Having a basic understanding of psychology would be useful to every single one of us. It can help us become more empathetic, understand how to work through our personal issues and learn how to more effectively communicate with others. And while Adorian’s videos are great to learn quick tips and fun facts, the field of psychology is incredibly nuanced, so we wanted to gain some insight about “psychology hacks” from an expert. 

We reached out to psychologist and professor Dr. Lynne Kennette, who shared with us how she feels about “psychology hacks” circulating online. We asked whether she considers these videos to be a positive, as people are sharing interest in psychology, or if she is wary of the trend, as these types of videos could allow for false information to be spread. “On the one hand, it's great to get people interested in psychology using this type of ‘hack’ or ‘quick facts’; maybe it will lead them to taking a course at a local college or university,” she shared.

But Dr. Kennette also wants to remind viewers that they should still check the facts they hear online. “Anyone can say anything they want on platforms like TikTok, and it isn't necessarily based in science,” she explained. “When psychological scientists publish their research, it is reviewed by other experts to ensure the research was rigorous and that the results/conclusions are valid based on the experimental design.”

“Although I don't know this particular TikTok user or his credentials, I know that most of what he has presented is based on some of the principles taught in an introductory psychology course (e.g., what we know about the science of motivation- Daniel Pink has a great book called Drive which speaks to many of these aspects),” Dr. Kennette added. “So, these types of hacks are entertaining, but before making some major changes in your life, make sure to read peer-reviewed scholarly articles on the topic, because with most topics in psychology, there is evidence to support competing theories/advice.”

We were also curious if Dr. Kennette would like to see the average person taking an interest in psychology, even though we can’t all be experts. “Absolutely! One of the things that makes psychology so interesting is that it can be applied to pretty much any aspect of everyday life,” she noted. “For example, the fundamental attribution error shows that we tend to underestimate situational factors when attributing the cause of others' behaviors (but not our own). So when someone cuts you off on the highway, you're more likely to think it's because they're a jerk (internal attribution) rather than because their wife is in labor (situational),” Dr. Kennette explained. “When you cut someone off, it's because you're in a hurry (situational) not because you're a jerk. So being aware of these psychological principles at work in our everyday lives can help us to more accurately evaluate people and situations, and then act in a more appropriate way.”

We also asked Dr. Kennette if she had any “quick psychology facts” to share that she thinks everyone should know. “I think one of the areas that isn’t talked about enough is how unreliable our memory is,” she noted. “It is reconstructive, so it’s not really like a camera, but more like Wikipedia, where other people and external information can change it without us being aware of it.” Dr. Kennette also mentioned that there are some great TEDTalks on this topic by Elizabeth Loftus; if you’re interested, you can find one right here. 

If you're looking to learn even more psychological facts, Dr. Kennette recommends reading a free open source textbook, such as one found on OpenStax, watching some TED Talks, or signing up for a course (often free on platforms such as Coursera). “At least with these sources (TEDTalks, OpenStax, Coursera), you can be confident that the content is from an expert in the field (typically someone with a PhD),” she noted.

“Sometimes psychology is perceived as ‘common sense’,” Dr. Kennette added. “Like, why do we need to study this- it's obvious, but many outcomes of research actually go counter to our intuitive sense of what we think will happen,” she explained. “So it's important to study these topics (and also replicate the results of our studies in different populations and different conditions) to ensure they are ‘true’ representations of our human realities.”

Have you learned anything new about yourself or others from this list? We hope you’re feeling inspired to start doing a bit more research about psychology on your own time. Keep upvoting the tips from Adorian that you plan to implement into your life, and feel free to share any more psychology “hacks” in the comments down below. Then, if you’re looking to learn even more about psychology, you can find a few more Bored Panda articles on similar topics right here, here and here.