Few psychology studies have entered popular culture as deeply as the Stanford Prison Experiment. Conducted in August 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo and colleagues Craig Haney and Curtis Banks, the study transformed the basement of Stanford University’s psychology building into…
The feeling that everyone else is ahead of you can appear at almost any age. You may look around and see friends buying homes, advancing in their careers, getting married, having children, traveling, building businesses, publishing work, or simply seeming…
There are periods when life seems to be happening somewhere just beyond reach. Weeks disappear into work, errands, routines, screens, and responsibilities, while other people appear to be traveling, falling in love, building careers, starting families, creating things, or experiencing…
Being average should not be frightening. Statistically, most people will fall somewhere near the middle on most abilities, achievements, incomes, appearances, and measures of success. No one can occupy the top tier of every hierarchy, and even highly accomplished people…
Rest should be one of the simplest human activities. When you are tired, you stop working. When your attention begins to fade, you take a break. When the day’s responsibilities are finished, you allow yourself to relax. Yet many people…
Most people understand that they will eventually die, but for many, an equally unsettling thought is what happens afterward: the world continues, relationships change, memories fade, and eventually even a once-familiar name may disappear from conversation. Photographs can lose their…
There are periods of life when the days seem to lose their edges. You wake up, follow roughly the same sequence of tasks, interact with many of the same people, handle familiar responsibilities, consume familiar entertainment, go to sleep, and…
Advice seems simple on the surface. One person sees a problem, believes they know something useful, and recommends what another person should do. Yet receiving advice can trigger reactions that seem strangely disproportionate to the words themselves. A reasonable suggestion…
Logotherapy is a meaning-centered approach to psychotherapy developed by Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor E. Frankl. Its name comes from the Greek logos, which Frankl used in the sense of “meaning.” Where Sigmund Freud emphasized the pursuit of pleasure and…
People often imagine themselves as independent thinkers who make decisions from evidence and personal conviction. Yet clothing styles, political opinions, workplace habits, consumer choices, and judgments about obvious facts are influenced by what other people appear to believe. Psychology calls…
Jealousy is often dismissed as simple insecurity, but psychologically it is more complex. It usually appears when a valued relationship, source of attention, or social position seems threatened by a rival. The feeling may combine fear of loss, anger, sadness,…
Loneliness is often mistaken for the simple condition of being alone, but the two experiences are not identical. A person can spend an entire day in solitude and feel peaceful, restored, or creatively engaged. Another person can sit among coworkers,…