psychology – JCCC Billington Library

Today’s book could’ve been called, “Watch the Throne”

Sociologists study the weirdest things, and this collection of research follows the awkward politics of bathroom behavior. User anxiety, eye contact, waiting in line: so many things from interaction to gender segregation are governed by unspoken social agreements. Editors Harvey Molotch and Laura Noren compile research and essays evaluating what rules exist, what happens when they’re broken, and why they were even there in the first place.

Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing is great for people interested in sociology, psychology, or people who loathe using public restrooms.

Do You Watch Those Shows About Hoarders?

I do. I confess, it makes me look around at all my stuff and want to get rid of a good portion of it.And “stuff” is the perfect word for it, so says the book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gale Steketee. Since they’re two of the leading researchers on hoarding, this book is an excellent account of the incredibly debilitating condition of being unable to part with anything, from clothes to trash. One account even shows a pair of rich brothers who have to keep buying expensive art until there’s no room in their apartments to even sleep. Hopefully this book can provide some insight a disability that seems to be increasingly in the spotlight.

BotD with Man’s Best Friend (or Woman’s!)

I will do anything to post pictures of my dog on here. But there’s a reason: I was actually terrified of dogs. My wife and I got Cooper explicitly to help me overcome that fear.

I did most of the raising of Cooper, and through knowing him and his quirks , we have overbonded. He’s the best, and watching him as a tiny puppy play with full-grown pitbulls without fear of harm, I came to lose that fear.

Powerful Bonds Between People and Pets by P. Elizabeth Anderson explores the psychological relationships people and their companion animals develop and the dependencies within. Complete with sources for further reading, the science of it all is laid out in a compassionate discussion of what could have easily been drab data. Even though there are lots of pictures, the information is still captivating enough to exist without them.

I’ve seen grown, grizzled men cry over a cat or dog passing away. That bond is really there for so many of us, and while no one needs an explanation of why they love, it is most certainly interesting to understand the how and the history.