Speaking of Psychology

From writing emails to analyzing medical images, AI is becoming a routine part of many people's work. These tools can boost productivity and free us from tedious tasks -- but what happens when we start relying on them for skills that once required years of practice to develop? Brooke Macnamara, PhD, discusses the psychology of cognitive offloading; what early research suggests about AI's effects on learning, memory and expertise; why novices and experts may be affected differently by AI tools; and how workers can use AI in ways that support, rather than undermine, their long-term skill development.
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For years, body image concerns and eating disorders were viewed as problems that primarily affected girls and women. But boys and men also struggle with body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia -- often in ways that go unnoticed. Roberto Olivardia, PhD, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, discusses muscle dysmorphia; why body image disorders in men are frequently overlooked; how social media, the "manosphere," and trends
like looksmaxxing are shaping young men's ideas about appearance and
masculinity; and what parents, clinicians, and others can do to help boys and men build a healthier relationship with their bodies.
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Too often, we treat sleep as something we can sacrifice when life gets busy. But a growing body of research finds that sleep is essential to both mental and physical health -- and that sleep problems can be a cause, not just a consequence, of conditions like depression and anxiety. Philip Gehrman, PhD, discusses what happens in the brain while we sleep; how insomnia and disrupted circadian rhythms affect mental health; why psychologists are paying more attention to sleep; and what all of us can do to get better, more restorative sleep.
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Most people think they’re good listeners. But really listening well is harder than it seems. Guy Itzchakov, PhD, talks about what distinguishes high-quality listening from just staying quiet while someone else talks; how feeling heard affects speakers’ emotions, attitudes and relationships; why high-quality listening can reduce defensiveness during disagreements; and whether AI chatbots will ever be good listeners.
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From ultrasound photos to graduation pictures, many parents share their children's lives online. For some families, these posts help maintain connections with friends and relatives or build supportive parenting communities. But what does it mean for children to grow up with a digital footprint that begins, in some cases, before they are even born? Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, discusses the psychology of "sharenting," the privacy and safety risks of sharing in the age of AI, and how families can balance connection and community with children's need for autonomy and control over their own stories.
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