Business & Psychology

It’s not about time. Or laziness. Or lack of discipline. When we procrastinate, it’s rarely a calendar problem. It’s an emotional one. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller dive into the psychology of procrastination and reveal why we delay tasks not because they’re hard, but because they feel uncomfortable. They explore how procrastination is less about productivity and more...

You say yes to another task. Even though your plate is already full. You stay late, again. You avoid pushing back, just in case it makes you seem less committed. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller unpack the psychology behind our struggle to say “no” at work and how chronic approval-seeking can quietly erode both performance and well-being. They explore the emotional cost o...

That heavy feeling on Sunday night. The snooze button on repeat. The slow drag into Monday meetings. We call it “the Monday blues” but underneath it lies something deeper: your brain bracing for stress and lack of meaning. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller explore how our brain’s predictive nature shapes how we  feel about Mondays and why motivation crashes when we ex...

Ever sat in a meeting where no one could land on a direction - even though all the options were on the table? Or delayed a decision for days, hoping that “just a bit more info” would make things easier? In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller unpack the psychology behind indecision in the workplace — and how "too much choice" doesn’t empower teams, it overwhelms them. They dive...

A decision flops, a deadline slips, a plan fails — and suddenly everyone “knew” it would happen. But did they? Or are we rewriting the past to protect our pride? In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller explore  Hindsight Bias , the brain’s sneaky habit of altering memories once an outcome is known. It feels harmless — but it quietly undermines accountability, distorts learn...

It’s not just a deadline. It’s pressure from five directions — tasks, emotions, people, and a brain that won’t shut off. You’re functioning, but just barely. And the scariest part? You might not even notice how far your system is overstretched. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller unpack the concept of  Allostatic Load  — the cumulative wear and tear on your body an...

You hold back in meetings, overthink your phrasing, and hesitate to challenge your manager — not because you lack ideas, but because authority makes you freeze. The result? Silence, lost potential, and shrinking confidence. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller break down the concept of  Power Distance , a psychological and cultural dynamic that shapes how we respond to h...

You’re about to pitch to people you’ve never met. And instead of focusing on your idea, your brain fixates on fitting in — or worse, being dismissed. But persuasion doesn’t start with logic. It starts with perceived similarity. In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller explore the  Similarity-Attraction Paradigm , a psychological principle that explains why people are more re...

Why do we so often follow the most confident voice in the room—even when it’s not the most competent? In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller explore the  Dunning-Kruger effect , a cognitive bias where people with lower ability tend to overestimate their competence, while true experts stay quiet—doubting themselves. You’ll learn: – Why loud confidence is often mistaken for...

Why do teams start to mirror the tone, pace, and even emotional climate of their leader? And why do we so often adapt—consciously or not—to fit into the group we're part of? In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller unpack the psychological principle of  social conformity  and  emotional contagion —two key forces that drive our need to blend in and match the behavio...

We’ve all been there: a task wasn’t done, a message was “misunderstood,” or a deadline quietly slipped by. But what if the root problem isn’t poor communication — it’s the  assumption  that communication has already happened? In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller dive into the  false consensus effect , a well-documented psychological bias that leads us to believ...

In this very first episode, your hosts Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller and Martin Wolf introduce you to the Business & Psychology podcast: We talk about: – Who we are and why we started this podcast – Our shared obsession with the human factor behind everyday business behavior What you can expect from each episode: • One psychological insight per session • Backed by science – but easy to digest • Fu...