The Applications -apps- of psychology That I will mention you serve to improve the quality of life, to make psychological tests, to improve memory, to train the brain, to keep up to date on the latest research, to treat disorders, to improve sleep, to achieve goals and even to increase motivation.
Technology advances and, as it does, is increasingly placed at the service of people and the most important sphere of life: health and the promotion of healthy living habits.
These leaps and bounds have also revolutionized the field of psychology, not only physical health but also mental health.
This fact is due to the birth of what is known as e-Mental Health, which has given rise to many innovations.
E-Mental Health is a generic term that is used to describe the use of information technologies, namely those related to the Internet, when it is applied to the improvement of mental health and general quality of life, including by Assuming the physical condition (Riper et al., 2010)
These applications, although novel and in the test phase many, have already proven to be effective and inexpensive for the treatment of psychic disorders such as depression , anxiety , posttraumatic stress , Eating disorders such as anorexy or bulimia And a wide range of mental health problems (Griffiths, Farrer, & Christensen, 2010).
E-Mental Health can also be used for the prevention of various disorders and in primary care, where its potential is still being investigated, especially since, as mentioned earlier, there is very little economic effort for both the specialist and the patient The customer.
These mobile applications aimed at improving health, both mental and physical, come very well especially if we want to monitor our progress or progress in matters as diverse as our achievements in the gym or make our lives easier helping us to improve and To relieve insomnia , among others.
Other examples of technology at the service of health with its application in the field of Psychology is the electronic cigarette, which although controversial, has shown some effectiveness in reducing the behavior of tobacco consumption and in the management of Anxiety related to this harmful area .
Let's look now, without further ado, a selection of the 11 most useful mobile apps within Psychology and mental health.
Top 11 Apps on Psychology
Some of these apps can be aimed at professionals, specialists, students or anyone who wants to have a quick approach to Psychology
1- NovoPsych
It is an application that allows the administration of psychometric tests to various population groups. Its use is easier from a tablet, since its application is as simple as it can be a psychological test paper.
This is a fairly comprehensive app that features psychological assessments such as the Attitude Test on Food (EAT-26), Self-administered Humor and Feeling Questionnaire (MFQ-Self), or Spence's Child Anxiety Scale SCAS-Child), among many others.
It also includes a system of data emptying and correction of the evaluations so that we do not have to worry about it.
This application offers us a wide variety of test of many kinds that, administered from a tablet device, can make us save even in office material, as folios and filing cabinets, being ideal for those professionals who prefer to have their work organized in a computer instead Of in physical format.
2- Psych Test Hero
This curious application is aimed at those students of Psychology who are willing to make the most of their study and Pass all your exams With honors.
It can be used on any platform, including iPad, and includes concept maps, summaries and evaluations of the most important subjects taught in Psychology, all in a very visual and graphic to promote photographic memory.
It also includes"tricks"and Mnemonic exercises Which encourage memorization and meaningful learning.
3- 3D Brain
Application that shows the brain in 3D with the possibility of rotating it and turning it only available. Perfect for studying neuroanatomy or just for browsing the Intricacies of the human brain .
It not only shows us physical neuroanatomy, but also functional neuroanatomy. With this app we can discover in a very visual way what happens when a region of the brain is injured and how it affects normal function.
It also includes various links to the most recent and modern studies on this area of knowledge. In short, much needed for our Neuroscience classes.
The only one is that it is only available for iPhone and iPad.
4- Psychexplorer
It is an application for iOS operating system that keeps us abreast of the latest developments and updates in Psychology. In addition, it offers articles of scientific popularization and more serious questions oriented to professionals and students.
As we see, it is versatile and useful for all types of public: specialists, students or curious people who want to explore the human psyche.
5- ICounselor
This is an iPhone app that is designed to deal with everything Obsessive compulsive disorder Or obsessions. The application has a kind of scale or barometer where you value what your feeling is in front of that obsession.
You can choose from a wide range that ranges from"bearable"to"irresistible", passing through a variety of intermediate items. Depending on your score for a specific situation, the program will give you some instructions or others, usually of a cognitive-behavioral nature, which are very reminiscent of what a Psychology professional would tell us in the clinic.
There is a great variety of iCounselor. Some of them are: iCounselor eating disorders, depression, anxiety or anger.
For example, in the one dedicated to depression, the application gives us some guidelines and steps to manage stress. Some of these items are"visualize your own success,""imagine a beautiful scene or convey peace,""repeat a phrase that appeases you,"or"try to change your mood by living the present moment"
Also, it also has a main menu in which it gives us some general instructions as a way of cognitive about how to gradually overcome step by step a depression.
The price of this app is barely 0.99 euros and allows us to make a great"electronic management"of our stress, only if we are iOS users.
This application is developed by expert psychotherapists who have a long and professional career in the field of clinical psychology.
6- White Noise
Recommended for those people who have problems of insomnia, especially of conciliation. White Noise helps us to rest better thanks to the combination of relaxing sounds present in nature that this app offers us.
It is also indicated for people suffering from Tinnitus , Since many of these sounds help reduce the annoying timbre that characterizes this disorder.
Also, you can combine your favorite sounds or elaborate the combo that works best for you (for example, train + rain) and share it with others.
Again, this app is only available for Apple products.
There are other applications or websites that can also help us find the relaxing music we need.
In particular, we can go to Rainy Mood So that the page generates a playlist of the best quiet songs, which are especially congruent for those rainy days when we usually do not want anything more than being under the blanket.
7- Brain Tutor 3D
Similar to 3D Brain, but built through images of Magnetic resonance imaging . It also differs from the previous app Brain Tutor 3D offers anatomy of the head, and not just the brain.
8- TraxitAll
Mobile iOS application that provides a self-registration of goals, objectives and achievements for day-to-day use as a journal. It is helpful, as it provides immediate feedback on your day goals.
In this way, you will not lose sight of or overlook that, for example, yesterday you did not exercise or today you have not gone to make the purchase.
It also allows setting more long-term goals and more ambitious goals, although it is mainly directed at daily activity.
9- The Habit Factor Pro
Similar to the previous application, but with more features. For example, it gives us a dose of daily motivation thanks to inspirational quotes, as well as having a more elegant interface for those who care about aesthetics.
It also tracks your productivity and performance in various tasks according to your daily activity.
10- Sleepyti.me
Personally, I think it's one of the most curious and useful applications I've come across. It is a sleep calculator that tells us when to bed and when to wake up to feel rested and vitality the next day.
In sum, it makes a calculation of the REM cycles Which we will experience depending on the time we go to bed and the time at which we want to wake up.
It is based on the concept of"dream inertia", which is simply the feeling of"being groguis"that we sometimes experience when we get up without having rested enough.
According to studies of sleep inertia, it is more difficult for our brain to"start"when the alarm clock sounds while we are in deep sleep (phase 3-4 of non-REM sleep, slow waves) than if we do when we are In the middle of light sleep.
In this way, Sleepytime calculates the time at which we should wake up so that we set the alarm in the middle of REM sleep instead of when we are fast asleep
eleven- Tomato Timer
This application designed for Google Chrome is indicated for those people who are either followers of the pomodoro method or want to start in this method. It serves to increase performance and productivity by controlling the time intervals, especially when we are performing tasks that require mental exercise.
For iPhone, we have It's Pomodoro time And CleanFocus, both very intuitive and easy to use.
The famous pomodoro method, for those who are not familiar, tries to get you to do the most tasks during the shortest possible time working in 25-minute lapses, when we still have a restful mind. Every 25 minutes (period called pomodoro), we will do 5 minutes of rest.
When 4 pomodoros pass, we can make a longer rest, 15 minutes, in which we can get up from the chair, stretch or away from the computer.
Of course, not everyone works, but of course it is a good way to work concentration by controlling the time during which we are 100% immersed in an activity.
Normally, these applications are used to study and there are some extensions that block for a certain time the keyboard, Internet access or gadgets that we program to, in short, avoid the greater number of distractions and the dreaded procrastination.
CONCLUSIONS
As a final reflection, it is normal for the technology and its unstoppable progress to find its detractors and its controversy, probably because sometimes we are a little overwhelmed by this progress with which just a decade ago we had even dreaming.
Today is a reality that is more than present in our daily lives and, although it can be misused, technology is also a tool that can improve the lives of those who have access to it, and a good example of it Is what we have just exposed.
There are a multitude of mobile applications that can be filled with daily motivation, can facilitate the conciliation of sleep in case we suffer insomnia or can help us lower our anxiety levels and even palliate something as serious as a depression.
If we know how to take advantage of all the opportunities and facilities that technology gives us, we can potentially improve our quality of life and get closer to healthier habits.
Of course, the work of a person can never be replaced by that of a machine, but this can be a great support for all of us.
Bibliography
- Griffiths, K. M., Farrer, L., & Christensen, H. (2010). The efficacy of internet interventions for depression and anxiety disorders: a review of randomized controlled trials. MJA, 192 (11), S4.
- Riper, H., Andersson, G., Christensen, H., Cuijpers, P., Lange, A., & Eysenbach, G. (2010). Theme issue on e-mental health: a growing field in internet research. Journal of medical Internet research, 12 (5), e74. Doi: 10.2196 / jmir.1713