Woke up thinking about this question burning in my brain: is psychology really one of those social science things? You know, like economics or sociology? Or is it something else entirely? Started my day kinda obsessed with it. Brewed some strong coffee – needed fuel for this brain work.
My Bright Idea & First Try
Figured the best way to get it was to watch people. Duh. Psychology is about the mind, right? Social science is about people in groups. Grabbed my beat-up notebook, the one with coffee stains, and headed to the crowded park café. Found a spot where I could kinda hide but see everyone. Put on my sunglasses like a detective.
- Watched people chatting. Friends laughing, couples arguing quietly. Tried to guess what they were thinking. “He’s frustrated… she’s pretending to listen…” Scribbled notes. “Group dynamics = social?” Checked that box.
- Noticed a guy alone, staring at his phone, looking sad. Wrote: “Internal feeling? Or reaction to social media?” Huh. The brain stuff inside one person suddenly felt super different from the group stuff.
- Tried eavesdropping (politely!). Heard a mom tell her kid, “Use your inside voice!” Kid yelled louder. Classic. Was that the kid’s brain wiring or learning the social rule? My notes started looking messy. Brain? Society? Both?
Hitting the Wall
My detective act turned into a confused mess. Saw a dude trip over a chair and go bright red. Embarrassment. Okay, feeling embarrassed – that’s gotta be brain chemistry, wiring, whatever you wanna call the biology inside. But WHY feel embarrassed? Because of other people watching? That felt like the social world pressing in. My “social science vs. not” categories started collapsing. This was harder than I thought. Ended up mostly just drinking coffee and feeling frustrated.
Getting Schooled (The Boring Way)
Went home, defeated. Threw the notebook on the table. Needed backup. Jumped online to see what other folks said. Big mistake. Went down rabbit holes:
- Found super old philosophers arguing about the mind and soul. Too abstract. Didn’t help me understand the guy who tripped.
- Read some science papers. Words like “neurotransmitters,” “cognitive processes.” Eyes glazed over. Felt like I needed a dictionary just for the title. Not my coffee-stained notebook style.
- Finally hit a university website explaining their departments. Boom. Psychology filed right under Social Sciences. Seemed settled? But it also mentioned neuroscience stuff. Felt like they put it there cause they didn’t know where else to stick it!
My Big “Ah-Ha!” Moment
After hours of this, staring at my messy notes from the café, it clicked for me. Sitting there, I realized: Psychology IS a social science. But like, only if you remember the brain is attached to the body that lives around other bodies! It’s the go-between.
- The kid yelling? Brain impulses driving behavior learned through social interaction.
- The guy who tripped? A biological feeling of embarrassment triggered purely by the imagined judgement of the people around him.
- The arguing couple? Two unique brains shaped by biology AND upbringing AND culture all trying to connect.
Psychology tries to figure out the mind and behavior part, sure. But what is human behavior about? Almost always about connecting, reacting to, avoiding, or understanding other people. That’s the social part. The brain’s inner workings don’t happen in a vacuum – they happen because we are constantly swimming in a sea of other humans and their expectations.
The Punchline
So, my day-long quest ended up with a kinda simple answer wrapped in a messy package. Is psychology a social science? Yeah, mostly. But it’s also the weird cousin who knows a lot about brain chemicals while everyone else talks about voting patterns.
Felt good figuring it out myself, coffee stains and all. Proof you don’t need fancy words, just a park bench, bad coffee, and a willingness to feel confused for a few hours. Just don’t trip over the chair – trust me.