Mindcog

James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Scientific American, Outside, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more. His latest book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was released May 26, 2020 by Riverhead/Penguin Random House and was an instant New York Times and London Sunday Times bestseller. Breath explores how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly. This sounds impossible, but it's true. Snoring, sleep apnoea, asthma, allergies and even autoimmune diseases are among the most prevalent diseases in the modern world, and all of them can be either exacerbated, or sometimes caused, by poor breathing. Nestor spent years in laboratories and ancient burial sites, working with researchers at Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and other institutions to figure out what went wrong with our breathing--and how to fix it. Breath will be translated into more than 30 languages in 2021.

He lives and breathes in San Francisco. More at mrjamesnestor.com.

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

In Part 2 of our conversation with behavioural geneticist, Robert Plomin, we discuss:

· The problems with medical or disease model

· How the abnormal is normal

· How we could use polygenic information to inform educational interventions

· The public reaction to Roberts new book: Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Today I'm honoured to be speaking with Robert Plomin - Professor of Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. Robert has previously held positions at the University of Colorado Boulder, and at Pennsylvania State University. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and of the British Academy for his twin studies and his ground-breaking work in behavioural genetics. He is the author or co-author of many books, including G is for Genes: The Impact of Genetics on Education and Achievement (with Kathryn Asbury), and most recently, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are.

I've spent the past three weeks wrapping my head around Blueprint, and I must admit, I've become a little obsessed. So much has changed since I last read up on behavioural genetics. The DNA revolution is now upon us, and if you thought the technological revolution shook up the world, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Today, Robert and I discuss the following:

· How Robert came to study behavioural genetics

· The history of behavioural genetics

· Why Robert waited 30 years to write Blueprint

· The concept of heritability - a mysterious 6-syllable word that is perhaps the most confused word in psychology

· The mind-bending finding that heritability actually increases with age - in spite of our best efforts - we're become more and more like our parents with each passing day.

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Today, I have a conversation with founder and CEO of Hello Sunday Morning, Chris Raine.

Hello Sunday Morning was born in 2009 when founder, Chris Raine undertook a year-long experiment to quit drinking. A nightclub promoter at the time, Chris blogged about the challenges and successes of this experiment when he woke up hangover-free every Sunday Morning signing off with "Hello, Sunday Morning!" Since first extending the challenge to his flatmate, Chris has grown Hello Sunday Morning into a bona-fide health service, with Daybreak as its key offering.

Today, we discuss the runaway success of HSM, the drinking habits of Australians during COVID, and the success of the Daybreak App.

Hello Sunday Morning website

https://hellosundaymorning.org

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Today, I'm joined by Keith Campbell - Professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia, and author of more than 100 scientific articles. Keith is also the author of The Narcissism Epidemic and The New Science Of Narcissism - both of which are essential reading. His work on narcissism has appeared in USA Today, Time, and The New York Times. Keith also recently appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast - it ranks amongst my favourite JR podcasts of all-time.

Learn more about Keith and his research by clicking on the link below

http://wkeithcampbell.com

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Today, I talk with science journalist Martha Zaraska. Marta's new book, Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100 is a research-driven case for why optimism, kindness, and strong social networks will keep us living longer than any fitness tracker or superfood.

Marta currently lives in a tiny French village with her husband and daughter. I recently caught up with Marta to find answers to the following questions:

· How do optimism and pessimism affect longevity, and what is some of the current research around this?

· Where might we be under and overestimating - in terms of our efforts to live long lives?

· Are we just wasting our time and energy with fad diets, excessive exercise, supplements, and superfoods?

I also asked Martha what inspired her to write the book, and how it all came about. This is a conversation we need now more than ever - enjoy!

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Have you ever kept someone in your life far longer than you should have? Do you have a "friend" who always seems to take more than they give?

Is a fear of being alone keeping a toxic friendship alive?

My guest today is Hannah Korell.

Hannah's a Neuropsychologist, and the author of How To Break Up With Friends - which is released today!

I caught up with Hannah to ask her the following questions:

· Why do we put up with toxic relationships?

· How can we identify bad friends in our lives?

· How can we break up with bad friends?

I also ask how Hannah, a neuropsychologist, came to write a book about breaking up with friends, and what inspired her to do so.

Enjoy!

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Social media has quickly become synonymous with the internet. The average Australian now spends up to 6 hours a week on social networking sites. While social media enables us to both connect and collaborate like never before, there's also a dark side to this networked world. As social media continues to weave its way into the fabric of modern life - abstinence is becoming less of a practical option. My Guest, Bailey Purnell, thinks it's time we learned to practice "safe social" before it's too late.

Bailey is the Founder & CEO of SkillsCamp - and was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women. In 2017, Bailey delivered a TedX presentation titled Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? - which has since attracted over 2 million views on youtube.

I came across Baileys exceptional Ted talk earlier this year, and immediately invited her on the show.

Today, we discuss the pro's and con's of using social media.

We explore the link between social media and mental health, and touch on the highly addictive nature of Facebook and Instagram.

I also ask Bailey how she came to research social media, and ask her about her life-changing Ted talk.

Enjoy !

Today, I talk with Sleep expert, Dr Gemma Paech. With over 12 years' experience in sleep, fatigue and circadian rhythms. Gemma is passionate about improving the health and well-being of all individuals.

An experienced communicator, researcher and mentor, Gemma has worked in clinical and research-based sleep laboratories in the USA and Australia. Gemma has also appeared on the Today Show (Channel 9 Australia) and radio stations including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 2SER (Sydney) and Triple J (Australia).

Today, I pick Gemma's brain, ask her the following questions:

· What is sleep?

· Why do we need sleep?

· What are the different stages of sleep?

· How can I sleep well?

We also discuss:

· Common sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnoea

· The harmful effects of alcohol and caffeine on sleep

· The ideal nap time and why you can either wake feeling refreshed or groggy after a nap.

· Sleep hygiene, and how to cultivate better sleep habits.

Enjoy!

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com

Today, I talk fears and phobias with Dr Celin Gelgec, a clinical psychologist based in Melbourne, who specialises in Anxiety, OCD, and Phobias. Celin is a Senior Clinical Psychologist & the Director of the Melbourne Wellbeing Clinic. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, who experience Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety and Phobias.

I ask Celin:

•What are phobias?

•What's the difference between a fear and a phobia?

•Are some people more predisposed to developing a phobia than others?

•Is there an evolutionary bias of phobias?

•What are some of the less common phobias?

•How do we treat phobias?

We also discuss the impact of corona on people with OCD and phobias.

Enjoy !

Mindcog website

https://www.themindcogpodcast.com