All About Psychology Newsletter
Misophonia – When Certain Sounds Drive You Crazy. Fifty Shades of Gray (Minus 49!). Emma and Carl Jung. What are the signs and causes of an existential crisis?
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.
Misophonia – When Certain Sounds Drive You Crazy
Fascinating article about misophonia by Dr. Robin Bailey. Misophonia, which translates as 'hatred of sound,' is a neurophysiological condition in which individuals have an excessively negative response to particular sounds. Read the article in full.
What sounds drive you crazy?
Fifty Shades of Gray (Minus 49!)
Forget fifty shades of gray; it's time to spank your mind with just one! The squares marked A and B are the same shade of gray!
This incredible illusion was created by Edward H. Adelson, Professor of Vision Science in the department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Professor Adelson, the illusion is a product of your visual system attempting "to determine where the shadows are and how to compensate for them, in order to determine the shade of gray “paint” that belongs to the surface." Square B sits in the shadow of the cylinder, Square A does not and your perceptual field has evolved to automatically correct changes in the appearance of a color when it is in shadow.
A great explanation as to why squares A and B appear so visually different was put forward by Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
Your eyes and brain see that the two squares are the same shade of grey1, but then think, 'Hold on - if a square in a shadow reflects the same amount of light as a square outside of the shadow, then in reality it must be a much lighter shade of grey.' As a result, your brain alters your perception of the image so that you see what it thinks is out there in the real world.
If you still don't believe that the squares marked A and B are the same shade of gray, this should help convince you.
By joining the squares marked A and B with two vertical stripes of the same shade of gray, it becomes apparent that both squares are indeed the same shade of gray.
If you would like even more proof, check out Professor Adelson's evidence page.
Emma and Carl Jung
If you have watched the 2011 film A Dangerous Method (see trailer below), you will know that the relationship between husband and wife, Carl and Emma Jung was complicated to say the least.
The film is great as a piece of entertainment, but when it comes to insight into the relationship between Emma and Carl Jung, Catrine Clay’s book Labyrinths: Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl, and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis is far more compelling. Here’s the official book description.
A sensational, eye-opening account of Emma Jung’s complex marriage to Carl Gustav Jung and the hitherto unknown role she played in the early years of the psychoanalytic movement.
Clever and ambitious, Emma Jung yearned to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich. But the strict rules of proper Swiss society at the beginning of the twentieth century dictated that a woman of Emma’s stature—one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland—travel to Paris to "finish" her education, to prepare for marriage to a suitable man.
Engaged to the son of one of her father’s wealthy business colleagues, Emma’s conventional and predictable life was upended when she met Carl Jung. The son of a penniless pastor working as an assistant physician in an insane asylum, Jung dazzled Emma with his intelligence, confidence, and good looks. More important, he offered her freedom from the confines of a traditional haute-bourgeois life. But Emma did not know that Jung’s charisma masked a dark interior—fostered by a strange, isolated childhood and the sexual abuse he’d suffered as a boy—as well as a compulsive philandering that would threaten their marriage.
Using letters, family interviews, and rich, never-before-published archival material, Catrine Clay illuminates the Jungs’ unorthodox marriage and explores how it shaped—and was shaped by—the scandalous new movement of psychoanalysis. Most important, Clay reveals how Carl Jung could never have achieved what he did without Emma supporting him through his private torments. The Emma that emerges in the pages of Labyrinths is a strong, brilliant woman, who, with her husband’s encouragement, becomes a successful analyst in her own right.
It’s a great read that BBC Radio 4 featured in their Book of the Week show (sadly, it’s no longer available to listen to). However, it is available as an audiobook on Amazon, as well as in hardcover and paperback formats. Highly recommended.
Talking of Carl Jung, did you know that when he first met Sigmund Freud, they talked for thirteen hours, without interruption!
I suspect there was more than just stimulating conversation that kept them going for that long! (Nudge-nudge, wink-wink.)
Psychology Q&A
What are the signs and causes of an existential crisis?
Question submitted to the All About Psychology Q&A page. Visit: www.all-about-psychology.com/existential-crisis.html to read the answer provided.
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.
Upgrade to paid and get the eBook version of my latest book Psychology Q & A: Great Answers to Fascinating Psychology Questions, delivered straight to your inbox, as well as regular psychology book giveaways and other benefits.
Psychology Symbol T-shirt
This Psychology Symbol - Vintage Retro Striped Sunset T-Shirt is available from Amazon (prime eligible) in a range of colors. This great gift idea for psychology lovers is just one of the official All About Psychology T-shirt designs available. Click Here to see the full collection.
Words to Reflect On
Until next time, I’ll leave you with a quote by the French poet, essayist, and philosopher Paul Valéry.
L’objet de la psychologie est de nous donner une idee toute autre des choses que nous connaissons le mieux.
The purpose of psychology is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best.
Stay in the know! The All About Psychology newsletter is your go-to source for all things psychology. Subscribe today and instantly receive my bestselling Psychology Student Guide right in your inbox—don’t miss out!
Grey is the more common spelling in UK English and gray is the more common spelling in American English.
Children screaming and yelling is the worst sound without doubt.🥶🥶🥶🥶