Did you know that you can apply psychology to your daily life? Do you think psychology is only for students, academics, and therapists ? Then think again. Because psychology is both an applied and a theoretical subject, it can be used in a number of ways … to your advantage!

You can use psychology in your daily life and in addition, these practical uses will help you live your life better. Do you know how psychology can help you improve your life?

Motivation

Maybe you want to quit smoking, lose weight or learn something new … Psychology can help you with this. Do you want to know how? To increase your levels of motivation when tackling a task, use some of the following tips derived from research in cognitive and educational psychology:

• • Introduce new or novel items to keep your interest high.

• • Avoid boredom by varying the sequence of your activities.

• • Learn new things that build on your existing knowledge.

• • Set clear goals that are directly related to the task.

• Reward a job well done.

Improve your leadership skills

No matter what you do, leadership skills can be developed because they will surely be important at some point in your life. Not everyone is a born leader, but a few simple tips can help you improve it. You can practice some of these tips:

• • Provides a clear guide that allows you to express your opinions

• • Talk about solutions instead of problems

• Focus on stimulating ideas and rewarding creativity

Be a better communicator

Communication involves much more than how you speak or write. Body language or non-verbal language make up a large part of interpersonal communication. To communicate your message effectively, you must learn to express yourself non-verbally and read the non-verbal cues of those around you. Some key strategies include the following:

• • Good eye contact

• • Notice non-verbal cues in others

• Use an appropriate tone of voice to reinforce the message you want to convey

Learn to understand others better

As with non-verbal communication, the ability to understand your emotions and those of the people around you plays an important role in your relationships and in your professional life. The term emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand both your own emotions and those of other people.

The emotional intelligence quotient is a measure of this ability. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, your EQ may be more important than your IQ. What can you do to be more emotionally intelligent ? Don’t miss the following strategies:

• • Carefully evaluate emotional reactions

• • Record your experience and emotions in a journal

• Try to see situations from other people’s perspective

Make accurate decisions

If you start applying these strategies in your life you will be able to make decisions much more intelligently. The next time you need to make a big decision, try using one of these techniques:

• • Observe the same situation from multiple points of view: rational, emotional, intuitive, creative, positive and also negative.

• • Consider the pros and cons of making a decision.

• Employ an analysis technique before making a particular decision.

Improve your memory

Sometimes you are likely to forget things that you thought at the time that you would never forget. But if you are aware of it, you can increase your memory capacity taking into account some things that psychology teaches :

• • Focus on the informati

• • Repeat what you have learned

• Eliminate distractions when you want to memorize something

Be healthier

Psychology can also be a useful tool to improve general health. From ways to encourage exercise and better nutrition to new treatments for depression , the field of health psychology offers many beneficial strategies that can help you lead a healthier and happier life.

Some examples that you can apply directly to your own life:

• • Sunlight and correct artificial light can reduce seasonal affective disorders.

• • Exercise contributes to your psychological well-being .

• Helping people understand the risks of unhealthy behaviors can lead to healthier choices.