5 Reasons That Psychology Matters

"Below are five reasons that, in the current day and age, psychology matters.

1. There is a mental health crisis in the industrialized world

The proportion of people in industrialized nations, such as the United States, who are diagnosed with any number of mental health problems has increased dramatically in the past few decades. Disorders related to depression, anxiety, and mood instability, for instance, have increased significantly in prevalence over the past decade.

2. Therapy is often extremely helpful

The amount of research and work that has gone into understanding the efficacy of various forms of therapy since that time has been nothing short of profound. On average, psychotherapeutic treatments of various kinds tend to be helpful when it comes to addressing depression and other issues related to mental health. The advances in such fields as clinical psychology, psychiatry, and mental health counseling in the past few decades have, simply, been extraordinary.

3. Modern technologies often have unintended adverse outcomes when it comes to psychological well-being

So many modern technologies, such as social media platforms, are strongly mismatched from ancestral conditions, often leading to a broad array of psychological problems. One pronounced example pertains to cyberbullying, which is largely an outcome associated with advances in social media technology and, in the same breath, is strongly related to adverse mental health outcomes among adolescents and young adults today.

4. The internet age requires experts in the behavioral sciences

These days, some of the most notable companies that host products used by so many of us (Google, Instagram, Facebook, Tinder, Spotify, etc.) have their products rooted in human behavioral science. These companies desperately need experts in research design, survey development, data analysis, data interpretation, research translation, and the presentation of research in the behavioral sciences. As an example, Instagram needs behavioral-science-based statisticians and researchers to help figure out algorithms that affect what you will see in your feed when you check your Instagram after you read this post. Behavioral science has arrived. And it is going to become only more important with time. A degree in behavioral science is now a degree in a critical body of skills that is strongly needed by some of the world's top corporations and organizations.

5. Understanding our evolved psychology sheds light on so many problems of the modern world

The field of evolutionary psychology, which surrounds my particular area of interest, has proven to shed dramatically important light on such critical issues as physical health, mental health, education, politics, religion, warfare, love, relationships, and prosocial behavior. Understanding the evolutionary processes that surround our psychology has extremely important implications regarding the entirety of the human experience. And only the surface of this profound area of psychological science has been scratched."

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

What are some of the other benefits that can be reaped by studying Psychology?

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