💡 The world is full of questions, and science has the answers.
🧠 Join Dr Emily Hughes, a social psychologist, and soon-to-be Dr Masha Remskar, a behavioural scientist, as they shed light on the science of health, wealth, and society. They’re here to translate the latest psychological research into actionable insights for your everyday decisions.
🎙 New episodes out every Wednesday, starting 3rd January ...
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Social media is commonly branded as one of the key factors responsible for deteriorating mood and mental health, especially in adolescents – but is the science in agreement? Join us as we delve into the double-edged sword that is social media, and take a closer look at the magnitude of its well documented relationship with outcomes such as well-being, depression, loneliness, and body image. We discuss why social media can have such an effect – positive or negative – on our mental health, and uncover some of the factors that determine whether social media is good or bad for us. 📊 Key research studies we discussed: Lonely people use Facebook, rather than Facebook makes its users lonely: Does Facebook make you lonely? A meta analysis (Computers in Human Behaviour, 2014) The assumption that social media use has severe detrimental consequences is not well supported by existing evidence: Are social media ruining our lives? A review of meta-analytic evidence (Review of General Psychology, 2019) Higher levels of depression are associated with greater upward social comparisons: Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of of facebook-depression relations (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019) No clear evidence that increased social media use is responsible for decreased face-to-face interaction: Social media use, social displacement, and well-being (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2022) Time spent on social media is associated with reduced social connection and well-being, but only when used passively: Social media intensity, social connection, and user well-being: The moderating role of passive social media use (Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 2023) Taking a social media break results in less positive emotions for active users, and has no effect for passive users: Taking a break: The effect of taking a vacation from Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being (PloS One, 2019) 📱 Connect with us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @getbrighterpod We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.
Money makes the world go around - but how rational and smart are we with our money decisions? Science shows that our upbringing, surroundings, and past experience can expose us to a series of biases that makes us less smart with money than we might think! Join us as we uncover a series of money mistakes and bust a bunch of money myths, all in the hope of making you better informed about the psychology of money. 📊 Key research studies we discussed: Lottery winners only marginally happier than paraplegics: Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1978) Emotional wellbeing plateaus at $75K/year: High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being (PNAS, 2010) Spending on others makes us feel better than on ourselves: Spending money on others promotes happiness (Science, 2008) Time-saving purchases make us happier than material ones: Buying time promotes happiness (PNAS, 2017) Women underestimate their financial knowledge, men overestimate it: Overconfidence and investment: An experimental approach (Journal of Corporate Finance, 2017) Losing is emotionally twice as potent as winning: Neural markers of loss aversion in resting-state brain activity (NeuroImage, 2017) 📚 Books and other resources: The Psychology of Money (Morgan Housel, 2020) 📱 Connect with us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @getbrighterpod We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.
Is there such a thing as a ‘highly motivated person’, or is motivation something that can be cultivated by our social surroundings? In this episode, we discuss some of the key motivators that drive us to engage in health behaviour, perform in the workplace, and achieve academically. We also discuss some science-backed standards for defining your goals by considering both their content (what is it you want to achieve?) and framing (what is the intention behind your goal?) 📊 Key research studies we discussed: Interventions that increase autonomy support improve physical and psychological health due to increases in self-determination: A meta-analysis of self-determination theory-informed intervention studies in the health domain (Health Psychology Review, 2021) Meta-analysis identifying the job-design characteristics associated with the satisfaction of psychological needs and positive work outcomes: Integrating motivational, social, and contextual work design features (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2007) Facilitation of psychological needs via teaching practice is essential to the achievement of student learning outcomes: Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom (Theory and Research in Education, 2009) In 90% of studies, specific and challenging goals lead to higher performance than easy or 'do your best' goals: Goal setting and task performance: 1969–1980 (Psychological Bulletin, 1981) Intrinsic and extrinsic life goals are associated with separable outcomes: Further examining the American dream (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1996) Critical review of use of the SMART mnemonic for setting physical activity goals: The (over)use of SMART goals for physical activity promotion (Health Psychology Review, 2023) 📚 Books and other resources: Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior (Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, 1985) A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance (Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, 1990) There’s a S.M.A.R.T way to write management’s goals and objectives (George Doran, 1981) 📱 Connect with us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @getbrighterpod We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.
We all know the feeling of a post-lunch slump or the Christmas dinner food coma. How else might our diet impact how we feel, and could there be serious implications for our mental health? We dig deep into the science on how what we eat makes us feel. We also discuss the effects of being vegetarian, vegan, keto and paleo on mental health, and what micronutrients we might lack for optimal mental health. 📊 Key research studies we discussed: Mice displayed “depression-like behaviour” after 3 weeks of a high-fat diet: Normal diet Vs High fat diet - A comparative study: Behavioral and neuroimmunological changes in adolescent male mice (Metabolic Brain Disease, 2018) Large UK-based study showing link between a poor-quality diet and depression: Multiple lifestyle factors and depressed mood: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the UK Biobank (N = 84,860) (BMC Medicine, 2020) Changed diet leads to 4x greater improvement in depression than social support group: A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial) (BMC Medicine, 2017) Vegetarians may experience slightly more negative emotions: Vegetarianism, depression, and the five factor model of personality (Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 2018) People whose reasons for following a diet align with values are most successful: “An Important Part of Who I am”: The Predictors of Dietary Adherence among Weight-Loss, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, and Gluten-Free Dietary Groups (Nutrients, 2020) 📚 Books and other resources: Gut (Giulia Enders MD, 2014) 10% Human (Dr Alanna Collen, 2015) The Inflamed Mind (Edward Bullmore MD, 2018) 30 Plants Per Week Challenge (template by Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, 2021) Michael Pollan’s food rules (Michael Pollan, 2010) 📱 Connect with us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @getbrighterpod We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.
Be it emailing a distant relative, replying to your friend on the group chat, or joining colleagues for a Zoom meeting – communicating online is the new normal. Sure, it might be quicker, but are we actually communicating more effectively? In this episode, we discuss whether there are just some things that are better said in-person, and whether all mediums for online communication should be considered equal. We also delve into the science of Zoom-fatigue, and uncover how to feel less exhausted by the constant screen time. Join us to find out how you can communicate well online (and stay well doing it!) 📊 Key research studies we discussed: Work-from-anywhere associated with a 4.4% increase in work output vs. work-from-home: Work-from-anywhere: The productivity effects of geographic flexibility (Strategic Management Journal, 2021) Communication gap when conveying emotion online: Egocentrism over e-mail: Can we communicate as well as we think? (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005) Communication gap when asking for help online: Should I ask over zoom, phone, email, or in-person? Communication channel and predicted versus actual compliance (Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2021) Videoconference meetings increase fatigue with immediate effect: Videoconference fatigue? Exploring changes in fatigue after videoconference meetings during COVID-19 (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2021) 📚 Books and other resources: The state of workplace communication in 2024 (Forbes Advisor, 2023) New data: US & UK office workers say it's time to rethink digital communication for the modern workplace (GlobalNewswire, 2022) Stanford researchers identify four causes for ‘Zoom fatigue’ and their simple fixes (Stanford News, 2021) Can virtual meeting spaces save us all from Zoom fatigue? (The Guardian, 2021) Designing the new hybrid meeting experience – for everyone (Microsoft, 2023) 📱 Connect with us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @getbrighterpod We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.