All articles of

Birsu Obalar

Writer

October 10, 2022

Stereotype Threat

“The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie One thing we are all guilty of doing, is stereotyping. Do you see all those videos on social media platforms stereotyping how you behave, act and come to a conclusion without actually knowing? Our minds work by dissecting everything to categories, so it is normal that we stereotype people around us. However, we also need to learn how damaging stereotypes can be especially to minority groups.

May 30, 2022

Thought Rumination: Can't stop thinking about it

Have you ever felt like you cannot just stop thinking about something? A feeling where your thoughts keep racing in your head, and you just feel like you cannot escape this train of thoughts. This article may shed a light on what this feeling is like. The topic of what you are ruminating about can be anything… Maybe it is about your grades at school, or about a crush who has just rejected you. What you are going through is defined as rumination. I will discuss the definition, causes, and consequences of rumination in this article and end it with some tips that can help you.

Scrolling for hours: Is it an addiction?

Can you imagine a world without social media or the internet? Well, some for sure can, but most of us probably cannot, especially the younger generations. This is how we keep in contact with each other and the world today, which makes us feel connected no matter where we are. When you look around, you feel like everyone spends at least 3-4 hours on the internet keeping up with the latest trends, memes, and news. However, have you ever actually checked out the time you spend on your phone? How do you think your social media usage affects you? If you spend at least 9-10 hours everyday on social media does that mean you are addicted? Would the use of addiction be correct?

February 28, 2022

The Effect of Culture on Perception: There is more to it than meets the eye

‍Where we come from and how we are raised has an enormous influence on who we become. Our cultures shape us in terms of beliefs, values, traditions, how we dress, how we eat and so on. But have you ever thought about its effects on how we see the world? The very famous illusion of Müller-Lyer is found to have a cultural gap, and not even everyone perceives the illusion. On the other hand, what you see as an appealing place can be influenced by where you grew up. Let’s start this topic by a small experiment.

January 10, 2022

The digital world: how we fall for misinformation and fake news

Every single day we wake up, we are bombarded with what is currently happening in the world. Some of the information we read is not truly transferred to us and some of them are just fake news. But how dangerous is the world of fake news? It is certainly more dangerous than you think it is, as humans are very susceptible to believing fake news. Of course, there are specific factors that affect this, such as age, the social media platform used, what you are looking at and so on. We promise that there is no fake news in this blog post 😉. In this article, we touch upon deepfakes, and fake news.

December 17, 2021

Hollow Face Illusion: A test for Schizophrenia?

The topic of illusions is one of a kind. It shows that, as humans, our bodies and senses are not perfect and we can make mistakes when it comes to perceiving objects, things, and so on. In this article, we dive deep into what hollow face illusion is and how it is related to schizophrenia.

November 5, 2021

I spy with my little eye: Privacy on social media

With the rise of social media channels, a lot of countries utilize them in different ways and purposes. In fact, privacy is an important point where all of our opinions may differ. We have all seen privacy scandals happen in the past few years and we are growing more aware of how our data is being used to “manipulate” some of our behaviors (e.g. targeted ads which influence our buying behavior). Some countries choose to be more private with what they share, whereas others really value followers, and are more open with their information and what they post on social media. Some of these differences can be attributed to cultural beliefs. In this article, we will be looking at individualistic and collectivistic cultures and how they differ in social media usage, self-disclosure, privacy outlooks, perceptions and behaviors.

October 18, 2021

What influences what you buy? Understanding Consumer Behaviour

With the current state of our society, we are addicted to always consuming something. This can be content from websites such as YouTube, or it could be things we use in our day-to-day life like food, clothes, and electronics. The targeted ads that give you the exact thing you are looking for is just part of the game. The closer this industry is to predicting what, when, and why you will buy something, the more control they will have over you. However, as a society we need to see the impact this has on us and the environment. Therefore, this article will give an insight on your consumer behaviour and some factors that influence it.

October 1, 2021

Change the way you work: Achieve productivity through Mindfulness

Every day you open social media, at least one influencer mentions words like mindfulness and meditation. But, did you know that when these elements are applied in certain ways, they turn out to be more practical than you would predict. Some organizations started to offer mindfulness classes to help their employees de-stress about work issues. In this article, we will touch upon what mindfulness is and then talk about how we can make it function for your benefit in a work setting. Let’s dive into the world of mindfulness together and see what it is all about.

June 4, 2021

The Psychology behind Nudging

It is no secret that our choices are highly influenced by our environment, but this is not necessarily negative. One way that environments can "manipulate" your choices towards healthier/better directions is through nudges. The order of products in the supermarket, having smaller plates than usual, the phrasing of advertisements (9 out of 10 people stopped smoking, when will you stop too?). You have probably noticed most of these examples before, but did not know that they have a special name or purpose.

May 16, 2021

Do opposites attract each other? Not in most cases...

Most of us grow up believing that people that are different from each other are more likely to fall for each other. However, many studies in psychology show opposing[6] dynamics. The more similar you are, the stronger your relationship is. In this article, we explore the existing evidence for the “opposites attract” statement and try to conclude whether this is a myth or a reality.

May 6, 2021

“Am I beautiful yet?”: Body dysmorphia in the Zoom Era

“Let’s take this photo from the right, that is my only good angle.” “I don’t want to take a photo without a filter.” “Send me the pictures, so I can facetune them and then we can post them on our stories.” Does any of these quotes seem familiar to you? Nowadays, many teenagers and young adults are hesitant to post pictures without filters. Additionally, people put filters on their photos to look naturally beautiful. The new generation is more open towards changing the beauty standards compared to the older generations, but they are also more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety of looking ugly. Why and how does this happen? Will this be further enhanced by the pandemic?

April 25, 2021

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: productive, yet not fulfilled

Did you have a day where you studied well and got a lot of things done, but didn’t take any proper breaks? Or did you feel depleted from working overtime? Did you delay your bedtime because you wanted “time for yourself” or because it made you feel more productive? Basically, when you are unable to organise your day to your needs, some people will decide to compensate with this via sleeping late and doing whatever they want at late hours. Does this seem familiar to you? Well, if it does, there is a term for this phenomenon: revenge bedtime procrastination. 

April 8, 2021

Social Media & Mental Health: Too connected or not connected enough?

Have you ever heard a message ringtone go off and checked your phone… But you ended up feeling disappointed because it was not your phone? In one way or another, we all have been there and done that. Because we want to feel connected or worthy enough to receive a message. After all, many of us are so used to hearing the phrase: “we are more connected than ever”. Even though that statement has a lot of truth to it, there are always two sides to every coin. 

March 25, 2021

Burnout: The Silent Executor

“Burnout happens when you avoid being human for too long.” (Micheal Gungor) Have you ever had a time where you chose working/studying instead of attending a birthday party, wedding, hangout with friends? Do you continue working even when you are really tired? Do you prioritize work over health? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you are in for a ride. Burnout has been named as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO)[8]. It is not a new topic, but it is widely ignored by most people unless it starts showing the most harmful effects, and the person has to do something about it. This article will touch upon both job burnout and academic burnout.

February 28, 2021

The Dark Side of Personality

When thinking of Psychology one may immediately think of personality traits. Research on personality mostly focuses on its good side and which traits are considered as positive qualities in people. However, people’s personalities are not always positive and there is a dark side to them. In this article, we do not have cookies on the dark side, but we have knowledge on how the dark side of personality can affect your work life and relationships. Do Narcissist people climb up the ladder faster? Do people with high scores in the dark triad get more partners?

February 14, 2021

Stuck in a Man's World? Underrepresentation of women in leadership

If we compare today’s world to 50 years ago, then we can say that there has been a lot of progress. We all hear stories of powerful women making it to political grounds (Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jacinda Ardern), Top 500 Fortune companies (e.g. Julie Sweet, Jane Fraser) and so on... Yet, how come women only account for 22.5% of boards in the Top 500 Fortune companies? [1] The numbers get more disappointing the more you look at the statistics, and most societies suffer from gender inequality when it comes to representation of women in leadership or high positions in organizations.