brains of those who have the hoarding disorder.
2018x28
Is Passive-Aggressiveness a Personality Disorder?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 05, 2018
You might have a roommate who rolls their eyes a lot and leaves sassy sticky notes all over the place, but no matter how frustrating it is, it’s probably not a personality disorder.
2018x29
How Awe Changes You
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 09, 2018
Whether you get it from standing on the top of Mount Everest or watching a video about the size of the universe on SciShow Space, awe can be a powerful, transformative emotion.
2018x30
Are You Really Addicted to Your Phone?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 12, 2018
Are millennials addicted to their phones? Is that even a thing that can happen?!
2018x31
Why Do So Many People Share and Believe Fake News?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 16, 2018
Fake news spreads across the Internet like wildfire, and might even spread more quickly than real news!
2018x32
Is Cheese Really as Addictive as Cocaine?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 19, 2018
Every so often, a headline pops up comparing cheese to cocaine. The reality of the situation is far more complex—and a lot less dire—than these articles might suggest.
2018x33
Why 'Dad Jokes' Aren't Bad Jokes
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 23, 2018
If, when your childhood pet passed away, your father remarked, “Well, I’ll be dog-gone,” you might be the victim of a dad joke. Fortunately, dad jokes might actually be a good thing.
2018x34
Can Exercise Treat Depression?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 26, 2018
There are lots of good reasons to exercise, but it can also make you feel happier.
2018x35
Does Your Dog Love You?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 30, 2018
You might love your good, sweet pupper, but can you ever truly be sure if they love you back?
2018x36
How Liver Problems Can Lead to Brain Disease
Episode overview
Air date
May 03, 2018
We tend to focus on the brain in psychology, but it's part of an entire system! Other organs, even your liver, play a big role in psychological health.
2018x37
Alcoholism: How much is too much?
Episode overview
Air date
May 07, 2018
An excessive amount of alcohol can cause lots of problems, but lots of people drink fairly regularly without any of these problems. So, how do you know when you drink too much?
2018x38
What Happens in the Brain During a Coma?
Episode overview
Air date
May 10, 2018
Patients in comas might look like they’re sleeping, but there are pretty fascinating things happening inside of their heads.
2018x39
Not Every Egomaniac Has Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Episode overview
Air date
May 14, 2018
Professionally diagnosing narcissistic personality disorder is difficult for psychologists, partially because anyone who might have it just thinks they’re great!
2018x40
What Makes a Feeling an Emotion?
Episode overview
Air date
May 17, 2018
We all have emotions, but what exactly are they and where do they come from?
2018x41
Humanity's Deepest, Darkest Fear
Episode overview
Air date
May 21, 2018
Most of us experience specific fears at one point or another, like of death or the future, but psychologists believe there might be one underlying fear from which all others originate.
2018x42
Can Moving Your Eyes Re-Code Your Memories?
Episode overview
Air date
May 24, 2018
The simple eye movements involved in EMDR therapy are supposed to help you reprocess traumatic memories, but does it actually work?
2018x43
We Were Super Wrong About Mental Illness: The DSM's Origin Story
Episode overview
Air date
May 29, 2018
We reference the DSM pretty frequently on SciShow Psych, and for good reason: it’s considered the gold standard for professional mental health diagnosis in the United States, but it was an interesting journey to get there.
2018x44
What 100,000+ Children Taught Us About Neglect in Early Childhood
Episode overview
Air date
May 31, 2018
Neglect in the first few years of a child’s life can have many adverse consequences, and one of the largest studies on these effects occurred after the Romanian Revolution in 1989.
2018x45
What Your Dance Moves Say About Who You Are
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 04, 2018
Psychologists think that you can learn a lot about people just by watching them boogie!
2018x46
The Real Reason You're Always Losing Your Keys
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 07, 2018
Do you often lose things like your keys? Psychology can explain not only why it happens, but also some ways to combat that.
2018x47
What Does Facebook Really Know About Your Personality?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 11, 2018
Facebook has access to extensive data about its millions of users across the world, but what exactly can they learn from that information?
2018x48
Why Is It Important to Express Your Feelings?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 14, 2018
Expressing your emotions is important—not just for your mental health, but for your physical health as well.
2018x49
Are There "Male" and "Female" Brains?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 18, 2018
If you looked at a male and female brain side by side, would you be able to see any differences?
2018x50
Why Does Time Fly as You Get Older?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 21, 2018
You might have felt the time passes more quickly as you get older, but why we feel like that?
2018x51
How to Get Over That Broken Heart—But Also Learn From It
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 25, 2018
Scientists today think reason and emotion aren’t at odds like they’ve traditionally been presented, and even rely on each other to help us get through this thing called life.
2018x52
Does LSD Really Have A Medical Use?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 28, 2018
Decades after being made illegal in the United States, new research into LSD is showing that it may have a variety of medical uses!
2018x53
Why Does Nature Make You Feel Better?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 02, 2018
It’s not a huge surprise that nature is beneficial to our mental health. But why?
2018x54
Why Does Pet Therapy Work? (It's Not Just Cute Dogs)
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 05, 2018
Many studies have shown that pets can relieve anxiety, stress, and provide comfort, but why pet therapy is effective has a lot more to do with us than our furry pals.
2018x55
What If Your Ears Switched Sides of Your Head?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 09, 2018
We can tell which direction a sound is coming from using just two ears, but how do we do that? What would happen if our ears switched sides?
2018x56
Brain Hacks to Make Your Food Taste Better
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 12, 2018
It’s common knowledge that our sense of taste is tied to our sense of smell, right? But our brains are complex and taste is also tied to our senses of touch, sight, and even hearing.
2018x57
What Do "Smart Pills" Really Do to Your Brain?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 16, 2018
Nootropics are a group of chemicals that supposedly make you “smarter” without any side-effects. But don’t rush into it yet! It might be still too experimental to test it out.
2018x58
Is the Bystander Effect Real?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 19, 2018
How much does the presence of other people affect our willingness to step in when someone needs help?
2018x59
How Different Types of Alcohol Affect Your Emotions
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 23, 2018
Despite popular belief, different types of drinks shouldn’t make you feel any differently because they’re all ethanol. Our brains are complicated, though, and there’s more to the story than just the drink itself.
2018x60
Why Pregnancy Makes You Forgetful... but Helps Your Baby
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 26, 2018
Baby brain, pregnancy brain, momnesia—the fogginess that can appear during pregnancy goes by many names, but memory loss is only one of the changes that occurs while the brain prepares for an upcoming baby.
2018x61
Will Video Games Eventually Replace Your Therapist?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 30, 2018
You might have heard that video games are bad for you, but psychologists think they might be a useful therapeutic tool for improving some people’s mental health.
2018x62
When Waking up After Decades Turned out to Be Temporary
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 02, 2018
Around 1917, an unknown illness dubbed "sleeping sickness" caused people to suffer severe sleepiness and delirium. Some even became paralyzed for decades until a temporary cure was .. show full overview
2018x63
How Auditory Illusions Trick Your Brain into Hearing Things
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 06, 2018
Your brain relies a lot on context to tell you what sounds are bouncing around in your ears, and without enough of that context it can get a little confused.
2018x64
To Heal the Brain, Sometimes We Need to Damage It
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 09, 2018
Brain damage is usually a bad thing, but sometimes the best option is actually to damage the brain in very specific ways.
2018x65
Why Do You Sabotage Yourself Before a Big Test? - Self-Handicapping
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 13, 2018
It’s pretty common to procrastinate before a big exam or an important presentation, and those self-handicapping has to do with protecting yourself from negative feelings.
2018x66
How Twitter Bots Use Psychology to Fool You
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 16, 2018
Whether in a good way or a bad way, Twitter bots use psychology to trick you.
2018x67
What Does Pornography Do to Your Brain?
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 20, 2018
Watching pornography won’t make you go blind, but research indicates it may affect your brain—for better and for worse.
2018x68
Do Trigger Warnings Really Help?
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 23, 2018
Trigger warnings are a relatively new (and divisive) concept, but do they really help?
2018x69
How Does Reverse Psychology Work?
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 27, 2018
Oh hey, seems like reverse psychology works to motivate you to check out this video! Now, let us explain how it works.
2018x70
Why People Are Sending Themselves Hate Messages
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 30, 2018
You might be familiar with the concept of self-harm, but it isn’t just physical. As it turns out, people can harm themselves through the anonymity of the internet.
2018x71
Did We Just Figure Out How to Program a Brain?
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 03, 2018
Scientists have developed a new way to activate neurons in the brain, which brings us one step closer to being able to program those big, meaty computers on top of our necks.
2018x72
3 Ways Money Could Buy You Happiness
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 06, 2018
Money can’t directly buy happiness, but there are ways you can spend it that might help.
2018x73
The Lesser-Known Symptoms of Depression
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 10, 2018
Depression is not just feeling hopeless or apathetic, there are lots more symptoms that we aren’t familiar with.
2018x74
Does a Bigger Brain Make You Smarter?
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 13, 2018
In some cartoons, the one with a bigger brain is often described as "smart," but is it true in real life?
2018x75
Can You Really Tell if Someone is Lying to You?
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 17, 2018
The internet is full of tips, tricks, and strategies to tell when somebody is lying, but the reality of lie detection isn't quite as clean and definitive as it is on TV.
2018x76
Why Just Smiling Could Make You Feel Happier
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 20, 2018
Being happy makes you smile, but that might just work the other way around, too.
2018x77
How To Make Eyewitness Testimony More Reliable
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 24, 2018
Eyewitness testimony can be really important when investigating crimes, but how can we make them more reliable?
2018x78
Why Do People Join Cults?
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 27, 2018
It’s easy to assume that people who join cults have something wrong with them, but usually the people who join cults are just like the rest of us. So, how does it happen?
2018x79
Real Pain and 'Explosive' Brains | Fibromyalgia
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 02, 2018
Fibromyalgia is not a well-understood malady, but scientists are making breakthroughs that could eventually help pin down both the causes and the cures.
2018x80
Why We're Bad at Guessing Other People's Motives
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 04, 2018
Reading someone’s mind is an impossible task, but even just guessing at why they do the things they do is a lot harder than it might seem.
2018x81
Is Everyone A Little Bit Racist? - Implicit Bias
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 08, 2018
Many companies have offered diversity trainings to teach their employees about implicit biases. But what does that mean, and is it really helping anything?
2018x82
Why We Hide Our Good Deeds
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 11, 2018
It doesn’t make much sense when we try to hide our good deeds, even though we know that we would get rewards from doing something good. Scientists are trying to solve this our bizarre behavior by using game theory.
2018x83
Why Do Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things?
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 15, 2018
Sometimes knowing you’re a good person might make you more susceptible to doing not so good things.
2018x84
Why Comic Sans Isn't the Worst Font Ever
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 18, 2018
Nothing can undo the invention of Comic Sans, but that may not be a bad thing since it seems to be helping people with dyslexia.
2018x85
Why Our Brains Recognize Faces So Easily... or Fail at It
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 22, 2018
We are constantly recognizing faces countless times a day, but how do our brains distinguish those faces so easily?
2018x86
Why the Way Back Feels Shorter (Even When it Isn't)
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 25, 2018
You might have felt that coming back from somewhere seems to take less time than getting there did. But why?
2018x87
Why You'll Never See Your Eyes Move in a Mirror
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 29, 2018
Your brain does a lot to smooth out your visual experience of the world… including the closest thing we have to time travel.
2018x88
3 Strategies to (Kind of) Change Someone's Opinions
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 01, 2018
You might not be able to completely reverse a person’s stance on any given issue, but you might be able to change their mind a little by presenting your argument in just the right way.
2018x89
Do Weighted Blankets Really Do Anything?
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 05, 2018
If you’ve used a weighted blanket before, you might have felt how weirdly comforting it is, but can it actually help your mental health?
2018x90
Here's When You Should Trust Your Gut
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 08, 2018
Trusting your gut may not sound like a reliable way to make decisions, but the research points to some times when you might want to listen to it!
2018x91
How Dangerous Is Loneliness, Really?
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 12, 2018
Loneliness isn’t much fun, but it might also be harmful to your heart—not just in a metaphorical sense, but your actual physical heart, as well as some of your body's other functions.
2018x92
Why Having a Baby Can Cause Depression in Both Parents
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 15, 2018
Having a baby is almost always stressful, but it can sometimes be worse than that, and postpartum depression doesn’t just affect mothers.
2018x93
Why You Might Not Want to Be 'The Smart Kid'
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 19, 2018
Whether or not you think of yourself as "the smart kid" might affect your grades a lot more than how smart you are.
2018x94
3 Baffling Depression Treatments and Why They Might Work
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 22, 2018
Scientists have found some effective alternative treatments for patients with treatment-resistant depression, but they are not exactly sure why these treatments work.
2018x95
Why Do You Feel Like You're Being Watched?
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 26, 2018
Sometimes it just feels like someone is staring at you, even if you can’t see them. It can be annoying, but our brains have a reason for it.
2018x96
How Facing Your Fears Can Help You Conquer Them
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 29, 2018
You may have heard that facing your fears is the best way to overcome them, but there’s a little more to it than that.
2018x97
The Benefits of Being Easily Distracted
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 03, 2018
We place a lot of value on productivity, and being distracted can lower your performance on specific tasks. But it turns out that getting distracted once in a while can actually be a good thing!
2018x98
What It's Like to Have a Near-Perfect Memory
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 06, 2018
Having a perfect memory sounds like the most amazing thing ever, but there's also a downside of having hyperthymesia.
2018x99
Why You Probably Can't Predict Your Own Happiness
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 10, 2018
Humans generally have a good idea of whether something will make us happy or unhappy, but it turns out we’re not great at knowing exactly how much.
2018x100
The Science of the 36 Questions That Help People Fall in Love
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 13, 2018
A study that included 36 questions which can allegedly be used to fall in love with a stranger made the news rounds a while back, but the actual science isn’t that simple—and falling in love was never the point of the questions.
2018x101
Why Being Introverted Doesn't Make You Antisocial - Antisocial Personality Disorder
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 17, 2018
Introverts can often feel antisocial, but they are not always the same thing. In fact, psychologists found that they have great differences in their brain’s structure and function.
2018x102
SciShow Psych Talk Show: Kati Morton
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 20, 2018
This episode has no summary.
2018x103
Why People Do So Many Weird Things on the Internet - Compilation
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 27, 2018
The internet has given us access to a wealth of information about humanity, including about those big weird brains that make us who we are.
2018x104 Season finale
How to Keep Power from Going to Your Head
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 31, 2018
The famous British historian Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” And science tends to agree, but how we can prevent power from going to our heads?

If there are missing episodes or banners (and they exist on TheTVDB) you can request an automatic full show update:

Request show update

If you like this show, you may also enjoy: