50 Psychology Memes That Perfectly Capture How The Human Mind Works

Mental health issues are very pervasive. According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people live with mental health disorders worldwide. Not only does this have a huge negative impact on people’s personal lives, but it affects the global economy, too. Globally, an estimated $1 trillion is lost each year due to a loss in productivity.

“Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in all countries and communities, affecting people of all ages and income levels. They represent the second biggest reason for long-term disability, contributing to loss of healthy life. They drive up health-care costs for affected people and families while inflicting substantial economic losses on a global scale,” the WHO notes.

The National Institute of Mental Health points out that in the United States alone, around a fifth of American adults live with a mental illness. These conditions can range from mild to moderate to severe.

According to NIMH, in 2022, just over half of all American adults with any mental illness received treatment.

Meanwhile, the ADAA reports that Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects 3.1% of the American adult population, but only under half of those affected (43.2%) are receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, Panic Disorder affects 2.7% American adults, Social Anxiety Disorder affects 7.1%, specific phobias affect 9.1% of the adult population, post-traumatic stress disorder impacts 3.6% of American adults, and obsessive-compulsive disorder affects 1.2%.

During an earlier interview, one psychologist told Bored Panda that mental health professionals should try to create a safe environment for their clients. The latter, meanwhile, should get familiar with the rules, boundaries, and confidentiality regulations related to their therapy sessions.

“They [the clients] should be encouraged to ask questions and give suggestions on how the process could be adjusted. I often stress to my clients that if there’s a need, we can at any time change our agreements. I encourage them to share their needs and talk about their feelings that arise from all of this.”

According to the psychologist, by attending therapy sessions, some clients feel lost or as though they’ve lost control. However, this isn’t quite true.

They need to understand that the therapy process, in large part, depends on them. Meanwhile, the psychologist is just there as an assistant who “helps in their journey for personal change.”

The psychologist explained to Bored Panda that it’s vital for clients to understand that there’s no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ emotions. Therapy is meant to create a safe, comfortable space for a person to freely experience and understand their emotions.

That being said, it’s impossible to ‘click’ with every client. And so, clients need to understand that if they can’t share their personal experiences with one professional, it’s vital to look for someone else they feel more comfortable around.

Not only does the person have to feel comfortable opening up to a specific expert, but they also have to consider their specialization. There are lots of different branches of psychotherapy and various methods of work.

“I’d recommend going to a few sessions to meet several psychologists. I’d also suggest not writing these sessions off after just one or two tries.”

The subreddit has been a steady source of inspiration, wit, and spot-on comments for the psychology community since September 2018.

In the 7+ years since it was founded, the ‘Psychology Memes’ community has grown by leaps and bounds. At the time of writing, the sub gets 10k weekly visitors.

Bored Panda also got in touch with the moderators of the subreddit, and they were happy to share a few thoughts.

According to them, the original mods are no longer in the picture. In fact, they took over from the missing mods, and effectively saved the entire 'Psychology Memes' community.

"I haven't created the sub at all. I remember the original subreddit no longer had moderators and was filled with misogynistic content until 2 other moderators took over. I have applied for the mod position last year and had become a frequent poster on this sub," one of the moderators shared with us.

As it happens, they're genuinely interested in psychology! "I am currently a student," they said. "I am planning to do work related to applied psychology in the field of business and marketing."

Meanwhile, in the sidebar, the moderator team points out that any and all posts made on the sub should relate to the science of psychology somehow. What’s more, they ask that the members of the community avoid reposting popular memes, treat each other with kindness, and avoid posting anything generated with artificial intelligence.

What do you think, Pandas? Which of these memes did you vibe with the most? Which ones did you find the most insightful and witty? How much of a psychology and mental health expert would you say you are, whether you’re a professional or an amateur?

What about the human mind do you find the most fascinating? We’d like to hear your take, so take a breather and share your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this list.