All About Psychology Newsletter

Dark Empaths. Flashed Face Distortion Effect. The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two. Here’s Looking At You, Mihaly! Behavior Triggers.

Nov 19, 2024

A very warm welcome to the latest edition of the All About Psychology newsletter—the official newsletter of All-About-Psychology.com, a website providing comprehensive information and resources for psychology students and educators since 2008.

Dark Empaths: How Dangerous Are Psychopaths and Narcissists With Empathy?

What happens when individuals with psychopathic or narcissistic tendencies also possess high levels of empathy? Meet the "dark empaths"—a fascinating personality profile that blends charm, social skills, and a dark edge. Explore how these individuals use empathy as both a strength and a weapon, making them as complex as they are unpredictable. Could understanding their traits change how we view human behavior? Find out by reading this intriguing article in full.

Flashed Face Distortion Effect

The Flashed Face Distortion Effect is a fascinating perceptual phenomenon where rapidly alternating photographs of faces, especially when aligned at eye level and viewed in peripheral vision, appear grotesque or highly distorted. This effect was first demonstrated in a study by Matthew Thompson and colleagues in 2011.

When viewing these alternating faces, people often report exaggerated and even "monster-like" features, such as oversized eyes, squished noses, or elongated faces. This occurs because our visual system is processing the differences between faces in a highly comparative way, rather than perceiving each face independently. Peripheral vision tends to emphasize these differences, leading to the bizarre distortions.

The effect highlights how our brain processes faces holistically and is particularly attuned to changes between features, even when they’re subtle. It’s a striking example of how perception is not always an accurate reflection of reality but rather influenced by the context and comparisons in our visual field.

As with many scientific findings, the discovery of the Flashed Face Distortion Effect happened by chance. While preparing photographs of faces for a different experiment, an undergraduate student was startled to notice the grotesque appearance of the faces flashing before him.

The distortion arises from the pronounced contrasts between successive faces. For instance, a face with a deep tan may cause the following face to appear unusually pale, and a face with squinted eyes can make normal-sized eyes seem exaggeratedly large.

Want to experience the Flashed Face Distortion Effect for yourself? Hit play on the following video and make sure your volume is turned on.

Psychology Classic

George A. Miller's article 'The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information' is one of the most frequently cited journal articles in introductory psychology textbooks.

Building on psychological research that maintained that short-term memory is restricted to just a few bits of information, this hugely influential paper showed among other things how chunking could be employed to increase the restricted capacity of short-term memory.

My problem is that I have been persecuted by an integer. For seven years this number has followed me around, has intruded in my most private data, and has assaulted me from the pages of our most public journals. This number assumes a variety of disguises, being sometimes a little larger and sometimes a little smaller than usual, but never changing so much as to be unrecognizable. The persistence with which this number plagues me is far more than a random accident. There is, to quote a famous senator, a design behind it, some pattern governing its appearances. Either there really is something unusual about the number or else I am suffering from delusions of persecution. (George A. Miller).

You can read this classic paper in full via the following link.

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two

Fab Facts All Psychology Lovers Should Know

One of my favorite psychology facts is that the late, great, eminent psychologist and positive psychology pioneer, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi waited a table for Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart!

By the time I was 14 I left school, I didn’t like school anymore so I started working. I worked as a translator, then in a hotel in Milan. For some years I was a correspondent in Rome for the French newspaper Le Monde. I used to send articles and photography to them. So I did a little bit of everything, waiting in the restaurant my father built in Rome after he left the embassy. He was an ambassador until 1948 and then, after that, we had no place to go, we couldn’t go back to Hungary. In Italy there wasn’t much for him to do, he was already in his 50s, so he started a restaurant and I helped him there as a waiter. It became a very fashionable restaurant in Rome so we had all the American actors who came to do movies in Rome. It was like Hollywood, except cheaper, so a lot of American movies, with all the fights of gladiators, were done in Rome. I waited a table for Humphrey Bogart. (Mihály Csíkszentmihályi).

Psychology Q&A

Question submitted to the All About Psychology Q&A page, followed by a submitted answer by Claudia Doyle.

What are common triggers that influence behavior, and how can I better understand and manage them?

Understanding and managing behavior triggers is crucial for maintaining emotional well-being and promoting positive outcomes in various aspects of life. I hope my answer to your question helps.

Identifying Common Triggers:

Behavior triggers are stimuli or situations that elicit specific emotional or behavioral responses. Common triggers can vary widely among individuals but may include:

Stressful events or situations

Conflict or interpersonal tensions

Negative self-talk or self-criticism

Environmental factors (e.g., noise, crowds)

Traumatic memories or past experiences

Physical sensations (e.g., hunger, fatigue)

Emotional triggers (e.g., fear, anger, sadness)

Understanding Triggers:

Understanding your personal triggers involves self-awareness and introspection. Take time to reflect on your emotions, thoughts, and reactions in different situations to identify patterns and recurring triggers. Journaling, therapy, or mindfulness practices can be helpful tools for gaining insight into your triggers and their underlying causes.

Managing Triggers:

Once you've identified your triggers, you can develop strategies to manage them more effectively. Here are some well researched approaches:

Stress Management Techniques: Practice stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness meditation, or yoga to help mitigate the impact of stress triggers on your behavior.

Cognitive Behavioral Strategies: Challenge negative thought patterns and replace them with more adaptive and realistic thinking. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, such as cognitive restructuring and thought challenging, can be effective in changing unhelpful beliefs and behaviors.

Emotional Regulation Skills: Learn to recognize and regulate your emotions in response to triggering situations. Practice emotion regulation strategies such as mindfulness, grounding techniques, and emotion labeling to manage intense emotions more effectively.

Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with triggering situations constructively. Engage in activities that promote relaxation, enjoyment, and self-care, such as exercise, hobbies, spending time with loved ones, or seeking social support.

Assertive Communication: Learn assertive communication skills to express your needs, boundaries, and concerns effectively in challenging situations. Assertiveness allows you to assert yourself confidently while respecting the rights and boundaries of others.

Seeking Professional Support: If triggers significantly impact your daily functioning or mental health, consider seeking support from a therapist or counselor. Therapy can provide a safe space to explore triggers, develop coping strategies, and work through underlying issues contributing to your behavioral responses.

Practice Self-Compassion:

Be kind and compassionate toward yourself as you navigate triggers and challenging emotions. Recognize that everyone experiences triggers and setbacks at times, and it's okay to seek support and practice self-care during difficult moments.

Consistency and Patience:

Changing behavioral patterns and managing triggers takes time and consistent effort. Be patient with yourself and celebrate small victories along the way. With persistence and perseverance, you can develop greater resilience and mastery over your triggers, leading to improved emotional well-being and overall quality of life.

By identifying common triggers, understanding their impact on behavior, and implementing effective management strategies, you can empower yourself to navigate challenging situations more skillfully and cultivate greater emotional resilience and well-being. You've got this!

Psychology Q & A is open to everyone and is designed as a space for those with an interest in psychology to both give and receive help. So, if you have a psychology-related question, feel free to ask! And if you believe you can answer any of the questions posted, I encourage you to share your insights. Please note that any content generated by psychology Q & A is provided for informational purposes only. It does not signify that I endorse the material provided or the views expressed. None of the information within psychology Q & A should be considered a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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Thanks for Reading

That's it for this newsletter but before you go, I'll leave you with this thought provoking quote by renowned social psychologist and psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm.

Love isn't something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. It isn't a feeling, it is a practice

Do you agree with Fromm?