PSYCHS February Newsletter 2026!

February 10, 2026

Hi PSYCHS!

As we reach the midpoint of the semester, we hope everyone is starting to feel back in the swing of things! With reading week just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to pause, reflect, and engage in self-care.

This month’s newsletter is packed with exciting updates and opportunities. We’re thrilled to share upcoming events, including a Valentine’s Day Mixer at Greta Bar hosted by MRU’s Psychology Club - a great chance to meet fellow psyc students! We are also excited to highlight our upcoming Grad Student Panel, where you’ll have the opportunity to hear directly from current psychology grad students about their experiences.

We also spotlight several opportunities, including a summer studentship position with the Health Equity Hub, for those looking to gain valuable research and applied experience this summer.

Are you interested in adding paid, relevant work experience to your degree? This month’s podcast episode features three psychology students in the Arts Co-op Program who share their experiences and advice!

In the spirit of Valentine’s day, this month’s newsletter theme is Love. Our reflective piece, The Psychology of Attraction, explores the science behind connection, while our interactive section, Red Flag or Green Flag? (Psychology of Love Edition), invites you to think critically about relationships through a psychological lens!

Please note that the PSYCHS lounge is currently closed for maintenance. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to keep an eye out for updates regarding its reopening.

Finally, we would love to hear from you! Please take a moment to fill out our PSYCHS feedback form, where you can share thoughts about the club and offer input on how the psychology student experience can continue to improve.

We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter and wish you all a happy, restful, and well-deserved reading week!

Warmly,  

The PSYCHS Team

Table of Contents

Join PSYCHS

As a member, you’ll get access to:

  • Exclusive events

  • The PSYCHS lounge

  • Our newsletter and community updates

  • Opportunities to connect with peers, faculty, and more! 

Looking for a quiet study space? A place to eat lunch or hang out with friends? When you join PSYCHS, you’ll get access to the Psychology Student Lounge (EDC 291), open to members Monday-Friday, 10:00am-3:00pm.

Please note that memberships must be renewed annually. Sign up using the QR code below or this link. 

Upcoming Events

Love on the Brain Valentine’s Day Mixer

Greta Bar, 213 10 Ave SW

Feb. 13, 4-7pm

This event hosted by the MRU Psychology Student Society at Greta Bar will be filled with one hour of FREE arcade games! Come meet psychology students from MRU and UofC. RSVP here.

PSYCHS x GPPP Graduate Student Panel

Zoom

Feb. 23, 5pm

Curious about grad school in psychology? Hear real stories, get real advice, and ask all your questions! RSVP to get the zoom link. 

Sexual and Gender Wellness Week 

Mac Hall North Courtyard

Feb. 9-13

The SU has organized engaging workshops, thought-provoking discussions, and interactive activities that celebrate inclusivity, health, and self-discovery! See more here.

Love Yourself - Self-Care Event

Women’s Resource Centre (MSC 482)

Feb. 13, 1:30-3:30pm

Drop in to make personalized self-care kits and snap some photos at the photo booth! Register here.

Opportunities

Health Equity Hub Summer Studentship Opportunity

The O’Brien Institute’s Health Equity HUB is hiring an undergraduate student for the summer to provide research and coordination support. For more information, see here. Applications are due by February 23rd.

PSYC Merch - Fill out the Survey!

Psychology merchandise is back again this year, with hoodies, quarter-zips, tote bags, and lanyards! Indicate which colours and designs you like best before February 13th here.

Men’s Hobbies, Interests, and Skills (H.I.S.) Study

Are you male-identifying and between the ages of 18-29? The H.I.S study is researching masculinity, hobbies, interests, skills, and attitudes of young adult men. Participate by scanning the QR code below:

ICP Interdisciplinary Conference in Psychology May 2026 - Call for Submissions

This year’s theme is “Psychology and Technology: Psychology in an Evolving Digital World” and the conference will take place May 6-8 in Ottawa. Submissions close February 27th. For more, see here.

Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies’ Annual Disability Research Conference - Call for Submissions

This year’s theme is “Knowledge as Resistance: Reimagining Systems and Possibilities for Disability Justice”. Abstracts are due March 4th. For more, see here.

Community Section - PSYCHS TALKS Episode 2: Psychology in Practice - An Inside Look at the Arts Co-op Program

Are you interested in adding paid, relevant work experience to your psyc degree? For the second episode of our podcast PSYCHS Talks, we sit down with three psychology co-op students and discuss their experiences with the program, the benefits of adding work experience to your degree, and their advice for current students!

For more information about the Arts Co-op Program, check out the program website.

Rotating Feature: The Psychology of Attraction

When we talk about love, we usually think of our heart and what it makes us feel. Unsurprisingly, much of the paraphernalia and marketing around love and romance revolves around heart-shaped objects. But as psychology students, we know that it is the brain, and evolutionary biology, that truly are responsible for these feelings of love and attraction.

Falling in love typically begins with initial attraction, which can eventually develop into deeper feelings of love. But how exactly does this attraction form?

Our senses play a greater role than we often realize. All five senses contribute to how we perceive and evaluate potential partners. These senses can be ranked in terms of their influence:

  1. Sight is the most important sense as it piques our romantic interest in a person and draws us closer to them. Who you might find attractive is shaped by cultural beauty standards, and by evolutionary signals of reproductive fitness (e.g. long, lustrous hair in women). Once we see someone we like, we might go up closer to them to allow our other senses to further inspect and determine our attraction to them.

  2. Smell plays a crucial role by allowing us to detect pheromones, which communicate genetic and physical information. Research suggests that males experience a rise in testosterone when exposed to the scent of ovulating women, increasing perceived attractiveness. Women, on the other hand, are sensitive to differences in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), a group of genes involved in immune system functioning. Women tend to prefer partners with dissimilar MHC molecules to ensure reproductive fitness and higher immunity for their potential offspring.

  3. Hearing, although often overlooked, is a key component in attraction. Studies show that males prefer females with breathy, higher-pitched voices, while females tend to prefer males with lower-pitched voices, both of which are associated with reproductive health.

  4. Touch is the most obvious sense that makes us feel attracted to someone. Positive physical contact triggers the release of oxytocin, commonly known as the “love hormone”. Oxytocin promotes bonding and emotional closeness and is also responsible for a strong bond between a mother and her infant in the first few months of the child’s life.

  5. Taste allows for the exchange of chemical and tactile cues and is closely linked to the sense of smell. Kissing often acts as a final test of attraction. A bad kiss can put an end to the attraction altogether, while a great kiss can enhance your memory, making you vividly remember the feeling of your first kiss for years.

Once attraction is established through the senses, your body’s fight or flight system is activated. Glucose is released to give you more energy, which explains why when you first start going out with someone, you may feel a buzz or as though electricity is coursing through your veins.

In today’s world, while modern love often begins on dating apps where attraction is largely reduced to visual cues (swipe right for those you find attractive), love and attraction actually requires more than just your sense of sight and finding the other person good-looking!

This February, PSYCHS encourages you to seek meaningful connections in person and pay attention to how your senses respond. You might find that true attraction is not just confirmed by what you see, but by everything you feel!

TED-Ed. (2014, May 8). The science of attraction – Dawn Maslar [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=169N81xAffQ

Diary of a Psyc Student

Thank you to all of those who submitted a diary entry in last month’s newsletter! This month, we have chosen to feature the entry below:

“I’m interested in applying for grad school, but I don’t know if it’s the right path for me. Do you have any advice?”

It’s great that you are considering graduate school! That said, it can definitely feel intimidating, especially if you don’t have friends or family members who have applied to or attended grad school. It’s totally valid to ask questions like What is it really like? and What credentials do I need to apply? It’s normal to feel uncertain or stressed.

Each year, PSYCHS hosts a “How to Get Into Grad School” event in partnership with the Graduate Pan-Psychology Partnership (GPPP). This event features a panel of grad students from a variety of psyc grad programs at the UofC. Panelists share what their programs are like and offer tips on how to make your application stand out. If you missed it this year, feel free to send us an email and we will share the recording with you!

This month, we’re also hosting a “Grad Student Panel” with the GPPP, where psyc grad students will discuss the day-to-day realities of grad school. They’ll talk about what their programs are like and what you can expect, helping you decide whether grad school might be the right path for you!

In addition, the GPPP offers a mentorship program that matches undergraduate students with graduate student mentors. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, gain insight, and receive support from someone who has been in your shoes. The GPPP recruits mentees during the fall semester, so keep an eye out!

Finally, we’re excited to share that a career panel is currently in the works! This event will highlight the many diverse career opportunities available with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Remember, grad school isn’t the only option! Stay tuned for further details.

We wish you the best of luck as you explore whether grad school is right for you, prepare your applications, and pursue your goals. We hope to see you at our events :)

-PSYCHS

Being a psychology student can be exciting, but also overwhelming! That’s why we’ve created Diary of a Psych Student – a space in our newsletter where you can share what’s on your mind.

Whether you’re celebrating a win (aced an exam, landed a research position), or facing a challenge (stress, self-doubt, tough classes), this is your place to rant, laugh, vent, or reflect. Our team will read your submissions and respond in the next issue with encouragement, advice, or simply a listening ear.

Submissions are anonymous and they don’t have to be long. Even a few sentences can spark connection and remind others they’re not alone in this journey!

So go ahead – share your story, question, or celebration with us! Together, we’ll build a supportive space where every psyc student feels heard!

While we hope to offer support and community, please remember that this column is not a replacement for professional counselling or mental health services. We encourage seeking out professional help for serious issues. Please check out the Wellness services offered at UofC.

Interactive Section - Red Flag or Green Flag? (Psychology of Love Edition)

Enjoy this fun, reflective “Red Flag or Green Flag” activity!

Connect With Us!

Stay in the loop: 

We want PSYCHS to feel like your community. To help us plan events, improve our newsletter, and make the most of our office space, we’d love to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out our anonymous feedback form — your thoughts will directly shape what we do this year. 

Warmly, 

Kaylie Fulwiler, Tara Meehan, Navya Arora, and Matinatsa Hapanyengwi 

PSYCHS Communication Team