All In The Mind

The AI revolution is coming. Your mind isn't ready for it. Cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson walks us through the many ways artificial intelligence is messing — and will mess — with our psychology. From falling in love with AI to unforgettable deep fakes, we dive into an uncertain future and what you can do to prepare for it. This episode was first broadcast in April 2024. If you'd like to hea...

That voice inside your head - where does it come from?  We bring back a topic that was one of our most popular for a long awaited part two.  Today, what shapes your internal chatter. This episode was first released in March 2024. Our original episode on chatter is called  Controlling the chatter in your head , if you liked this episode you'll love that one!

Patric Gagne is a sociopath, but she doesn’t fit the stereotype. From a violent kid, to a PhD and author - we track the unusual story of a sociopath who learned to be 'good'. Plus, there's been some controversy and questions about the veracity of her PhD - so, we fact checked it. This episode was first released in May 2024. Need something to listen to next? Check out our episode  Why heartbreak hu...

What do working for the CIA, navigating hot button topics and talking to teenagers all have in common? They're all situations that supercommunicators excel at. Today, we explore how you can become a supercommunicator too.  This episode was first broadcast in February 2024.  Why not check out  Introversion vs Extroversion . If you enjoyed this episode, you'll love that one too. 

What influences your shopping behaviour? Well, it's likely a mix of what you need, what's presented to you in store and probably some neuromarketing (which we've covered on our program before). But what about the role of product designers?  Today, we get into the psychology of design and the battle designers face balancing innovation with our human need for the familiar. And given all the ways des...

How do you feel as you move through a busy space — like an airport, a city street or a crowded shopping centre? For some of us, these spaces are energising — being among the rush of people and the noise of the crowds. But for others, these situations can be a little much.  And for some neurodivergent people — especially those with sensory issues — being in these public spaces can be utterly overwh...

Dopamine feels great, but is it always good for us? The answer is complicated, so today, we get into what dopamine actually does in the brain. How does it affect our motivation, movement and behaviour? And how does our environment influence that? Plus, should we be detoxing from dopamine ... and why are people raw dogging flights? If you're looking for something to listen to next, check out our ep...

We've come a long way in how we talk about mental health. But while diagnoses like depression and anxiety can empower people to seek help and support — they also influence how we see ourselves and how others might see us, too. Today, we investigate 'concept creep.' It's the idea that the labels we use to describe mental health are expanding and being applied to an ever-wider array of human behavio...

How clear is your inner voice? Do you internally narrate your life? And do you get songs stuck in your head? Almost all of us can imagine sounds in our minds. But a small part of the population don't have internal auditory imagery — a phenomenon called anauralia. Today, we explore the experience of anauralia, in an episode from Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World. Our Changing World is produced...

Music is a universal feature of the human experience — present from our very first cultures and civilisations. But do the features of particular songs and styles translate across cultural boundaries? Like, is a lullaby recognisable even when it's from a different culture? Can you identify a love song in another language? Today, we explore the special relationship between music and our minds, in an...

Laura would spend weeks feeling normal — even happy. But like clockwork, every month, suddenly she would feel intense depression, making her unrecognisable to herself and friends. It took her nearly two decades to identify what was causing this rollercoaster of mood: PMDD, AKA Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. So what is it about hormones that make some people feel such intense emotions? And why is...

Professor Chris French has been studying the paranormal for decades. But — he’s a sceptic. In an All in the Mind Halloween special, we explore the psychology behind our spooky encounters. What's going on in your brain when you see a ghost? How do people talk to the dead? And why would a sceptic study the paranormal?

How many hours have you spent on your phone today? And do you feel like it's too many? A growing movement of people are going without their smartphones and computers in favour of just about anything that doesn't have a screen. They say it's giving their lives more meaning — and improving their mental health. This week, meet the digital minimalists ditching their devices, and how you can do it too....

We don't remember everything that happens to us — so why do we remember what we remember? And the memories we do lock away aren't always accurate or trustworthy. This week, we're talking about the fallibility of memory and why sometimes it's healthy to forget. We'll also get into how to remember special moments more clearly, and here's a hint — you might want to put down your camera sometimes. If...

We know running is good for the body, but what about the brain?  Hear from people who love running about the psychological tools they use to stay active, including some advice from a professor who's taught their entire class to run a marathon.  Looking for something to listen to next? Check out our episode Why being a beginner is good for you .

This week we're talking about something intimate … And at-times taboo … Masturbation. From self-love, to disordered behaviour, and back again, how our perceptions of masturbation have changed over the course of history and why it's still linked to shame and confusion for some. Also — why do humans (and other animals) masturbate in the first place? Just a heads up, if the topic didn't give it away,...

It's human nature to form groups — families, friends, online communities. We love to be surrounded by people similar to us. But that can also make us discriminatory and defensive. And social media makes that instinct worse. Today, we look at how our brains evolved to connect and divide, and what that means for the problems we face in our modern world. This episode was first broadcast in April 2023...

When you think about pillars of health a few things might come to mind — nutrition, exercise, connectedness. But there's something many of us miss off that list — sleep. Insomnia does so much more than make us cranky, it's closely tied to our mental health. Not just how we feel on a day to day basis, but our likelihood of developing depression. This week, what happens when you don't get enough sle...

Earlier this year, the Netflix program Baby Reindeer brought stalking firmly back into the zeitgeist - sparking discussion about the psychology of people who stalk and the impact it has on victims. So what goes on in the mind of a stalker? How do the various types, from incompetent suitor to intimacy seeker, differ? And what should you do if you think you have a stalker?

Attachment theory is a foundation of modern psychology — a framework for understanding human relationships and how we connect other people. But has social media taken this concept — grounded in decades of research — too far? Scroll through Instagram or TikTok for too long, and you might think that if you have a certain attachment style, you're fundamentally unlovable — or that you need to steer cl...

Do you know your love language?  Maybe you've done an online test — tested your partner — spent time talking it over — even made decisions about your relationship on the basis of your love language. But where did this concept of love languages even come from? And how good is the evidence that backs it up? Today, two research psychologists go deep on the concept of love languages — and what they re...

How would you describe your parents? Nobody's perfect, of course, but some parents leave more of a mark than others. Today, we revisit the life-long impact of having 'emotionally immature' parents, as Dr Lindsay Gibson's book hits bestseller lists. This episode was first broadcast in May 2021. If you're looking for another episode to listen to, why not check out Milgram Shock and Stanford Prison —...

Can't sleep? Worries keeping you up at night? It might be time to look to the stars. For National Science Week, we're investigating the relationship between the night sky and mental wellbeing. So can spending time under the night sky give you a mood boost? And if it does … why? Looking for more nature in your life? Check out our episode Nature prescriptions — just what the doctor ordered .

It sounds like fantasy, but the manipulation of dreams is now possible — and it's thanks to a well known video game, Tetris.

For people with PTSD, flashbacks can be an unwelcome and distressing experience. To tackle this problem, researchers have turned to Tetris.