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Why should you study psychology? There are plenty of great reasons to learn about psychology, even if you are not a psychology major or do not plan to work in a psychology-related profession. Psychology is all around you and touches on every aspect of your life. Who you are now, how you will be in the future, how you interact with family, friends, and strangers; these are all things that psychology can help you better understand. Here are 10 reasons we we think everyone should learn at least a little bit about psychology.Understand Yourself BetterAs you learn about how development occurs, personality forms, and factors like society and culture impact behavior, you may find yourself gaining a deeper understanding of many influences that have impacted your own life.Ways Psychology Can Improve Your LifeLearn About Research MethodsHaving a basic understanding of psychological research methods can help you better understand some of the many claims you’ll encounter in books, magazines, television shows, and movies. Becoming a better-informedconsumer of psychologymeans that you will be equipped to sort out the truth from the fiction surrounding many pop psychology myths.Improve Your Understanding of OthersThe next time someone behaves in a certain way, you may be better able to understand the influences and motivations behind their actions.Become a Better CommunicatorStudying subjects such asemotion, language, andbody languagecan help you fine-tune your interpersonal communication skills. By learning more about these things, you can gain a greater understanding of other people and what they are trying to say.Develop Critical Thinking SkillsAs you study psychology you will learn more about topics such as the scientific method,decision-making, and problem-solving, all of which can help your critical thinking skills for a variety of issues.What Is Problem Solving?Help You in Your Future CareerSure, there are plenty of exciting careers in psychology that you might want to explore, but studying the subject can help you in many other professions as well. For example, if you want to become a business manager, understanding human behavior can improve your ability to manage and interact with your employees.Learn About Human DevelopmentUnderstanding how people change and grow throughout the lifespan can make it easier to understand the children in your life, as well as your aging parents. It can also shine a light on your own experiences as you encounter different challenges and opportunities as you age.Complement Other Areas of StudyBecause different areas of psychology encompass a range of topics including philosophy, biology, and physiology, studying the subject can help you gain a richer understanding of these related areas.Develop Insight Into Mental IllnessWhile you might not be interested in becoming a psychotherapist, studying psychology can help you better understand how psychological conditions are diagnosed and treated.You can also discover how mental wellness can be enhanced, how to reduce stress,how to boost memory, and how to live a happier, healthier life.Can Be Fun and FascinatingFrom intriguing optical illusions that reveal the inner workings of the brain to shocking experiments that expose how far people will go to obey an authority figure, there is always something amazing and even downright astonishing to learn about the human mind and behavior.
Why should you study psychology? There are plenty of great reasons to learn about psychology, even if you are not a psychology major or do not plan to work in a psychology-related profession. Psychology is all around you and touches on every aspect of your life. Who you are now, how you will be in the future, how you interact with family, friends, and strangers; these are all things that psychology can help you better understand. Here are 10 reasons we we think everyone should learn at least a little bit about psychology.
Understand Yourself Better
As you learn about how development occurs, personality forms, and factors like society and culture impact behavior, you may find yourself gaining a deeper understanding of many influences that have impacted your own life.
Ways Psychology Can Improve Your Life
Learn About Research Methods
Having a basic understanding of psychological research methods can help you better understand some of the many claims you’ll encounter in books, magazines, television shows, and movies. Becoming a better-informedconsumer of psychologymeans that you will be equipped to sort out the truth from the fiction surrounding many pop psychology myths.
Improve Your Understanding of Others
The next time someone behaves in a certain way, you may be better able to understand the influences and motivations behind their actions.
Become a Better Communicator
Studying subjects such asemotion, language, andbody languagecan help you fine-tune your interpersonal communication skills. By learning more about these things, you can gain a greater understanding of other people and what they are trying to say.
Develop Critical Thinking Skills
As you study psychology you will learn more about topics such as the scientific method,decision-making, and problem-solving, all of which can help your critical thinking skills for a variety of issues.
What Is Problem Solving?
Help You in Your Future Career
Sure, there are plenty of exciting careers in psychology that you might want to explore, but studying the subject can help you in many other professions as well. For example, if you want to become a business manager, understanding human behavior can improve your ability to manage and interact with your employees.
Learn About Human Development
Understanding how people change and grow throughout the lifespan can make it easier to understand the children in your life, as well as your aging parents. It can also shine a light on your own experiences as you encounter different challenges and opportunities as you age.
Complement Other Areas of Study
Because different areas of psychology encompass a range of topics including philosophy, biology, and physiology, studying the subject can help you gain a richer understanding of these related areas.
Develop Insight Into Mental Illness
While you might not be interested in becoming a psychotherapist, studying psychology can help you better understand how psychological conditions are diagnosed and treated.
You can also discover how mental wellness can be enhanced, how to reduce stress,how to boost memory, and how to live a happier, healthier life.
Can Be Fun and Fascinating
From intriguing optical illusions that reveal the inner workings of the brain to shocking experiments that expose how far people will go to obey an authority figure, there is always something amazing and even downright astonishing to learn about the human mind and behavior.
2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schwarz N, Newman E, Leach W.Making the truth stick & the myths fade: Lessons from cognitive psychology.Behavioral Science & Policy. 2016;2(1):85-95. doi:10.1353/bsp.2016.0009American Psychological Association.Preparing to use your bachelor’s degree in psychology.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Science of Psychology.
2 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schwarz N, Newman E, Leach W.Making the truth stick & the myths fade: Lessons from cognitive psychology.Behavioral Science & Policy. 2016;2(1):85-95. doi:10.1353/bsp.2016.0009American Psychological Association.Preparing to use your bachelor’s degree in psychology.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Science of Psychology.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Schwarz N, Newman E, Leach W.Making the truth stick & the myths fade: Lessons from cognitive psychology.Behavioral Science & Policy. 2016;2(1):85-95. doi:10.1353/bsp.2016.0009American Psychological Association.Preparing to use your bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Schwarz N, Newman E, Leach W.Making the truth stick & the myths fade: Lessons from cognitive psychology.Behavioral Science & Policy. 2016;2(1):85-95. doi:10.1353/bsp.2016.0009
American Psychological Association.Preparing to use your bachelor’s degree in psychology.
American Psychological Association.Science of Psychology.
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