Hi, I’m Elliott. This is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today I’m going to talk about some
misconceptions about psychology. Crazy, right?
Misconception #1: People with Tourette’s syndrome scream out curse words.
Only 10-15% of people who have Tourette’s syndrome use swear words or offensive gestures.
The term “Tourette’s syndrome” refers to a disorder involving both physical tics
and vocal tics. These tics are repetitive and involuntary, but don’t necessarily involve cursing.
Misconception #2: Opposites attract. A 2003 study discovered that people actually
desire people who are similar to them when it comes to relationships. These similarities
include socioeconomic class, whether or not they're interested in family and monogamy,
and equal attractiveness. These findings were confirmed in a study done in 2009, which found
that newlyweds had similar values and personality traits. Well, I guess this finally explains
why Russell Brand and Katy Perry didn’t work out. Those guys are crazy.
Misconception #3: Shock therapy is an outdated practice.
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is still used today. In ECT, electric currents are
sent through someone’s brain, which induces a seizure. This is actually an effective treatment
for depression, severe mania, catatonia, and dementia. It’s believed that it might affect
levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. ECT might also repair neuroconnections
and nerves.
Misconception #4: Therapy involves a lot of dream discussion.
Every therapist is different, but it’s rare to find one that will want to talk a lot about
your dreams nowadays. And there’s actually a good reason for this: we still don’t really
know what dreams mean. There are a few presiding theories, but most experts don’t view dream
interpretation as the key to happiness. In fact, some neuropsychologists claim that dreams
are 100% meaningless. How disappointing is that?!
Misconception #5: Lie detector machines work. Actually The National Research Council has
found that a polygraph machine could indicate that a person is lying when they’re really
just nervous. In 2004, the Council held a panel on lie detector machines, which didn’t
find any evidence of their validity. Plus, in the U.S., polygraphic evidence can not
be used in federal courts. This is because of a 1998 Supreme Court decision which said,
quote, "There is simply no consensus that polygraph evidence is reliable."
Misconception #6: “The Mozart Effect.” Over 80% of American adults believe in the
“Mozart Effect” that children who study music are smarter and get better grades. But,
most studies that have concluded that the Mozart Effect is real have been discredited.
In 2013, Harvard University conducted a study that found no statistically significant difference
in IQ between children who studied music and those who didn’t.
Misconception #7: Schizophrenia = multiple personalities.
Schizophrenia is defined as, “the disconnection or splitting of the psychic functions.”
That “splitting” sometimes confuses people who think that the term is interchangeable
with “multiple personalities.” But there are other symptoms of schizophrenia like hallucinations,
delusions, illogical speech, and so on. Dissociative identity disorder, on the other hand, is what
used to be known as “multiple personality disorder.” People who have this disorder
have at least two separate, lasting personalities. These come with memory impairment as well.
Misconception #8: Subliminal messages in advertising work.
In 1957, a researcher named James Vicary published a press release saying that he had conducted
an experiment in which thousands of people in movie theaters saw the words “Eat Popcorn”
and “Drink Coca-Cola” flash on screen. But it only appeared for an amount of time
that would have been too short for them to process. Vicary claimed there was a 57.5%
increase in popcorn sales as well as an 18.1% increase in Coke sales.
So, that’s where the subliminal message ad myth comes from. Vicary later admitted
though that he fabricated his data, but the misconception continues to live on. More recent
studies of the phenomenon haven’t been able to prove that this type of advertising is
effective. While there is evidence that subliminal advertising can nudge your decision in a certain
way, you have to already want the product being advertised. But regardless, the FCC
banned its use in 1974.
Misconception #9: Psychiatrist = psychologist. An easy way to tell the difference between
the two is that psychiatrists prescribe drugs, but psychologists can’t (except in New Mexico
and Louisiana, where they can). There’s also a difference in their schooling. If you
want to become a psychiatrist, then I’m a little suspicious that it’s because that
fact I just gave you. But, anyway, you’ll need four years of medical school followed
by a residency in mental health. Psychologists, on the other hand, have up to six years of
graduate school until they earn a PhD.
Misconception #10: Everything Sigmund Freud ever said.
Okay, now that is a generalization. But Freud is no longer used as a serious source in the
field of psychology. He got quite a few of his theories wrong. Like, there’s no oral,
anal, phallic, and genital stages. No one argues that women experience penis envy or
that men have castration anxiety. And if someone tries telling you that you have an Oedipus
complex or Electra complex...I’d get a second opinion.
Thanks for watching Misconceptions on Mental Floss on YouTube, which is made with the help
of all these nice people. If you have a topic for an upcoming Misconceptions episode that
you’d like to see, leave it in comments. See you next week!