psychology

Personality Can Change Over A Lifetime, And Usually For The Better

11:46am June 30, 2016

by Christopher Soto

Psychologists have been arguing for decades over whether personality traits are real or a myth. More recent research shows that traits are real, a scientist says, and have a big effect on behavior.

To Help A Criminal Go Straight, Help Him Change How He Thinks

7:00am June 26, 2016

by Jack Bush

More than half of prisoners released from prison are rearrested within a year. Cognitive therapy can help prisoners change the thinking that gets them in trouble, like "I'll never back down."

Personality Tests Are Popular, But Do They Capture The Real You?

5:18am June 25, 2016

by Annie Murphy Paul

It can be a lot of fun taking those back-of-the-magazine personality tests. But tests may be less fun when they are used by employers to make big life decisions on hiring and job performance.

Invisibilia: Is Your Personality Fixed, Or Can You Change Who You Are?

5:59pm June 24, 2016

by Alix Spiegel

A man committed a horrible crime. Then he decided he no longer wanted to be a bad person. It is possible to change our personalities, psychologists say, even though we like to think they're innate.

Mike Marsella, center, runs during the ACC Outdoor Championships in Tallahassee this year.

Can You Psych Yourself Into Running A 4-Minute Mile?

4:31pm June 23, 2016

by Lulu Miller

NPR's Lulu Miller tells the story of one runner who always believed he could break the four-minute mile. Then a terrible accident made him question if he would ever be the same runner.

Is It OK For Boys To Cry?

11:11am June 18, 2016

by Hanna Rosin

We may be more accepting of boys who cry, but only if they cry in the right way, Hanna Rosin suggests. The norm for male behavior may be stuck in a place that isn't doing boys much good.

Tommy Chreene with his horse, Lady, at home in Meaux, La. Chreene spent 26 years working on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the Ursa project, he was part of a program designed to get the workers to open up emotionally with one an

Invisibilia: How Learning To Be Vulnerable Can Make Life Safer

12:42pm June 17, 2016

by Angus Chen

Tommy Chreene saw a man die while working on a Gulf oil rig — and went right back to work. Then the oil company decided that for the workplace to be safer, roughnecks needed to share their feelings.

Queue Listen Now

Ron Nielsen, a retired airline pilot, tells his class of fearful fliers in Southern California that crying can be a useful emotional release. If that's what they need to do, he tells them, "let 'er rip!"

Hollywood Jet Gives Fearful Fliers The Courage To Soar

1:18pm May 17, 2016

by Danny Hajek

A small group boards a 727 jet parked on a studio sound stage in Southern California. The airplane cabin is normally used for filming movies — but these "passengers" have real-world fears.

Queue Listen Now

A large family of camping children begrudgingly deal with being called by each other's names.

Science

Jane, Bill, Juan, Fido... Whoever You Are!?!

3:00pm May 13, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

As a parent, I can tell you that naming a child can be a drawn-out exercise in creativity and diplomacy. So with that said, why does my mom still call me by my aunt's name? I always took this as a character flaw. But recently, when I called my 6-year-old son for dinner - using the dog's name - I concluded that this must be science! And it seems I was right.

Queue Listen Now

Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen has found there can be a big downside to positive fantasizing.

Science

WOOP, There It Is! 4 Steps To Achieve Your Goals

6:14am May 10, 2016

Positive thinking feels good but it may actually stop you from achieving your goals. This week, we discuss a different approach called WOOP.

Queue Listen Now