PsyZine – Issue 2

This issue of PsyZine was published on 12 June 2020

Staying Positive

Recently I’ve been getting into podcasts. It started with the accidental discovery that my phone has a podcast app, and now I’ve subscribed to more podcasts than I will every have the time to listen to!

One podcast that I’m really enjoying is The Happiness Lab Podcast, by Yale University’s Dr Laurie Santos. The episodes are around half an hour and each one brings together experts in the field of positive psychology.

Dr Santos introduces lots of current research that you can incorporate into your essays. She also demonstrates plenty of useful applications of the research, which you can use in the “real world” too!

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In this issue

  • Video: What is an abstract and how do you write one?
  • Exclusive Article: Is positive psychology hippy-dippy-doo-da?
  • Read More: Interesting Links
  • Book of the Week: Subliminal: How You Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
  • Interview: Dr Colin Ellard, cognitive neuroscientist
  • Read More: Interesting Links
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This Week’s Video: How to Write An Abstract

How to write an abstract for a scientific paper

Arguably the most important part of your research paper, and almost definitely the most difficult part to write well. Our latest video goes through exactly what’s required, with a really great example. If you are conducting an EPQ Project or starting your dissertation, watch this!


Is Positive Psychology Hippy-Dippy-Doo-Da?

Daniel Edward discovers the “seriousness” of positive psychology.

It wasnā€™t until my fifth year of studying psychology ā€“ the final year of my degree ā€“ that I came across positive psychology and, Iā€™ll be honest, I almost didnā€™t return for the second lecture.

Unlike now, most people hadn’t heard of ā€œMindfulnessā€ or other positive psychology interventions unless they were closely involved in the field.

I remember having a very genuine conversation with a friend about whether weā€™d be better off using our time to work on more ā€œserious stuffā€ instead of returning for the rest of the lecture series.

Fortuitously, we decided that we should complete the lecture series, so I added ā€œHippy-Dippy-Doo-Daā€ to my weekly planner and headed off to complete the serious business of checking out the second hand book stall at the market.

So, was I right to question the seriousness of positive psychology?

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Discover Your Character Strengths

This is a fascinating – albeit long – article from the archives of The Atlantic, delving into the social psychology of crime and how neighbourhoods rise and fall as one.

TAKE THE TEST

Motivation and Goal Proximity

Research has found that the closer you are to achieving a goal, the more motivated you become. Sounds like there’s a scientific basis of last minute cramming thereā€¦!

READ ARTICLE


Book of the Week: Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior

Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
Leonard Mlodinow
Penguin Books
2014

This book has nothing to do with subliminal messaging! Regardless of it’s slightly teasing title, Leonard Mlodinow’s book on the power of the unconscious mind is a brilliant read.

Subliminal is especially worth the read if you want to explore the overlap of Psychology with the traditional “natural sciences” as Mlodinow is himself a Quantum Physicist (think Big Bang Theory on TV!) and even co-authored books with Stephen Hawking.


Interview: 60 Seconds With…

Colin Ellard is a Cognitive Neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo, where he is the Director of its Urban Realities Lab.

He is the author of Places of the Heart and You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, But Get Lost in the Mall which explore how people are influenced by and interact with the spaces around them.

“I’ve always been interested in finding unusual and unexpected connections between things, so I guess I’m a born interdisciplinary researcher!”

His research draws together neuroscience, psychology, architecture and design to understand the impact of urban design on our psychology.

You can follow Dr Ellard on Twitter (@whereaminow) and on Facebook. For more information, his website is colinellard.com.

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Intervention is an Age Issue

Children are more likely to intervene when theyy see anti-social behaviour than adults are. New research!

READ ARTICLE

Cultural Differences in Social Distancing Anxiety

Scientific American argues that there is an East-West divide in terms of anxiety experienced as a result of social distancing.

READ ARTICLE

BBC’s All In The Mind – New Series

Claudia Hammond is back with a new series of All In The Mind. First episode features developmental psychologists discussing how children view maths and time.

READ ARTICLE

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About Daniel Edward 65 Articles
Daniel set up Psychology Unlocked in 2016 to support Psychology students in higher and further education. Daniel has a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Psychology, Politics and Sociology from the University of Cambridge.