Facebook Addiction?

Facebook and social networks – pastime or addiction?

mobile-phone-426559_640I am not really a heavy social network user. I have a twitter and Facebook account, and a (slightly outdated) Linkedin account. I mostly use mine to publicise my blog and keep in touch with distant friends. I maybe make about 6 posts a week max. For most, these networks are a great way to bring people together and share views. For others, though, social networks like Facebook can become problematic or even addictive. Can the science of psychology help predict who is at risk?

Continue reading “Facebook Addiction?”

Stereotypes: Confessions of a ‘Hippy Parent’

Holidays and stereotypes content: Confessions of a ‘Hippy Parent’.

stereotypeThis last week my family and I have been on holiday. I for one needed it – the end of the academic year is pretty busy and I usually come out of it pretty beat. For our holiday we went to a resort on the south coast. We rented a small apartment in a block of 4 in the resorts ‘holiday village’. We had a super time and have returned back to work and family life much refreshed. However, something happened which was a bit thought provoking. I was (in a fairly nice way – all things considered!) reduced to a stereotype.

Continue reading “Stereotypes: Confessions of a ‘Hippy Parent’”

Free ‘Judgement’ ebook

Judgement:10 judgemental biases to avoid. 10 improvements to your decision making.

Judgement pocketbook cover

As you may know, about a month ago I released a short ‘PocketBook ‘ called Judgement: Judgement:10 judgemental biases to avoid.10 improvements to your decision making.’. This ebook outlines some key psychological principles which will help you improve your everyday judgements and decision making. Each principle is outlined in an accessible way, and comes with a number of clear improvements which you can action immediately.   These are all outlined in 600 words or less, making it easy to dip in and out of.

The great news is if you sign up for free email updates now you can receive a FREE COPY OF THE JUDGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING EBOOK 

To give you an idea of the contents, here is an excerpt!

 

Continue reading “Free ‘Judgement’ ebook”

The psychology of magic in childhood

Is a little magic a good thing?

magicKids should have magic in their lives. The tooth fairy, Santa Claus, Imaginary friends, the Elf-on-the-shelf (although to be honest, that last US inspired tradition weirds me out a little, so we are skipping it!) are all day to day parts of our children’s reality. But is magic for children a ‘good’ thing or a morally dubious waste of time? And what do psychologists who have studied it argue?

Continue reading “The psychology of magic in childhood”

Do you want to take part in some research? (UK only)

I’m looking for people to take part in my research – can you help?

e-cigaretteAs you may know-  my ‘proper job’ is as an Associate Professor of Psychology at London South Bank University. Myself and a colleague (Dr Lynne Dawkins) are currently doing some work on smoking, e-cigarettes and the effects they have on health. Would you like to help? We are looking for people who have smoked very little in their lifetimes (fewer than 20 cigarettes), current tobacco smokers and also people who use e-cigarettes.  To take part you need to be UK resident and willing to provide a urine and saliva sample (by post, I won’t be coming to your house 😉  ). We’ll also ask you to fill in a few short questionnaires. In return, we’ll send you a £10 Amazon voucher, and you will get a sense of satisfaction from helping advance the cause of science :).

We’ll provide everything you need to take part. If you are interested, just email sasecig@lsbu.ac.uk to find out more!

 

This research is ethically approved by LSBU University Research Ethics Panel: UREC number 1577.