Stronger Minds

Do you knock on wood for good luck? Throw a pinch of salt over your shoulder? Maybe you’re someone who avoids opening an umbrella indoors just in case?Superstitions sit on a spectrum from common habits and rituals to symptoms of mental illness. In the world of psychology we call these beliefs magical thinking. The nature, pros and cons of magical thinking is the topic of this week’s podcast.___Pareidolia (coming soon!)Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate links

Most of us can think of someone in our lives that we own an apology, but put it off because of shame, embarrassment, or not knowing where to start. But apologies can be hugely important not just in helping the person who has been hurt to heal and move forwards, but in supporting our own emotional maturity. So, this week’s episode is a science-backed guide to the perfect apology.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate links

Even when we know we should, even when we want to, apologising can feel impossible. In this week’s episode , I present six psychological barriers to apologising, looking under the surface to see why sorry really is the hardest word. 

A new idea in psychology suggests that mental health awareness campaigns and activities are driving up the recorded incidence of mental illness in both good and bad ways.In this week’s podcast, I overview the hypothesis, share my thoughts, and highlight the additional factors that, if it is true, might make young people particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon.Social Media Contagion – TikTok ticsRead the paper____Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate links

This episode is in response to a request from someone whose family has been bereaved by the death of a child.So I reached out to Dr. Martha Deiros Collado, a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with children and families, and who spent over a decade working with and developing services for children with life limiting and life shortening conditions.I am enormously grateful to Martha for her support with this episode in which she covers issues like:Why the language you use around death is importantThe value of creating ritualsHow to manage important dates like birthdays after the death of a childWhat to say and not say to parents after their child has diedWe hope this will be a helpful resource for bereaved parents, family members and people around the family.Support & ResourcesSue RyderWinston’s Wish – support for children who are grieving -the loss of a sibling or the loss of a parentChild Bereavement UKLullaby Trust Tommy’sSandsGingerbread – Support for single parents including those who are bereavedChild Death Helpline – helpline operated by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all bereaved parents ____Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate links

Conformity, the act of adjusting your behaviour to fit in with group norms or expectations, is one of the strongest, most consistent and yet subtle social pressures that we experience. In this episode I’m talking about the evolutionary roots of shame and its links to conformity and physical pain.

Dementia is the disease that most adults are frightened of and global rates are set to triple by 2050. But too few of us know that there is anything we can do reduce our chances of developing the condition. Yet, research indicates that around 40% of global dementia cases could be delayed or prevented through changes in lifestyle.In this episode I overview the 12 known modifiable risk factors for dementia and how you can start to look after your long-term brain health starting right now.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon NHS Alcohol Support Alcohol Change UKDrinkaware*Affiliate links

Over 50 million people have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to profile their personality. What can it tell you about yourself and is it worth the money?Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksMBTI website quotes accurate on 29th April 2024.