Psychology
Facts and Myths
How much do you know about
psychology and mental health?
#1 Therapists can hypnotize clients/use
hypnosis. True or false?
True!
Hypnosis is a changed state of
awareness and increased relaxation
that allows for improved focus and
concentration. It also is called
hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is usually
done with the guidance of a health
care provider using verbal repetition
and mental images. Hypnosis typically
makes people more open to
suggestions about behavior changes.
#2 Doctor’s used to treat mentally ill patients by
poking a sharp stick through the eye socket into the
frontal lobe while they were awake. True or false?
True!
A lobotomy is a type of brain surgery
that became popular in the 1930s as a
treatment for mental health
conditions. It involves severing the
connection between the frontal lobe
and other parts of the brain. The
procedure was pioneered by the
Portuguese scientist Egas Moniz who
believed that mental illnesses were
generally caused by problems in the
neurons of the frontal lobe, the part of
the brain just behind the forehead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_5WrH80uUs
#3 A therapist’s main purpose is to give people
advice for their problems. True or false?
False!
While therapists may help clients explore possible solutions to
problems they face, therapists should very rarely, if ever, give
advice. A good therapist may highlight alternative possible
solutions, but they should never be giving a client the answer or
labeling different solutions as good or bad. It is the client’s
responsibility to put in the work to change their behavior with the
therapist’s guidance and support.
#4 Doctors used to treat mental illness by placing
pennies on people’s eyes for long periods of time to
absorb the toxins. True or false?
False!
Pennies, as far as I
am aware, have no
medicinal properties
when placed on the
eyes and have never
been included in the
practice of treating
mental illnesses.
#5 Electroshock therapy is still used today.
True or false?
True!
Previously known as electroshock
therapy, electroconvulsive therapy
(ECT) is a procedure, done under
general anesthesia, in which small
electric currents are passed through
the brain, intentionally triggering a
brief seizure. ECT seems to cause
changes in brain chemistry that can
quickly reverse symptoms of certain
mental health conditions.
#6 People only use 10% of their brains. The
other 90% is untapped potential that
scientists don’t fully understand. True or false?
False!
Many people have heard or even use
this phrase. The idea that people
only use a small portion of their brain
leaving a lot of untapped potential is
a common theme in recent movies
such as Lucy (2014) and Limitless
(2011). In general terms, letting 90%
of one’s brain go to waste would be a
pretty inefficient biological strategy
and would surely be selected against
across generations.
#7 Doctors used to read patients’ personality
traits by reading the bumps on their skulls.
True or false?
True!
Phrenology (from Ancient Greek (phrēn) 'mind', and (logos)
'knowledge') is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement
of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the
concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain
brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules. It was
said that the brain was composed of different muscles, so those
that were used more often were bigger, resulting in the different
skull shapes. This led to the reasoning behind why everyone had
bumps on the skull in different locations. The brain "muscles" not
being used as frequently remained small and were therefore not
present on the exterior of the skull.
#8 If you believe that a medication does something
specific strongly enough, it will happen (even if the
“medicine” is just water or a sugar pill.) True or false?
True!
Your mind can be a powerful healing tool when given the chance. The idea that your brain can
convince your body a fake treatment is the real thing — the so-called placebo effect — and
thus stimulate healing has been around for millennia. Now science has found that under the
right circumstances, a placebo can be just as effective as traditional treatments. "The placebo
effect is more than positive thinking — believing a treatment or procedure will work. It's
about creating a stronger connection between the brain and body and how they work
together," says Professor Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center, whose research focuses on the placebo effect. Placebos won't lower your cholesterol or
shrink a tumor. Instead, placebos work on symptoms modulated by the brain, like the
perception of pain. "Placebos may make you feel better, but they will not cure you," says
Kaptchuk. "They have been shown to be most effective for conditions like pain management,
stress-related insomnia, and cancer treatment side effects like fatigue and nausea."
#9 People have innate learning styles and learn
information best when their style is catered to. True
or false?
False!
Many people believe that they have a preferred learning style or one that is optimal
for them. One person might believe that he or she is a visual learner and that he or she
learns best when information is presented in graphs and pictures. Another person
might hold the belief that he or she is an auditory learner and is best served by
learning approaches that present information verbally. The fact is that there is no
empirical evidence that supports the concept that people have a preferred or
optimal learning style. The problem is that unsupported beliefs about learning styles
often lead people to narrow their learning strategies and approaches to fit the
misconception. However, this is a potentially damaging since evidence from
scientific experiments have shown that learning is accomplished best when we ‘go
wide’ and try to engage as many of our senses and abilities as possible
#10 Psychologists have proven that opposites
attract. True or false?
False!
According to one study (McCutcheon,
1991), over three-quarters of
undergraduate students believe this
statement to be true, and this
assumption continues to show up in TV
shows and movies. However, there is
almost no research to support such an
assertion. In fact, there are many
studies showing the opposite: similarity
and attraction are closely linked,
especially for platonic attraction.
#11 Working in groups boosts creativity. True
or false?
False!
Anchoring: This is a cognitive bias that causes us to struggle to consider
other options once we’ve “anchored” on one we like. Groupthink: Anchoring
is strengthened by groupthink. Groupthink is when peer pressure (whether
intentional or not) causes members of a group to think the same way,
which prevents unique ideas from being heard or even spoken aloud.
Pressure: Having to come up with good ideas on the spot while surrounded
by peers whom they may want to impress can put incredible pressure on
some people, which limits their ability to think creatively. Instead of large
team brainstorming, give people the opportunity to talk individually or in
small groups so they can come up with as many creative ideas as possible,
then have them share their ideas with the larger group for feedback.
#12 You are genetically wired to be a morning
person or a night owl. True or false?
True!
You are genetically wired to be more
active during the day or night. Whether
you are a morning person, or a night owl is
determined by a trait known as
chronotype. This discovery was found by
monitoring 85,000 individuals using
wristbands. They also found that morning
people woke up on average half an hour
earlier than night owls – so there may be
scientific reasoning as to why you want to
sleep in every morning!
#13 Being overly prepared is worse than being
slightly under prepared. True or false?
True!
Every now and then, it hurts to be
prepared. In a series of experiments from
the University of Pennsylvania, researchers
found that when volunteers thought about
a backup plan before starting a task, they
did worse than those who hadn't thought
about a plan B. What's more, when they
realized they had options, their motivation
for succeeding the first time around
dropped. The researchers stress that
thinking ahead is a good idea, but you
might be more successful if you keep those
plans vague.
#14 We care more about a single person than
about massive tragedies. True or false?
True!
In another University of Pennsylvania study, one group learned about a
little girl who was starving to death, another learned about millions
dying of hunger, and a third learned about both situations. People
donated more than twice as much money when hearing about the little
girl than when hearing the statistics—and even the group who'd heard
her story in the context of the bigger tragedy donated less.
Psychologists think that we're wired to help the person in front of us,
but when the problem feels too big, we figure our little part isn't doing
much.
#15 People are either “left-brained” or “rightbrained” depending on if you are more creative or
more logical. True or false?
False!
The idea that people have different dominant sides
of their brains is completely false. Research shows
that everyone uses both sides of their brains
equally because, though most abilities are based in
different regions of the brain, they are able to be
carried out by the connections formed between
different parts. Based on an individual’s lifestyle, it
is possible for certain sections of the brain to
become stronger because the brain has adapted
to being under the same conditions for a prolonged
period of time. However, that happens with
individual parts not and an entire half of the brain.
#16 Psychologists used to diagnose mental
disorders based on how strong the odor was of a
patient’s shoes. A stronger, more unpleasant odor
indicated significant psychological impairment
while less odor indicated a healthy mind. True or
false?
False!
Shoe odor is in no way correlated with
mental health; I made that up.
#17 Everyone sees images in their heads and
have an internal dialogue or voice. True or
false?
False!
Some people may have internal processing characteristics called
aphantasia (the inability to see images in their head) or anaduralia (the
absence of an internal dialogue/inner voice).
#18 Multitasking is impossible. True or false?
True!
While some people swear up and down
that they are great at multitasking,
what we believe is multitasking is
actually impossible. Research
published in the Journal of Experimental
Psychology shows that even when you
think you're doing two things at once,
what you're actually doing is switching
quickly between the two tasks—you're
still focusing on one at a time. No
wonder it's so hard to listen to someone
talk while scrolling through Instagram.
#19 When women were experiencing mental
disturbances (such as heightened emotions,
melancholy, or anxiety,) doctors believed that it was a
result of their uteruses being displaced and traveling
to other places in the body. True or false?
True!
One particular “illness” has traveled through history and followed
women despite their progress towards equality. It is responsible for
much of the stigma and obstacles women must overcome to receive
medical treatment, and is historically known as Female Hysteria, due
to having affected mostly women. The name hysteria is derived from
the Greek word ‘hystera’ which means uterus and came from the belief
that the uterus was displaced in the body.
#20 People experiencing mental illness are
more likely to be violent. True or false?
False!
Violence is not a symptom of mental or even
psychotic illness. The relationship between
mental illness and violence is complex.
Research suggests there is little relationship
between mental illness and violence when
substance use is not involved. Psychotic
illnesses such as schizophrenia can sometimes
be associated with aggressive or violent
behavior. People living with schizophrenia are
no more violent or dangerous than the rest of
the population if they are receiving proper
treatment and not abusing substances.
#21 Some people can smell, hear, or taste
colors. True or false?
True!
Synesthesia is when your brain
routes sensory information
through multiple unrelated
senses, causing you to
experience more than one sense
simultaneously. Some examples
include tasting words or linking
colors to numbers and letters.
Several celebrities or famous
artists are said to have
synesthesia such as Vincent Van
Gogh, Billy Joel, and Lady Gaga.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbh7tAnwLCY