Most people are in the pursuit of happiness. There are economists who think happiness is the best indicator of the health of a society. Did you know that spending money on experiences makes you a happier person? Did you also know that convincing yourself that you slept well tricks your brain into thinking you did? It’s all true. Some psychologists have proven that when you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it. Isn’t that interesting?
8 Psychology Facts You Won’t Believe Are True
Here are some more psychology facts that you won’t believe are true!
1. Spending Money on Experience Instead of Stuff Also Makes You Happier
According to a study by Kasser, Cohn, Kanner, & Ryan, their research shows that experiential (rather than material) purchases increase feelings of happiness
- via psychology today
2. Kids Are More High Strung Today Than the Average Psych Ward Patient in 1950
Researchers Baumeister and colleagues reported that anxiety is an adaptive response to being excluded from social groups and/or relationships. An influential review (Cohen & Wills, 1985) concluded that social support is correlated with lower self-reports of anxiety and depression.
- via apa.org
3. Certain Religious Practices Lower Stress
A study published in the “The American Psychiatric Textbook of Mood Disorders” shows that people who engage in meditation and prayer religiously are less stressed out.
- via apa.org
4. Being with Happy People Makes You Happier
Happiness, by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener, demonstrates The positive effects from connecting with others are lasting. In contrast to material goods, we are more likely to continue to want our close relationships, even after we attain them, and to continue to derive positive emotions from them.
- via pbs
via bmartin
5. Convincing Yourself You Slept Well Tricks Your Brain into Thinking It Did
A study conducted by the department of Psychology supports the hypothesis that mindset can influence cognitive states in both positive and negative directions, suggesting a means of controlling one’s health and cognition
- via ncbi
6. Smart People Underestimate Themselves and Ignorant People Think They’re Brilliant
Kruger and Dunning, two researchers collaborated on a study that suggests that by improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, this helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.
- via psych.colorado.edu
7. When You Remember a past Event, You’re Actually Remembering the Last Time You Remembered It
According to Donna Bridge a researcher at Northwestern in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Every time you remember an event from the past, your brain networks change in ways that can alter the later recall of the event.
- via northwestern.edu
8. If you announce your goals, you’re less likely to succeed
When other people take notice of one’s identity-relevant behavioral intentions, one’s performance of the intended behaviors is compromised.
- via psych.nyu
The Psychology Program at Point University
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