1 Psychology in Your Life

A woman reads a file with a laptop open in front of her. A man stands beside her and speaks to her, pointing to the file.
Two laughing women stand beside each other. One woman holds a cake, and the other woman decorates the cake with sprinkles.
A man on a wheelchair, wearing a mask, pets a dog that leaps onto his lap. He is surrounded by other people on wheelchairs and dogs.

“You can use psychological principles to improve your study habits, your learning, and your academic performance.” (p. 6)

INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY: THE MOST USEFUL COURSE YOU WILL TAKE

Why did you sign up for introductory psychology? Over a million students take introductory psychology every year (Bailey, 2019), and they have different reasons for doing so. Maybe you, like many students, plan to become a psychologist or to use psychology in a career such as business, medicine, or law. Or you may be taking this course because it is required for a program in the health professions, education, or criminal justice. Or perhaps you enrolled in this class due to a personal interest—for example, to understand mental health and wellness issues.

Whatever your reasons for taking this course, the study of psychology is extremely relevant to your life. Even a situation as simple as talking with a friend in a coffee shop is filled with psychological events. Tasting your coffee, listening to the conversation, thinking about what to say, feeling happy with the companionship, and reaching out to your coffee cup are all examples of events that require psychological processing (see photos above). When you study psychology, you learn about yourself and other people from many different viewpoints, including how your brain and thoughts work, how you change over time, how your relationships develop, how your personality traits affect your life, and how you can maximize your mental and physical well-being. By learning about psychology from many perspectives, you will begin to know yourself better, which will help you study more effectively, improve your health, and get ahead at your job. In addition, you will learn to work better with your family, friends, classmates, and coworkers. Overall, psychology is likely the most useful class you will take in college.