SciShow Psych

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  • : 398
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  • YouTube
  • 15
  • Documentary

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2021
2021x1
How Music Can Heal the Brain
Episode overview
Sometimes you hear music and you automatically tap your foot, or do a little dance, or walk to the beat. What’s happening in your brain that makes your body move like that? Can music’s effects on movement or speech rewire your brain?
2021x2
Why Do We Have Such Long Childhoods?
Episode overview
Compared to most animals in the vast kingdom, humans have one of the longest childhoods. And you might think this is so we have time to develop our advanced thinking skills, but scientists think it might not be that simple.
2021x3
Do "Game Faces" Really Work in Sports?
Episode overview
When it's time to play in the big game against your fiercest rivals, you might put on your "game face." But how much does this expression affect your opponents? And might you also be affecting yourself?
2021x4
Why You Can’t Listen to Music While You Work
Episode overview
Some people are capable of concentrating in a storm of noise and motion, and some get distracted by the slightest squeak of a classmate’s chair. This has to do with our brain’s ability .. show full overview
2021x5
You Read More Slowly As You Get Older — Here's Why
Episode overview
Researchers have noticed a decline in reading ability starting in your 40s. And learning more about why this happens might help us tell the difference between healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
2021x6
Why a Bad Series Finale Ruins the Whole Show
Episode overview
Objectively, some shows end with rough final acts, but we are finding that this isn’t the only factor in our discontent. Unsatisfactory finales also reflect common types of relationships we build with fictional characters.
2021x7
Is Coding a Math Skill or a Language Skill? Neither? Both?
Episode overview
There are aspects of computer code that look like language and some that seem more like algebra, and since we may be headed for a future where many people will need to learn to code, .. show full overview
2021x8
How Fast Food Can Make You More Impatient
Episode overview
Fast food was invented to help us keep up with our fast-paced world. But it’s also had some unintended psychological consequences and can influence our choices in situations that don’t have anything to do with food.
2021x9
Why Does Lithium Help Bipolar Disorder?
Episode overview
There’s no doubt that lithium has a diverse list of uses. But the way that it interacts with our bodies to help treat bipolar disorder is aiding us in better understanding the disorder and potentially developing new drugs to combat it.
2021x10
Why Does Crying Make You Feel Better?
Episode overview
Have you ever wondered why you feel better after a good, hearty sob? Well, it turns out the reasons are kind of a mystery, and they range from social support to brain temperature.
2021x11
How to Reprogram a Brain Cell
Episode overview
In Parkinson's disease, certain kinds of neurons die over time, but it might be possible to reprogram other types of cells in the brain to replace those lost ones.
2021x12
Is That Shiny Thing Pretty, or Are You Just Thirsty?
Episode overview
Humans are fascinated by shiny stuff. Not only do we find these things attractive, but we also tend to perceive them as being high quality. Well, turns out this infatuation may be related to our evolutionary relationship to water.
2021x13
Meet Your Microglia: Your Brain's Overlooked Superheroes
Episode overview
When talking about the brain, neurons have been dazzling scientists for a long time. But behind every successful neuron is a glial cell - particularly one type of them: microglia.
2021x14
What Neuroscience Can Learn from Meditation
Episode overview
Meditation methods and the scientific method are teaming up to explore some of the deepest questions about our existence and human nature.
2021x15
Video Games Hack Your Brain (In a Fun Way)
Episode overview
Most of us can probably think of a time when we were enjoying a video game and then suddenly...it's 2 am. And that may not be entirely your fault! Video games are designed with elements .. show full overview
2021x16
Communication While Dreaming
Episode overview
It’s hard to study dreams because it’s not like you can communicate back and forth with someone while they’re asleep...at least you couldn’t, until now!
2021x17
The Secret World of Temper Tantrums
Episode overview
Temper tantrums are more complex than just a toddler's unbridled rage. And recent research into what toddlers are thinking and feeling can help us better support kids’ healthy development!
2021x18
Why Do We Have Bright Ideas in the Shower?
Episode overview
Have you ever had a great idea or a burst of insight while taking a shower? Well, it turns out that shower thoughts are more than just an internet phenomenon, and understanding them better can help us harness their power for good!
2021x19
The Neuroscience of Tongue Twisters
Episode overview
We’ve all been tripped up by tongue-twisters. That’s the whole point! But at a neuroscientific level, they’re as difficult to understand as they are to say.
2021x20
The Overlap of Autoimmunity and Mental Health Conditions
Episode overview
Our immune systems aren't just critical to our physical health. It turns out they may play a big role in our mental health, as well. And learning more about how these two aspects of our .. show full overview
2021x21
Why You Think You Look Better in Selfies
Episode overview
You might have had the experience of heading out for the night, feeling good, snapping a few selfies with friends that memorialize for all time how great your hair is looking. But the .. show full overview
2021x22
This Is Your Brain on Language
Episode overview
You have a lot of choices if you’re looking to learn a new language, from Spanish to coding, or even whistling! And there are some broad similarities and patterns in the ways our brains process these different forms of communication.
2021x23
Why YOU Should Take a Break to Watch This Video
Episode overview
You’ve probably been there before, working hard on your job until your brain gets all mushy and fuzzy. But small breaks, like watching this video, can help you in multiple ways! Just, don’t fall into any cat video rabbit holes.
2021x24
Your Brain on Retail Therapy
Episode overview
After a bad day, you might feel like you deserve a treat and order that pair of shoes you've had your eye on. But psychologists have wondered if that impulse purchase can end up leaving you feeling more unfulfilled than happy.
2021x24
The Tiny Molecule Responsible for Startle Syndrome
Episode overview
Flinching in response to an unexpected loud noise might not be pleasant, but it's also not a problem for most people. For one family, however, getting startled would cause their bodies to go stiff and fall.
2021x25
Do we have more than 5 senses?
Episode overview
The Greek philosopher Aristotle used sensory experiences and body parts to propose that humans have five senses. But almost as soon as he proposed them, people noticed things that didn’t .. show full overview
2021x26
The Human Neocortex Isn’t as Special as We Thought
Episode overview
For a long time, scientists considered the neocortex the brainiest part of the human brain – an obvious candidate for the thing that makes us unique. But in some ways, it’s not that .. show full overview
2021x27
Is Teletherapy Really Effective?
Episode overview
Remote mental health services have been around for a while, long before the pandemic. So, we've had plenty of time to study how well they work, and there are some encouraging findings.
2021x28
Remote Control Brain Receptors
Episode overview
We have a powerful way to study how brains work thanks to a relatively new technology called chemogenetics. With chemogenetics, scientists can give an injection to mice that turns specific parts of their brains on or off!
2021x29
Are Your Eyes Part of Your Brain?
Episode overview
When you think of a brain, you probably imagine that pink, wrinkly organ in your skull, but we don’t have to stop there! Neither the brain’s functions, nor its cells, are confined to the organ we normally think of as the brain.
2021x30
The Sound of Your GPA Slipping Away
Episode overview
Researchers have noticed some trends in the relationship between academic performance and noise. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t sound good.
2021x31
Have You Seen That Face Before?
Episode overview
You’re probably familiar with that flash of recognition that happens when you see a person and suddenly realize it is someone you know, but neuroscientists have been trying to understand exactly how our brains do this for years.
2021x32
What Squids and Frogs Taught Us About How Brain Cells Talk
Episode overview
Back in the early days of neuroscience, we didn't study the animals you might expect to learn about how brain cells communicate.
2021x33
Dopamine Isn’t Just a Happy Chemical
Episode overview
When we think of the neurotransmitter dopamine, we often imagine it, and other molecules in our brains, as doing one specific thing. But that's just flat out wrong!
2021x34
How Self Care Can Save the Environment
Episode overview
If you're feeling anxious about climate change, you're not alone, but taking steps to help the world might also help you.
2021x35
The Taste of Color
Episode overview
To the average tongue, the color "red" doesn't have a flavor or a smell. But color can affect how we perceive the world in so many ways - including how things taste and smell!
2021x36
Your Brain on Psilocybin
Episode overview
Humans have been taking psilocybin-containing mushrooms for centuries, but there has been recent research into the therapeutic possibilities of this molecule.
2021x37
How Our Brains Learn Consciousness
Episode overview
Neuroscience is abound with debates over the nature of consciousness. Which makes sense, because it’s a very abstract idea. We know we are conscious, but theories of why, how and what brain activity causes it are still simply that: theories.
2021x38
Your Nose Does More Than You Give It Credit For
Episode overview
You might thank your nose for letting you experience the lovely aromas of a good soup, but you probably wouldn't think to thank it for helping you experience other people's emotions!
2021x39
Can This AI Hear Alzheimer’s on the Phone?
Episode overview
It can be tough to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, but a team of researchers believes that artificial intelligence might be able to do it just by listening.
2021x40
Why Is It So Hard to Make a Decision?
Episode overview
Even when you know what you want to do, sometimes actually doing the thing is hard. Luckily, research suggests a few ways you can make it a little easier.