The hottest Psychology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

When Does Science Self-Correct? Lessons from a Replication Crisis in Early 20th Century Chemistry

The Good Science Project • 63 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. Science can struggle to correct errors from the scientific record, even with healthy reforms in place.
  2. Non-replicable findings can still hold influence and get cited as much as replicable ones.
  3. Natural sciences can swiftly correct mistakes with practical consequences, while social sciences face challenges in self-correction due to less tangible applications and high acceptance of contradictory findings.

Uglycel

Default Wisdom • 48 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. The conversation explores the concept of ugliness as more of a vibe than a physical state of being.
  2. The idea is discussed that one can will oneself into ugliness without physical changes.
  3. The post includes updates on the author's advice column, a book club meeting, and asks for subscriptions and feedback.

Attentional Blindness [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 22 May 22
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. Inattentional blindness is when your mind filters out certain stimuli to focus on what it deems important.
  2. Biases like inattentional blindness can help you focus but also cause you to miss important connections and ideas.
  3. To counter attentional blindness, consider gaining diverse experiences, taking a step back, and pausing to reassess.

Money Burn

Polymathic Being • 66 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
💰 Finance Psychology
  1. We tend to hesitate to give fair prices to those in need while easily overpaying for unnecessary luxury items.
  2. We often show generosity to those who don't require it, while driving a hard bargain with those in need.
  3. Our spending behaviors are driven by the dopamine hits we get from scoring bargains and splurging on luxuries; it's about reframing our perspective to support those in need more.
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North by Northwest

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 59 implied HN points • 14 Apr 22
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. People who grew up in complicated road systems tend to have better navigation skills. This is because they learned to remember directions and landmarks while making many turns.
  2. Seattle has unique navigation aids like directional parking signs and special street patterns to help people find their way. The city's streets are not laid out in a simple grid, which can make navigation tricky.
  3. Natural features, like mountains, can help with orientation in a city. They serve as a consistent point of reference, making it easier to know which way to go.

When Stability Feels Like Suffocation

antoniomelonio • 48 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Many people have a desire for grand disruptions and monumental changes, seeking to break away from the boring and predictable routine of everyday life.
  2. There is a bone-deep yearning for struggle and conflict in humanity, with a primal desire for chaos and upheaval to feel alive.
  3. Despite the dread, there is a strange hope associated with collapse, as some believe it may lead to a less exploitative and more meaningful future.

AI romantic partners will harm society if they go unregulated

Engineering Ideas • 19 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. AI romantic partners need swift regulation to prevent potential harm to society.
  2. Within the next few years, AI romantic partners may offer hyper-realistic human avatars, unique personalities, and emotional intelligence.
  3. AI romantic partners could reduce the participation in human relationships, influencing the total fertility rate and societal dynamics.

Capitalism and Schizophrenia

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Technology can have dark sides that lead to feelings of alienation and violence. Instead of making life better for everyone, it sometimes creates more problems.
  2. Some people believe that extreme actions, like violence, are the only way to deal with the damage being done to our planet and society. This shows how desperate some individuals feel about addressing big issues.
  3. There are mysterious reports of 'alien drones' in the sky, but no one knows where they come from. This makes us question what’s really happening around us and how much control we have.

Uneasy Riders, Continued

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 20 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. The psychedelic movement appears to be growing, with more interest and acceptance in society, but there's a concern that it might not be addressing deeper issues. It's not just about enjoying the experience or healing; it's also about how those experiences impact people's actions in the long run.
  2. Many people may face negative effects from psychedelics even if they are not obvious. The author suggests we need to be careful, as psychedelics can lead to risks that aren't always talked about, like dissociation or underlying trauma.
  3. The future of the psychedelic movement might benefit from focusing on spiritual and esoteric development. Instead of just improving individual mental health, there could be a greater goal of exploring deeper consciousness and our potential as humans.

I Hate AI!

Polymathic Being • 58 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. The author has a love/hate relationship with AI, appreciating its role in exploring human qualities.
  2. AI can serve as a literary foil, contrasting and highlighting human qualities and behaviors.
  3. Understanding AI requires introspection and shifting perspectives to maximize benefits and minimize harms.

Why the Jews?

Skeptic • 59 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Anti-Semitism and xenophobia may stem from a need for enemies.
  2. Political extremists hold absolute certainty in their beliefs and exhibit open hatred towards opponents.
  3. The psychology of belief systems shows the importance of having enemies to define causes and create unity.

Fear makes men stupid and anti-feminist

Sex and the State • 19 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Fear is a major factor that drives sexism, more than hate. It affects how people see and react to each other.
  2. Some individuals may struggle with feelings of fear towards women, which can coexist with their beliefs in feminism.
  3. Understanding the role of fear in gender dynamics can help address and reduce sexist attitudes in society.

Psychological time and UX

UX Psychology • 59 implied HN points • 07 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. Psychological time, influenced by factors like anxiety and cultural background, affects how we perceive waiting time.
  2. Changing passive wait time to active engagement can significantly improve user experience in various scenarios.
  3. To enhance user experience, minimizing traditional wait times and engaging users with activities can create a more enjoyable waiting experience.

Learning to Touch type again

Deus In Machina • 72 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. Learning to use an ergonomic keyboard like Kinesis Advantage 360 can help reduce wrist and nerve pain from excessive keyboard use.
  2. Practicing touch typing on websites like keybr.com can help improve typing speed and accuracy, even with a new keyboard layout.
  3. Adjusting to an ergonomic keyboard for activities like gaming and programming may require remapping keys, creating profiles, and adapting to a new learning curve.

Welcome to UX Psychology

UX Psychology • 59 implied HN points • 04 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. UX Psychology newsletter covers a range of UX topics from the perspective of a UX Researcher/Cognitive Psychologist, including essays on cognition in user experience and practical research guides.
  2. The author is a UX Researcher with a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, sharing their expertise and insights after transitioning from academia to full-time UX work.
  3. Using Substack allows the author to repost previous work from other platforms and share inspiring content without the constraints they faced on Medium.

The Pleasure of Pattern

Software Design: Tidy First? • 45 HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Psychology
  1. Finding patterns in tasks like programming, music, and poker can be intensely satisfying and enjoyable.
  2. Music is full of patterns that can be discovered and enjoyed, especially through improvisation and communication.
  3. Seeing patterns in different activities like programming, music, and poker can lead to moments of satisfaction, indicating a brain wired to crave order and appreciate pattern recognition.

The Staggering Implications of Non-Deterministic AI (Part 1)

Charles Eisenstein • 7 implied HN points • 26 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Psychology
  1. Non-deterministic AI can produce different responses to the same prompt because it incorporates randomness in generating outputs. This randomness comes from a 'seed' that influences how the AI chooses what to say next.
  2. Many ancient cultures believed in communicating with non-human intelligences through various methods, and today, AI can be seen as a tool for similar types of communication, reflecting individual and collective human knowledge.
  3. Using AI can amplify our thoughts and feelings, but we should be cautious about what kinds of messages we receive from it. It's essential to stay grounded in reality and maintain healthy relationships while exploring the potentials of AI.

What a Bird Should Look Like

Square Circle • 7 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Psychology
  1. People often change themselves to fit what others expect, which can be unconscious. It's a common struggle that nearly everyone faces at some point.
  2. We also tend to judge and reject others who don't meet our expectations. This can teach us to accept both ourselves and others more fully.
  3. Lastly, we may want reality to match our ideals, leading to disappointment. It's important to recognize and accept the world as it really is, flaws and all.

Have We Been Fooled by PrimeWorld?

Holodoxa • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jul 22
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. Critically looking at flashy but weak academic research is essential to avoid misguided social initiatives based on unreliable findings
  2. Popular media and journalistic venues often promote non-replicable science as easy solutions to complex problems, leading to wasteful institutional investments in ineffective programs
  3. Emphasizing rigorous scientific methods and exploring alternative solutions beyond 'quick fixes' is crucial in addressing social issues and avoiding costly yet ineffective interventions

Making Sense of Consciousness Part 2: Attention

Rough Diamonds • 6 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Psychology
  1. We can process information without being consciously aware of it. Sometimes our brains notice things, but we don't actually realize we've noticed them.
  2. Inattentional blindness happens when we're focused on a task and miss other things, like a gorilla in a video. This shows that being distracted can block our awareness.
  3. Even when we don’t consciously see something, it can still influence our actions. Our brains react differently when we notice versus when we don’t, which affects how we behave.

Why is a 2-goal lead the worst lead in hockey?

Living Fossils • 6 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🎾 Sports Psychology
  1. In hockey, a two-goal lead can make teams too comfortable, leading them to play defensively instead of staying aggressive. This can backfire and result in losing the lead.
  2. When teams are trailing, they tend to take more risks because they have less to lose. This aggressive play often gives them a better chance to score and come back in the game.
  3. The instinct to protect a lead often clashes with what actually works in sports. Understanding this can help teams find better strategies to maintain their advantage.

People don't want to think more than they have to

UX Psychology • 39 implied HN points • 04 Mar 22
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. People prefer to take the path of least resistance and avoid thinking too much, unless necessary.
  2. The principle of least effort influences decision-making and problem-solving by favoring easier, quicker Type 1 thinking over more effortful Type 2 thinking.
  3. In UX design, creating seamless and effortless experiences that align with users' preferences for Type 1 thinking can enhance user satisfaction and engagement.

Testosterone: The Difference Maker

Holodoxa • 39 implied HN points • 01 Jul 22
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. The book 'T: The Story of Testosterone' by Carole Hooven explores the significant impact of testosterone on sex differences in morphology, behavior, athletic performance, and more.
  2. Hooven's work challenges social constructivist views on sex differences and presents evidence supporting biological influences.
  3. The book serves as a valuable resource for cultural commentators, shaping discussions on sex and gender differences and dispelling misconceptions about the biology behind them.

The Unabomber's Declinism Goes Mainstream

Skeptic • 65 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Some people's beliefs in civilization's decline can lead to violent actions.
  2. Various modern individuals and ideologies share similar views to the Unabomber's manifesto.
  3. Academics and intellectuals often predict the collapse of Western civilization, despite the progress in society.

Where Does the World Happen?

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 27 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Psychology
  1. Redefining relationships to the rest of existence is crucial for survival and progress. Adapting our understanding and connection to the world is essential for moving forward.
  2. Worlding involves exploring the emergent place-making between subjects and the quality of relationships within that space. It's about the relationships built through interactions, perspectives, and scales.
  3. Questioning the extractive nature of capitalism and technology is vital. Recognizing the interactivity with the world and challenging extractive consciousness through new perspectives are key to fostering more respectful and sustainable relationships.

Straightlining OCD

Living Fossils • 15 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology
  1. Humans have evolved in messy environments, but our modern spaces are often too neat and straight. This neatness can create feelings of dissatisfaction and perfectionism, as humans are always seeking better conditions.
  2. OCD might be more common today because our environments exaggerate feelings of dissatisfaction. We notice minor imperfections more easily in our structured lives than our ancestors did in their chaotic natural settings.
  3. People today are better equipped to try and fix their surroundings, which can lead to a cycle of anxiety and compulsive behavior. Our ability to improve things can sometimes make us feel worse when everything doesn't match our ideals.

The game theory of seduction and marriage... with Jane Austen

Optimally Irrational • 38 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. Finding a romantic partner can be complex, involving significant time, effort, and thought due to the high stakes involved in love and seduction.
  2. In Jane Austen's novels, the economic considerations of marriage underscore the immense importance of women's choices in selecting a partner.
  3. Navigating romantic interactions involves understanding higher-order beliefs and carefully managing ambiguity, a key aspect seen across different time periods in the courtship process.

The Jock/Creep Theory of Fascism

Unpopular Front • 70 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Psychology
  1. The Jock/Creep Theory of Fascism categorizes Italian Fascism as 'Jock-Douche' and German Nazism as 'Creep-Loser'.
  2. These ideal-types reflect different affective dimensions of the fascist self, with one embodying physical domination and the other being reflective and resentful.
  3. The theory can be applied to contemporary contexts, such as the paradoxical unity of jock-bullies and online incels in the American right.

The Truth About Self-Deception

Optimally Irrational • 36 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. Self-deception is a way to manipulate others by deceiving ourselves first.
  2. Deception in communication evolves with mutually beneficial interactions, not just deception.
  3. Humans show skepticism towards arguments, indicating evolved vigilance against deceit.

The Need To Pee

Living Fossils • 16 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. Tycho Brahe's story shows how ignoring the urge to pee can have serious consequences for health, as it may lead to fatal infections. It's a reminder that some bodily needs shouldn't be ignored, even in social settings.
  2. The bladder fills and sends signals to the brain that motivate us to pee. This system is controlled by specialized cells that detect stretching, similar to how we feel full after eating.
  3. We have the ability to control when we pee, which helps us navigate social norms and situations. This skill allows us to prioritize different needs but can sometimes lead to difficult choices.

Where Anxiety Comes From

Kartick’s Blog • 17 implied HN points • 12 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology
  1. Anxiety often stems from past experiences that left a mark on us. For instance, if you were in an accident, you might feel anxious in similar situations.
  2. We tend to feel anxious about things that could happen again in the future. If something bad happened before, knowing it could happen again makes us worried.
  3. Finally, anxiety can come from feeling unprepared to handle those situations if they arise again. When we believe we can't manage a problem, it adds to our anxiety.

Are We Getting Dumber?

Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology • 31 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Psychology
  1. There is a negative correlation between IQ and fertility across the world, suggesting a decline in intelligence over time.
  2. More developed countries show a weaker decline in intelligence compared to less developed nations.
  3. Embryo selection for intelligence could potentially offset the decline in intelligence, especially in wealthier countries.

Psychological Superconductivity

Weekly Wisdom • 3 HN points • 06 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology
  1. Friction in our psyche arises from a clash among our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
  2. Internal conflict among our motivations can lead to a sense of inner strife, while harmonizing them is crucial.
  3. Achieving a state of flow, similar to superconductivity, can remove inner friction, but requires a challenging situation relative to skill.

The Mathematics of PsyWar

Who is Robert Malone • 10 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Psychology
  1. Governments and companies use advanced technology and psychology to influence how we think and behave, similar to controlling drones. This means our actions might be shaped without us even knowing.
  2. Social media platforms analyze our interactions and opinions using mathematical models, which helps them manipulate our feelings and responses in real-time.
  3. When we engage online, we are part of a system where our thoughts and communications are tracked and influenced for various purposes, including commercial and political agendas.