Are you the sort of person that feels a little frisson or thrill whenever you hear about a major fatality? Don’t worry, you’re not a psychopath, but you might just be confirming Freud’s death drive. Sigmund Freud's Life Instinct and Death Drive Sigmund Freud theorised that we all have two…
When something goes wrong in your life, do you tend to blame yourself or someone else? Psychologists call this type of ‘blaming’ or ‘attribution of success or failure’ our Internal and External Locus of Control. Sounds complicated, right? Well, it’s not, and it can affect how happy your life is.…
Time travel has been the subject of many science-fiction books and films for the last few decades. But is it possible? Are there any time travel theories that could actually work? Understanding Time Travel We are all time travellers. That is to say, we all travel through time. We travel…
Some people just seem to sail through life, don’t they? They face problems with determination, successes with humility, and are just all-around likeable, smart and decent folk. Perhaps they are using psychological skills that we don’t know about? There are certainly lots of life hacks that people use in order…
When a person says ‘I feel your pain,’ you take it to mean emotionally, not physically. But people that suffer from mirror-touch synesthesia feel exactly that; other people’s physical pain. What Is Mirror-Touch Synesthesia? The Condition of Synesthesia Before we discuss this strange condition, let’s get some background on the…
Have you heard of Dunbar’s number? My sister certainly has. Years ago, when her new neighbour asked her if she wanted to pop round for a coffee, she said: “No thanks, I’ve got enough friends.” Now, before you start judging my sis for being unnecessarily blunt, she does have a…
Stalking in any form is insidious and menacing. However, cyberstalking takes this kind of threatening behaviour to frightening new levels. The internet has evolved to become the place in which we communicate effectively and quickly. For the vast majority of us, it is a safe and pleasant place to inhibit.…
We all have our little idiosyncrasies. However, when somebody starts to withdraw from society, speak, think, act and dress in an odd way, it is possible they are showing the symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder. Before we start, it is worth mentioning that schizotypal personality disorder may share similar symptoms…