but why — Blog | Dr Clare Jonas — That Thinking Feeling

How do we develop our sense of left and right? How it can go wrong? And why can sudden left-right confusion tell us that someone is having a stroke?

but why, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differencesClare Jonas18 December 2024directions, language, strokeComment

Why some of us are bad at maths

Why are some of us good at maths and some of us bad at maths?

developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, but whyClare Jonas7 November 2023nature/nurture debate, maths, memory, gender, learning, childhoodComment

Why we sigh

Is sighing about feelings, thoughts, or maybe both at once?

cognitive psychology, social psychology, individual differences, but whyClare Jonas10 April 2022emotion, bodies, mood, thinking, mathsComment

How to make food taste better – with psychology

… and why this research could get us to Mars.

how to, perception, individual differences, but whyClare Jonas6 June 2021food, culture, bodies, travelComment

Why people collect celebrity memorabilia

How much would you pay for a half-eaten slice of Vegemite toast?

cognitive psychology, social psychology, but whyClare Jonas4 April 2021celebrities, belief, possessions, mementos, contagion, memoryComment

Why we can't remember being born

Does the memory of your own birth disappear? Or was it never there in the first place?

Why it's so difficult to describe smells

I thought it was about brain structure, but it’s actually about language!

individual differences, perception, but whyClare Jonas16 May 2020smell, language, comm, linguistics, sensesComment

Why we copy others’ way of speaking

Ever wonder why you sound different depending on who you’re talking to? Come find out!

cognitive psychology, social psychology, but whyClare Jonas12 April 2020communication, words, speech, geographyComment

Why repeating a word makes it go weird

Hello, is it meaning you’re looking for? Well, you won’t find it if you keep repeating the same word.

cognitive psychology, brain biology, but whyClare Jonas15 March 2020words, repetition, learning, braaaaaaiiinsComment

Why we sometimes see ourselves from outside in memories

Sometimes we see memories as though we’re observing them from outside our own bodies. Ever wonder why this happens? Psychology has the answer!

cognitive psychology, mental health and illness, but whyClare Jonas14 February 2020self-perception, memory, childhood, timeComment

The IKEA effect: why we like the things we make and own

Ever wondered why you’re so fond of the wonky bookcase you put together yourself? Come find out!

cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, but whyClare Jonas14 January 2020possessions, food, health, bloody capitalism, economicsComment

Why do out of body experiences happen?

Find out what’s happening in the brain when you have an out of body experience, and how to trick yourself into having one!

Why we have food preferences

You like potato and I like potahto, so let's do some science and find out why.

individual differences, perception, evolutionary psychology, but whyClare Jonas29 April 2019food, childhood, culture, tasteComment

Why we see faces in inanimate objects

It’s called pareidolia and it’s amazing! But why do our brains do it?

Why time speeds up as we get older

Summer seemed to last forever when we were young but is now only five minutes long. What gives?

developmental psychology, perception, but whyClare Jonas3 February 2019ageing, emotion, timeComment

Why we believe in ghosts

Maybe they’re real; maybe it’s just magnets.

brain biology, perception, personality, hallowe'en, but whyClare Jonas29 October 2018suggestion, ghosts, magnetsComment

Why do we get déjà vu?

Déjà vu expert Courtney Aitken explains why it sometimes feels like time has gone in circles.

guest blog, cognitive psychology, brain biology, hallowe'en, but whyClare Jonas25 October 2018memory, braaaaaaiiins, travelComment

Why are people superstitious?

An 🦇extremely spooky🦇 Hallowe’en blog, featuring lucky charms, pigeons behaving weirdly, and bananas conspiring against fishers.

Why do we catch yawns?

Started yawning already? Find out why you can catch yawns from other humans and even other animals…

developmental psychology, social psychology, but whyClare Jonas13 September 2018yawning, social interactions, empathy, childhoodComment

Why does jetlag affect our memories?

Is it stress, circadian rhythms, or simply the fact that all airports are cursed?

cognitive psychology, brain biology, but whyClare Jonas19 March 2018memory, travel, circadian rhythmsComment

Psychology's answers to everyday questions, in blog form!