For my September 2nd Psychology Today post. In a classic television scene, a psychologist asks a thief why he steals. The answer is simple: “Because I want them.” This encapsulates crimes for gain, but what about the behaviors that seem to make no sense? Why would an individual engage in a bar fight or an…
We’re pleased to announce that Dissociation and Belief: The Psychology of Why Things Go Horribly Wrong and What to Do About It is now available on Amazon. Released on March 8, 2026, this new book by Drs. Matthew J. Sharps and Jana L. Price-Sharps explores how dissociation shapes belief, judgment, memory, stress, and decision-making in…
Did you know that ancient historians once believed the mongoose would dive down a crocodile’s throat and gnaw its way out? It sounds like an epic battle, but it never actually happened. Yet, people swore they saw it. Why? Because the human brain prefers a compelling narrative over boring reality. In this new post, we…
Check out Dr. Sharps’ USA TODAY interview in “Ominous Drone Sightings Caused a Panic a Year Ago. What Really Happened?” by Jeanine Sentucci, December 7, 2025. Here’s the link to the article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/12/07/drones-new-jersey-what-happened/87584694007 This was a weird one. People saw huge numbers of drones flying all over the place, drones which weren’t really there at…
Strange lights streaked across New Jersey skies, newsrooms erupted, and even the White House took notice, but every “drone” turned out to be something far more ordinary. Dive into how mass suggestion, media frenzy, and the quirks of eyewitness memory fueled a full-blown phantom invasion, and learn what this psychological puzzle means for spotting real…
In my latest addition to The Forensic View, I take a practical look at the hidden dangers of sleep deprivation among night shift workers—especially in law enforcement, healthcare, and emergency response. While our biology resists working through the night, survival may depend on adapting. This article explores how environmental “zeitgebers” like light, heat, and noise…
In my latest addition to The Forensic View, I explore how the same psychological principles that complicate criminal investigations, particularly the limits of eyewitness memory, can also distort our understanding of history. From the uncertain shade of PT-109 to the debated color of the USS Arizona, even the most basic historical facts become blurred by…
What happens when investigators become too focused on the wrong lead? In my latest addition to The Forensic View, I explore cognitive tunneling, a psychological phenomenon where stress and over focus narrow both visual and mental awareness, through the lens of the infamous Washington Sniper case. Learn how a single, inaccurate eyewitness report and the…
In this episode of World of the Mind, I take a closer look at how memory works—how we remember, why we forget, and how our memories can shift or even mislead us over time. Drawing from cognitive psychology and real-world examples, I explore the roles of sensory memory, short-term (or working) memory, and long-term memory,…
What do Pavlov’s dogs, casinos, bad whiskey ads, and near-mystical slot machines have in common? They all reveal something wild about how we learn—and how easily we’re influenced without even realizing it. In this episode, I break down classical, operant, and latent learning with real-world examples (and a few rants) to show how our minds…