15 Signs That You Are a Psychology Student

Being a psychology student can be a fun, rewarding, and sometimes challenging experience. There are also a lot of myths and misconceptions about psychology majors out there. Understanding what it’s like to be a psychology major can help you decide if it might be the right choice for you.At a GlanceDo you ever think psychology majors might be just slightly different than other students? Are there characteristics that set you apart from students in other majors? The following are just a few of the signs that you might be a psychology student—as well as a few common misconceptions about what it means to be a psychology major.Signs That You’re a Psychology MajorHere are 15 sure-fire (tongue-in-cheek) signs that you are a psychology major:People Think You Are a Mind ReaderWhen you tell people what you are majoring in, they ask if you can read their minds. Or if you are constantly analyzing their behavior.You’re a Pro at APA FormatYou spend more time on APA format than any other subject. Your edition of the APA publication manual is dog-eared, and the pages are filled with yellow highlighter marks.You’re Paying Attention to Everyone’s Behavior PatternsWith all this newfound knowledge, it might start to seem like all of your friends have undiagnosed psychological conditions. You have tried to diagnose yourself and your friends with mental disorders.During yourabnormal psychologyclass, you found yourself constantly discovering new symptoms that explained why your friends behave the way they do.Don’t worry—playing armchair psychologist is pretty common, particularly among people who are training to become one. It’s a common phenomenon among health and social science students. Some refer to it as medical student syndrome or psych student syndrome.You Use Positive Reinforcement to Solve ProblemsBecause you are a psychology student, you recognize thatpositive reinforcementcan be a powerful tool for shaping behavior.Thanks to this understanding, you might even utilize behavioral methods to help solve everyday problems.For example, maybe you onceusedoperant conditioningto train your roommate to stop leaving their dirty laundry on the floor in your apartment.You’re Starting to Think That Freud Had a PointAs a psychology student, Freudian theories still hold a certain fascination. Because of this, you might feel like you can’t stoppsychoanalyzingeveryone in your life.For example, you are pretty sure that your academic advisor has an oralfixation— they’re always chewing on something, be it a pen, their fingernails, or a stick of gum.Research and Writing Have Become Your New HobbiesYou spend more time in the library than you do in your dorm room. You are an old pro at writingAPA papers and lab reports. Introduction, method, results, discussion — you know the parts of a psychology paper like the back of your hand.Your Friends Come to You for AdviceYou are known as the “listener” in your social group. All of your friends come to you for advice and you love being able to help.You truly do enjoy listening to people talk about their problems, trying to figure out why they think and behave the way they do, and coming up with solutions that might help. Plus, since you are a psychology student, you know just how vitalsocial supportis for mental well-being.You Feel More Confident Assessing Scientific ResearchYou have used the phrase “correlationdoes not equal causation” more times than you care to admit.You also find yourselfcritiquing news articlesyour friends share on social media because they constantly confuse correlation with causation.You also have great critical thinking skills and are good at spotting misinformation and poor research. In general, you’ve become a strongconsumer of psychology information, and you want to help other people understand psychology more, too.You Love Volunteering for Psych ResearchPsychology experiments are a lot more interesting now.When you volunteer for a psychology study, you find yourself trying to figure out what theindependentanddependent variablesare and what the researcher’s hypothesis might be.Psychology Terminology Makes SenseYou can tell the difference between negative reinforcementandpunishment—and you get frustrated when people confuse the two.This is great because it isn’t that unusual for students to say that they are still not 100% clear on some of the major behavioral concepts such as reinforcement, punishment, the unconditioned stimulus, and many other important terms.You Use Those Terms in Your Daily ConversationsYou often find yourself having to define psychological terms for your friends and family because you keep using them in daily conversations. And you are starting to think that psychology should be a required class for all students, not just psychology majors.After all, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone had a better understanding of the human mind and behavior?You Know More About Factors That Influence BehaviorWhenever you hear the wordnature, the wordnurtureimmediately pops into your head.You also have a much deeper appreciation for how these two forces interact to influence many different aspects of development.You Use Psychology Theories to Understand OthersWhen you meet someone new, you immediately assess which stage ofpsychosocial developmentthey are in and how well they are coping with the primary conflict at that stage. You also tend to evaluate which stage of psychosexual development they might be stuck in or whether or not they ever progressed to theformal operational stage of cognitive development.Statistics Don’t Feel IntimidatingYou’re no longer terrified of statistics. You understand significance levels, t-tests, standard deviations, and z-scores. You might notlove statistics, but you feel more comfortable knowing what these numbers mean and even how to calculate them.Bonus: You Love Psychology!You have a dog namedPavlov, a cat namedThorndike, and a rat namedSkinner.Doesn’t everyone name their pets after their favorite theorists?Tips for Psychology StudentsBeing a psychology student means you’re studying complex information and balancing the demands of your academic studies with other areas of your life, including work and relationships. It isn’t always easy. Strategies that can help you become a more successful psychology student include:Talk to your academic advisor: Don’t be afraid to contact your advisor if you need help planning your schedule or figuring out what classes you need.Manage your stress:Student stresscan seem overwhelming at times and can take a serious toll on your health and well-being—it can even contribute to symptoms ofdepression in college students.Find tactics that work for you, such as relaxation techniques, exercise, or hobbies.Manage your time well:Create a scheduleand try to stick with it. Avoidprocrastinationso that you don’t struggle to finish projects, papers, and assignments at the last minute.Establish good study habits:Building good habitsnow will serve you well in the present and the future.Study regularlyand take notes. Participate in class and consider joining a study group if you need some extra help.What This Means For YouHopefully you enjoyed this humorous take on some of the characteristics that might set psychology students apart, While some of these points are tongue-in-cheek, there are often grains of truth behind the laughs. Being aware of the benefits and challenges of being a psychology major can help you get the most out of your time as a student.

At a GlanceDo you ever think psychology majors might be just slightly different than other students? Are there characteristics that set you apart from students in other majors? The following are just a few of the signs that you might be a psychology student—as well as a few common misconceptions about what it means to be a psychology major.

At a Glance

Do you ever think psychology majors might be just slightly different than other students? Are there characteristics that set you apart from students in other majors? The following are just a few of the signs that you might be a psychology student—as well as a few common misconceptions about what it means to be a psychology major.

Signs That You’re a Psychology Major

Here are 15 sure-fire (tongue-in-cheek) signs that you are a psychology major:

People Think You Are a Mind Reader

When you tell people what you are majoring in, they ask if you can read their minds. Or if you are constantly analyzing their behavior.

You’re a Pro at APA Format

You spend more time on APA format than any other subject. Your edition of the APA publication manual is dog-eared, and the pages are filled with yellow highlighter marks.

You’re Paying Attention to Everyone’s Behavior Patterns

With all this newfound knowledge, it might start to seem like all of your friends have undiagnosed psychological conditions. You have tried to diagnose yourself and your friends with mental disorders.

During yourabnormal psychologyclass, you found yourself constantly discovering new symptoms that explained why your friends behave the way they do.

Don’t worry—playing armchair psychologist is pretty common, particularly among people who are training to become one. It’s a common phenomenon among health and social science students. Some refer to it as medical student syndrome or psych student syndrome.

You Use Positive Reinforcement to Solve Problems

Because you are a psychology student, you recognize thatpositive reinforcementcan be a powerful tool for shaping behavior.Thanks to this understanding, you might even utilize behavioral methods to help solve everyday problems.

For example, maybe you onceusedoperant conditioningto train your roommate to stop leaving their dirty laundry on the floor in your apartment.

You’re Starting to Think That Freud Had a Point

As a psychology student, Freudian theories still hold a certain fascination. Because of this, you might feel like you can’t stoppsychoanalyzingeveryone in your life.

For example, you are pretty sure that your academic advisor has an oralfixation— they’re always chewing on something, be it a pen, their fingernails, or a stick of gum.

Research and Writing Have Become Your New Hobbies

You spend more time in the library than you do in your dorm room. You are an old pro at writingAPA papers and lab reports. Introduction, method, results, discussion — you know the parts of a psychology paper like the back of your hand.

Your Friends Come to You for Advice

You are known as the “listener” in your social group. All of your friends come to you for advice and you love being able to help.

You truly do enjoy listening to people talk about their problems, trying to figure out why they think and behave the way they do, and coming up with solutions that might help. Plus, since you are a psychology student, you know just how vitalsocial supportis for mental well-being.

You Feel More Confident Assessing Scientific Research

You have used the phrase “correlationdoes not equal causation” more times than you care to admit.You also find yourselfcritiquing news articlesyour friends share on social media because they constantly confuse correlation with causation.

You also have great critical thinking skills and are good at spotting misinformation and poor research. In general, you’ve become a strongconsumer of psychology information, and you want to help other people understand psychology more, too.

You Love Volunteering for Psych Research

Psychology experiments are a lot more interesting now.When you volunteer for a psychology study, you find yourself trying to figure out what theindependentanddependent variablesare and what the researcher’s hypothesis might be.

Psychology Terminology Makes Sense

You can tell the difference between negative reinforcementandpunishment—and you get frustrated when people confuse the two.This is great because it isn’t that unusual for students to say that they are still not 100% clear on some of the major behavioral concepts such as reinforcement, punishment, the unconditioned stimulus, and many other important terms.

You Use Those Terms in Your Daily Conversations

You often find yourself having to define psychological terms for your friends and family because you keep using them in daily conversations. And you are starting to think that psychology should be a required class for all students, not just psychology majors.

After all, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone had a better understanding of the human mind and behavior?

You Know More About Factors That Influence Behavior

Whenever you hear the wordnature, the wordnurtureimmediately pops into your head.You also have a much deeper appreciation for how these two forces interact to influence many different aspects of development.

You Use Psychology Theories to Understand Others

When you meet someone new, you immediately assess which stage ofpsychosocial developmentthey are in and how well they are coping with the primary conflict at that stage. You also tend to evaluate which stage of psychosexual development they might be stuck in or whether or not they ever progressed to theformal operational stage of cognitive development.

Statistics Don’t Feel Intimidating

You’re no longer terrified of statistics. You understand significance levels, t-tests, standard deviations, and z-scores. You might notlove statistics, but you feel more comfortable knowing what these numbers mean and even how to calculate them.

Bonus: You Love Psychology!You have a dog namedPavlov, a cat namedThorndike, and a rat namedSkinner.Doesn’t everyone name their pets after their favorite theorists?

Bonus: You Love Psychology!

You have a dog namedPavlov, a cat namedThorndike, and a rat namedSkinner.Doesn’t everyone name their pets after their favorite theorists?

Tips for Psychology Students

Being a psychology student means you’re studying complex information and balancing the demands of your academic studies with other areas of your life, including work and relationships. It isn’t always easy. Strategies that can help you become a more successful psychology student include:

What This Means For YouHopefully you enjoyed this humorous take on some of the characteristics that might set psychology students apart, While some of these points are tongue-in-cheek, there are often grains of truth behind the laughs. Being aware of the benefits and challenges of being a psychology major can help you get the most out of your time as a student.

What This Means For You

Hopefully you enjoyed this humorous take on some of the characteristics that might set psychology students apart, While some of these points are tongue-in-cheek, there are often grains of truth behind the laughs. Being aware of the benefits and challenges of being a psychology major can help you get the most out of your time as a student.

3 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.Szczurek K, Furgał N, Szczepanek D, Zaman R, Krysta K, Krzystanek M.“Medical student syndrome”-A myth or a real disease entity? Cross-sectional study of medical students of the medical university of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(18):9884. doi:10.3390/ijerph18189884Overskeid G.Do we need the environment to explain operant behavior?Front Psychol. 2018;9:373. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00373Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159x1304150831150507

3 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.Szczurek K, Furgał N, Szczepanek D, Zaman R, Krysta K, Krzystanek M.“Medical student syndrome”-A myth or a real disease entity? Cross-sectional study of medical students of the medical university of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(18):9884. doi:10.3390/ijerph18189884Overskeid G.Do we need the environment to explain operant behavior?Front Psychol. 2018;9:373. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00373Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159x1304150831150507

Szczurek K, Furgał N, Szczepanek D, Zaman R, Krysta K, Krzystanek M.“Medical student syndrome”-A myth or a real disease entity? Cross-sectional study of medical students of the medical university of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(18):9884. doi:10.3390/ijerph18189884Overskeid G.Do we need the environment to explain operant behavior?Front Psychol. 2018;9:373. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00373Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159x1304150831150507

Overskeid G.Do we need the environment to explain operant behavior?Front Psychol. 2018;9:373. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00373

Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159x1304150831150507

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At a Glance#

Signs That You’re a Psychology Major#

People Think You Are a Mind Reader#

You’re a Pro at APA Format#

You’re Paying Attention to Everyone’s Behavior Patterns#

You Use Positive Reinforcement to Solve Problems#

You’re Starting to Think That Freud Had a Point#

Research and Writing Have Become Your New Hobbies#

Your Friends Come to You for Advice#

You Feel More Confident Assessing Scientific Research#

You Love Volunteering for Psych Research#

Psychology Terminology Makes Sense#

You Use Those Terms in Your Daily Conversations#

You Know More About Factors That Influence Behavior#

You Use Psychology Theories to Understand Others#

Statistics Don’t Feel Intimidating#

Bonus: You Love Psychology!#

Tips for Psychology Students#

What This Means For You#