30 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Psychology

The term "psychology" stems from Greek roots. "Psyche" means "spirit" or "soul," and "logia" translates to "study" or "research."

In 1980, William James provided the first formal definition of psychology, describing it as "the science of mental life, its phenomena, and their conditions."

Research indicates that an individual's personality traits can be somewhat accurately inferred from their Facebook profile.

A link exists between certain illnesses and specific personality traits. Individuals high in neuroticism tend to be more prone to anxiety, depression, ailments related to the cardiovascular system, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Birth order may have an influence on personality traits. Studies suggest that firstborn children often display greater emotional stability and persistence.

Extroverted individuals generally fare better in terms of social relationships and emotional regulation, contributing to overall happiness.

Although personality is somewhat mutable, it typically remains relatively consistent throughout a person's life.

Babies who receive consistent, attentive care tend to develop a secure attachment style.

Around 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five.

Child development encompasses genetic influences, environmental factors, and the interplay between inherited characteristics and environmental aspects.

Children have an exceptional ability to learn through observation, absorbing everything around them. They distribute their attention broadly, unlike adults who are more selective.

Children proficient in more than one language often retain more gray matter and see increased white matter development in adulthood. This can benefit language and cognitive functions.

The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to respond to someone in need when others are present.

Humans have an inherent tendency to create schemas to categorize and comprehend the world, but these categories can contribute to prejudice and stereotypes.

When explaining failures, we often blame external factors, while attributing other people's misfortunes to their internal characteristics. This is known as the actor-observer bias.

Visual information remains in short-term memory for approximately 20 to 30 seconds.

Echoic memory, the brief recall of a sound after it has ended, typically lasts for two to four seconds.

Stress can negatively impact working memory, a component of short-term memory that temporarily holds information you are actively focusing on.

Short-term memories are transient, lasting for brief periods, while long-term memories can endure for days, weeks, or even decades.

Freud left a science lab job to pursue medical studies in order to marry the woman he loved.

The oft-quoted phrase "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" is likely not something Freud actually said.

Anna O., often mentioned as one of Freud's iconic patients, never actually interacted with him. She was a patient of Freud's colleague, Josef Breuer.

On average, adults recall between four and ten dreams per month.

Negative emotions are more prevalent in dreams compared to positive ones.

Dreams occur every night, even if they are not recalled upon waking.

People tend to have multiple dreams each night, each lasting approximately five to 20 minutes.

Despite comprising only 2% of our total body weight, the brain accounts for approximately 20% of our energy consumption.

Contrary to popular belief, humans do not use only 10% of their brains. The entire brain is utilized, with various parts working together to perform essential functions.

Certain brain regions, like the hippocampus, possess the remarkable ability to generate new brain cells throughout an individual's life.

The brain is a highly complex organ, and scientists continue to uncover new insights into its functions and mechanisms on an ongoing basis.