Tag: Psychology

Why People Like Crime

B1 – Intermediate

Do you ever wonder why so many people enjoy bad things? They like watching and reading about or listening to crimes and other morbid events.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about how much people like crimes.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/why-people-like-crime-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like crime stories? Why or why not?
  2. Why do you think a lot of people enjoy these kinds of stories/shows?
  3. What might be reasons more women are interested in crime stories than men?
  4. Experts say that women are more interested in a killer’s thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with this? Explain your side.
  5. What’s the most heinous crime do you know of? How did you know about it?

Boredom and Sadistic Behavior

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What brings about sadism? A study made by a team of researchers at Aarhus University has found evidence that people who are bored behave more sadistically to reduce the effects of being indifferent.

Read the article below about how boredom leads to setting off sadistic behavior and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-boredom-factor-sadistic-behavior.html#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20researchers%20at,in%20setting%20off%20sadistic%20behavior.&text=A%20closer%20look%20showed%20that,others%20more%20often%20when%20bored.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the results of this study?
  2. What do you think of trolling behavior of people online because they are bored?
  3. What bores you? How does boredom make you feel? What do you do when you get bored?
  4. What was the strangest thing you did out of boredom?
  5. How would you help someone who says they are bored?

Debunking the Myths of OCD

B2 – Upper Intermediate

OCD is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. An obsession is an unwanted thought that repeatedly enters your mind while compulsion is a repetitive behavior that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings.

For example, someone with an obsessive fear of being burgled may feel they need to check all the windows and doors are locked several times before they can leave their house.

Watch the video to know more about the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What treatments are available for OCD?
  2. Do you think the obsessions in OCD can lead to aggressive or violent behavior? Why?
  3. Do you know someone who has an OCD?
  4. Do you keep checking things over and over again?
  5. Do you have frequent unwanted thoughts that seem uncontrollable? Do you try to get rid of these thoughts and, if so, what do you do?

Why We Forget the Things We Learn

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Memories make us who we are. They hold very important knowledge about our lives. They provide us with a sense of self and make up our continual experience of life.

They have a fundamental role in all learning because they let you store and retrieve the information that you learn. However, for some people, it is difficult to retain things they’ve read or learned but they easily remember some of the most trivial information.

Let’s listen to the audio below to find out why we tend to forget the things we learn.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-211118

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you have a poor or a good memory? Explain.
  2. When was the last time you forgot something? What did you forget? Why do you think you forgot it?
  3. Is it good to have a perfect memory? Why or why not?
  4. Are you good at remembering names/numbers/faces/dates? Share some experiences.
  5. What techniques do you use to remember things?

Dealing with Teen Depression

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Teenage years can be arduous especially during the break and peak of Covid-19 when kids and teens need to be stuck in their houses. This occurrence has lessened the vibrance of their social lives which is one of the reasons of their happiness and growth.

Though it may be temporary feelings for them, it is a very serious and debilitating mood disorder that can definitely affect their way of thinking.

Learning more about this will give us an all-around idea for us to understand what teenagers are going through.

Dealing with Teen Depression

Discussion Questions:

  1. How was your teenage life? What are the best and worst moments that you remember when you were a teenager?
  2. How can you help someone who is going through teenage depression?
  3. What important piece of advice will you give the teenagers of this generation?

How to Stop Overthinking Everything

B2 – Upper Intermediate

They say overthinking is a special form of fear. It becomes worse when emotion and imagination are being added into it. It is worrying about almost all things and thinking everything might go wrong. It kills happiness and destroys peace of mind.

In view of this, let us check some of the ways on how to control or stop being an overthinker.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2016/02/12/6-ways-to-stop-overthinking-everything/?sh=f6b7e65663cd

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about the article?
  2. Share your point of view for each point mentioned in the article.
  3. What are the ways that you are applying in your life?
  4. State the disadvantages of overthinking. What might be some advantages of overthinking things?
  5. Do you consider yourself an overthinker? Why or why not?

Climate Change Anxiety

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Surprising events like tornadoes, flash floods, earthquakes, and etc. are occurring in different parts of the world. It will make us think that the world we live in is dying and it’s quite distressful just to think what the future would be like for the next generation.

Watch the video and learn more about the rise of climate change anxiety.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever felt a sense of distress because of climate change? How do you normally cope with it?
  2. Do you think this type of anxiety could be channeled into action? Explain.
  3. Do you think this generation cares about what is going on around us or the climate change? Elaborate.
  4. What could we do to aid and save our planet?
  5. Has climate change moved you to action? What have you done to contribute to easing our problems with climate change?

Embrace the Joy of Missing Out

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has opened our world to a whole new world of endless possibilities. Most of what we see is how incredible people live their awesome lives.Without realizing it, this constant exposure to wonderful aspects of other people’s lives haunts us.

Read more about the dangers and benefits of missing out.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200207-why-you-should-embrace-the-joy-of-missing-out

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the factors that drive people to feel ‘FOMO’?
  2. Do you agree or disagree that social media is the biggest culprit in being anxious about missing out on something?
  3. Do you ever feel ‘FOMO’ at times? Talk about those times and what do you usually do to overcome this syndrome?

Perfectionism Makes Us Ill

C1 – Advanced

People with perfectionism hold themselves to impossibly high standards. They think what they do is never good enough. But it is a serious problem that has been linked to many mental health issues, including depression and eating disorders.

Let’s watch the video below to know more about this personality trait and its dangers.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think is the root cause of perfectionism?
  3. Can you think of any benefits to being a perfectionist?
  4. Do you find it surprising that perfectionism can lead to mental health issues? Why or why not?
  5. Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time. – Caroline Ghosn. What do you make of this statement?
  6. What advice would you give to someone who has a hard time dealing with failure?

Clutter Can Be So Bad For People With Anxiety

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Take a quick glance around your home: Do you see disorganized drawers, scattered toys on the floor, or stacks of mails? An overflowing trashcan? Having a cluttered home makes us feel out of control and exhausted. Is clutter just a housekeeping issue or has it already become a mental health issue?

Let’s read the article below to find out how clutter affects people with anxiety.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-clutter-bad-people-anxiety_l_60636df8c5b6d5b7a6936282

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like cleaning? How often do you clean your house?
  2. Does clutter or mess bother you? Does it cause you anxiety?
  3. Are you a neat freak?  Do you know any neat freaks?  How crazy are they about cleanliness?
  4. How do you deal with the clutter in your home?
  5. Is it really possible to find beauty in chaos? Explain your point.