Let’s not stop learning just because school’s out for the summer! This is part 1 of a two-part series on how psychology explains human behavioral tendencies and how we can hack the system to turn the tides. Today’s lesson will supply you with the names of five psychological phenomena we encounter every day. Share these little factoids in conversations with new or established friends to up your smarts factor and drop a little knowledge.

“Frequency illusion” (ADA Beader-Meinhof phenomenon):

Once you hear or learn something new, you start to notice it everywhere, making it feel like you’re encountering it more frequently. This is a product of selective attention and confirmation bias. For example, if you learn a new word, it might feel like you start to hear it a lot more, even though it’s not occurring more commonly, you’re just more attuned to it.

“Confirmation bias”: This is the tendency to accept information that confirms a pre-existing bias or belief and downplay or ignore contradictory evidence. For example, people tend to follow and interact more on social media with posts that echo the user’s already-established ideas.

“Bystander effect”: This explains why individuals are less likely to volunteer to help a person in need when they’re among a large group. This sensation is similar to “social loafing”, the tendency for people to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. This diffusion of responsibility is common when accountability is shared. For example, a student may put forth less effort for a group project in school than if that same student was solely responsible for completion of the assignment.

“Cognitive dissonance”: This describes when you have conflicting beliefs that cause mental discomfort. For example, you believe in healthy living but you don’t feel like dieting or exercising, and these two competing desires clash, which causes some mental anguish.

“Mere exposure effect”: Simply being exposed to something repeatedly can increase your liking for it. For example, re-watching a TV series you’ve already seen, since you find the repetition comforting. Another example is an ad or jingle that you might find annoying initially, but it grows on you the more you hear it.

Naming these phenomena highlights traits we all share and helps us recognize ways in which we are similar. Psychologically, we are all susceptible to the same tendencies, and it’s helpful to remember this as we examine our circumstances. By identifying these effects, we can learn to better understand our own behavior and that of others under an umbrella of shared experiences, vulnerabilities, and predispositions, employing tolerance and empathy.

Written by Dr. Carly Wilbur, UH Pediatrician and PSI Medical Director.