Mind Over Media
Welcome to Mind Over Media, where we decode the psychology behind your favourite movies, TV shows, music, and pop culture moments. From deep-diving into complex characters to analyzing the lyrics that hit home, we explore the hidden psychological themes shaping the media we love. Whether it’s the mental struggles of iconic protagonists, the psychology of villains, or the deeper meaning behind a song’s lyrics, this is where entertainment meets the mind.
Grief, Healing, and Family Dynamics in Haha, You Clowns: A Psychological Analysis
A psychological analysis of Haha, You Clowns exploring its themes of grief, family resilience, paranormal symbolism, and emotional sincerity, while critiquing the role of privilege in the Campbells’ healing.
Hazbin Hotel and the Oddly Cheerful Logic of Restorative Justice
An analysis of Hazbin Hotel through restorative justice theory, exploring accountability, rehabilitation, and Heaven’s punitive Extermination system.
Why We Laugh at Horrible People: The Psychology Behind FistShark Marketing’s Dark Humor
A psychological deep dive into why FistShark Marketing’s cruel, surreal corporate satire makes us laugh, exploring cognitive dissonance, moral disengagement and dark humor.
Do We Need to Talk About Barbie’s Careers?
A witty psychology essay exploring Barbie’s 200 career changes and what they reveal about identity, neurodiversity, job instability and modern work culture. A tongue in cheek yet insightful look at the psychology behind constant reinvention.
The Simpsons and the Feedback Loop Between Culture and Reality
Is The Simpsons really prophetic? This article debunks the prediction myth, explaining how the long-running satire created a cultural blueprint, triggering a powerful feedback loop that shapes real-world events and behavior.
Can Satire Survive 2026?
Can satire survive 2026? Reality is now stranger than parody. Explore how GTA 6, Idiocracy, and polarization are forcing humor to evolve in a post-truth world.
RoboCop: Phantom Soul Syndrome
Explore "Phantom Soul Syndrome" in RoboCop: An analysis of how Murphy’s humanity becomes a glitch, transforming the sci-fi film into a terrifying existential horror about a consciousness trapped and haunting its own machine.
How RoboCop Predicted the Weaponization of Masculinity
How is modern gun marketing a fulfillment of RoboCop's satire? This article analyzes the branding of firearms as ultimate masculinity and security, linking the commodification of power to the tragic rise of mass violence.
Light, Darkness, and Desire: A Psychological Reading of the Rey–Kylo Ren Kiss
Explore the psychology behind Rey and Kylo Ren’s controversial kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This essay examines attraction, morality, trauma bonding, and the enduring myth that love can reconcile light and dark.
Faith, Death, and Redemption in Hazbin Hotel
An interpretive look at how Vivienne Medrano’s infernal musical becomes a mirror for faith, belief, and the longing to be saved.
The Accidental Messiah of ESO: Sleeps-On-Bridges and the Life of Brian Effect
From Life of Brian to Elder Scrolls Online, explore how accidental leaders inspire devotion and ritual through silence, humor, and human psychology.
The Redemption Paradox: Why We Embrace It in Storytelling but Resist It in Life
Explore why society celebrates redemption in movies yet resists it in real life. This essay examines the psychology behind forgiveness, cancel culture, and the justice system, revealing what our love of redemption stories says about human morality and modern accountability.
When the Beat Masks the Message: Questioning the Normalisation of Alcohol and Intimacy
Explore how some K-pop hits inadvertently normalize drinking and intimacy. A critical think piece on hidden cultural scripts behind the music we love.
Short Story: The Measure A Dark Inclusive Fairy Tale
In the village of Gossmere, every child is implanted with a mysterious Switch controlled by the all-seeing Measure. When Rhea dares to question the rules and her own identity, fear, rebellion, and dark consequences unfold in this chilling modern fairy tale.
Engagement by Design: The Psychological Tricks Behind Online Content Manipulation
Explore how creators exploit psychology for online engagement. Learn about the biases behind lists, corrections, and debates.
The Evolution of Death in Media: From Heroic Spectacle to Sudden Absence
Explore how portrayals of death in media have evolved from heroic, drawn-out spectacles to sudden, unceremonious losses. This essay examines the psychology of grief, trauma, and audience expectation through modern works like The Last of Us and Game of Thrones.
Dancing in the Shadow of Ignorance: Peacemaker, Fortnite, and the Psychology of Unseen Symbols
Explore how Fortnite’s Peacemaker dance emote, pulled after a shocking Season 2 twist, reveals the psychology of symbols, ignorance, and complicity in today’s political climate.
The Song That Wouldn’t Quit: Why Golden Sticks in Our Heads
Discover the psychology of earworms through Huntr/x’s hit Golden. Learn how catchy songs get stuck in your head, what brain systems are involved, and why music can act like a protective barrier for emotions.
The Crystal Gems and the Freudian Psyche: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Steven Universe
This article applies Freudian theory to the Crystal Gems in order to illuminate how the series dramatizes psychic conflict and integration. The analysis situates Steven Universe within broader conversations in media studies about allegory, pedagogy, and the psychological resonance of children’s television
From Poe’s Hop-Frog to Smiling Friends’ Mr. Frog: The Evolution of the Jester Archetype
Explore how Poe’s Hop-Frog and Smiling Friends’ Mr. Frog reveal the jester’s transformation, from gothic avenger to viral-age spectacle.