Psychology Is Podcast

Clinical Psychologist Roger McFillin joins Nick Fortino on the 30th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast for a conversation about the current state of the mental health field. What are we doing wrong? What are we doing right? How can we course correct?

Trauma therapist, and Las Vegas shooting survivor Shiva Ghaed offers tools to help process and heal from trauma and mass violence.

Route 91 festival mass shooting survivor shares her story. Shiva Ghaed is a clinical psychologist with a focus on helping trauma victims. On this episode Shiva explains how she physically and mentally escaped the traumatic incident in Las Vegas.

Dr. Marilyn Schlitz is a professor, researcher, and author of several books including Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life. She graces the PI Podcast with her presence and expertise for a conversation about the psychology of transformation.

What is boredom? What causes boredom? What do people do when they're bored? How can we regulate and utilize boredom? These are some of the questions explored in this intriguing conversation! Dr. Erin Westgate joins Nick in the 27th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast for a very interesting conversation about boredom!

Dr. Lasana Harris joins us on the 26th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast for a conversation about social cognition, the flexible use of social cognition, and the psychology of dehumanization. 

Dr. Kent Berridge is one of the most impactful scholars in psychology. He is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan. He has an incredible h-index of 108. In the 25th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast, Dr. Berridge shares his expertise about the neuropsychology of addiction and emotion. We discuss his idea of incentive salience as applied to addiction, and the d...

On the 24th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast with Nick Fortino, we have the special opportunity to talk to the prolific author, Donna Freitas, for an in depth conversation about sexual consent, and consent in general. Dr. Freitas is a sought after expert on this topic, so it was an honor to have her on the podcast. I hope this conversation is enjoyable and thought-provoking. 

What motivates a serial killer? What factors conspire to make a serial killer? Dr. Sasha Reid joins Nick in conversation to share the insight she has gleaned from her research.

Elliot Aronson is one of the most influential psychologists of all time. It was with tremendous gratitude and excitement that I hosted Dr. Aronson in conversation on the 22nd episode of the Psychology Is Podcast. We discuss his incredible life, and also cognitive dissonance, self justification, psychology in politics, the jigsaw classroom, censorship on college campuses, and more. Enjoy the conver...

Dr. Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist, director of the InfantLab at Goldsmiths, University of London, and author of the book, The Laughing Baby: The Extraordinary Science Behind What Makes Babies Happy. He joins Nick Fortino on the 21st episode of the Psychology Is podcast for a conversation about what makes babies happy, what makes babies laugh, how we can connect with babies, baby p...

Psychologist Nick Fortino speaks with award winning author of Anatomy of an Epidemic and journalist Robert Whitaker about mental disorders and psychiatric drugs. They discuss the dramatic discrepancy between evidence and practice in psychiatry, and what role these drugs have in the effort to improve mental health in society.

Why are people so intrigued by serial killers? They're disturbing and terrifying, yet we can't seem to look away. Shows and movies about serial killers are extremely successful, and media outlets reporting serial killer activity capture the attention of the masses. Dr. Scott Bonn's expertise on the topic combined with his experience as a media executive make him uniquely qualified to help us under...

It's very difficult to look squarely into the face of the worst of human behavior, but it's crucial to do so, because in order to minimize and prevent it, we have to understand it. That's exactly what evolutionary psychologist Dr. David Buss has done in his new book, When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Abuse. Dr. Buss graces the Psychology Is podcast with h...

Author Dan Millman joins Nick Fortino in conversation about happiness, purpose, adversity, and being a peaceful warrior. Dan has written many books, including the famous Way of the Peaceful Warrior. We hope you enjoy the conversation!

One of the most distinguished practitioners of behavioral genetics, Dr. Robert Plomin, joins us on the 17th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast. We discuss some of the insights in his new book, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are. Dr. Plomin shares his expertise on the methods for developing our understanding of the role of genetics in psychology and what we have learned about the role of gene...

In the 16th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast, Social Worker and Yoga Teacher Nicole Steward joins us in conversation about how to avoid burnout and enhance performance in work and in life. This is a common topic of conversation, but Nicole has developed a systematic approach to self care that is extremely valuable. We're happy to bring you this conversation and trust you will hear valuable, ap...

Health is more than the mere absence of illness. In the 15th episode of the Psychology Is podcast, eminent scholar Roger Walsh joins Nick Fortino for a conversation about enhanced well-being and how to cultivate it. Dr. Walsh opens up about his inspiring marriage with his late wife, the brilliant Frances Vaughan.

Dr. Steve Hsu, a physicist, professor at MSU, and founder of Genomic Prediction. We discuss the newest innovations related to genetic testing and editing, including Genomic Predictions and CRISPR. We also discuss what these innovations may make possible (for better or worse), and how we can proceed carefully as we learn to harness this new power.

Dr. Peter Gøtzsche joins psychologist Nick Fortino on the 13th episode of the Psychology Is Podcast. This conversation focuses on the problems with current practices in psychiatry, the terribly adverse effects of psychiatric drugs, how to withdraw from these drugs, the death of the chemical imbalance hypothesis, and the paradigm shift we need to more accurately understand emotional pain.   Learn m...

In the 12th episode of the Psychology Is podcast, professor Nick Fortino speaks with therapist and forensic psychologist, Dr. Stephanie Williams about overcoming anxiety and depression. Many factors influence the well being of an individual, including the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of the individual's life. This is a conversation about overcoming anxiety and depression from t...

ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in kids and drug treatment is the most common treatment for kids diagnosed with ADHD. In episode 11 of the Psychology Is podcast, we welcome author and therapist Dr. Marilyn Wedge to discuss how ADHD is diagnosed, the legitimacy of the ADHD construct, and whether ADHD is diagnosed and treated carefully enough in our culture. Dr. Wedge also shar...

50 years after the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, the living legend Dr. Philip Zimbardo joins Dr. Nick Fortino on the Psychology Is podcast to discuss the psychology of evil and the psychology of heroism.    In the conversation, Dr. Zimbardo responds to claims that he initially misled the public about the degree to which he influenced the guards in the prison study. Here is his full, written r...

Millions of people are prescribed psychiatric drugs each year, but few understand how these drugs actually affect the brain. In the 9th episode of the Psychology Is podcast, psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff joins psychologist Nick Fortino for an important conversation about how people think these drugs work and how they actually work.

"Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."  The capacity to forgive is essential to our well being. In this conversation, psychologist Nick Fortino interviews Stanford professor and forgiveness expert Dr. Fred Luskin. They talk about what forgiveness is, how to forgive others, and how to forgive yourself. Find Dr. Luskin at https://learningtoforgive.com/