The psychology of advertising: Marketing executives often look to psychology to find ways to be more persuasive. This presentation, illustrated by vintage TV advertisements from the 1950s and 1960s, looks at how the work of psychologists has been used to sell us things which cost a lot and lose value quickly (like cars) or do us harm (like cigarettes). David also explains how Freud’s views on sex were used to sell cake mix.
Different personality? Different brain! This presentation compares, among others, fictional characters such as Victor Meldrew (‘One Foot in the Grave’) and Hercules Poirot, and real people like Gordon Ramsey and George Clooney, and explains how activity in different parts of the brain can explain personality differences. It also explains why different people respond differently to alcohol and David concludes with some advice on behaviour in bars.
The psychology of sleep and dreaming. Why do we sleep? An examination of what happens in our brains during sleep, illustrated by a look at a very sleepy squirrel, a narcoleptic dog and some fainting goats. The presentation also considers why we dream – was Freud right about our unconscious mind taking advantage of our being off-guard and allowing aggressive and sexual thoughts to play out?
Reading Faces This interactive talk invites the audience to see how good they are at identifying emotions from facial expressions, and provides an evolutionary explanation of why women seem more accurate than men. David also explains why we don’t hear so well when we take our glasses off or speak on the telephone.
A user’s guide to the brain Using everyday language this illustrated presentation provides a guide to how the human brain is structured, what the different parts do, and what happens when alcohol gets in there. David also explains why adolescents can be a bit of a pain.
Historical perspectives on mental illness. This presentation explores how mental illness has been explained and treated from the stone age to the present day, taking in George III and Joan of Arc on the way. David concludes that maybe not much has changed, and challenges the audience to think about mental illness in a different way.
The science and politics of intelligence testing. A look at the history of intelligence testing, and how political groups in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom have sometimes justified their views by misinterpreting or ignoring scientific research.
The psychology of eating and eating disorders. Given eating is essential to life, how is it that some people are unable to control their food intake? This presentation examines the effect of cultural factors on eating habits, and includes a look at the representation of women in the history of art.
The psychology of pain How can people walk on hot coals and feel no pain? Could anyone do it? Why do some amputees experience phantom limb pain? This talk examines research on pain, and how we can use the mind to influence it.
There’s more to seeing than meets the eye This interactive presentation uses visual illusions to explain why we see things the way we do, and explains how artists like Dali and Escher have found ways to fool us visually. David demonstrates some stunning illusions to demonstrate how the eye processes information before it’s sent to the brain.
Why do eye-witnesses get it so wrong? Most people would probably think that an eye witness to a crime would provide strong evidence to a court of law. In fact, there have been hundreds of cases where innocent people have been convicted of murder based on eye-witness testimony. This presentation examines one such case in detail, and demonstrates how it led to significant changes in police procedures.
Can you tell if someone is lying? David explains how so-called lie detectors have been developed, and examines how effective they really are at revealing deception. He outlines an alternative method which analyses fleeting facial expressions, and, using examples of criminals and politicians, advises the audience on how to spot when people are being economical with the truth.
How to improve your memory A look at what psychologists have found out about memory, and, most importantly, how we can use this knowledge to improve our memory. The presentation includes a demonstration to the audience that anyone can improve their memory in seconds, and a demonstration of how to learn Morse Code in minutes!
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? The assassination of JFK. The moon landings. 9/11. Conspiracy theories abound, and not just in the USA. Why do people believe these theories, and who starts them in the first place?
The Psychology of Comedy and Laughter Why do we laugh at jokes? Why don’t we laugh at some jokes? Why do we find laughter contagious sometimes? This talk improbably uses videos of some twentieth century comedians to explain why laughter probably evolved thousands of years ago as way of forming social bonds before language existed.
thehairypsychologist 