Welcome to the Weekly Medius PsychNews. Every week, we select five thought-provoking Psychology articles from hundreds published in journals and other media. Psychology Drives Everything.
Speaking of Psychology: Why We Like the Foods We Like
Why do some people scarf down anchovies by the pound while others recoil at the thought of a tuna fish sandwich? Why do the textures of certain foods, like mushrooms, turn people off? Not only is taste a biologically complex experience, it is quite psychological. Our guest is psychologist Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, an international leader in taste research, who is the Bushnell professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida and director for psychophysical research at the university’s Center for Smell and Taste.
Full article.
5 Tips for Over-Thinkers, Concerned Citizens, and Consumers:
Nowadays, we often don't have a working relationship with our medical doctors—they are busy with electronic billing as soon as they enter the examination room1—but we do have the internet to get all the information we need. Or think we need. There we can find what we want to know and worry ourselves to death with it. Or annoy the expert who tried to save our life and is now being questioned by a dilettante. What is the alternative? Trust the doctor and hope for the best? Is it prudent to trust sheepishly? Is it naïve to think that all experts keep up with the newest research and are immune against the pushes of the for-profit pharmaceutical companies? This is but one example of how we get into a frenzy due to information overload. Apparently, the issue is complex and cannot be brushed aside with a one-size-fits-all approach that you hear in the locker-room: “Just don’t pay attention to X, Y, and Z.”
Full article.
Smartphones are disrupting the crucial connections between parents and their babies:
Parents in rich countries spend a lot more time with their kids today than they did 50 years ago. But phones are increasingly creeping into those interactions, impacting their depth and quality. For example, more than a quarter of American adults now report that they are online “almost constantly,” according to a Pew Research Center survey published last week. Parents’ increased smartphone use has experts concerned about the potentially devastating consequences this might have for the development of babies and toddlers. Full article.
The Narcissist vs. the Machiavellian:
The topic of narcissism has been wildly popular in social media, journalism, and political debate lately. Although less widely known, there has been a parallel rise in interest in the traits of Machiavellians. From 2016 through 2018, there was discussion between Michael Wolff (journalist for the
Washington Post) and Italian-American Professor Stefano Albertini (writing for
La Voce di New York, aka VNY) about whether President Donald Trump was best described as a Narcissist or a Machiavellian. It is not my intention to suggest any diagnosis here, but simply to provide an example of a public figure who brings to mind both sets of character traits. Also, it should be added that Machiavellianism does not exist as a diagnosis or a Personality Type; it is instead a cluster of behaviors and attitudes. Whether it is “better or worse than” narcissism is a subjective question and I’ll leave that judgment to the reader.
Full article.
A Psychiatric Diagnosis Is Not a Disease:
In my first week as a psychiatry faculty member, an advanced psychiatry resident—I’ll call her Dr. G—staffed a case with me. That’s medical speak for discussing a patient with a teacher. Dr. G gave me some demographic information, then began listing the medications she was prescribing. “Hold on,” I said. “What are we treating her for?” “Anxiety.” Full article.
