Flashcards for:
11 Interesting Psychological Facts About Human Behavior

Social isolation can lead dog owners to develop more aggressive personalities, which may be reflected in their preference for stereotypically aggressive dog breeds.

The third-person effect is the tendency for people to believe that others are more affected by persuasion than themselves, despite mass media having a subconscious influence on their own mood, desires, and attitudes.

Owners of stereotypically aggressive dog breeds often have aggressive personalities themselves. Factors such as social isolation, fewer visitors, and living in high-crime neighborhoods influence this characteristic.

The Fundamental Attribution Error is the tendency to attribute others' bad behavior to their personality while justifying our own similar actions due to situational factors.

Solomon's Paradox is the phenomenon where people think more rationally about others' problems than their own. By adopting a third-person perspective, individuals can address personal dilemmas more effectively.

The reminiscence bump refers to the tendency for people to recall more memories from early adulthood due to the emotional intensity of experiences during this period. These experiences are significant because they help form self-identity, attitudes, beliefs, and life goals.

Using a foreign language reduces decision-making biases by activating the brain's inhibition center. This leads to more rational decisions.

The brain's response to rejection activates regions associated with physical pain, explaining why emotional pain from rejection can feel as intense as physical pain.

Volunteering boosts happiness, health, and well-being, reduces loneliness, and improves social lives. Frequent volunteers often live longer.

Rejection activates the same brain areas as physical pain, which is why even small rejections can cause significant emotional distress.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where incompetent people are unaware of their lack of skill and overestimate their abilities. This effect highlights the importance of self-awareness and continuous learning.

Daydreaming is associated with higher intelligence and creativity. People with high IQs and creativity tend to daydream frequently because their efficient brains can zone out and still retain crucial details.

Early adulthood experiences are memorable due to their emotional intensity, which plays a significant role in shaping one's self-identity, attitudes, beliefs, and life goals.

Dopamine drives the desire to seek new information, which can lead to prolonged and unsatisfying use of social media as the brain constantly seeks novel stimuli.

Adopting a third-person perspective allows for more rational thinking and can help individuals effectively address their own problems by creating emotional distance.