How Your Favorite Movie Genres Can Affect Your Mental Health by Taylor Bennett | Aug 29, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics It’s a common belief that you get along best with those who share your interests. And while I certainly see the basis for this assertion, I don’t think it always rings true—actually I know it doesn’t always ring true. In college, I studied multimedia journalism. I was a writer for…
KFC Made a Kinda Terrifying VR Employee Training Simulator by Nathan Davidson | Aug 25, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics The good people at KFC decided it would be a good idea to create a virtual reality training experience for their employees and this was the absolutely terrifying result. The future of VR is extremely exciting, but not in this context. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would…
Thrive Five: 5 Netflix Movies About Psychology and Mental Health by Nathan Davidson | Aug 15, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Psychology Oh Netflix, what would we do without you and your magical entertainment superpowers. Netflix has a seemingly endless supply of movies, TV shows, documentaries about any subject matter you could possibly imagine, but it’s also precisely why we spend half of our time on Netflix trying to pick out something…
5 Surprising Mental Health Benefits Of Playing Video Games by Nathan Davidson | Aug 9, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics Gamers have always had to defend their entertainment vice far more than your average cinephile or bibliophile over the years, but that’s all about to change thanks to science… and video games. Several scientists and mental health researchers (who are probably all avid gamers) have been conducting studies over the…
5 Game of Thrones Characters Who Suffer From Mental Disorders by Nathan Davidson | Aug 7, 2017 | Disorders, Media Use, Mental Health Topics To call Game of Thrones a worldwide phenomenon doesn’t even do it proper justice. It’s by far the most captivating and addicting show ever created and it’s largely due to the fact that the show has so many amazing characters… with severe mental disorders. As season 7 of GOT rages on this…
5 Ways Your Smartphone Addiction is Affecting Your Brain by Nathan Davidson | Aug 2, 2017 | Addiction, Media Use, Mental Health Topics Statistically speaking, there’s a 51% chance that you’re currently looking at this article on your smartphone. There’s also a 90% probability that you’re reading this while sitting on the toilet, and that’s not a good thing for either of us. According to experts, 40% of the population suffers from Nomophobia…
An Exploration of Anorexia in Netflix Movie: To The Bone by Taylor Bennett | Aug 2, 2017 | Eating Disorders, Media Use, Mental Health Topics ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** To the Bone is a Netflix original movie about a young woman named Ellen who has a severe case of anorexia. After showing no signs of improvement or even the simple desire to get better, Ellen is sent home from a variety of inpatient treatment practices and programs….
How Much TV is too Much, Really? by Taylor Bennett | Aug 1, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics The television screens in America’s living rooms are getting bigger, and the picture is getting clearer than ever with high-definition. Are we letting a giant monster move into our houses and take over? Are we becoming lethargic and overweight by sitting around watching our favorite series week after week? Are…
Nintendo is Using Psychology to Sell the Switch by Lenora KM | Jun 5, 2017 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Psychology Nintendo’s Switch is the latest craze in the gaming world, and it just surpassed the Wii in popularity. It made its appearance in March, quickly disappearing from store shelves. People who wanted the Switch waited in anticipation, only to find out they sold out a couple of days after they…
Am I Addicted to Binge Watching Netflix? by Kim Matone, LPCA | Jan 20, 2017 | Addiction, Media Use, Mental Health Topics One night I was sitting in my family room watching my third episode of The Office that night. I noticed the catchy theme song of the same show coming from the bedroom. My husband, son, and I had started “bingeing” this show together but my husband had gotten ahead of…
Top 10 Movies to Watch on Christmas by Amber Shimel | Sep 20, 2016 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics For many, watching holiday movies is a treasured tradition. Christmas Day just cannot come without getting most of these favorites checked off the list. When watching a movie, you have the chance to snuggle with loved ones, sit by the fire, and drink hot chocolate. What could be better? With…
Is the Media’s Coverage of Hoarding Normalizing the Behavior? by Thriveworks Counseling | Jun 11, 2015 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics Q&A Q: Is the media’s coverage of hoarding normalizing the behavior in a way that would prevent one from getting help?. A: Interesting question. Culture can play a role in many disorders. Regarding hoarding specifically, many people who hoard don’t have great insight into their own hoarding behaviors. Hence, a…