What is psychology? An overview

A full crash course in psychology

This 40-episode crash course series mirrors the curriculum of an advanced high school class on the psychology with well-known creators the Green brothers. Browse each roughly 10-minute episode or watch them all.

Wilhelm Wundt's place in the history of psychology

While ancient philosophers considered the central problems of psychology, it was Wilhelm Wundt who first called himself one. Here's a quick video overview of his contribution.

Browse and explore dozens of major psychology theories

There are a ton of different psych theories—so here's a breakdown of some of the major ones according to the general psychological focus.

What is psychoanalysis?

This nine-minute video, the first of a four-part series, seeks to answer the questions: what is psychoanalysis, and is it weird? The answer to the latter question is overwhelmingly yes. The answer to the first question is a bit...

How we learn: comparing classical and operant conditioning

Psychology helps us see how we learn, whether through positive reinforcement or by conditioning a response to a stimulus. Learn about these two key theories in this brief video.

Who was Freud and what did he say?

Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous psychologists and is widely cited—but do you really know the basics of what he taught? Here's a super brief breakdown of his major insights.

The psychology of narcissism

It's not just an insult: Narcissistic personality disorder impacts thousands of people—and there are ways to get better. Here's a short video explaining it.

The debate on why humans are conscious—and what that means

Understanding what consciousness is, and why and how it evolved, is perhaps the greatest mystery known to science. Watch interviews with the world's leading experts on what it is and whether we'll ever know.

Watch what depression does to the brain

This video explores the neurobiology of depression and why unraveling the complexities of this disease and its etiology will potentially improve treatments. Effective depression treatment, as this video highlights, can eventually make a depressed brain look like a healthy one on brain scans.

A video introduction to demography

The Big Think’s video provides a thorough introduction to the field of demography. Demography provides the tools to address and understand many of the world’s problems. It uses quantitative data and mathematical models to analyze populations....

There’s a psychological explanation for ‘FOMO,’ or the fear of missing out

This video breaks down FOMO—what it is, how it works, and why it happens—showing how social comparison and uncertainty trigger anxiety that pushes people toward risk-taking and constant checking behaviors.

What's the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

While both psychiatrists and psychologists are mental health professionals, the big difference is that psychiatrists are medical physicians (MD or DO) while psychologists are not. Learn what makes these two profession different with this brief explainer.

The science of optical illusions

The human brain has developed cognitive shortcuts to help us navigate in a world where our visual senses are constantly bombarded of information. But these shortcuts can also be exploited, tricking the brain into telling us something is happening when it really isn't. This short video unpacks the neuroscience behind some of the most common (but perplexing) optical illusions.

Meet the psychologist who reads people through the art they live with

Dimitrios Tsivrikos, an academic psychologist at University College London, says the art someone hangs in their home reveals as much about them as a bookshelf would. He advises going on a first date at a museum and asking each other about the work on the walls.

Are the mind and brain the same? An overview of mind-body identity

A major philosophical debate asks whether the mind and the brain are two words for the same thing. Here's a quick overview of that idea.

Quantum physics explained in 22 minutes

Brian Cox, Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science, discusses the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, emphasizing their importance in understanding the nature of reality and their practical applications in emerging technologies like quantum computers.

Why the Myers-Briggs test is pure entertainment

The world's most popular personality test isn't used by academic psychologists—but hundreds of companies and thousands of colleges use it to place workers and students. Here's why it's so popular and likely overused.

How do vaccines work? Watch this brief 101

Watch this under-3-minute video explaining how vaccines use the body's immune system to prepare our bodies against viral and bacterial threats to our health.

The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire

A short but informative TED-Ed video summarizing the most important aspects of Byzantine civilization: how it all started, why Constantinople was so special, a few remarkable Byzantine authors (including Princess Anna Comnena, historian of her father’s reign), the Ottoman conquest, and why don’t just call the Byzantines “Romans.”

Aristotle's 'Poetics': a breakdown for the overwhelmed student

"Poetics" by ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is an analysis and commentary on theater. This 13-minute video by a theater student summarizes and explains the ancient publication, of which only a portion has survived since antiquity. Aristotle studied under Plato, another ancient Greek philosopher, for about 20 years. Aristotle's "Poetics" can be seen as a response to Plato's "Republic," which argued poets and poetry were corruptive forces.

Learn about the various types of patience and how to cultivate them

Baylor University professor of psychology and neuroscience, Sarah Schnitker, PhD, discusses why patience is not uniform and can vary across contexts and circumstances for the same individual. She also discusses where in human development patience first arises, the health impacts of impatience, and how strategies for regulating emotions can mitigate impatience.

What's the difference between weather and climate?

A five-minute TedEd video exploring the differences between weather and climate – what they are, how we predict them, and what those predictions can tell us.

There are psychological benefits to believing in spirits

A number of psychologists believe religion helps subdue our fears of death by giving us a sense of what’s to come and, therefore, a sense of control over how to ensure the best possible outcome.

The overview effect is a cognitive shift experienced when viewing Earth from space

Astronauts regularly report profound realizations after seeing Earth from space for the first time, sometimes prompting significant philosophical changes, including a greater awareness of the interconnectedness and fragility of life.

Induced pluripotent stem cells are "reprogrammed" cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells are used in a great deal of stem cell research, but many people are still unfamiliar with exactly what “iPS” cells are. This video provides a clear (and short) explanation of iPS cells for non-experts, and offers insights into why scientists are interested in these cells.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.