A racing heart before a big moment, a knot in the stomach when we’re stressed, or a sudden sense of calm after a deep breath.Why do emotions feel so physical? Emotions are not just experiences in the mind - they are whole-body events.This episode explores the psychology of emotion, focusing on how the brain and body constantly communicate to shape what we feel. From fear and anger to joy and love, emotional experiences emerge from a dynamic feedback loop between the brain and the body.This week, we’re joined by Dr Jo Kandola to examine how the brain interprets signals from the body, why emotions are accompanied by physical sensations, and how this process influences our behaviour and decision-making.Follow for a new episode every Friday!References:Nummenmaa, L., Hari, R., Hietanen, J. K., & Glerean, E. (2018). Maps of subjective feelings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(37), 9198–9203. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807390115Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Putnam.James, W. (1884). What is an emotion? Mind, 9(34), 188–205. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/os-IX.34.188
When we watch the Olympics and Paralympics on TV, we mostly see the highlight reel: the medals, the tears, the interviews, the national anthem, and the occasional inspirational backstory. And that’s natural – we’re spectators. We focus on performance.But the games aren’t really just a two-week sporting event. For the athletes, it’s better understood as a multi-year psychological transition – and it comes with a real emotional price tag.In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Binna Kandola OBE to unpack the psychological journey of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We explore how elite performance shapes identity, the emotional instability of the games themselves, and why the most intense moments often occur far from the podium. References:Roy David Samuel, Itay Basevitch, The Olympic Games transition: a narrative review and a conceptual model, Performance Enhancement & Health, Volume 13, Issue 4, October 2025 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266925000660David Awosoga, Matthew Chow, Peaks and primes: Do athletes get one shot at glory?, Significance, Volume 21, Issue 3, July 2024, Pages 6-9, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrssig/qmae038Starting and Specialisation Ages of Elite Athletes across Olympic Sports: An International Cross-sectional Study. (2023). European Journal of Sport Sciences, 2(5), 9-19. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsport.2023.2.5.100
