Best of psychology on the web - 1

Starting up this blog is helping me make sure that I regularly search for psychology related material. I'm getting much better at going through all the news sources and journals.

In this post, I'm still in a silly mood. So instead of a serious post, here's a collection of the most intriguing  psychology stuff I've found on the web. Enjoy!

Need a gift for that friendly neighbourhood psychologist?  Look no further, this site has all your psych gift needs wrapped up.

Starting a psychology degree and want to get a quick handle on the top 100 important 'ideas'?  The What Makes them Click blog has created a list of 100 things you should know about people. Great way to present things!

Dan Ariely's (author of predictably irrational) maintains a blog that is a great combination of his personal stories with behavioural economics and consumer psychology. He's got a knack for designing really nifty studies.

And a final one: Check out Psychology Today's list of studies published in 2010 that you should know about. I really like their number 10 which studied procrastination in students. Turns out "If you want to get yourself out of the procrastination trap, stop beating yourself up and try a little selfforgiveness instead".

A bit fun, a bit serious

I really like the idea behind psychwiki this wiki is an attempt to explain core concepts of psychology. It isn't finished yet, but is a great idea. Check it out!

Also, just for fun, some psychology songs to get you in the mood for the start of the Australian semester (sorry folks in other countries...this is a bit late for you!)

"Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley.  When I hear this song, makes me think about people's own stories about their mental health care and the experience of receiving a mental health diagnosis. Beyondblue has a great site that records people's experiences with depression and anxiety.

"Djapana" - Yothu Yindi reminds me that often in Australia we only learn about western traditions of psychology. Psychology is much more than that. The Australian Indigenous Psychology Association is a great place to start if you want to learn more. Also, when I hear this song, I think about the experience of homesickness and acculturation. Even though these terms are used in psychology to demonstrate different things, the terms both incorporate a feeling that your real home is far far away.

"Runaway train" - Soul Asylum

Speaking of 'home' Soul Asylum's song reminds us of the experiences of homelessness and the many complex factors involved in someone becoming homeless. For an Australian perspective on children who are homeless, see this fact sheet.

Here's one to think about - what is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist in general and in your country?

"Frontier Psychiatrist" - The Avalanches

What is your favourite song about psychology?

How to get the 'low-down' on psychology

I really love thinking about the implications of news stories, particularly for psychology. Sometimes, a news story that I'm listening to will confirm some of the more stable 'findings' of psychological research. Other times, I'll find myself thinking of new research projects inspired by the regular news.

Here's a list of my favourite psychology new websites:

Science Daily has a psychology site:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychology/

Psychology Today, the magazine, has an online site which publishes many stories in full, and some blogs too. I think it is a great place to start reading about psychology because the stories incorporate a lot of explanations of foundational concepts and they seem to cover broad, engaging topics:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/

The American Psychological Association has their own site for news stories - mostly from USA media outlets.:
http://www.apa.org/news/psycport/index.aspx

Alltop's psychology page is another great starting place, the site is basically a 'net' for collecting psychology news from around the web. Some links will take you to media outlets and others will send you to blogs & wikis:
http://psychology.alltop.com/