Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology
Marriage
Not for the faint of heart or sensitive spirit, Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology is about helping our lives in the insane world we exist today. It is a sarcastic, smart and witty view of the lives we cope with, including straight answers, real information and new perspectives to bring LIFE back to our existence. Dr. Bell brings deep insight, common sense and weaves general knowledge of how the brain is operating under various circumstances. Dr. Bell challenges us all to OWN our lives. How do we become change in an ever changing world? If anything, you might sound smarter to your friends. Everyone is an armchair therapist, but now you will know enough to be dangerous. No whining or caterwauling allowed! This is a search for essence, passion and meaning as we exist surrounded by mediocrity, insecurity and insignificance. Take your medication and listen. You might learn something.
Location:
Tempe, AZ
Description:
Not for the faint of heart or sensitive spirit, Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology is about helping our lives in the insane world we exist today. It is a sarcastic, smart and witty view of the lives we cope with, including straight answers, real information and new perspectives to bring LIFE back to our existence. Dr. Bell brings deep insight, common sense and weaves general knowledge of how the brain is operating under various circumstances. Dr. Bell challenges us all to OWN our lives. How do we become change in an ever changing world? If anything, you might sound smarter to your friends. Everyone is an armchair therapist, but now you will know enough to be dangerous. No whining or caterwauling allowed! This is a search for essence, passion and meaning as we exist surrounded by mediocrity, insecurity and insignificance. Take your medication and listen. You might learn something.
Twitter:
@drgbmft
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.drgbmft.com/
Episodes
Cognitive Bias: How We Are Influenced
7/15/2025
Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking, affecting how we process information, perceive others, and make decisions. It can lead to irrational thoughts or judgments and is often based on our perceptions, memories, or individual and societal beliefs. Biases are unconscious and automatic processes designed to make decision-making quicker and more efficient. Cognitive biases can be caused by many things, such as heuristics (mental shortcuts), social pressures, and emotions. Tune in and learn how all of us are influenced by cognitive bias!
Duration:00:54:32
Low Emotional Intelligence
7/1/2025
Let’s start by saying that intelligence is one of the messiest topic areas in all of psychology. We don’t really know what it is (debate and controversy exist over definitions and conceptualizations), but what we do know is that—broadly speaking—whatever it is, it’s one of the finest predictors of outcomes in all psychology research. Of course, its ability to “predict” is dictated by how it’s operationally defined and, likewise, assessed—but that’s another issue for another day. Tune in and learn how to spot low emotional intelligence, deal with it and learn to improve!
Duration:00:54:14
Impulsivity: Can't Stop Myself
6/24/2025
You have probably done it before: fired off an offensive response to an email, said something you later regretted or did something to you wish you wouldn’t have. Yes, you, like many others, have probably fallen victim to impulsivity. There may have been times your impulsive actions paid off. Yet, there are those times where your impulsive behavior may have left you asking “What was I thinking?” There is no doubt about it: The complexity of impulsiveness can be a blessing on one hand and a curse on the other. Tune in and learn how impulsivity can be managed or manage you!
Duration:00:53:31
How Psychology Works: Theories
6/17/2025
Psychological perspectives are different ways of thinking about and explaining human behavior. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to studying and understanding the human mind and behavior. That's why psychologists utilize a variety of perspectives when studying how people think, feel, and behave. Exploring different perspectives gives us a fuller, richer way to look at psychology—and solve problems that people might be experiencing. Tune in and learn all about how psychological theories change lives!
Duration:00:55:29
Finding Purpose and Meaning
6/10/2025
For most of the 20th century, philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists argued that meaning in life is a rare, profound experience, attainable through an active search, deep self-reflection, or some other arduous way of creating meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. But we now know that most people, most of the time, report that their lives feel more meaningful than not. Although actively constructing meaning may be required in some cases—for example, when your world is turned upside down after a traumatic event—cultivating meaning in life may be as simple as detecting the meaning that is already there. Tune in and learn all about how to find meaning and purpose in yoru life!
Duration:00:53:46
Real Deep Communication
6/3/2025
Open and vulnerable communication between intimate partners is at the core of a relationship’s capacity to survive and thrive. It is what builds trust, clears the way for authenticity, and opens the gates to true intimacy. If relationship partners do not feel seen, heard, understood, and safe as they express their innermost desires and fears, they will never know the joy of blending souls. Yet despite the plethora of available guidance, many of the couples I see are still woefully inept in understanding what the other partner means and feels. Despite their attempts to learn successful communication skills, they continue to misunderstand and misinterpret one another. Tune in and learn how to connect in a deep real way!
Duration:00:55:34
The Mind of a Psychopath
5/20/2025
Psychopathy is a condition characterized by the absence of empathy and the blunting of other affective states. Callousness, detachment, and a lack of empathy enable psychopaths to be highly manipulative. Nevertheless, psychopathy is among the most difficult disorders to spot.
Psychopaths can appear normal, even charming. Underneath, they lack any semblance of conscience. Their antisocial nature inclines them often (but by no means always) to criminality. Tune in and learn all about the mind of psychopathy!!!!
Duration:00:53:00
Relationship Churning: Dating an Ex
5/6/2025
To grasp the concept of relationship churning, it’s essential to explore its key elements and historical context. Relationship churning isn't a new phenomenon; it has been observed throughout history, albeit under different names. Modern implications, however, have amplified its prevalence due to changing societal norms and technological advancements. The psychology of relationship churning is deeply rooted in attachment styles and emotional triggers. Individuals with insecure attachment styles are more prone to engage in relationship churning. Cognitive dissonance also plays a role, as individuals struggle to reconcile their conflicting emotions about the relationship. Tune in and learn all about this emotional rollercoaster!
Duration:00:54:18
Why Manners Matter
5/6/2025
Good manners are a reflection of the Golden Rule: if you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you. The Golden Rule exists in every culture on the planet. A likely reason for this is our hyperactive connection circuitry in the brain that prominently uses the neurochemical oxytocin. When someone is nice towards another person, the recipient's brain releases oxytocin and this causes him or her to respond with kindness. Oxytocin is the embodiment of the Golden Rule. Tune in and find out how paying attention to manners can change your life!
Duration:00:54:18
Pathocracy: Psychology of Leadership
4/29/2025
People with psychological disorders so easily rise to positions of power and take over the governments of countries. Pathocracy is arguably one of the biggest problems in the history of the human race. History has been a saga of constant conflict and brutality, with groups of people fighting against one another over territory and power and possessions, and conquering and killing one another. Tune in and learn how throughout history governments have been led and history made through pathocracy!
Duration:00:55:48
UnMet Needs: Emotional Deprived
4/22/2025
In Maslow's hierarchy, lower-level needs (physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem) are considered deficiency needs, which arise from a lack of something. Once these needs are met, individuals can focus on growth needs like self-actualization, where they strive to become the best version of themselves.
Understanding needs is crucial for various psychological fields, including motivation, behavior, and mental health. Meeting basic needs is a prerequisite for addressing higher-level needs and achieving overall well-being. Tune in and learn how unmet needs shape you and healing those needs later on in life!
Duration:00:54:55
Panic Attacks
4/15/2025
Panic attacks are dramatically abrupt bursts of acute anxiety that feel life-threatening but are not. They build into a crescendo of fear within minutes, but what they lack in duration they make up in distress. The body sensations of anxiety become extremely intense—pounding heart, racing pulse, the feeling of difficulty getting enough air—making it feel as if you are about to die. That interpretation is mistaken, but it nevertheless triggers even more anxiety, intensifying the panic.
•Panic attacks can occur out of the blue, even during sleep, and the feeling of loss of control magnifies the terror. Tune in and learn all about panic attacks and how to stop them!
Duration:00:54:28
Smart But Stupid
4/8/2025
There are advantages to being smart. People who do well on standardized tests of intelligence (IQ tests) tend to be more successful in the classroom and the workplace. Although the reasons are not fully understood, they also tend to live longer, healthier lives, and are less likely to experience negative life events such as bankruptcy. Now there’s some bad news for people in the right tail of the IQ bell curve. A “high IQ society,” Mensa requires that its members have an IQ in the top 2 percent. For most intelligence tests, this corresponds to an IQ of about 132 or higher. (The average IQ of the general population is 100.) The survey of Mensa’s highly intelligent members found that they were more likely to suffer from a range of serious disorders. Tune in and learn all about how high IQ can be compatable with mental illness!
Duration:00:57:42
Horrible People
4/1/2025
Horrible people are draining; encounters leave you emotionally wiped out. Time with them is about taking care of their business, which will leave you feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, if not angry. Don’t allow yourself to become depleted as a result of giving and giving and getting nothing in return. At first, you may feel for them and their plight but once you observe that every interaction is negatively charged you may want to limit your contact with them, or maybe even cut ties. Your time and energy are essential for your own life. Don’t be overly willing to give them away. Tune in and learn how these people operate and how to set boundaries!
Duration:00:55:59
Emotionally Detached
3/25/2025
Broadly speaking, emotional detachment is the inability or unwillingness to connect with others on an emotional level. Emotional detachment can also mean that people do not engage with their feelings, which can translate into repeatedly being disconnected or disengaged from what other people are feeling. Tune in and learn how the trend of emotional detachment is effecting your life!
Duration:01:00:18
Understanding Manipulation: How Narcissists Work
3/18/2025
•We can consider the ego as the "I" or our sense of self, and so we all have an ego because we all have a sense of self. The ego is not inherently bad. We need a coherent sense of self to differentiate ourselves from others and have a sense of agency. This allows us to meet our basic physiological needs, develop goals, and pursue dreams. I know that I exist, who I am, and what is important to me. I know which family, team, and political party is mine. I know who are my friends, rivals, and enemies. I know which possessions are mine. I have values and rights that I cherish dearly and will fight to protect. Tune in and learn all about ego and manipulation!
Duration:00:52:48
Why Marriage Fails
3/11/2025
With marriage having a fifty percent no‐go rate it’s obvious that people don’t follow their best thinking, just like people don’t eat healthfully even when they know what’s good for them. Paradoxically, it’s in our most enduring and important relationships that we’re least likely to be our most mature and thoughtful selves. Tune in and learn what it takes to be married!
Duration:00:56:23
Commitment Changes Everything
3/4/2025
What does the word commitment suggest? It usually evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. It typically is accompanied by a statement of purpose or a plan of action. Very often, we utilize this word in regard to proclamations we may make about the seriousness of our relationships. For example, “I’m in a committed relationship,” or “I’m completely committed to this relationship.” In such circumstances, what exactly are we saying? We take it for granted that the word or the expression means the same thing to all of us. I can assure you that it doesn’t. Tune in and learn how real commitments can change your life!
Duration:00:55:51
Altruism: Live Like Jesus
2/25/2025
Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. It involves acting out of concern for the well-being of other people. In some cases, these acts of altruism lead people to jeopardize themselves to help others. Such behaviors are often performed unselfishly and without any expectations of reward. Other instances, known as reciprocal altruism, involve taking actions to help others with the expectation that they will offer help in return. Tune in and learn all about how altruism can add to your life!
Duration:00:56:48
Filtering and Narratives: How We Destroy Our Relationships
2/18/2025
Do you hyperfocus on the one thing that went wrong? The one little mistake you made or that one mean comment on social media? Instead of the hundreds of things going right?
This is called mental filtering, and it’s a cognitive distortion that can make you anxious or depressed. Mental filtering is the cognitive distortion where we only see one aspect of a situation, usually the negative side of it when it comes to depression or anxiety. You focus on the negative and disregard or filter out all the positive. You pick out a single negative detail and hyperfocus on this instead of everything else going on. Tune in and learn all about how filtering and narratives can destroy our lives!
Duration:00:56:27