Midwestern Psychological Association Conference

The Midwestern Psychological Association Conference (MPA) is held every year in Chicago in May. It is really fun - If you like psychology you should go next year. Our group stayed in a travelodge and the conference was held downtown in the Hilton Palmer House. We went to the conference everyday for the most of the day; we heard lectures and saw poster presentations and then went sightseeing or out on the town in the evening: We went to Millenium park, Willis Tower, Navy Pier and other sights. There were some well-known psychologists at the conference including James Pennebaker and Richard McNally. My favorite talk was Pennebaker's: He talked about how the words people use can reflect who people are- One of his findings is that people who use more positive than negative words are happier and healthier than those who use more negative words. For instance, even saying "I'm not happy" is better than saying, "I'm sad." I think this means that optimism plays an important role in happiness and health. He had some other intriguing findings, but that was probably the one I found most interesting. Overall, I learned a lot at the conference and it really was a fun and valuable experience.

If you're interested, you should go next year! Psych Club + Psi Chi get groups together and the psych dept. pays for most of it.