Humans & Hope

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Maja Kutlaca  and Dr Helena Radke about how we can seek social change more effectively – from confronting discrimination through to building more successful campaigns.

We’ll explore some of their fascinating insights, including how we feel about people who stand up against injustice, how to build coalitions to tackle social issues and how to develop more effective campaigns.

Dr Kutlaca is Assistant Professor in Quantitative Social Psychology at Durham University and Dr Radke is Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh.  They each have their own research interests but have regularly collaborated on research relating to social change and collective action.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra       

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Jared Piazza about our attitudes towards and treatment of other animals.

We’ll ask what our attitudes are, how they vary across different animals and where they come from. We’ll also consider whether we are moving towards a world in which we give more rights to other animals - for example, will we ever stop killing animals for meat?

Dr Piazza is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Lancaster University. He studies the psychological processes involved in moral judgment and decision making, particularly in relation to animals. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra       

In this episode I’m talking to Professor Kelly Fielding about whether human beings really have the capacity to respond to global issues like climate change to the level we need.

We discuss some of the key things human beings will need to achieve if we are to meaningfully tackle climate change as a global society, and some of the tendencies in human thinking and behaviour that might prevent us from doing this. We also explore the human capacities that might help us respond more effectively to global issues like climate change - and how we can put these into action.

Professor Fielding is based in the School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland in Australia, and her research broadly focusses on understanding the social and psychological determinants of environmentally sustainable behaviour.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra      

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Nick Perham about the psychology of religion - and whether human beings need it in their lives.

We’ll explore the psychological drivers behind religious belief, why it is so popular, the purpose it serves for human beings and some of its disadvantages. We’ll also ask whether it’s possible for people to get these same benefits without religion.

Dr Perham is a senior lecturer in Cognitive Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan university. His research looks at how cognitive psychology affects various areas of our lives - from religion to music.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra     

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Pascal Burgmer about morality, and whether it’s really possible for human beings to meet the moral standards we commonly set ourselves.

We’ll ask how our moral thinking and behaviour works - and whether the moral standards we set ourselves as human beings are realistic. If they’re not - what’s the best we can hope for and how might we achieve it?

Dr Burgmer is a lecturer in Social and Organisational Psychology at the University of Kent in the UK, with a particular research focus on topics such as social trust, moral judgment and theory of mind.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra      

In this episode I talk to Professor Joe Forgas to explore whether its possible to prevent the rise of populism, hate and extremist political movements.

We discuss what aspects of our psychology can lead people to adopt hateful views and support political movements or parties that discriminate against others. We also explore how these are exploited by media, parties and political leaders - and the institutions around us. We’ then consider what we can do to reduce the rise of populism, hate and far right movements.

Professor Forgas is based at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and has spent decades studying Social Psychology, winning several awards and producing hundreds of publications. As a refugee who escaped communist Hungary in the boot of a car when he was younger, he has a fascinating personal story that informs his work on this topic.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra       

In this first episode I’m talking to Dr Sophie Russell to set the scene for the series. We’ll explore what we’ve learnt about human beings in the last 50 years, and try to build a more accurate picture of how we think and behave. We’ll ask how this might change our view of ourselves, as well as how we might use it to make our lives and world better.

Dr Russell is a lecturer in Psychology at Surrey university in the UK, and she’s published research on a wide range of topics, but has a particular interest in moralization and moral emotions, such as guilt, shame, disgust and anger.
 
I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra      

In this episode I talk to Dr Daniel Jolley about fake news and conspiracy theories. We explore the psychology behind why people believe them, how these ideas can spread and whether there’s anything we can do to prevent them spreading and protect the idea of the truth in society.

Dr Jolley is a senior lecturer in Social Psychology at Northumbria university in the UK, and is a regular blogger and broadcaster on his specialist subject - the psychology of conspiracy theories.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know!  See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra