Just in time for toy-buying season, Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, a toy designer and professor of product design at the University of Minnesota, and Doris Bergen, PhD, a professor emerita of educational psychology at Miami University in Ohio, discuss the psychology of toys. What makes something a good toy? Why do some toys stand the test of time while others fizzle out after one season? How has technology changed the way kids play with toys? Does gender affect kids’ toy choices? And do we ever grow out of toys? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, millions of Americans are still living with the effects of the virus. Neuropsychologists Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD, talk about the cognitive and mental health symptoms of long COVID, what treatments are available, and the most pressing questions that researchers need to answer to get help to patients who need it. Links Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD Rowena Ng, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our life experiences shape the way that our brain processes sound, and sound is deeply intertwined with everything from our ability to read to our cognitive health as we age. Dr. Nina Kraus, of Northwestern University, talks about why we undervalue our sense of hearing; why musicians, athletes and bilingual people often have superior sound-processing abilities; why sound is crucial to language and reading; and how unwanted noise can harm not only our ears but also our brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From kindergarten through college, very few students are taught a crucial skill set – how, exactly, to study effectively. Regan Gurung, PhD, and John Dunlosky, PhD, authors of “Study like a Champ: The Psychology-based Guide to “Grade A Study Habits,” talk about the biggest studying myths, which study techniques work and which don’t, and why finding studying difficult can be a sign that you’re doing it right. Links Regan Gurung, PhD John Dunlosky, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you suffering from news overload? Do you find yourself doomscrolling when you should be sleeping, eating, playing with your kids or doing your job? Do you feel hounded by algorithms that keep sending you more bad news? Media psychologist Don Grant, PhD, and Markus Brauer, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin, discuss why it’s so hard to shut off the news spigot and what you can do to cope with media overload while still staying informed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Americans than ever before are single -- about half of American adults are unmarried and close to three in 10 are not in a committed relationship. Geoff MacDonald, PhD, of the University of Toronto, talks about how relationship status is related to well-being, whether there is a societal stigma against singles, and why there is so much more research on being in a happy relationship than there is on being happily single. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Questions of fairness, justice and morality might seem unique to humans. But research suggests that non-human animals notice inequality as well. Dr. Sarah Brosnan, of Georgia State University, talks about how non-human primates and other animals react to unfair situations, why we humans care so much about fairness, and how studying non-human animals can help us better understand how our human sense of justice evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apologies have the potential to heal relationships, soothe hurt feelings and even begin to address historical wrongs. But they’re not always easy to offer. Karina Schumann, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, discusses why apologies matter, what makes for a good, effective apology and what makes for a bad one, whether women really do apologize more than men, what to do when someone wants to apologize to you but you’re not ready to forgive them, and the role of institutional and government apologies in addressing historical injustice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past few years, the number and variety of cannabis products legally available to American consumers has soared. Ziva Cooper, PhD, of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, talks about how researchers are exploring both the potential health benefits and the risks of marijuana, CBD and more, aiming to make sure that the science keeps up with policy changes and the evolving marketplace. Links Ziva Cooper, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When relationship issues arise -- around money, fidelity, kids or even just coping with the stress of everyday life -- couple therapists can help partners work through them together. Couple and family psychologist Anthony Chambers, PhD, talks about how couple therapy works, when it’s useful, when couples are most likely to break up, and why it’s helpful to think of talking with your partner as a game of catch rather than a tennis match. Links Anthony Chambers, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices