Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology
Dr. Gary Bell
Not for the faint of heart or sensitive spirit, Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology is about helping our lives in the insane world we exist today. It is a sarcastic, smart and witty view of the lives we cope with, including straight answers, real information and new perspectives to bring LIFE back to our existence. Dr. Bell brings deep insight, common sense and weaves general knowledge of how the brain is operating under various circumstances. Dr. Bell challenges us all to OWN our lives. How do we become change in an ever changing world? If anything, you might sound smarter to your friends. Everyone is an armchair therapist, but now you will know enough to be dangerous. No whining or caterwauling allowed! This is a search for essence, passion and meaning as we exist surrounded by mediocrity, insecurity and insignificance. Take your medication and listen. You might learn something.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 26, 2025 • 56min
Psychology: Conspiracy Theories and Fake News
Conspiracy theories, from a psychological perspective, are often linked to distrust of authority, political cynicism, and psychological traits like paranoia, narcissism, and insecure attachment. Belief in these theories can be reinforced by circular reasoning, where evidence against or lack of evidence for a conspiracy is interpreted as further proof of its existence. We live in a world filled with media who purposely provides us with disinformation to gain readers, listeners and viewers by inciting our emotions to validate our biases. Tune in and learn all about how disinformation and conspiracy theories shape our lives and how to fight it!
Aug 19, 2025 • 53min
Artificial Intelligence and Us
Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes known as machine intelligence, refers to the ability of computers to perform human-like feats of cognition including learning, problem-solving, perception, decision-making, and speech and language. Early AI systems had the ability to defeat a world chess champion, map streets, and compose music. Thanks to more advanced algorithms, data volumes, and computer power and storage, AI evolved and expanded to include more sophisticated applications, such as self-driving cars, improved fraud detection, and “personal assistants” like Siri and Alexa. Tune in and learn how the psychological and personal world is evolving with A.I.!
Aug 12, 2025 • 56min
The Power of Anticipation
•Anticipation is a psychological process we engage in to mentally prepare for a certain outcome that we expect to happen in the future. Anticipating future events happens automatically, taking place largely in the oldest part of the brain, the cerebellum. Our minds are wired for anticipation; we evolved to have the capacity to form accurate expectations about the future so we could make better predictions about it. That ability allowed humans to take advantage of experiences that benefit us and avoid ones that would be dangerous, increasing the chance of survival. Tune in and learn how anticipation leads our lives!
Aug 5, 2025 • 56min
When We Are Wrong
For most of us mere mortals, admitting we are wrong is very difficult, even under the best of circumstances. At times, we argue vehemently over trivial matters, even with loved ones. In such instances, we might notice how we avoid admitting we are wrong, or how we quickly point out how the other person was wrong about something else. "Oh, yeah, well maybe I did forget to take the trash out, but you constantly leave your dirty dishes in the sink!" When it comes to more substantive issues, such as politics, we will often argue as if our very lives depended upon it. Tune in and learn the value of being wrong and owning it!
Jul 29, 2025 • 53min
Resentment in Relationships
Not all couples can pinpoint a specific trigger for a spiral of relationship resentment, but studies have shown that resentment is often a response to a wrong—or something perceived as punitive or humiliating. It also can grow in relationships in which teasing or humor is barbed, where one has a habit of diminishing the competence of the other, or when there is little perceived appreciation of a partner. Resentment can also spring from a sense of being betrayed in some way or taken for granted—or one partner shouldering an unequal share of household or financial responsibility. Tune in and learn how to recognize and heal resentment!
Jul 22, 2025 • 55min
Parenting Teenagers
Adolescence is a challenging time for young people, bringing on not only the physical changes of puberty, but emotional transformation as well and in some cases, the emergence of serious mental health conditions. For parents, it can sometimes seem like their affectionate, adoring child has become a different, distant person and that their teen’s friends have become more important to them than their family. But some of these changes are part of the essential process of moving toward independence and parents who are able to offer more empathy than judgment can continue to be a source of guidance for their kids, and emerge from this period with their relationship intact. Admittedly, though, teens do not always make it easy: A heightened egocentrism is a core trait of adolescence. Tune in and learn all about how to keep your teenagers in check!
Jul 15, 2025 • 55min
Cognitive Bias: How We Are Influenced
Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking, affecting how we process information, perceive others, and make decisions. It can lead to irrational thoughts or judgments and is often based on our perceptions, memories, or individual and societal beliefs. Biases are unconscious and automatic processes designed to make decision-making quicker and more efficient. Cognitive biases can be caused by many things, such as heuristics (mental shortcuts), social pressures, and emotions. Tune in and learn how all of us are influenced by cognitive bias!
Jul 1, 2025 • 54min
Low Emotional Intelligence
Let’s start by saying that intelligence is one of the messiest topic areas in all of psychology. We don’t really know what it is (debate and controversy exist over definitions and conceptualizations), but what we do know is that—broadly speaking—whatever it is, it’s one of the finest predictors of outcomes in all psychology research. Of course, its ability to “predict” is dictated by how it’s operationally defined and, likewise, assessed—but that’s another issue for another day. Tune in and learn how to spot low emotional intelligence, deal with it and learn to improve!
Jun 24, 2025 • 54min
Impulsivity: Can't Stop Myself
You have probably done it before: fired off an offensive response to an email, said something you later regretted or did something to you wish you wouldn’t have. Yes, you, like many others, have probably fallen victim to impulsivity. There may have been times your impulsive actions paid off. Yet, there are those times where your impulsive behavior may have left you asking “What was I thinking?” There is no doubt about it: The complexity of impulsiveness can be a blessing on one hand and a curse on the other. Tune in and learn how impulsivity can be managed or manage you!
Jun 17, 2025 • 55min
How Psychology Works: Theories
Discover the fascinating world of psychological perspectives and how they shape our understanding of human behavior. Delve into the challenges therapists face in providing care within the constraints of regulations. Explore the integration of various psychological theories to foster effective treatments. Learn about the powerful impacts of self-acceptance and personal narratives. Examine key concepts from Freud to cognitive psychology, and ponder the intertwining roles of biology and evolution in shaping behavior. Uncover how these insights can change lives!
