Media Psychology

Try sipping a cup of hot cocoa together by a warm fire this winter to build your 'heartwarming' social connections. Embedded Link The ‘Heartwarming’ Nature of Social Bonds – Association for Psychological Science Emotional connections with others are one of the fundamental ingredients for a happy and fulfilled life. Seeking out these connections often feels […]

Looking for new ways to spend time with family? Get in some bonding time, learn something new, and even boost your well-being by playing video games together. I highly recommend Minecraft for some good family fun. Intimidated by gaming? Ask your kid for help, that can be a great experience on its own. Embedded Link […]

It's not just a brain booster, exercise has positive connections with managing stress, depression, anxiety, mood, and self esteem. Embedded Link Another reason to go to the gym: It may make you smarter A growing number of studies show that fitness has a long-term influence on cognitive abilities. Google+: View post on Google+

It may sound like advice from a fairy tale, but a 2010 study found that the best predictor of whether a person would make friends in social media was whether that person believed it was possible. Other predictors also popped up, for instance how much time you spend using social media. But one of the […]

"People go to Facebook to share personal moments — and they discover the news almost incidentally. The serendipitous nature of news on Facebook may actually increase its importance as a source of news and information, especially among those who do not follow the news closely." Amy Mitchell, Director of Pew Research Center's Journalism Project Embedded […]

The predictions are now reality for mobile in 2013, plus time on mobile is catching up to tv viewing. "At 224 million, U.S. users of applications on mobile devices has passed those 221 million people on laptop and desktop computers, according to Flurry Analytics. Now app-use hours are rivaling television watching, with 52 million Americans […]

Art photography that makes you think about the complex interactions between individuals, media, and strangers — now that's my kind of book. Get this digital book while it's free, Ryan is an amazing and insightful artist.http://turnoutpress.com/books/randomstrangers/ Google+: View post on Google+

Seniors who game have better sense of emotional well-being.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305131249.htm Embedded Link Seniors who play video games report better sense of emotional well-being New research finds that older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being. Google+: View post on Google+

Ever wonder about the impact of profile photos? If so, there's a piece on social psychology research and self portraits at Mashable you'll want to read: http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/social-media-and-the-selfie/ In it, there's a great point by +Pamela Rutledge about our tailored representations of self being based on social spaces across on/offline interactions. We use different photos and content […]