London 2012: Psychology at the Olympic Games

I’ve provided links below to all eight PsySociety posts on the psychology of the Olympic games. Click on the links to learn more about what blind judoka can teach us about emotions, how to predict which record-breaking athletes will be accused of drug abuse, why it’s so bad to be in the last lane of the Olympic pool, and more!

USA! USA!

I hope that everyone is excited for the Olympics to begin tonight! Over the next two weeks, I will be posting several pieces on the Olympics and psychology, ranging from the ways that athletes feel/express emotions to the different ways that athletes from various cultures tend to construe their successes (and failures). I’m really excited to be blogging about the Olympics – there’s so much psychology to delve into here, and I hope you’ll all tune in over the next couple of weeks to learn all about it!

In the meantime, here are links to some cool posts from across the blogosphere on psychology and the Olympics. Enjoy!

The 2012 Olympic Games: What is the Role of Psychology? by Chris Carr at Psychology Today

Hosting a Major Sporting Event – Economic Gains Are Unlikely, But Will It Bring Happiness? by Christian Jarrett at BPS Research Digest

What It Takes To Be An Olympic Athlete Q&A with sports psychologist Shane Murphy at APA

The Psychology of Dressing for Olympic Success by Richard Wiseman at The Guardian

Olympics and Gender Empowerment through Sport by Elizabeth Meyer at Psychology Today

How Do Women and Girls Feel When They See Sexualized or Sporty Images Of Female Athletes? by Christian Jarrett at BPS Research Digest

How to Raise an Olympic Athlete by Christine L. Carter at Psychology Today

Twin Olympics! by Nancy L. Segal at Psychology Today

Lessons Worth Learning from the 2010 Winter Olympics by Marie Hartwell-Walker at PsychCentral

Could The Olympics Be A Catalyst For Inter-Cultural Discord? by Christian Jarrett at BPS Research Digest (note: The paper that this post is based on was authored by some of my former UIUC colleagues!)

Do World-Class Sprinters Really Move Their Legs No Faster Than Ordinary Runners? by Dave at Science-Based Running (note: OK, this is not psychology, but I’m including it because I find this post incredibly cool.)

And of course, in the spirit of the Games …

Image by Joshua Nathanson via Wikipedia

USA! USA!

Best Of PsySociety: 2011’s Most Popular Posts

Although I began my science blogging experience at IonPsych back in January (for a course on science writing for a general audience taught by Dan Simons), I didn’t start blogging at PsySociety until May. As a result, I don’t even have an entire year’s worth of posts on this blog! However, in the spirit of the year’s end, I thought I would list the 10 most popular posts from 2011 anyway (as determined by total pageviews).

I had a few guest posts on other blogs (like the SciAm guest blog and The Thoughtful Animal), for which I don’t know the pageview stats, and I’m not counting any of my 8 posts from IonPsych on this list (2 have been re-posted here, and the rest will be re-posted eventually). That all being said, here are the 10 “most viewed” posts from 2011, in descending order.

10. New York and Same-Sex Marriage: When Politics, Personalities, and Persuasion Tricks Collide.
9. Sex, Lies, and Power = Lies about Power and Sex.
8. Envying Evolution: What Can The X-Men Teach Us About Stereotypes?
7. If I Were A Well-Off White Man… I Might Not Understand Other People Very Well.
6. Weiner’s Wiener? Too Perfect To Be A Coincidence.
5. Beautiful People, Beautiful Products.
4. Who Runs The World? Not Girls.
3. Casey’s Case: What Psychology Says About Anthony’s Acquittal.
2. Why Jersey Shore Won’t Make You Dumber: The Importance of Responsible Science Journalism

And finally, the most popular post on PsySociety in 2011…

1. Sex and the Married Neurotic (which made it into Open Lab 2012!)

Thank you all for reading PsySociety and for supporting my blog during its first year of existence!

A Very PsySociety Gift Guide

The holidays are almost upon us (and sneaking up even sooner for me and my family — we’re Jewish, and Hanukkah’s in just one week!) If you’re at all like me, you have left most of your shopping to the last minute and are looking for some good, quick suggestions. Well, never fear, PsySociety readers! Here I am with a little gift guide, crafted especially with your favorite science writers, science photographers, and plain ol’ scientists in mind. Or, if your shopping is all done for the season, why not celebrate by treating yourself to a nice sci-themed gift?

[NOTE: Each image has a click-through link to the webpage where you can purchase the featured item. Many of the websites note that the deadline for Christmas delivery is December 16th, hence the rushed post tonight, so if you like anything you see here…get on it!]