The Psychology of People

By The Psychology of People

Self-aware individuals fascinated by why people think, feel, and behave the way they do — listeners who appreciate research-backed insights over pop psychology platitudes.

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FAQs about The Psychology of People:

How many episodes does The Psychology of People have?

The podcast currently has 71 episodes available.

The Psychology of People episodes:

May 18, 2026 The Secret That Hurts When Nobody Is Asking
Some secrets hurt most when nobody is questioning you. They return in the shower, on the bus, or right before sleep. This episode explores the newer psychology of secrecy: the idea that secrets are costly not mainly because we actively hide them in conversation, but because the mind keeps returning to them in private.
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10min
May 16, 2026 The Song That Won’t Leave: Earworms as Mental Habits
Why does one chorus loop in your mind for hours, even when you never chose to play it? This episode explores new 2025 research suggesting earworms may be more than random musical annoyances. They may be a form of mental habit, connected to everyday loops like tapping, counting, checking, rehearsing, and repeating.
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10min
May 10, 2026 The Last Note You Hear: How the Peak-End Rule Means Your Memories Are Lying to You
Daniel Kahneman's peak-end rule reveals that our brains don't average experiences—they take snapshots of the most intense moment and the final moment, then discard everything else. A 2022 meta-analysis of 174 studies confirms this effect is large and robust, explaining why a colonoscopy that ends gently feels better than a shorter one that stops abruptly, and why that vacation where everything went wrong except the final sunset still glows in memory.
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11min
May 07, 2026 The Third-Person Trick: Why Talking to Yourself Using Your Own Name Changes Everything
Research from Ethan Kross's lab at the University of Michigan reveals that silently talking to yourself in the second or third person creates psychological distance that facilitates emotional regulation—without depleting cognitive resources.
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13min
May 06, 2026 Scared Together: Why Haunted Houses Are Better for Your Relationship Than Date Night
A University of Florida study across three Halloween seasons reveals that shared fear experiences can strengthen relationship bonds—but only if you talk about it afterward. Psychologist Jane Wiley and colleagues conducted five studies at a commercial haunted attraction, finding that couples who experienced higher levels of fear together reported feeling closer—with one crucial caveat.
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13min
May 05, 2026 The Hidden Map in Your Nose: How Scientists Finally Cracked the Code of Smell
A breakthrough 2026 Cell study reveals that smell receptors in your nose aren't randomly scattered—they're organized in precise, overlapping stripes guided by a molecular 'GPS system,' solving a mystery that has puzzled neuroscientists for decades and opening new paths for restoring lost smell.
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12min
April 30, 2026 The Poverty Tax Your Brain Pays: How Scarcity Hijacks Your Mind
Groundbreaking research shows that financial worry literally reduces your available brainpower—the equivalent of losing 13 IQ points or an entire night's sleep. Studies of Indian sugarcane farmers reveal that poverty itself, not the traits of poor people, impairs cognitive function, creating a vicious cycle that makes 'just make better decisions' dangerously misguided advice.
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12min
April 29, 2026 Nostalgia as Medicine: The Surprising Psychology of Looking Backward
Once considered a disease that could kill you, nostalgia is now recognized as a powerful psychological resource. This episode traces nostalgia's remarkable journey from 17th-century medical diagnosis to modern mental health tool, exploring the neuroscience of nostalgic recall and new research revealing why what you remember matters as much as that you remember.
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11min
April 28, 2026 Your Gut Feeling About Anxiety: How Bacteria in Your Intestines Control Fear in Your Brain
Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have discovered a direct mechanism linking gut bacteria to anxiety. When certain bacteria metabolize food, they produce molecules called indoles that travel to the brain's fear center and dial down anxiety. This research opens the door to treating mental health with probiotics instead of traditional medications.
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13min
April 27, 2026 The Willpower Myth: What Really Happens When You're Mentally Exhausted
For two decades, psychology taught that willpower was like a muscle that could be depleted—and restored with a glass of lemonade. Then came the replication crisis, and the elegant theory collapsed. This episode explores what the ego depletion saga teaches us about decision fatigue, the power of belief, and why your experience of mental exhaustion may have more to do with your mindset than your glucose levels.
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14min

FAQs about The Psychology of People:

How many episodes does The Psychology of People have?

The podcast currently has 71 episodes available.