The mere presence of a smartphone, even if it's turned off, can distract and reduce cognitive capacity during tasks, affecting productivity and focus.
The "Baader-Meinhof phenomenon" is when you learn or notice something for the first time, and suddenly, you start seeing it everywhere.
"The placebo effect" demonstrates that a patient's belief in the effectiveness of a treatment can sometimes lead to real physiological changes and improvements, even if the treatment itself is inert.
"The spotlight effect" is the tendency to overestimate how much others notice or care about our appearance, actions, or mistakes.
"The Dunning-Kruger effect" refers to the cognitive bias where people with limited knowledge or skills tend to overestimate their abilities, while those who are skilled tend to underestimate theirs.
"The Zeigarnik effect" shows that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, leading to the "earworm" effect of songs stuck in our heads.
"The Halo effect" is when we perceive someone as more attractive or likable because of one positive trait or characteristic.
"The Pygmalion effect" or the self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when higher expectations lead to an increase in performance and achievement.
"The bystander effect" is a phenomenon where individuals are less likely to intervene in an emergency when others are present, assuming someone else will take responsibility.
"Cognitive dissonance" is the discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes, leading people to try and resolve the inconsistency.
"Confirmation bias" is the tendency to seek and favor information that confirms pre-existing beliefs while ignoring or discounting contradictory evidence.
"The Flynn effect" refers to the observed increase in average IQ scores over time in many parts of the world.
"The serial position effect" shows that people tend to recall the first and last items on a list better than those in the middle.
"The primacy effect" suggests that initial impressions influence how we interpret and remember later information about a person.
"The recency effect" is the tendency to remember the most recent information better than earlier information.
"Emotional contagion" is the phenomenon where individuals can "catch" emotions from others, experiencing similar feelings without being consciously aware of it.
"The power of touch" has significant effects on social bonding, emotions, and physical health, as human touch releases oxytocin, a hormone related to bonding and trust.
Remember that while these psychological facts are fascinating and provide valuable insights into human behavior, each individual is unique, and these generalizations may not apply to everyone in every circumstance.