30+ Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Psychology

Basic Things to Know About Psychology

Psychology can seem a bit daunting to those who are completely new to the subject. Your first introductory course will cover an enormous range of topics, including psychology history, human development, social behavior, cognition, personality, and more.

Before you delve deeper into the topic, it is a good idea to gain a solid grasp of some of the basics.

Some important psychology things to know include:

• The term psychology comes from the Greek word “psyche,” which means “spirit, soul,” and “logia,” which means “study, research.”
• The word psychology first emerged during the Renaissance era.
• The first formal definition of psychology was introduced in 1980 by William James. He defined it as “the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and their conditions.”
• Not everyone agreed with James’ definition. Behaviorist thinkers, for example, felt that psychology was about modifying, controlling, and predicting behavior.
• Today, psychology is defined as the scientific study of the human mind and behavior.

Things You Should Know About Personality

Personality is one of the most popular topics within psychology. The field of personality psychology is rich with fascinating facts about the traits and characteristics that make us who we are.

Some key things to know about personality:

• You can make fairly accurate assessments of your personality based solely on your Facebook profile.
• Certain personality traits are linked to particular illnesses.² People who are higher in neuroticism tend to be more prone to anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome.
• Birth order may influence your personality; for example, research has found that first-born children are more likely to be higher on traits like emotional stability and persistence.³
• More extroverted people tend to have better social relationships and emotional regulation, both associated with greater happiness.⁴
• Personality can change somewhat, but it tends to be pretty stable throughout life.⁵

Things You Should Know About Child Development

Childhood is a time of amazing growth and change. From the earliest days of an infant’s life to the often turbulent years of adolescence, there is a remarkable amount of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth taking place.⁶

Some key things to know and facts about child development:

• Babies who receive consistent, attentive care are more likely to form a secure attachment style.
• About 90% of brain development takes place by age five.⁷
• Genes, environment, and the interaction between inherited characteristics and environmental influences influence child development.
• Kids learn a great deal through observation, and research suggests they really do pay attention to everything. While adults tend to be more selective in what they attend to, kids are better at distributing their attention more broadly.⁸
• Children who speak more than one language tend to lose less gray matter and have increased white matter in adulthood. This can benefit language and cognitive function.⁹

If you are a psychology major, then you will be required to take at least one class focused purely on developmental psychology during your undergraduate years. Even non-psychology majors can benefit from learning more about the developmental process.

Things You Should Know About Social Psychology

Have you ever noticed how people tend to behave differently in a big crowd than they do when they are alone or with a smaller group?¹⁰ Have you ever wondered about why people conform or how attitudes are formed?

Social psychology is the area that focuses on such questions, and this fascinating subject is one of the most popular topics within psychology. Some key things you should know about social psychology:

• People are less likely to respond when someone needs help if other people are present, a phenomenon known as the bystander effect.¹¹
• We are hardwired to create schemas that help us categorize and understand the word, but these categories can also contribute to prejudice and stereotypes.¹²
• We blame our own failures on external factors, but we attribute other people’s misfortunes to their internal characteristics, known as the actor-observer bias.¹³

Fascinating Facts About Human Memory

From the fond memories you have of your childhood to the memory of what you had for lunch yesterday, it is our memory that makes us who we are. Our memories give us a sense of self and form the fabric of our daily life experiences.

Memory is an astonishingly complex process that involves many areas of the brain. Memories can be vivid and long-lasting, but they are also susceptible to inaccuracies and forgetting.

Some interesting facts about human memory:

• Visual information only stays in short-term memory for about 20 to 30 seconds.¹⁴
• Echoic memory, or the brief recall of a sound after it ends, only lasts about two to four seconds.¹⁵
• Stress can negatively affect your working memory, the part of your short-term memory that temporarily holds the things you’re focusing on at the present moment.¹⁶
• While short-term memories are brief, long-term memories can last days, weeks, or decades.

Interesting Things to Know About Freud

Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous figures in the history of psychology,¹⁷ but many students know little about his life beyond the fact that he was the founder of psychoanalysis.

While his theories are often maligned by contemporary psychologists, he remains one of history’s most fascinating characters.

A few interesting things to know about Freud.

• Freud gave up his job in a science lab and became a doctor in order to marry the woman he loved.¹⁸
• He probably never actually said the famous phrase “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
• While Anna O. is often described as one of Freud’s most famous patients, the two never actually met. She was actually a patient of Freud’s colleague Josef Breuer.

Things You Might Not Know About Dreams

Dreams can be fascinating and strange, but experts have learned a few things about the content of our dreams.

Some fascinating facts about dreams:

• Adults remember roughly four to 10 dreams per month.¹⁹
• Negative emotions are more common in dreams than positive ones.²⁰
• You dream every night, even though you might not remember it. 
• People tend to have several dreams each night, and each one lasts around five to 20 minutes.²¹

Things to Know About Your Brain

If you want to know more about psychology, it’s important to learn more about the human brain There are still plenty of mysteries about how the brain works, but researchers have uncovered a number of things about the human brain.

Here are a few interesting facts about the brain:

• While the brain makes up just 2% of our overall weight, it takes up about 20% of our energy.²²
• Despite the common myth, you don’t use just 10% of your brain. You use your whole brain, and many parts work together to perform the functions that allow you to live and learn.
• Certain parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, can form new brain cells all throughout life.²³

Recap

Psychology is a broad and deep subject. These facts provide a glimpse into the many things researchers have learned about the human mind and behavior. To learn more, consider exploring specific topics in greater depth or signing up for a psychology course.