The Savvy Psychologist

Science-backed tips for achieving health and happiness

Jade Wu Ph.D.

How to Use Light to Beat the Winter Blues

The winter blues can sap our energy and leave us feeling tired, hopeless, and foggy, but light may be the key to keeping the blues at bay.

What Pop Culture Gets Wrong About Therapy

Pop culture gets a lot wrong when it comes to mental health, but this overview can help you demystify the idea of going to therapy and provide a basis for many types of therapy.

What Mindfulness Can (and Can't) Do for Us

Mindfulness has become increasingly popular, but with that popularity come exaggerated claims and beliefs about its uses.

How to Manage Dissociating

Dissociation is one of those things everyone has heard of but few can really define.  

Why Sleep Paralysis Happens (and How to Prevent It)

Sleep paralysis is a freaky phenomenon that has inspired ghost and alien stories. Fortunately, there's a scientific explanation for why it happens and ways to prevent it.

Racism's Effects on Black Mental Health

Racism damages the mental health of Black people by decreasing, through structural forces, the necessary ingredients for mental health.

Doomscrolling Is a Global Pastime. How Can You Stop?

Your thumb hovers over the infinite scroll of your newsfeed and a sense of despair settles in your belly, but you can't stop. Why do we doomscroll?

Why We Fear Death and How to Overcome It

Does the reminder that you'll die someday make you anxious? You might be surprised by some of the factors that influence our attitudes toward death.

Pain Is Unavoidable, Suffering Is an Option

By allowing and accepting pain, you can move towards letting go of suffering.

Why We Believe in Conspiracy Theories

Does your otherwise sensible friend believe the moon landing was a Hollywood hoax? Here's a look at the fascinating psychology behind belief in conspiracy theories.

How to Recognize (and Correct) Enabling Behavior

When a loved one is behaving destructively, enabling them makes their problem worse. By recognizing patterns of enabling, you can change course and provide real help.

Why Being Angry Is Okay (and Even Helpful)

Anger is not only a valid emotion, but one that can be a useful motivating force to incite positive change.

8 Strategies to Manage Overwhelming Feelings

When you're overwhelmed, your brain blows a fuse. These eight simple tips can help you reset your mental circuit breaker.

5 Ways to Stop Nightmares

Being chased, appearing naked in a crowd, teeth falling out—nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep. But there are ways to beat them and get back to restful nights.

How Does Your Attachment Style Impact Your Relationships?

Your attachment style may affect aspects of your close adult relationships, like commitment, intimacy, jealousy, and general satisfaction.

How to Manage Coronavirus Anxiety

The daily deluge of coronavirus information can be overwhelming, so it's important we take care of our mental selves as well as our physical selves during these tough times.

Don't Let Common Thinking Traps Get You Stuck

Rather than asking yourself how to eliminate negative thoughts, instead ask how to get out of aimless thinking traps for better mental health.

The Power of Oxytocin

Despite the warm and fuzzy feelings oxytocin can bring about, not all of its effects are positive.

Broken Family Ties and How to Cope With Estrangement

Family estrangement is isolating. What are the reasons that family members cut each other off? How can we heal or prevent broken family ties?

4 Psychological Tricks to Reach Your Goals

Are you tired of the ongoing cycle of setting goals, getting excited, and then ultimately giving up? These four tips can help you sustain motivation.

3 Little-Known Disorders Related to Anxiety

Most people can relate to the feelings of anxiety, but for some, anxiety manifests in little-known, but no less real, disorders.

5 Tips to Calm a Restless Mind Before Going to Sleep

How did you sleep last night? If you're struggling to quiet your mind at night, here are a few tips to get some rest.

Why Cyberbullying Hurts and How to Handle It

There are several things you can do to avoid bullying scenarios, help victims, and take care of yourself.

Have a Loved One With Anxiety? Never Do These Four Things

Even if you have the best intentions, helping someone with anxiety can be touchy. Here are four things you’ll want to avoid saying or doing.

Three Ways Childhood Trauma Affects Adulthood

Complex trauma is a subtle, "slow burn" type of childhood experience that affects a person just as profoundly as momentous events.

What Is ASMR?

Is ASMR real? Let's take a look at the fascinating things we’re only just starting to learn about ASMR.

How to Help a Loved One Struggling With Suicidal Thoughts

For those with loved ones struggling with suicidal thoughts, here are five tips to open the conversation and gain the knowledge and tools to help.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

"Enough” sleep doesn’t look the same for everyone. The only way to know what your body needs is to listen to it.