How to use psychology in everyday life? Do you think psychology is needed only for students, professors and psychotherapists? Don't jump to conclusions. The fact that psychology is both an applied and a theoretical discipline allows it to find many applications.
Despite the fact that for the common man scientific research is not entirely easy material to read, the results of these experiments and studies can be applied to a large extent in everyday life. Below are some of the ways in which psychology can be applied in everyday life.
1. Motivation
Some psychology lessons offer motivation tips for those who are challenged to quit smoking, lose weight, or learn a new language. To increase your motivation to get down to business, use some of the following tips from research in cognitive and educational psychology:
2. Development of leadership qualities
Whether you are a department leader or volunteer with a local youth group, good leadership skills are sure to come in handy at some point in your life. Not everyone is a natural leader, but simple advice gleaned from psychological research can help you improve your leadership skills.
One of the best-known studies on this topic looks at three different leadership styles. Based on the results of this research and subsequent study, it is recommended that you practice the following actions when you are in a leadership position:
3. Assistance in the development of communication skills
Communication involves much more than how you speak or write. Research shows that non-verbal cues make up a huge proportion of our interpersonal communication. In order to communicate effectively, you need to learn how to express yourself non-verbally and read the non-verbal cues of the people around you. Several key strategies include the following:
4. Help in understanding other people
As with non-verbal communication, the ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of those around you plays an important role in relationships with people and in professional life. The term emotional intelligence refers to your ability to understand both your own emotions and those of others. Your emotional intelligence quotient is a measure of this ability. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, your emotional intelligence quotient may actually be more important than your IQ (1995).
What can you do to improve your emotional literacy? Consider some of the following strategies:
5. Help in making better decisions
Research in cognitive psychology has provided us with a wealth of information regarding decision making. Applying these strategies to your life can help you make wiser decisions. The next time you have an important decision to make, try one of the following methods:
6. Improving memory
Have you ever wondered why you can remember the details of the events of distant childhood, but at the same time forget the name of the new client whom you met yesterday? Research into how we form new memories, as well as how and why we forget certain things, has led to a number of conclusions that can be used in everyday life. How can you improve memory efficiency?
7. Making smarter financial decisions
Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleague Amos Tversky have conducted a series of studies on how people deal with insecurity and risk when making decisions. Further research in this area, known as behavioral economics, has led to some key findings that can be used to manage money smarter. One study in 2004 found that workers could more than triple their savings by using the following strategies:
8. Improving academic performance
The next time you feel like complaining about an unscheduled test, midterm, or final exams, think about it - research has shown that taking tests actually helps you remember what you've learned better, even if the test didn't include those questions.
Other research has shown that repeating a test may be more beneficial for memorization than learning. Students who systematically completed the tests were able to recall 61 percent of the material, while in the study group, students recalled only 40 percent. How can these findings be applied to everyday life? As you learn new information, test yourself often in the form of tests to reinforce what you have learned.
9. Increased productivity
Sometimes it seems like there are thousands of books, blogs and magazine articles out there on how to get more done in one day, but how many of these tips are based on real research? For example, think about how many times you've heard that multitasking can help you become more productive. In fact, research has shown that attempting to do more than one task at the same time seriously degrades speed, accuracy, and productivity.
So what lessons from psychology can you use to improve your productivity? Let's take a look at some of them:
10. Health
Psychology can be helpful in improving your overall health. Health psychology offers many helpful strategies that can help you become healthy and happy, from ways to encourage exercise and proper nutrition to new treatments for depression.
Here are some examples that you can use directly in your life:
Despite the fact that for the common man scientific research is not entirely easy material to read, the results of these experiments and studies can be applied to a large extent in everyday life. Below are some of the ways in which psychology can be applied in everyday life.
1. Motivation
Some psychology lessons offer motivation tips for those who are challenged to quit smoking, lose weight, or learn a new language. To increase your motivation to get down to business, use some of the following tips from research in cognitive and educational psychology:
- introduce new or additional elements so as not to lose interest;
- change the sequence to prevent boredom;
- learn new things based on what you already know;
- set clear goals that are directly related to the task;
- reward yourself for good work.
2. Development of leadership qualities
Whether you are a department leader or volunteer with a local youth group, good leadership skills are sure to come in handy at some point in your life. Not everyone is a natural leader, but simple advice gleaned from psychological research can help you improve your leadership skills.
One of the best-known studies on this topic looks at three different leadership styles. Based on the results of this research and subsequent study, it is recommended that you practice the following actions when you are in a leadership position:
- issue clear directions but allow group members to voice their opinions;
- discuss possible solutions to emerging problems with group members;
- pay great attention to stimulating new ideas and rewarding creativity.
3. Assistance in the development of communication skills
Communication involves much more than how you speak or write. Research shows that non-verbal cues make up a huge proportion of our interpersonal communication. In order to communicate effectively, you need to learn how to express yourself non-verbally and read the non-verbal cues of the people around you. Several key strategies include the following:
- Make good eye contact
- start noticing non-verbal cues from other people;
- Learn to use speech style to reinforce your message.
- Learn more about how to use and interpret these cues in the Top 10 Tips for Non-Verbal Communication.
4. Help in understanding other people
As with non-verbal communication, the ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of those around you plays an important role in relationships with people and in professional life. The term emotional intelligence refers to your ability to understand both your own emotions and those of others. Your emotional intelligence quotient is a measure of this ability. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, your emotional intelligence quotient may actually be more important than your IQ (1995).
What can you do to improve your emotional literacy? Consider some of the following strategies:
- evaluate your emotional reactions;
- keep a diary to record your experiences and emotions;
- try to look at the situation from the point of view of another person.
5. Help in making better decisions
Research in cognitive psychology has provided us with a wealth of information regarding decision making. Applying these strategies to your life can help you make wiser decisions. The next time you have an important decision to make, try one of the following methods:
- try to look at the situation from different perspectives, including rational, emotional, intuitive, creative, positive, and negative vision;
- consider the potential costs and benefits of making a decision;
- use a matrix analysis technique that evaluates how a particular solution will meet your specific requirements.
6. Improving memory
Have you ever wondered why you can remember the details of the events of distant childhood, but at the same time forget the name of the new client whom you met yesterday? Research into how we form new memories, as well as how and why we forget certain things, has led to a number of conclusions that can be used in everyday life. How can you improve memory efficiency?
- Focus on information.
- Repeat what you have learned.
- Eliminate distractions.
- Find out more ways from the top 10 tips to improve your memory.
7. Making smarter financial decisions
Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleague Amos Tversky have conducted a series of studies on how people deal with insecurity and risk when making decisions. Further research in this area, known as behavioral economics, has led to some key findings that can be used to manage money smarter. One study in 2004 found that workers could more than triple their savings by using the following strategies:
- don't put it off. Start investing in savings now;
- plan in advance to deduct a portion of your future income towards retirement savings;
- try to be aware of personal preferences that can lead to unnecessary spending.
8. Improving academic performance
The next time you feel like complaining about an unscheduled test, midterm, or final exams, think about it - research has shown that taking tests actually helps you remember what you've learned better, even if the test didn't include those questions.
Other research has shown that repeating a test may be more beneficial for memorization than learning. Students who systematically completed the tests were able to recall 61 percent of the material, while in the study group, students recalled only 40 percent. How can these findings be applied to everyday life? As you learn new information, test yourself often in the form of tests to reinforce what you have learned.
9. Increased productivity
Sometimes it seems like there are thousands of books, blogs and magazine articles out there on how to get more done in one day, but how many of these tips are based on real research? For example, think about how many times you've heard that multitasking can help you become more productive. In fact, research has shown that attempting to do more than one task at the same time seriously degrades speed, accuracy, and productivity.
So what lessons from psychology can you use to improve your productivity? Let's take a look at some of them:
- eliminate multitasking when working with complex or dangerous tasks;
- focus on the task at hand;
- eliminate distractions.
10. Health
Psychology can be helpful in improving your overall health. Health psychology offers many helpful strategies that can help you become healthy and happy, from ways to encourage exercise and proper nutrition to new treatments for depression.
Here are some examples that you can use directly in your life:
- Studies have shown that not only sunlight, but artificial light can reduce symptoms of seasonal affective disorder;
- exercise can help improve mental health;
- helping people understand the potential for unhealthy behavior can help them make smart choices;
