Figuring It Out

Is social media really ruining our attention spans? In Part 3 of the Figuring It Out podcast, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates put some of the biggest claims about focus and distraction to the test in Myth, Fact or It's Complicated. Can you train yourself to focus?

Is social media really to blame? And what does the evidence actually say?

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is it so much easier to focus on random things or a new hobby than an important deadline? In Part 2 of the Figuring It Out podcast, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates answer a listener's dilemma about why our brains are drawn to distractions, what's really happening when we struggle to focus, and what the science says we can actually do about it.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you feel like you can't concentrate the way you used to? In Part 1 of the Figuring It Out podcast, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore the science of attention, whether our attention spans have actually got shorter, and why modern life makes it feel harder than ever to concentrate. They also unpack one of the internet's biggest myths about attention and reveal what the evidence really says.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Figuring It Out podcast with Dr Alex George and Dr Kathryn Bates.

After four incredible years of The Stompcast, Dr Alex George is putting down his stomping boots to figure out life's biggest questions. Joining him is Dr Kathryn Bates, a research scientist at King's College London specialising in development and mental health.

Together, they combine medicine and the latest research to explore the questions we all ask about our minds, our relationships, our choices and our health.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

New episodes arrive every week in three parts from Monday to Wednesday.

Listen to this short trailer to find out what you can expect, then follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where there's a will, there's a way. Therapy can change your personality. Dr Alex George and Dr Kathryn Bates put these common claims to the test in Part 3 of Myth, Fact or It's Complicated.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we know we’re making the right choice? Do we have free will over our choices or is it all predetermined? In Part 2, Alex and Kathryn work through a listener's dilemma about moving away for a new job and reflect on some of the biggest choices and failures in their own lives.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much of who we are is actually our choice? Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore the science of how we come to be: are we a product of our experiences? Is our personality set in stone or does it change?

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

Alex and Kathryn also reveal their personality test results. You can take the same test here too: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM/.

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we only using 10% of our brains? Does déjà vu mean something is wrong with our brains? Can dreams predict the future? Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates figure out whether these common statements about the brain are Myth, Fact or It’s Complicated in Part 3. 

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it intuition, anxiety or something else? In Part 2, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore why our brains sometimes convince us that something bad is about to happen.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever been somewhere new and felt completely certain you've been there before? In Part 1, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore the science of déjà vu, why it feels so real and what our brains are actually doing when it happens.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. 

We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated. 

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.