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Department of Psychology

The Psychologist and the Firefighters

August 25, 2022 by Kaulie Watson

When Chief Ken Bailey, head of Travis County Fire Rescue ESD No. 11, realized his organization had a problem with staff morale and turnover, he turned to an unlikely place for help: UT Austin’s Applied Psychology Research Lab, led by assistant research professor Alissa Mrazek. Bailey’s district serves a wedge of Travis County that stretches […]

Vaccine Mandate Protest

Changing your mind about something as important as vaccination isn’t a sign of weakness – being open to new information is the smart way to make choices

September 23, 2021 by Art Markman

Culturally, this is an era in which people are held in high esteem when they stick with their beliefs and negatively labeled as “flip-floppers” or “wishy-washy” when they change what they think.

Silhouette of head, thinking

A Language for Big Data Neuroscience

September 23, 2021 by Rachel White

Imagine your brain activity displayed on a computer screen — multiple, bustling tabs open, some sparked by a fleeting thought, others derived from prior or underlying behaviors or features. Now imagine a scientist trying to make sense of that activity.

The Misinformation Age

September 17, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Depending on whom you ask, conspiracy theories are either having a heyday or it’s just business as usual. But whether or not there is a long-term increase happening, certain factors likely influence the ebb and flow of conspiratorial beliefs.

two people facing away from each other

Lead exposure during childhood may influence adult personality, and not for the better

July 29, 2021 by Ted Schwaba

Children raised in areas with more atmospheric lead pollution grew up to have less adaptive and less mature personalities, according to a study I led of over 1.5 million people across the U.S. and Europe.

Animated illustration of woman with sunglasses; book outline is mirrored in sunglasses as her reddish brown hair blows in breeze.

A Look at Our Latest Books

June 30, 2021 by Michelle Bryant

2021 Spring and Summer titles from our college community.

Illustration with exercise equipment, pets, personal checklist, plants and tablet screen with mom.

Making the Most of Self-Care

May 10, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

March marked the one-year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, and to say that it’s been a rough year would be an understatement. Whether we’ve lost loved ones, jobs, or simply the ability to distinguish between Sundays and Mondays, everyone is struggling under the weight of a constantly shifting “new normal.”

Woman with masks and gloves in candy shop

Why rituals are important survival tools during the COVID-19 pandemic

April 16, 2021 by Cristine Legare

COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of daily life, including rituals both sacred and mundane.

dear john letter

Evidence of an impending breakup may exist in everyday conversation – months before either partner realizes their relationship is tanking

April 16, 2021 by Sarah Seraj, Jamie Pennebaker and Kate Blackburn

When doubts about a relationship start to creep in, people don’t just blurt them out.

Anna Cash wears a striped red shirt and looks into the camera with a serious expression on her face.

Kind, Curious and Fearless

April 13, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

A Q&A with Anna Cash, a psychology senior from Austin who is passionate about law and justice.

Jamie Pennebaker stands in a field at sunset with cityscape in background.

A Psychologist’s Award-Winning Word Play

December 4, 2020 by Rachel White

Before his research helped discover the healing powers of writing and the Secret Life of Pronouns, Jamie Pennebaker’s curiosity killed the crab.

Randy Diehl stands with his arm around Mary, they're both smiling and giving a Hook Em sign with one hand.

Teaching, Learning and Living

November 30, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Randy and Mary Diehl, 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipients, share a dedication for championing education and a joy for lifelong learning.

Illustration of parents standing holding shapes with numbers with two children playing on the floor in a home setting with pink walls and a chalkboard on the wall.

Three Ways Kids Can Learn through Play at Home

May 7, 2020 by Rachel White

family and community. But recent shelter-in-place efforts have limited many of these routine yet vital experiences — especially because young kids can’t video call or text their friends as freely as others.

A moving illustration of a large scene. In it, we can see vertical windows looking to a peaceful night cityscape, with twinkling stars overhead. The windows are in the shape of a cellphone battery icon, and illustration slowly turns to a bright, cheerful day scene. The buildings all come to life in a bright, multi-colored wash of color. Around the border of the window, we can see stylized illustrations of people in various poses. We see people having fun with computers, people playing with their pets, families, riding bikes, reading. We also see a medical doctor with a mask waving. There are also wires leading from each person that connect with the battery-shaped window in the middle, giving life to the city.

Rebooting Our Lives After COVID-19

May 7, 2020 by Rachel White

The world’s new reality amid the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to confront issues and critically think about how to revive communities slowly, safely and sustainably.

Three people sit at table working on laptops together while laughing.

Bring Your Brain to Work

August 2, 2019 by Tori Miller

In “Bring Your Brain to Work,” Art Markman shares what you need to know to succeed at work.

Illustration of spacemen examining a large brain with futuristic instruments on some alien world.

Breakthroughs in Brain Health: We’re Closer Than You Think

April 4, 2019 by Alex Reshanov

It might not seem like it when you’ve forgotten your email password for the third time in as many days, but your brain is capable of amazing things. It can instantly process the intricate sensory inputs needed to understand the world while simultaneously conducting motor neurons to navigate these landscapes. It can read complex emotions […]

Black and white photograph of The Beatles standing against a white backdrop as a crowd looks on.

Here Comes the Song: The Personalities Behind Your Favorite Beatles Lyrics

October 5, 2018 by Rachel White

If Paul McCartney would have written “Yesterday” based on the first words that came to his mind, the song would sound like a concupiscent teen singing about breakfast: Scrambled eggs, oh, my baby, how I love your legs… The melody of the song, which has been broadcasted on American radio more than 7 million times […]

Portrait of Dean Randy Diehl.

Rising to the Challenge 

July 2, 2018 by Randy Diehl

Five years ago we opened the doors to a new College of Liberal Arts Building in the heart of campus. It was a milestone event, marking the first time students in our college had a place to call home. Departments and other units once scattered across campus were brought together in new collaborative spaces, as […]

Portrait of Gloria Hwang holding a Thousand stripped helmet.

Fashion Meets Function

January 12, 2018 by Rachel White

Though an avid cyclist, Gloria Hwang was never a fan of helmets, referring to them as “sci-fi” nuisances. But after losing a friend through a cycling accident, her perspective changed. Hwang, a psychology alumna, says her mission in founding and launching Thousand, a new brand of cycling helmets, was to save lives, noting that there are […]

Stylized illustration of a backyard barbecue with all of its guests looking down at their phones and not talking to each other. All the while a fire has begun in the grill and appears to be getting out of control. An excited dog makes off with a link of sausages in its mouth.

Can We Talk?: Why Discourse is Dying in America

May 2, 2017 by Rachel White

I’ll have to admit that I was a bit perplexed when I heard linguistic anthropologist Elizabeth Keating say, “There is a very strong preference for agreement in conversation in the U.S.” I couldn’t believe my ears — even the Pew Research Center pegged political polarization as the defining feature of modern U.S. politics. And it’s […]

Cierra Grubbs sits on the stairs of Dell Medical School with her arm around her dog. She's wearing a lab coat and stethoscope.

First Class: Rethinking Health Care Through the Liberal Arts

November 18, 2016 by Emily Nielsen

The doors of the Dell Medical School have opened for its first class of future doctors, and they are on a mission to get the training they need to make a difference in the lives of future patients, their communities and even medicine itself. Of the 50 members in the school’s inaugural class, three graduated […]

Stylized illustration of raised fists from children in front of a school and holding a flag with vegetables printed on it.

We’re Not Going to Eat It: Channeling Teens’ Appetite for Rebellion

November 18, 2016 by David S. Yeager and Cintia Hinojosa

During this school year in Texas we’re likely to see between 15 and 20 percent of teens with obesity and more than 15,000 cases of preventable forms of youth diabetes. We can do better, and it starts with the messaging teens receive. School administrators and parents currently try to explain to teens how their food […]

A tongue-in-cheek photo of a smiling woman holding a brightly branded "Vote" box against a red background. The box reads, "The Campaign for Your Vote: Just Add Brand Power!" (America's Choice).

The Campaign for Your Vote: Just Add Brand Power

May 9, 2016 by Rachel White

After months of being bombarded by pollsters, campaign ads and the most outlandish sound bites on repeat, the moment will come for you to finally cast your ballot. Whom will you choose? “The presidency is the one office that represents the American people: all their wishes, dreams, desires, hopes, fears and everything else,” says history […]

Repeating logo icons of William Shakespeare's profile.

Forever Shakespeare: The Making of an Icon

November 2, 2015 by Kay Randall

Editor’s note: As the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death approaches, five UT Austin scholars share how they celebrate his work and his ultimate staying power. In 10 years, people won’t care about Kim Kardashian’s face-contouring regimen or that she had 35 million Twitter followers. But William Shakespeare? Four centuries after his death he’s still […]

Illustration of a a thought bubble in the shape of a padlock.

Give it a Rest

April 30, 2015 by Marc Airhart

Scientists have already established that resting the mind, as in daydreaming, helps strengthen memories of events and retention of information, but in a new twist, UT Austin researchers have found that the right kind of mental rest and reflection can actually help boost future learning. How our brains capture and store new information is heavily […]

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