Question: If you had to choose another area of psychology which would you pick?

Melissa Barker answered on 8 Mar 2021:

Great question!!

There are actually so many areas of psychology that are interesting, so it’s really hard to choose.

I’m really interested in decision making and behaviour change, so I think if I had to change, I would like to go in that direction. I think I like it because not only is it interesting, but I also feel like you’d be making a really positive impact in the world. For example, I could research how to encourage people to behave in ways that are more environmentally friendly (to save the planet!) or to develop healthier habits.

Another area I’d like to explore is cyber psychology, and the best ways to keep people safe online.

The great thing about psychology is that you don’t always have to stick in one area. You can learn about one area during your undergraduate degree, then a different one during your masters degree, and then a completely new one if you decide to do a PhD. Even when you have finished studying and work as a psychology researcher full time, you can still learn about new things and work with people from different areas. Sometimes working with others in a completely different field (like philosophy, or geography, or chemistry) is the best way to learn about the world, because the research will take into account lots of different ideas and perspectives.

Hope this answered your question! 😀