7 signs that psychology is your calling

Everyone knows that psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour. But few know what the field truly consists of. Here are signs that you should learn more about this rich and diverse field, because psychology may be your calling!

1. You are always curious about human behaviour

You are often very curious about why people behave the way that they do. In a social setting, you often find yourself analyzing social situations. For instance, why did Hannah become so unexpectedly heated in an argument with Luke? Could the social setting been changed so feelings could be de-escalated? You pre-occupy your mind with thoughts not only about others’ behaviours, but also about your own. This is an important sign that cognitive psychology is your calling — the branch that deals with mental processes such as attention, problem solving, and reasoning.

2. You are a selfless, compassionate listener

Family and friends often seek your advice about any questions they may have. Most of all, you enjoy sharing your opinions and feel great that you can lend a hand. They describe you as an active listener, and as a compassionate friend. These are some qualities that allow clinicians, therapists, and mental health professionals to generate a valuable relationship with their clients. If this resonates with you, then clinical psychology may be the perfect field for you.

3. You are creative! You love having a platform to share ideas

Your mind is always buzzing with new ideas, and you feel good about sharing your content with the world. You may find that research in social psychology fascinating. Examples of research topics within social psychology include how technology affects social interactions, and how first impressions can influence our behaviours.

4. You enjoy reminiscing about the past 

There’s almost nothing better than looking through photos that bring you heartwarming memories. You often take time to think about how great your childhood was, how much you miss your elementary school friends, or how much you appreciate your loved ones. This feeling can extend to wanting to understand others’ early life period. Developmental psychologists take a retrospective account on a person’s life — examining factors such as children’s moral evaluations of others’ actions to better understand children’s behaviours.

5. You set short term and long term goals for yourself

Do you have short term health goals you want to achieve? For example, you want to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. What about long term goals, such as to sleep 7-8 hours for the entire year? These goals are great sources of motivation for a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. If you are interested in the health aspects of psychology, perhaps health psychology is right for you! Health Psychology is a young, exciting field that takes into account both physiological and psychological aspects of well-being.

6. You love doing personality tests

Personality is such a relatable, interesting field because it is central to our identity. That’s why you might find that personality tests such as the Big 5 or Myers-Briggs super entertaining! It’s a great way to learn more about yourself through different perspectives, and it is a great way to learn more about psychometrics (in general, how we measure things such as personality traits in psychology). Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that explores personality variations among individuals.

7. You have many diverse interests

If you often find yourself making connections between different fields e.g. advertising and consumer behaviour, consider combining all these interests together through psychology!