Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The Wide World of Psychomythology 1. Brain Power: Myths about the Brain and Perception 1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power 2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained 3 Extrasensory Perception Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon 4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes 5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products 2. From Womb to Tomb: Myths about Development and Aging 6 Playing Mozart's Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence 7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil 8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s 9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with increased dissatisfaction and Senility 10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages 3. A Remembrance of Things Past: Myths about Memory 11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events We've Experienced 12 Hypnosis is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events 13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences 14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4. Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: Myths about Intelligence and Learning 15 Intelligence Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People 16 If You're Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It's Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch 17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters 18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles 5. Altered States: Myths about Consciousness 19 Hypnosis Is a Unique "Trance" State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness 20 Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning 21 Individuals Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep 22 During "Out-of-Body" Experiences, People's Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies 6. I've Got a Feeling: Myths about Emotion and Motivation 23 The Polygraph ("Lie Detector") Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty 24 Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances 25 Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress 26 A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer 7. The Social Animal: Myths about Interpersonal Behavior 27 Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us 28 There's Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the Chance that Someone Will Intervene 29 Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways 30 It's Better to Express Anger Openly to Others than to Hold It in 8. Know Thyself: Myths about Personality 31 Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities 32 The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Can't Change It 33 Low Self-Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems 34 Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood 35 People's Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities 36 Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits 9. Sad, Mad, and Bad: Myths about Mental Illness 37 Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People 38 Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide 39 People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities 40 Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinct Profile of Symptoms 41 There's Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism 42 Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons 10. Disorder in the Court: Myths about Psychology and Law 43 Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent 44 Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases 45 A Large Proportion Of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense 46 Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It 11. Skills and Pills: Myths about Psychological Treatment 47 Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions 48 Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics 49 All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the "Root" Causes of Their Problems in Childhood 50 Electroconvulsive ("Shock" Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment Postscript: Truth is Stranger than Fiction Appendix Recommended Websites for Exploring Psychomythology References Index