Best resources to learn the basics of psychology
With the maturation of the sciences, we dedicated collective efforts to understand, explain, control, predict, and ultimately, improve the human mind through the science of human psychology. If you have felt drawn to this elusive study of your cognitive functions but feel lost about how to start, read on.
Podcasts
Podcasts have made a massive revival as a medium of content consumption. The ease of a podcast is unparalleled. You can listen to one on your commute or just on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The Psychology Podcast with Dr. ScottBarry Kaufman
A curious George might prefer short insights into the human psyche rather than an in-depth course that belongs in college courses. Dr. Scott Kaufman’s podcast delves into a new paradigm of our most important organ in each new episode. With an expert guest each episode and no order to follow, you can certainly start with this to satiate your newfound liking for the subject.
All in the Mind
Backed by thorough research, this podcast talks about the various sides of psychology and imparts the belief that we are in control. All in the Mind seeks to discuss popular trends via human psychology, for instance, our affinity for conspiracy theories or knowing more about concepts such as color psychology.
Hidden Brain
Sometimes we feel lost and search for answers to our inner turmoil in the world, outside. Shankar Vedantam provides these answers like a magician revealing her secrets. The audience is astounded by the ruse our mind plays on us.
Courses
At times, bite-sized science comes across as superficial and unjust to the study. Owing to the mighty internet, we have at our behest a rich repository of courses. Some of the courses available also cover interesting topics, such as color psychology.
Open Yale Course: Introduction to Psychology
Professor Paul Bloom gently introduces psychology and its various branches. As we proceed, he probes into the breadth and depth of behavioral psychology. Being a proper course being imparted at Yale, you shall be introduced to the foundations and history of psychology, pertinent questions, and much more.
EdX is one of the pioneers in the world of MOOCs. This course is a curation of 3 separate classes that are self-paced, based on your comfort; and free time. There is a paid certificate for the course which you might opt for. EdX delivers content in an environment as close to the classroom as possible.
Psychology Crash Course
For the impatient, this is a comprehensive yet brief and gentle foray into behavioral psychology. With a total of 7 hours worth of content, you can binge-watch it as if you are watching Mindhunter on Netflix.
