June PsychNotes
You’ll probably get the urge to yawn if you stare at this yawning dog. Why? Because you’re a kind and empathetic person, of course! That
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
June 1, 2018
May PsychNotes
Here’s a little challenge for ya. Take a look at this chart of cognitive biases and see if you can identify two that you’re especially
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
May 1, 2018
April PsychNotes
The first mass media April Fool joke was reportedly the BBC’s 1957 Panorama segment on spaghetti harvesting, for which a cameraman hung “pounds of spaghetti
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
April 1, 2018
Men, Never Marry a Misstery
Hey, you wanna buy a car? Here’s my offer: If you give me $50,000 I’ll deliver a vehicle to you next year. Until then, you
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
March 30, 2018
March PsychNotes
What is green and pecks on trees? Woody the Woodpickle. (That joke never fails with kids.) Here are some goodies from last month, including studies
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
March 1, 2018
February PsychNotes
Wanna hear a joke? A neuron and a glial cell went to summer camp. When they arrived at the barracks, the neuron demanded the top
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
February 1, 2018
How to Talk to Your Girlfriend about Prenuptial Agreements
So you’re thinking about tying the knot. Congratulations! Not to rain on your parade, but have you considered what might happen if you ever need
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
January 7, 2018
January PsychNotes
Someone once said the problem with the future is that it usually arrives before we’re ready for it. Ready or not, happy new year! Here
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
January 1, 2018
December PsychNotes
My favorite study of the week says dogs have about 530 million cortical neurons, and cats have 250 million. However, cats make up the deficit by
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
December 1, 2017
November PsychNotes
Happy November! Sometimes it seems like everything is a competition. My own brain can’t even get along with itself. Here are some recent tidbits about
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
November 1, 2017
Is Feminism Making Women Undatable?
Did you know sandwiches are a tool of patriarchal oppression? It’s true. A person can be oppressed by anything if they have an indignant outlook
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
October 16, 2017
October PsychNotes
We’re approaching binge-eating season. It seems natural selection has saddled us with a powerful hankerin’ to bulk up for the winter. There was a time
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
October 1, 2017
Why College Men Should Not Date College Women
Romance is risky for men. The right relationship can be the best thing that happens to a man, or the wrong one can ruin him.
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
September 20, 2017
Denver’s Peaceful Warriors: Developmental Disabilities and the Martial Arts
“Hi Mark, I’m breathing!” Click. That’s one of hundreds of voicemails Mark Nothdurft has received from his students over the years. This one is from
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
December 9, 2016
PsychNotes • Get Me Some Numbers, Stat!
Here’s a fact of life as comforting as it is troubling: most everything regresses to the mean. The good news: every sweltering day will eventually
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
October 1, 2016
A Practical Guide to Forgiveness
Mike asked a question that comes up frequently in my office: what the heck does forgiveness mean, and how does one do it? We’ve all
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
August 18, 2016
July PsychNotes • Sweet Memories
It’s been ten years and one child since I wrote a blog post titled How Does Memory Work? It’s held up well, for the most
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
July 1, 2016
Why Victimhood Is Thriving at College, and What We Can Do about It
Here’s a modern-day riddle. In a world where predators prey on weakness, why would anyone pretend to be gutless and fragile? Bad guys search for
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
June 16, 2016
June PsychNotes • Summer with the Young ‘Uns
My nine-year-old daughter is pretty gloomy these days. She loves her school and she’s sad the year is over. Me, I’m pretty happy about it.
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
June 1, 2016
May PsychNotes • Insect Intellect
The Smithsonian estimates there are around 900,000 species of insects and 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 of them buzzing and crawling around at any given moment. Look out! There’s
Dr. Shawn T. Smith
May 1, 2016