Taking equations from physics out of context to bolster social science claims isn't unique to psychology, other social sciences like economics have done the same thing with little more justification. The rationale behind this approach is simple marketing, in that 'using more mathy stuff' will sell better to the general public than non-mathy hand-waving claims will.

However, the practioners of this approach don't seem to understand that physical equations are constructed by analysis of empirical experimental and observational data on one hand, and theoretical mathematical development on the other, within limited scopes of applicability. Copying equations from one area of science to another willy-nilly like the article describes is just ridiculous - would cosmologists studying general relatively just plug in quantum mechanical equations in the hope of getting a 'mathy explanation'?

Here's another example from 'mathematically sound neoclassical economics', which does the same with 19th century physical science equations:

> "The strategy the economists used was as simple as it was absurd—they substituted economic variables for physical ones. Utility (a measure of economic well-being) took the place of energy; the sum of utility and expenditure replaced potential and kinetic energy. A number of well-known mathematicians and physicists told the economists that there was absolutely no basis for making these substitutions. But the economists ignored such criticisms and proceeded to claim that they had transformed their field of study into a rigorously mathematical scientific discipline."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-economist-has...