Latest Research: Anthropomorphism and Dementia

In this episode of The Psych Files, I explore anthropomorphism—our tendency to attribute human characteristics to non-human entities—drawing from Justin Gregg's new book "Humanish." I discuss both helpful and harmful examples of anthropomorphism, from Soviet dolphin-assisted births to Japanese raccoon imports inspired by anime, and explain how this connects to Theory of Mind, our ability to attribute mental states to others. Gregg, an expert on animal cognition, argues that anthropomorphism isn't necessarily bad if used reflectively, citing Jane Goodall's approach of using intuition as a research starting point rather than proof. I examine surprising findings about animal cognition, particularly in reptiles like crocodiles who display play and social relationships, and discuss the important distinction between biological consciousness in animals and non-conscious AI processing. The episode addresses the fundamental question of animal consciousness and Gregg's precautionary approach: when uncertain about whether animals can suffer, we should assume they can rather than risk causing harm. I also talk about the latest research on the use of puzzles and their effect on dementia.

You can listen to Latest Research: Anthropomorphism and Dementia online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Latest Research: Anthropomorphism and Dementia is an episode from Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files by Michael Britt.

This episode is 18:07 long.

This episode was published on Oct 15, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.