The Psychology Undergrad Podcast

In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we analyze music and digital media as the unofficial curriculum of adolescent development. Drawing on neuroscience, attachment theory, content analyses of popular songs, and large-scale survey data, we show how music functions as a powerful tool for emotion regulation, identity formation, and social belonging—while simultaneously transmitting deeply dysfunctional models of love and sex. We break down why over 86% of romantic relationships portrayed in popular music reflect insecure attachment, how avoidant attachment is tied to sexualized lyrics, and how these scripts normalize coercion, blur consent, and reinforce gendered double standards. We then connect these messages to real adolescent behavior online—pornography use, sexting, privacy management, and digital trust—revealing a striking mismatch between emotional needs and the relational blueprints being taught. The conclusion is blunt: adolescents aren’t just consuming music—they’re learning from it. And unless we teach critical media literacy, the lessons are shaping attachment, consent, and intimacy in ways that psychology can no longer afford to ignore.

In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we take a deep, integrative look at adolescence as a systematic and adaptive developmental phase, not “storm and stress.” Synthesizing research across developmental psychology, neuroscience, and education, we unpack the three core psychosocial tasks shaping the path to adulthood: identity formation, autonomy, and achievement. We examine why logical reasoning matures earlier than self-control, how heightened reward sensitivity and peer presence bias adolescent decision-making, and why the prefrontal cortex’s slow development complicates questions of responsibility and policy. The episode closes with a hard question for society: if moral reasoning and self-regulation require intentional teaching, can we afford to leave them to chance?

In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we break down why adolescence and the 20s are stretching out—and what that’s doing to real-life readiness. Using large-scale trend data and life history theory, we connect the “slow launch” (less working, driving, dating, and risk-taking) to a smartphone-centered social world, rising loneliness and anxiety, and an emerging soft-skills gap. We close with Meg Jay’s blunt argument: your 20s are a high-stakes decade—and treating them like “extended adolescence” creates serious pressure later.#psychology #developmentalpsychology #socialpsychology #igen #genz #smartphones #mentalhealth #loneliness #anxiety #emergingadulthood #lifecourse #lifehistorytheory #softskills #identitycapital #megjay #researchmethods

In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we unpack a striking 21-day study linking low evening blood glucose to higher aggressive impulses and behaviors in married couples. We break down ego depletion and self-control as a limited resource, explain why glucose is central to executive function, and walk through the study’s real-world daily measures (including the “voodoo doll” task) plus the lab-based aggression measure (noise blasts). The takeaway is blunt: when metabolic fuel drops, self-regulation fails—often right where it matters most: at home#psychology #socialpsychology #selfcontrol #egodepletion #emotionregulation #relationships #conflict #aggression #hangry #neuroscience #researchmethods #behavioralscience

In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we take apart one of the most common pieces of advice in modern culture: “just vent your anger.” Drawing directly from decades of social psychology research—culminating in Brad J. Bushman’s landmark experiments—we examine why punching pillows, hitting punching bags, or “letting off steam” doesn’t calm you down, but instead increases anger and aggression.We trace the origins of catharsis theory from Freud’s hydraulic model of emotion to its widespread adoption in pop psychology, then walk through the experimental evidence that decisively contradicts it. Using cognitive neo-association theory, we explain how aggressive behavior functions as rehearsal, priming the brain for future aggression rather than releasing it.The episode breaks down classic lab studies, including provocation paradigms, rumination versus distraction conditions, and the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, showing why doing nothing or cognitively disengaging is often more effective than “venting.” We close by translating the research into practical, evidence-based alternatives for managing anger without reinforcing aggressive pathways.