Popular Delusions

Have you ever heard the phrase “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?” Or do you ever just feel when communicating with someone of the opposite gender that you are two very different people from what feels like two very different planets? Like Mars and Venus? American pop psychologist John Gray popularized the idea […]

Have you ever heard that you can’t change who you are because of the genes that come from your parents? Well, you would be lumped into a group with the many people who also believe that myth. Being a common of a myth, when doing a simple Google search you can find many articles that […]

Have you ever watched the court show Judge Judy, or perhaps CSI or Law and Order?  These shows are inspired from real-life crimes, but they have a Hollywood twist to create an entertaining story.  One commonality between reality court shows is the over-exaggerated use of the insanity defense.  Humans are naturally more likely to remember […]

If you have ever decided to spend your Friday night indulging in a romantic comedy, then you know that they are filled with cheesy one liners and the main character always ends up with the person of their dreams. The idea that opposites attract is a focal point in countless movies, TV shows and books. […]

Imagine if you could study for your midterms by listening to tape recordings of every lecture while sound asleep, rather than cramming during the day or pulling all-nighters. This phenomenon, known as sleep learning, would be an ideal situation and it seems a common belief amongst college students, 68% of whom believe that people can […]

“Let it out,” and “Don’t hold it in,” are common phrases we hear when dealing with anger or any type of emotion. There’s a popular misconception that expressing anger lowers the risk of aggression; this is called catharsis. Social media and different movies suggest that “letting off steam,” is the best way to rid yourself […]

In society, the misconception that schizophrenia is the same as split personality or dissociative disorder is widespread. It is not only a mistake that the general public makes with phrases such as “She’s acting so schizophrenic today,” but also professionals, as this misconception has been seen in several scientific journals. So do not feel too […]

If you have ever had a friend or significant other of the opposite sex, you know that communication can be basically impossible, right? You always feel like one of you communicates more or better than the other. The American pop psychologist, John Gray, even went as far as to say that communication is so different […]

You have probably heard of the “Five Stages of Grief,” otherwise known as DABDA. These stages of dying have been popularized by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the late 1960s. The 5 stages in order are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This is such a well-known concept, that many movies and shows have depicted these […]

Most of us have watched the Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast” where the filmmakers perpetuate the idea that our perfect intimate partner, is someone who differs in qualities from us. This idea that opposite attract is so common that psychologist Lynn McCutcheon found that 77% of undergraduates agreed that, in relationships, opposites are more likely to attract (Lilienfeld et. al 2010). But is it true that opposites attract?   The truth is that research evidence suggests that opposites do […]