Cool Psychology Facts That Will Make You Want to Explore a Degree

Published on: December 6, 2021

Thinking of studying psychology? This career field is easily among the most fascinating. Multiple disciplines exist under the umbrella term "psychology," and each one is more interesting and engaging than the last. Husson University in Bangor, Maine, can help you earn your bachelor's degree in psychology. Explore these interesting psychology facts from several psychology fields to learn more about this Intriguing career path.

Developmental Psychology Facts

Developmental psychology begins at fetal development and ends with death. It's the study of how humans change and transform throughout life, including what we think, how we feel, the actions we take, and why we take them. This branch of psychology gives us great insight into topics such as how serial killers are formed and whether great achievers are born to excel or if they're raised that way. Is it someone's nature to be a criminal? Or did childhood trauma mold them into who they've become?

A career that explores developmental psychology can be fascinating for someone who enjoys finding answers to obscure questions. And if you have a researcher's mind, you may find this field highly satisfying. This is also an interesting subject for students who plan to become teachers, because it gives an insight into how children develop as they age and how early circumstances help influence growth and accomplishment. The revelations this field has brought humanity are wide and far-reaching. These are only a few of the cool psychology facts we now know, thanks to the study of developmental psychology:

1. A child's social and emotional development can benefit from having one or even multiple responsive caregivers outside of their parents.
2. Childhood abuse and neglect have direct ties to impaired brain and cognitive development.
3. While children who are exposed to childhood violence may have more problems as adults, they're not automatically doomed to become abusers themselves.
4. Healthy relationships play a bigger role in resilience, or the ability to rise above a traumatic childhood, than does independent determination.
5. Childhood development is interactive, and scientists think healthy, loving relationships are more impactful than genetics on who a person becomes.

It's the field of developmental psychology that tells us every abused or neglected child does not have to become a Ted Bundy or a Jeffrey Dahmer. Instead, by intervening in a child's life and surrounding them with healthy examples of caring individuals, we can make a difference.

Evolutionary Psychology Facts

Evolutionary psychology revolves around the many ways in which evolution has shaped how humans behave today. From hunting and gathering, to reproducing, to avoiding danger, evolutionary psychologists feel much of what we do today has been shaped or impacted by the behaviors of our ancestors. Natural selection plays a big role in this branch of psychology because much of what we do has a direct impact on continuing our species. For example, humans naturally avoid incest because it may culminate in weaker offspring who are less able to survive and adapt. Similarly, we feel a need to make friends because larger groups of people once provided more protection. Obviously, as humans, we don't usually think this deeply about why we feel the need to call up a friend or why we're horrified to learn about instances of incest within families, but someone who studies evolutionary psychology could always enlighten us. Interesting psychology facts that center around our evolution include:

1. Your fight-or-flight response is likely influenced by the survival instinct of your ancestors, who avoided dangers such as wild beasts and enemies as preservation tactics.
2. Your infatuation with your smartphone may harken back to days of old, when keeping in constant contact with others helped to keep your ancestors alive.
3. Evolutionary Psychology doesn't only apply to humans. Scientists have used it to determine that some crocodiles may have once had paddles instead of legs and that others ran on long legs that ended in claws.
4. You might feel jealous when someone flirts with your spouse or partner because, long ago, losing a mate meant you could no longer procreate.
5. Empathy may have developed as a way to act for the good of the group instead of for the good of one individual.

A lot of what we do and feel today is an indirect result of things our distant ancestors did that natural selection determined were valuable traits. As an evolutionary psychologist, you'll help unravel these mysteries of the past and apply them to today's human behavior.

Social Psychology Facts

Social psychology analyzes the impact of other people and social situations on behavior. In other words, how does the presence of a crowd affect the way you feel and interact? How beneficial is it to have a friend? And what is "crowd mentality"? If you've ever interacted on a social media site and said things you'd never say to someone in person, you've experienced the influence of social psychology.

This branch of science helps researchers better understand horrific moments in history, such as the Holocaust. It may also explain why cult leaders are able to convince members to commit acts of mass suicide. What makes some leaders so magnetic that people are willing to renounce everything they have and everyone they've ever known to become a follower? Social psychology may help explain the damage done by false propaganda and how peaceful protests suddenly turn violent.

If you've ever found yourself fascinated by the answers to questions such as these, you may have a future as a social psychologist. Social psychology fun facts tell us:

1. The need to conform to the crowd can outweigh individual wisdom and knowledge.
2. Social stereotypes may be born out of the human need to categorize everything, even people.
3. Most people feel when they fail it's because of outside forces. But when someone else fails, it's their own fault.
4. It often feels easier to go along with the majority than it does to stand alone.
5. If one person witnesses an accident, they're more likely to render aid. If multiple people witness an accident, the odds that someone will step up to help lessen.

Social psychology can help explain many tragedies that have occurred throughout history. And learning more about it may help us, as a species, to avoid repeating the same circumstances over again. 

Abnormal Psychology Facts

Abnormal psychology is often hard to define because the term "normal" can vary so widely between groups, cultures, races, and sexes. What one group considers odd may seem perfectly fine to another. For example, it may seem perfectly acceptable for a teenager to jump up and begin dancing wildly in the middle of a room. However, if an elderly person did the same, others might find the behavior unacceptable, or abnormal. Therefore, a better definition of abnormal psychology may be that it seeks to better understand the differences between members of a group who act "differently" from other members of that same demographic.

The study of abnormal behavior has helped us, as a society, to amend many outdated ideas we once had regarding what is and isn't "normal." Examples include pregnancy out of wedlock, homosexuality, women who vote and hold jobs outside the home, and men who dress in women's clothing. At certain times throughout history, these behaviors were all considered strange or unusual. Through research and understanding, however, they're perfectly acceptable today, and the science of abnormal psychology is at least partly responsible. This branch of science has revealed many cool psychology facts, such as:

1. It's not difficult to fall into the "abnormal" category. Even disorders such as anxiety and depression can land you there.
2. Thankfully, "abnormal" no longer carries the stigma it once did. In fact, most of us consider ourselves "less than normal" in some aspects of our lives.
3. Activities such as smoking, overeating, and skipping class are technically considered abnormal because they're detrimental to self.
4. Today, it's easier and more acceptable than it has ever been to find help for mental illnesses such as depressive disorders.
5. In many circles, eccentricity is considered more interesting than “normal.”

Forensic Psychology Facts                                    

Forensic psychology allows you to apply your clinical skills in a legal setting. In layman's terms, this means you'll analyze individuals who have been accused or convicted of crimes to better understand why they committed their criminal acts. You may also use your skills to help develop profiles that help to identify and catch offenders. You may be called upon to testify in court or may assist police during interviews with suspects. Many interesting psychology facts have their roots in forensic science:

1. The misuse of forensic psychology can plant false memories that make you believe you committed a crime you didn't commit.
2. Television shows such as "Criminal Minds" have increased interest in the field of forensic psychology.
3. Forensic psychology has been instrumental in catching many serial killers, including John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer.
4. Crime writer Ann Rule used forensic psychology in her best-selling books based on real-life killers.
5. The field of forensic psychology is expected to grow at a faster-than-average rate through 2026.

Health Psychology Facts

Health psychology is that branch of science that examines how psychology impacts wellness. Sometimes, how we feel can impede how well we recover from illness or injury. Health psychologists are constantly looking for ways to improve people's physical health by improving the way they think about things. This field of study is useful for many applications, including helping people lose weight, stop smoking, manage stress, and overcome addictive behaviors. There are many facts about health psychology you may find interesting:

1. Having a positive mindset can help you recover more quickly from serious illness or injury.
2. Happy people tend to be healthier overall.
3. Laughter really is good for your soul, or at least for your physical health.
4. Practicing holistic therapies such as mindfulness or gratitude can help you overcome lifelong cognitive distortions.
5. Health psychology may be instrumental in preventing chronic disease.

Neuropsychology Facts

Neuropsychology deals more with how the brain functions than it does with thoughts and emotions. Neuropsychologists are the professionals who seek to better understand diseases and disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. Consider these interesting psychology facts, brought to you, in part, by neuropsychology:

1. The human brain is roughly 60 percent fat and weighs around 3 pounds.
2. Your brain is actually light-sensitive, which helps to explain seasonal affective disorder and disruptions to circadian rhythm in winter.
3. The blood vessels in a single brain, , would reach halfway to the moon.
4. The male brain is usually about 10 percent larger than the female brain.
5. Your brain can generate as much as 23 watts of electrical power.

When you're ready to pursue your degree in psychology, call the admissions office at Husson University, or apply for admission today. Excitement and discovery await.

Get Your Psychology Degree

Sources

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