Read on Twitter
I'm preparing my takeaway lessons lecture for the final intro psych class tomorrow. Here's what I've got so far:
1. Perception is not reality. We often see, hear, even taste what we expect - and what we pay attention to.
1. Perception is not reality. We often see, hear, even taste what we expect - and what we pay attention to.
2. Conducting research with humans is complicated and hard.
Many of the findings you hear about are correlational - often interesting, sometimes useful, but we cannot infer causality.
Many of the findings you hear about are correlational - often interesting, sometimes useful, but we cannot infer causality.
3. The human brain is probably the most complicated object in the universe - that we know of. Accept no simple stories about how it works. Accept no simple stories about "human nature".
4. Habits die hard. They can be your worst enemy and - if you create good ones - your best friend.
5. Relatedly, selecting and structuring situations carefully seems to be the most effective means of self-control. Lead yourself not into temptation.
6. Memory is reconstructive. It probably didn't happen quite like you recall.
7. We use all sorts of useful mental shortcuts when we make decisions - but they can lead us astray. Beware the sunk costs fallacy. Beware confirmation bias.
8. How we interpret events shapes our emotions and how we respond to stressors.
9. Psychology is a key contributor to behavior - but we must not neglect broader social, institutional, and systemic forces, which are often more powerful. Be sure to take a sociology, anthropology, or political science course...
10. About 1 in 4 adults experiences mental health challenges every year. Yet many - maybe half or more - don't receive treatment.
If you are struggling, you are not alone.
And we must continue to work to destigmatize mental illness and provide affordable treatment options.
If you are struggling, you are not alone.
And we must continue to work to destigmatize mental illness and provide affordable treatment options.
11. From infancy onwards, our connections to others are paramount. Belonging is a fundamental human need.
12. Partly due to this, we are often highly influenced in thought and action by the people around us.
We would be wise, therefore, to be thoughtful about the people we choose to surround ourselves with and the groups with which we identify.
We would be wise, therefore, to be thoughtful about the people we choose to surround ourselves with and the groups with which we identify.
13. Finally, human beings can be extraordinary rationalizers - constructing elaborate stories and beliefs to justify ourselves and our groups.
We should always approach convenient explanations with a healthy degree of skepticism - and doubly so if they are our own.
We should always approach convenient explanations with a healthy degree of skepticism - and doubly so if they are our own.
What else should I say???
