PsychCrunch

This is  Episode 22 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology.   In this episode, Ella Rhodes, Journalist for The Psychologist , explores the boundaries between wakefulness and dreaming. What can we can learn about consciousness from the strange transition period between being awake and asleep, known as hypnagogia? And...

This is  Episode 21 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology.   What can we do to stay connected in the middle of a pandemic?  We've all played our part in fighting COVID-19, and for many of us that has meant staying away from our friends and families. In this episode, our presenter  Ginny Smith  explores how this unp...

This is  Episode 20 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology.   What can psychology teach us about dealing with pain?  Our presenter  Ginny Smith  learns that swearing can have a pain-reducing effect, and puts the theory to the test with an experiment on editor Matthew Warren. Ginny also hears about how virtual realit...

This is  Episode 19 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology.   Do we worry too much about screen time? The iss u e of screen use by children and teenagers is rarely out of the headlines, and institutions including the World Health Organization have recommended specific limits on screen time for the youngest age group...

This is Episode 18 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help us become more creative? Our presenter Ginny Smith learns how we can develop our creativity with practice, and discovers that our best "Eureka" moments often come when we step away from the task at hand. She also investigates how members...

This is Episode 17 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help make running more enjoyable?  Our presenter Christian Jarrett  speaks to several experts about various strategies including "cognitive reappraisal" and the benefits of taking part in organised runs. He also hears how some of us are geneti...

Ella Rhodes, journalist for The Psychologist  magazine, delves into the growing body of research exploring aphantasia – a condition she has personal experience of. While most people can see images formed in their minds people with aphantasia draw a blank, what might this mean for autobiographical memory, face perception and imagination?   Our guests, in order of appearance, are: Zoe Pounder  at th...

This is Episode 15 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology .  Mindfulness is everywhere these days, but is it really as beneficial as it's often made out to be?  Our presenter Ginny Smith  hears from clinical psychologist Dr Catherine Wikholm (co-author of The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? ); she visits the...

This is Episode 14 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help your cooking taste better?  Our presenter Ginny Smith  hears about the importance of food presentation, pairing and sequencing, and how our perception of food is a multi-sensory experience. She and her friends conduct a taste test using "...

This is Episode 13 of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help us to learn better?  Our presenter Christian Jarrett discovers the best evidence-backed strategies for learning, including the principle of spacing, the benefits of testing yourself and teaching others. He also hears about the perils of o...

This is Episode 12 of PsychCrunch  the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Download here. Can psychology help us to be funnier?  Our presenter Ginny Smith  hears how a key ingredient of humour is "incongruity" and the surprise of unexpected meanings. Individual words too can be amusing, but actually most of the time we laugh not bec...

This is Episode 11 of PsychCrunch  the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest , sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help us get a better night's sleep?  Our presenter Ginny Smith  hears how worry about sleep is sometimes more of a problem than lack of sleep itself. She gives us some evidence-backed sleep tips and finds out about "sleep engineering" – delibe...

It's been a while coming, but this is Episode 10 of PsychCrunch  the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help us avoid procrastinating and get on with the important things we know we should be doing? Our presenter Christian Jarrett hears about what causes procrastination, how to stop it, and whether it has any upsides...

This is Episode 9 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology . Can psychology help us work together better in teams?  Our presenter Christian Jarrett hears about the benefits of appointing a "meta-knowledge champion" for the team, making sure everyone has contact with the team's "extra miler", and why you should think ca...

This is Episode 8 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by  Routledge Psychology . Can we trust psychological studies? We speak to  Brian Earp , of Oxford University and Yale University, about how to respond when we're told repeatedly that the veracity of eye-catching findings, or even cherished theories, has come under scrutiny. Brian also...

This is Episode Seven of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . Can psychology give you a competitive edge in sport? Our presenter Christian Jarrett learns about the importance of having the right competitive mindset, and how to use self-talk and positive imagery to boost your sporting performance. Our guests, in order...

This is Episode 6 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Have you ever sent a sarcastic email or text message and discovered to your horror that the recipient thought you were being literal? If so, this episode is for you! Research Digest editor Christian Jarrett speaks to Dr Ruth Filik (University of Nottingham), le...

This is Episode Five of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology . In this episode we explore whether psychology can help us learn a new language. We hear about research showing the benefits of music training to language learning, and how it may be possible to boost your learning of foreign words while you sleep. Our pres...

This is Episode Four of PsychCrunch , the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this festive episode we explore whether psychology can help us with gift giving .  Our presenter Christian Jarrett and his guests discuss the benefits of giving "giver-centric" gifts; how recipients like to receive gifts on their wish lists; why ethical or pro-social gifts are sometimes n...

On October 1, 2015 Dr Christian Jarrett (Editor, BPS Research Digest) met with Dr Jon Sutton (Editor, The Psychologist magazine) to debate Michael Jackson's legacy. This is their full argument! Excerpts from their debate about MJ appear in Episode Three of PsychCrunch , which explored whether psychology can help you to win an argument.

This is Episode Three of PsychCrunch, the new podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this episode we explore whether psychology can help you to win an argument. After our presenter Christian Jarrett tries his luck with an argument about Michael Jackson's legacy, we find out why convincing people of your point of view is so difficult, and we hear about a paradoxical te...

This is Episode Two of PsychCrunch, the new podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this episode we speak to psychology researchers in the field of habit change to see if their findings can provide real-life tips for people hoping to break bad habits or form new healthy ones. We can't promise you a life of health and success as some self-help authors do, but we might b...

This is Episode One of PsychCrunch , the new podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this episode we speak to researchers in the field of personal attraction to see if their findings can provide real-life tips for people on a romantic date. Our guests, in order of appearance, are Adam Pazda  (University of Rochester), Coren Apicella  (University of Pennsylvania) and Sa...

PsychCrunch , the new podcast coming soon from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. Trailer credits: Presented by Christian Jarrett. Producer Lorna Stewart. Music and mixing Catherine Loveday and Jeff Knowler.