Shawn T. Smith

Psychologist & Author

More Reasons to Think Twice About Antidepressants

prozacSometimes antidepressants make me sad. šŸ™

Before we get to the links, hereā€™s my usual disclaimer: I am not flatly opposed to antidepressant medication. Sometimes it is useful, yadda, yadda, yadda. It is also grossly overprescribed and misused. Here are a couple new and compelling reasons to explore non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression. …

Random Links: Narcissism, Erring, and Exercising

picnic_area_signHere’s a question Iā€™ve long pondered: do narcissists understand how others view them? According to the authors of an interesting new study, narcissists have insight into the facts that 1) others arenā€™t as enamored with them as they are with themselves, 2) others are often impressed with them at first, but that admiration fades, and 3) others view them as arrogant.Ā You Probably Think This Paperā€™s About You (via MindHacks). …

What Do Believers Think When Their Prophecy Fails To Arrive?

Festinger's experiment became standard fare for any psych 101 class.Did yaā€™ ever wonder what happens in the mind of someone whose beliefs fail them? Iā€™m not the first to point it out, but thatā€™s what happened to the followers of Harold Campingā€™s recent doomsday prophecy. Reverend Camping predicted that armageddon would arrive on May 21st, and many of his followers made huge investments of time and money to warn others. …

Link of the Week: ESP, a Really Old Brain, and Concern About the Young ‘uns

Links of the WeekBook update for those who are interested: The Userā€™s Guide to the Human Mind just passed the copyedit phase and is on its way to production. Itā€™s still on track for a December 1st release. Gosh, isnā€™t that the holiday gift giving season? What a coincidence! Here are a few links to keep you busy for now: …

Disappearing Shrink

It has been a quite a while since Iā€™ve posted anything of substance, but it hasnā€™t been for naught. There have been big changes in my professional world. For one thing, I renovated the office. Hereā€™s the new digs: …

Are Liberals More Intelligent than Conservatives? Another Broken Study Says It Is So

anti-conservative-researchIt happens like clockwork. Every few years, researchers contrive yet another study to prove that conservatives are mentally deficient. This time, the attack comes from evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa in his current paper,Ā Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent. To be fair, gunning for conservatives does not appear to be his primary motive. Instead, he seems to have tied himself in knots trying to affirm a pet theory. Either way, he has recklessly disparaged millions. The methodology is atrocious. …