Your mental health is just as important as your physical well-being. Some people get the calling to study and work with the human mind, so they start delving into psychology. It’s a rewarding but challenging field.
The ‘Psychology Memes’ subreddit is an online community that is dedicated exclusively to, yup, you guessed it, sharing memes about psychology. They’re very spot-on, often witty, and insightful, and we’ve collected the best ones to share with you. Pssst, Pandas, don’t forget to share your favorite memes with your therapist and brainiest friends.
Meanwhile, scroll down for Bored Panda's chat with the current moderators who run the 'Psychology Memes' community.
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I Can’t Get Over This Question
And I always thought Pavlova was so named because you salivate when you heard the name...
Antidepressants
Excellent analogy! Also, coming off them is probably one of the worst experiences of anyone's life outside of war. I don't think psychiatrists have the tiniest clue about how they affect people and why.
I've never had this type of experience coming off an antidepressant. And while I'm not smiling and happy all the time, I'm certainly not a blank.
Load More Replies...Sorry This Isn’t Funny
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.
"Inspired By A True Story"
Spend years at university learning the inner workings of the human brain, go to a family party and realise that you've been studying a very small subset ...
I know it has no real impact on my life, but I still think it's funny to see what things I am supposed to like according to my sign. (I'm a Taurus so if there are any horoscope-fans, feel free to analyse me)
I remember one time I decided to break from routine and instead of getting college cafeteria salad, I went to a coffee shop for a bagel. Standing in line, I read my horoscope on the wall, which was advising me to stick to routine and not try new things. I got the bagel. It was good. (I'm an Aries if anyone wants to analyze me)
Load More Replies...You Learn Something New Every Day
Wikipedia: 'Recency bias is a cognitive bias that favors recent events over historic ones. A type of memory bias, recency bias gives "greater importance to the most recent event",[1] such as the final lawyer's closing argument a jury hears before being dismissed to deliberate.'
Literally Some Marketing And Business Strategies Are Absolutely Insane
As someone who did a stint in Marketing, I was disheartened by all the ways you can make the data say anything you want. It not ethical, but it is legal. 😞
But it you have taken some basic stats courses it's not hard to see how the data are presented and check out whether the data make any sense.
Load More Replies...I worked at one of the big supermarkets here in the UK. Consumer psychology is interesting. It's not strictly scamming btw. The best way to go is write down what you need beforehand and stick to it. Also try and shop around if you can. I mostly buy the same things and it's "Okay, Tesco sells this for this price but Lidl sells it cheaper". Product placement too, be aware of that. "End of aisle" offers are sometimes great but you can get the same product cheaper by buying Supermarket Own Brand. Purely for example - Ketchup. It's Heinz and on offer for say £4 but the own brand supermarket one is £2.
Not sure, there seem to be different ways to see Marketing. I'm currently reading "Alchemy" by Rory Sutherland (watch his videos on YT). He believes in what he calls "psycho-logic": that not everything is (or should be) decided by cost reduction. Just a wee example: to improve passenger numbers in trains he suggests not to make them faster (for billions) but more comfy with wine bars (for not even half that money).
"Made with our special secret unique ingredient" = "Oh dear, that cockroach fell in the soup"
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.
A Fortune Cookie Telling Me That I Need Psychiatric Help
Yes, especially in Washington! (D.C. that is)
Load More Replies...Or just reminding you not to take mental health advice from YouTube.
If I hadn't cut off all contact with my brother, I would get him a full pack of those. He could share with his wife and mil. Then again, he probably would just swallow them all as a whole.
N, SD, P, R, Cohen's D, Etc
So True!
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%.
Checkmate, Wilhelm Wundt
Well, This Is Just Tragic
The post-graduate course in psychology teaches them to expect this, surely?
This Has Probably Happened
I went to a psychiatrist for my depression and I told him I also had ADHD but not wanted any meds because I wanted to learn how to deal with my brain on my own. He said he understood but instead of focusing on my depression aka the main reason I was there with him, he prescribed me meds for my ADHD. I reluctantly agreed but specified it couldn't be pills to swallow because those make me puke and he promised it wouldn't be. Of course when I went to buy them they were pills to swallow. After that I found another psychiatrist (and I learned that the first one actually had a reputation to never treat the patients with therapy but only with specific meds that didn't work)
That's probably because psychiatrists aren't therapists. Prescribing meds is literally what they do. You needed to look for a psychologist.
Load More Replies...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.”
Anyone Finds This Relatable?
Ask the therapist "which direction to turn to get away from the bars", then ?
This! I know what I am doing is wrong. Help me stop doing it.
Load More Replies...Is There A Name For This
Artist: Xkcd. Seen Today In A Stats Lecture
I used to think that statistics was an honest representation of the facts. Then I took a statistics class and learned they are just as manipulated and biased as many things in marketing and research.
That was literally the first lesson in statistics: how words can skew the data , and how to spot data that makes no sense.
Load More Replies...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.”
Me When I Started Therapy
Reading The Interpretation Of Dreams And Bro Is Not Trying To Prove [things]
Our lectures only touched on Freud in one session on history of psychology. His work is irrelevant as there was zero scientific method. It was just rich, white cokeheads coming up with a new fad.
It was relevant insofar as it made people more aware of the power of the subconscious part of their mind. They didn't teach you about the influence of his work on the general view on that? Wow....
Load More Replies...Some mountains of thought are above the breathing level that would allow them to be tested. For now, anyway. But science moves on ...
Bruh, Cant Even Do Psych Research
Contact the author(s) directly or https://lifehacker.com/how-to-bypass-a-paywall-to-read-an-article-for-free?test_uuid=02DN02BmbRCcASIX6xMQtY9&test_variant=B
There's almost always a fee version published by the authors at some location. Keep searching for it! The authors want it to be read and cited, the publishers want you to pay.
Doesn't your university have links? That's partly what you pay your fees for ...
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.
"Psychology Facts"
Good teeth and an attitude you could bend steel bars round, beat time spent actually studying the subject, every day of the week. Especially when trying to explain anything more complicated than soup. It's almost as if people want their thinking done for them ?
Festinger Would Be Proud Of This Recognition
"It is what it is"... I've said that to myself a lot when I was first coming to terms with my new disability. For me? It's - "Well look? You cannot change it. It's not going to change, you are in fact disabled now. Let's learn how to deal with it. Lets Boogie"... "It is what it is" can be about Acceptance.
That's what it is for me too. "I can't change it, so I have to learn to either work WITH it or AROUND it."
Load More Replies...This is actually a powerful way of dealing with these facile, meaningless mumbles. Anything that takes no thought to utter, deserves no time to be heard. We need counter-cliches to challenge them - maybe "It is not what it seems", "It's in our hands", "We can live better than that" - think of one for yourself and use it when fools recite nonsense.
My First Day As A Therapist
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.”
Behaviorism 101
Well I Think You've Got
Sunk Cost Fallacy Hits Hard
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.
Yeah
"How To Purify Your Soul" Type Of Books
Doesn't your professor issue a reading list? Of books and authors they recommend?
How does that affect what you’re going to find in the bookstore? This doesn’t say “college bookstore”.
Load More Replies...Meirl
"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.
Oh, Hey! It’s Me!
People sitting in psych classes think they personally have ALL the discussed diagnoses.
Happens in med class too. Are my testicles swollen... Oh wait I'm female.
Load More Replies...Lessons In Social Psychology
*concerned Psychologist Noises*
I'll never forgive DSM-5 for conflating Asperger's with autism. Those of us with Asperger's had made significant progress explaining that we just think differently from 'normal' people, but now we're written off as sub-human "because all autism cases have low I.Q.s"".
Autism is a spectrum, and Aspergers is no longer used as a term because the guy sent hundreds of kids on the spectrum to be experimented on and m******d by the Nazis
Load More Replies...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.
When Psychology Turns Into Self-Therapy Sessions
I do do this. At University, I was aiming to become an Art Therapist/Psychologist specialising in childhood trauma. I did once, only once! Annoy the psychologist when I was in hospital because he said "Will you please stop analysing yourself! But yes, you're right!" 😄
To explain? I had to, basically, be declared legally sane. There was still a court date against my ex. So came off the morphine and other d***s. Anything that could affect my mind or cause his lawyers to say that I'm "Not of Fit Mind" (not the legal term)
Load More Replies..."The lawyer who pleads his own case has a fool for a client" => "The psychologist who attempts to analyse themself is wasting their time" , maybe ?
The problem is once you realise Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is just an extention of "smile and you'll feel better" then it doesnt work, even when delivered by another psychologist. Might as well stick with those placebo pills that work just as good as the real thing even if you know they're fake.
Load More Replies...These People Are Seriously Underappreciated
This One Gave Me A Good Laugh Even Though It's Friendly Fire
They Are Either Mind Readers Or Incompetent Dumba**es In Movies
Reality bites - and Hollywood science is an oxymoron. Hollywood mental science, doubly so.
No, I'm Fine
I never understood that. if I am sitting in your chair we both already know I have issues. I had more of a "therapy fatigue" ... that s**t is exhausting
Nervous? At the therapist's? Exposing my innermost feelings of failure to someone who is trained to spot them anyway? Surely not ...
The Amount Of People Willing To Obey Authorities Without Questioning Is Frightening
Based on newspaper and other media reports, Trump's rehash of this 'obedience experiment' is going just fine. For Trump, anyway.
I Highly Doubt
"Hey Guys, Did You Know That Im A Psychopath?!"
I think it depends on the situation. I am professionally diagnosed with ADHD but me, multiple people I know with Autism and my psychiatrist are almost sure I am also on the Autism Spectrum. So while I don't have a diagnosis yet (it's incredibly hard to get one where I live), there is still enough strong suspicions for me to be 99% sure I am on the spectrum.
Try autisticornot.com it's oddly good in this situation
Load More Replies...I wasn't looking for the label or the meds but when I finally looked at the top 10 patterns of adult ADHD people, 9 of 10 read like they'd been following me around, taking notes. The knowledge helped a lot, though.
Well, the thing with ADHD is that almost everyone experiences some symptoms at one time or another, but the differentiation is the frequency and intensity with which you experience them. I'm doing a little bit of poking around on the internet about this currently, social media exposure and misrepresentation of the actual facts can lead people to inaccurately self-diagnose.
Load More Replies...Mental health nurse is sure I have ADHD, referral for 'official' diagnosis was refused because "my case isn't serious enough" (I don't lose friends, jobs, and am not s******l) and can't prove that I had it in my childhood (oddly enough, school records in the 70s were not written with ADHD in mind. My mother is dead and can't bear witness). So, am I 'allowed' to say I've got it?
Now Don't Ask Me " Why You Are Still Single? "
Shows that smart boys study psychology, and smart girls study engineering?
Any engineering, technical Or any MINT vs social psychological and such
Load More Replies...I have a good friend who was the first woman to graduate with an Engineering degree from the University of New Mexico.
Huh, I wonder if it has something to do with emotional intelligence and empathy.
Meme
Soooooo accurate, as someone with bipolar II, anxiety disorder, ADHD, and that’s just the mental health issues… Kind of like potato chips, you can never have just one 🤪
I Made A Popular Psychology Experiment Alignment Chart And Was Told To Post It Here
This is all messed up. Even the Asch one was banned to us undergrads (not able to try and replicate) and this was the 90's. Marshmallow and strange situation are the only ones allowed in strict circumstances from this picture now.
Load More Replies...Marshmallow might be "ethical", it just doesn't tell much. A child in a rich household getting marshmallows every day will find it much easier to 'forego" a few that a hungry child from a poor household. Children who can't trust their parents will find it harder than children who can. and so on.
It's been 3 years since it came out that the SPE was illegitimate. No surprise it's posted on BP based on the political views of the posters.
Load More Replies...Actually Useful Knowledge
That outline has a scary similarity to the airblast from an atomic b**b...
Yup
I really dislike the "Superhero" meme ("does it answer some need in us for external support from bullet-proof impossibilities?") but this had me smiling.
Both Much Too Common
Types Of Psych Paper
Many psychology papers would not pass review in other sciences. I have looked at a bunch, and there are entire disciplines of psychology that seem not able to understand the basics of hypothesis testing. The most common flaw is ignoring alternative hypotheses that are more likely than the one that the researcher likes, the second most common is ignoring artifacts of the experimental design, and the third most common is flawed sampling. At least half of the studies I read are designed as a way to prove (rather than test) the researcher's pet hypothesis.
Apart from the posative Freud ones. All his theories werw unscientific batshit from a d**g addled mind.
Load More Replies...Placebo Effect Is Sometimes Such A Tool
lol, I have yet to meet anyone on antidepressants who’s been “cured” by them. Not saying they don’t help. But I don’t know anyone who’s been 100% reversed by meds.
Many conditions cannot be cured, but they can be treated.
Load More Replies...I once said to my doctors 😄 "You could be giving me sugar pills or Tic Tacs, and I probably wouldn't know the difference! Placebo effect!" She laughed but yups, sometimes medication is needed, sometimes it's not. It depends upon the patient and how they are as a person, as in personality type. I've dealt with extremely difficult, scary, times and things, gotten through it with... I call it "Rough Edges". Akin to moving a huge piece of furniture up or down the stairs. It might be a bit dinged up but it still works...
It's Truly Fascinating
Familiarity, here, is either wearing a skin-suit or is incapable of reproduction. And humans could fight back against familiarity - although "a prophet is not without honour, except in his own country". (gender bias in original).
"Trust Me Bro" Aint A Source
"Imagine A Horse." People With Aphantasia:
And most of them work in STEM. Should make you think....2020-2022. Should, but...
Psychology Is Not Telepathy
I Am Normal :)
"Normal is what everybody else is but you are nout" - Dr.Tolian Soren
Hey, Have You Heard Of Social Science?
It was a pseudoscience, that's why I have a B.A. in it. If your major is Psych now, you will get get a BS.
I like that more experts are now referring to mental health as “brain health”. People seem to consider “mental health” as not as serious as what happens to the rest of the body, for some strange reason. Like people are just “imagining” their illnesses if they take place in the head. Which is obviously absurd. Referring to brain health makes people actually associate these illnesses with an actual body organ and makes mental illnesses more “real” and “serious”. For those of us who deal with them on a daily basis, we appreciate being taken seriously
Load More Replies...Psychology Is Mostly Filled With Theories
Every law here is a theory that has been conclusively proved. Already.
How Can I Prove This Wrong?
Meta-scientific research suggests that nothing can ever be completely explained at all. And that we are all blind men trying to describe an elephant.
Agree?
But does crying help? It's catnip for bullies but I'm not trying to empower them ...
I would say somewhere in the middle of this picture would bw the healthiest. You can show your emotions AND be relisient.
Load More Replies...So Close
Anything worth doing is hard. So are a lot of things that aren't worth doing ...
Hmmm
Freud Strikes Again In A Galaxy Far Far Away
No, my problem is that my psychologist has only one string to his bow.
Do Remote Control Ovens Exist?
They're Just Not Thinking Hard Enough
Rejoicing in other people's failures is often a good way to camouflage your own
Especially Those "Psychology Says" Youtube Shorts Fans
Anyone who reports what someone else (or all 'someone elses' ) think , is not thinking for themselves. Possibly because they tried it but didn't like it. They may even be wrong.
Change My Mind
It's "many factors", not "much factors". See? Changed your mind already!
No you didn't, because I choose not to accept your pathetic argument. I win !
Load More Replies...Here is what I know about life. If you wake up in the morning, that is 90% of your day, the other 10% is attitude. I get to choose my attitude for the day, so I can have a great day or a bad day, the choice is mine.
I can only talk about myself. Obviously I've been through a heck of a lot. But Trauma? It definitely depends upon how you are as a person. How you deal with things and your personality. I can get depressed, experience panic attacks. I've been diagnosed with PTSD. One of the nurses at the physiotherapy hospital... I went to pick up my new calipers and they said "We can't find them". I got really upset as in crying because it's... They're HUGE days. I have to get there first, make sure I've enough change for the bus but I've had to get a taxi a few times. Which costs a lot. As does making sure I've microwave meals in. Those days take a lot of both emotional and physical energy out of me.... It's like "returning to the scene of the crime"... I know what I need to do but losing my shoes that were being adapted for my calipers? That had happened first then I needed new calipers, my older ones... My specialist he hadn't measured my legs correctly. He measured one and not the other.
One of my legs is around a few millimeters shorter than the other. I need them both measured. My height has changed since becoming disabled and due to my spinal bruising, age etc. So he'd lost my shoes, I had the wrong size calipers and then I needed new crutches. My crutches... My gosh, I ended up phoning my regular doctor and she said "I am NOT having you without crutches. Leave it with me and I'll get it sorted out"... She definitely kicked off with people and I got my new crutches. Loves her! But I was so afraid, stressed out because it's... I need these things just to be able to live... Take my bins out and I hate going back to the physiotherapy hospital.
Load More Replies...Here is what I know about life. If you wake up in the morning, that is 90% of your day, the other 10% is attitude. I get to choose my attitude for the day, so I can have a great day or a bad day, the choice is mine.
I can only talk about myself. Obviously I've been through a heck of a lot. But Trauma? It definitely depends upon how you are as a person. How you deal with things and your personality. I can get depressed, experience panic attacks. I've been diagnosed with PTSD. One of the nurses at the physiotherapy hospital... I went to pick up my new calipers and they said "We can't find them". I got really upset as in crying because it's... They're HUGE days. I have to get there first, make sure I've enough change for the bus but I've had to get a taxi a few times. Which costs a lot. As does making sure I've microwave meals in. Those days take a lot of both emotional and physical energy out of me.... It's like "returning to the scene of the crime"... I know what I need to do but losing my shoes that were being adapted for my calipers? That had happened first then I needed new calipers, my older ones... My specialist he hadn't measured my legs correctly. He measured one and not the other.
One of my legs is around a few millimeters shorter than the other. I need them both measured. My height has changed since becoming disabled and due to my spinal bruising, age etc. So he'd lost my shoes, I had the wrong size calipers and then I needed new crutches. My crutches... My gosh, I ended up phoning my regular doctor and she said "I am NOT having you without crutches. Leave it with me and I'll get it sorted out"... She definitely kicked off with people and I got my new crutches. Loves her! But I was so afraid, stressed out because it's... I need these things just to be able to live... Take my bins out and I hate going back to the physiotherapy hospital.
Load More Replies...
