We live in a world that is saturated in media of all kinds, from newspapers to radio to television to the internet. Media literacy enables us to understand and evaluate all of the media messages we encounter on a daily basis, empowering us to make better choices about what we choose to read, watch, and listen to. It also helps us become smarter, more discerning members of society. Media literacy is seen as an essential 21st-century skill by educators and scholars, including media psychologists....

A sense of belonging involves more than simply being acquainted with other people. It is centered on gaining acceptance, attention, and support from members of the group as well as providing the same attention to other members. In social psychology, the need to belong is an intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others and be socially accepted. This need plays a role in a number of social phenomena such as self-presentation and social comparison....

The term bystander effect refers to this phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. How the Bystander Effect Works When an emergency situation occurs, the bystander effects holds that observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. In a series of classic studies, researchers Bibb Latané and John Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room....

The delusion can be quite distressing, leading to feelings of paranoia and anxiety. There is no known cure for the Fregoli delusion, but treatment may help lessen symptoms and improve quality of life. History of the Fregoli Delusion The Fregoli delusion was first described in 1927 by French authors Courbon and Fail. They reported the case of a woman who believed that two famous actresses of the time (Sarah Bernhardt and Robine) were taking on the guise of different people such as friends, employers, and strangers in the street....

Having a positive outlook on life is good for your mental well-being. The problem is that life isn’t always positive. We all have painful emotions and experiences. Those emotions, while often unpleasant, need to be felt and dealt with openly and honestly to achieve acceptance and greater psychological health. Toxic positivity takes positive thinking to an overgeneralized extreme. This attitude doesn’t just stress the importance of optimism—it also minimizes and even denies any trace of human emotions not strictly happy or positive....

What Is White Supremacy? Resmaa Menakem, in his seminal work, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, refers to it as “White Body Supremacy.” He described it as originating in the body—that is, the white body became the standard of all of humanity. From that premise, anyone that doesn’t fit the mold is not as worthy in the spectrum of humanity—or rather even less than....

While there are a number of advantages to videoconferencing technology like Zoom, there is also a heavy toll that it can take on an individual, leading to what is now commonly known as Zoom fatigue. According to researcher and educator Jeremy Bailenson, PhD, there are a number of reasons that this type of communication has many people exhausted by their daily Zoom calls. What Is Zoom Fatigue? Zoom fatigue can feel very similar to traditional burnout—a common occurrence in “normal’ times—but is a specific type of exhaustion that occurs in response to the increased need for videoconferencing throughout the day for people working remotely....

Using cognitive and behavioral strategies to alter the intensity of love is known as love regulation. Research suggests that people can utilize emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal and distraction to help intensify or reduce feelings of love. Here’s what it might mean if you don’t want to fall in love, how to deal with it, and how to avoid letting it keep you from forming positive, supportive relationships....

If you’re in this position right now and are unsure if you want to continue the relationship, it’s important to remember that relationships can go through many different phases. Just because you have lost feelings right now, doesn’t mean that you can’t ever get them back. Signs Your Relationship Might Be in Trouble Below are red flags that may indicate your relationship might need to be re-evaluated: You stop having conversations....

When a provider diagnoses someone with autism, they can specify severity by indicating whether the autistic person is Level One, Level Two, or Level Three; Level One indicates “mild” symptoms and Level Three indicates more severe difficulties. “Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts.”“Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.”Symptoms begin in early childhood.Symptoms must cause “clinically significant impairment.”Symptoms must not be better explained by another diagnosis....

However, men are less likely to receive a mental health diagnosis than women. “What’s important to understand, is that men are no different from women, children, grandparents, whomever. They suffer mental health issues; they just don’t talk about it as much. And I think society doesn’t talk about it and doesn’t want to recognize it,” states Mayra Mendez, PhD, LMFT, psychotherapist and program coordinator for intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health services at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center....

7 Reasons I Thought I Liked Smoking We get hooked on things like smoking because they do seem to fulfill a role in our lives for the positive—that’s why it’s so hard to quit. Here’s what smoking brought me. Nicotine Addiction Smoking made the empty, anxious, tense feeling of nicotine withdrawal go away for a short while. I now know that I am and will always be a nicotine addict. I know that the craving to smoke is not coming from the cigarette but from my mind....

He added, “That’s the reason why I want to get the virological aspect of this pandemic behind us… because the long-term ravages of this are so multifaceted.” The interview referenced a recent study from the American Psychological Association (APA) looking at the mental and physical health of Americans one year into the pandemic. Three in four adults surveyed reported high stress levels related to the pandemic. As vaccine distribution continues and an end nears—though exactly when remains unclear—an important question has emerged: What will life after the pandemic look and feel like?...

The first thing you should know if you’ve ever found yourself in that situation is that it’s perfectly normal in most cases. While it could feel moderately embarrassing, it’s typically nothing to worry about. It helps to understand why it happened and what you could do to prevent it from happening again if that’s what you want. This article takes a look at why you might cry during sex and what to do after it happens....

Aesthetic trends in design and fashion are in constant flux, with influence from past decades often coming back in vogue. But the return of trends like maximalism or mid-century modern decor is very, very different from the toxic return of a once “popular” body type. There has been much scrutiny of influential celebrities like the Kardashians’ recent weight loss, including debates around whether or not they’ve removed implants and the use of medication to drop pounds fast....

For some people, the purpose of life may be to make the world a better place. Others may believe that the point of life is to find and achieve personal fulfillment. And some may feel that the point of life is simply to enjoy it as much as possible. Finding a sense of meaning in life can be difficult for anyone, but it can be particularly challenging when struggling with low mood and feelings of depression....

Some people seem to believe quitting signifies a lack of strength. And the willingness to suffer through anything in pursuit of a goal is a real badge of honor. But the notion that you must succeed at all costs is quite harmful. Sometimes, it takes more courage to walk away from a goal than it does to power through no matter what. Here are five times when quitting is a sign of mental strength....

Because of these two issues, there are many misconceptions about BPD that exist. If you or someone you know has BPD, it’s important to understand the truth about the illness in order to begin recovery. Here we take a look at six facts behind common misconceptions about BPD. Having a diagnosis does not mean that you will forever experience the symptoms of BPD. Hard work and effective treatment, such as psychotherapy, can greatly reduce the severity of BPD symptoms and may help you live a normal life....

While I’d like to think our resolution achievement has improved over the past 30 years since that study was conducted, I don’t think that’s the case. Despite the apps and gadgets that promise to help us crush our goals, electronics also distract us from our tasks. After all, who hasn’t missed out on a workout because they were scrolling through their phone? Fortunately, you don’t have to give up on changing your life just because you’re struggling to keep the resolution you established....

These strategies can help reduce your irritability so you can feel better. Acknowledge Your Irritability When someone asks why you’re so grumpy, it’s tempting to snap at them and say, “I’m not grumpy!” You might even blame everyone else for being too sensitive, too loud, or too annoying. But denying your irritability is likely to make you feel worse. When you notice that you’re feeling annoyed with everything and everyone around you, acknowledge that you’re irritable....