Psychology Around the Net: August 19, 2017

Happy Saturday, sweet readers!

Guess what? I’m going “off the grid” this weekend. Well, maybe not in the strictest of senses (I’ll still have my computer and phone) but in the sense that…well, let’s just say I’ve been neglecting my own personal interests — things I enjoy and feel help my personal growth — and it’s hurting my mental health. I feel unfulfilled. I have to figure out a way to stop that.

Starting today.

But first, the latest in this week’s mental health and wellness news! Learn how to be more supportive of your child’s teacher, why some researchers believe we need many more in depth studies on medical marijuana, that a new app is helping people who deal with mental illness connect with one another, and more.

Psychology of Hate: What Motivates White Supremacists? While white supremacists are nothing new, research shows the numbers are growing and it could be because these people tend to have more aggression and the “dark triad” personality traits (i.e. narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism — which is the tenancy to manipulate others for your own gain) than others.

How to Be Supportive of Your Kid’s Teacher: School’s in session for many — and right around the corner for others — so if you don’t already know, it’s time to learn these ways you can better support your child’s teachers that focus not only on just the teachers, but also on your kid and you.

The Psychology of Brand Loyalty: 5 Key Takeaways: Some research says brand loyalty is dying — that consumers are look more for item quality than item brand — while other research says that’s just not true. For businesses and consumers alike, here are five ways to better understand the psychological factors that contribute to brand loyalty.

A Psychiatry Researcher Explains the ‘Real and Urgent Need’ for More Research Into Medical Marijuana: Researchers at the Veterans Health Administration conducted and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine two studies that found there isn’t enough high-quality research that provides evidence of both the benefits and harms or using medical marijuana for conditions such as pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

First US Transgender Surgery, Psychiatry Fellowships: Mount Sinai Health Systems in New York City has launched two new transgender-related medical fellowships. One fellowship focuses on transgender surgery (given to Bella Avanessian, MD, who completed a plastic surgery residency) and the other on transgender psychiatry (given to Matthew Dominguez, MD, who completed a general adult psychiatry residency), and both are the first of their kind in the United States.

Huddle Is a Mental Health App That Aims to be a Safe Space to Share With Peers: When Dan Blackman learned his deceased father was a functioning alcoholic who never got the help he needed, he created Huddle, “an online video platform where people could share their issues with one another,” to help the millions of adults with mental health problems who don’t seek help due to stigma connect with other people suffering the same issues.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/08/19/psychology-around-the-net-august-19-2017/