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Telegraph

Is Bickering Really That Bad for Your Relationship?

There’s been a great deal of bickering in the political world, from the disputes in Washington, D.C. over border wall funding to the U.K.'s own highly-charged disputes over Brexit. Journalists and op-ed writers in the U.S. are comparing the political atmosphere…

​​Pop songs tell us that love is needing someone in your life and feeling lost without them. But relying on another person for happiness can cause issues in your relationship. “In practice, it’s a surefire prescription for excessive dependence, which fosters control, resentment, and unhappiness,” explain relationship counselors Linda and Charlie Bloom. “The more capable we are of creating inner happiness, the happier we will be with another person.”

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Telegraph

How to Tell What Couples Really Feel About Each Other

Think about the words you would use to describe your romantic partner or your romantic relationship. Would you be surprised to learn that your words do not reveal very much about the quality of your relationship? Most people describe their partners and relationships…

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Telegraph

AN EFFORTLESS WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

A surprisingly potent technique can boost your short and long-term recall – and it appears to help everyone from students to Alzheimer’s patients. When trying to memorise new material, it’s easy to assume that the more work you put in, the better you will…

Being Gay Is Just as Healthy as Being Straight
Evelyn Hooker's pioneering research debunked the popular myth that homosexuals are inherently less mentally healthy than heterosexuals, leading to significant changes in how psychology views and treats people who are gay.
Findings
In the 1950's, Dr. Evelyn Hooker studied 30 homosexual males and 30 heterosexual males recruited through community organizations. The two groups were matched for age, IQ, and education. None of the men were in therapy at the time of the study. Dr. Hooker administered three projective tests, which measure people's patterns of thoughts, attitudes, and emotions--the Rorschach, in which people describe what they see in abstract ink blots, the Thematic Apperception Test [TAT] and the Make-A-Picture-Story [MAPS] Test), in which people tell stories about different pictures.Unaware of each subject's sexual orientation, two independent Rorschach experts evaluated the men's overall adjustment using a 5-point scale. They classified two-thirds of the heterosexuals and two-thirds of the homosexuals in the three highest categories of adjustment. When asked to identify which Rorschach protocols were obtained from homosexuals, the experts could not distinguish respondents' sexual orientation at a level better than chance. A third expert used the TAT and MAPS protocols to evaluate the psychological adjustment of the men.As with the Rorschach responses, the adjustment ratings of the homosexual and heterosexuals did not differ significantly." Based on these findings, Dr. Hooker tentatively suggested that homosexuals were as psychologically normal as heterosexuals.
Significance
Hooker's work was the first to empirically test the assumption that gay men were mentally unhealthy and maladjusted. The fact that no differences were found between gay and straight participants sparked more research in this area and began to dismantle the myth that homosexual men and women are inherently unhealthy.
Practical Application
In conjunction with other empirical results, this work led the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from the DSM in 1973 (it had been listed as a sociopathic personality disorder).In 1975, the American Psychological Association publicly supported this move, stating that "homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, reliability or general social and vocational capabilities…(and mental health professionals should) take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness long associated with homosexual orientation." Although prejudice and stigma still exist in society, this research has helped millions of gay men and women gain acceptance in the mental health community.

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Telegraph

Want a Healthy Relationship?

You must talk about these five things before moving in together. Living with a romantic partner without marriage – cohabitation – has become increasingly common. Almost 18 million U.S. adults were in cohabiting relationships as of 2016, a substantial increase…

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Telegraph

New Study Shows Sex Gives Meaning to Life

Sensual pleasure and social connection What gives meaning to life? This is a question that has been debated at least since the days of the Ancient Greek philosophers. The discussion has centered on the question of which is more important for a fulfilling…

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Telegraph

OK, We Hooked Up, What Happens Now?

New research describes what happens between partners after a hookup. Hooking up—that is, casual sexual activity between uncommitted partners—is very common among today’s young adults. The majority of college students (65-80 percent) have hooked up in their…

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Telegraph

Why Does Every Soccer Player Do This?

We’ve seen it a hundred times in the World Cup: A player misses a shot and his hands immediately go to the top of his head. Why? Psychology has the answer. Goals in soccer games can be few and far between, which helps explain the delirious nature of most…

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Telegraph

Feeling Worthless? 6 Overlooked Causes and How to Feel Good about Yourself

Feeling worthless is one of the deepest and darkest emotions you will encounter. During your lifetime, you will feel these emotions, so you must be prepared. Unfortunately, life isn’t fair, and you will find yourself feeling worthless without warning. I think…