Core Concept: We are largely taught that stress is universally toxic and should be avoided at all costs. However, research reveals that if you view stress as an enhancing force (eustress) rather than a debilitating one (distress), your body produces a vastly different and healthier physiological response.

References

Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30, 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585 Cited by: 659

Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 716–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031201 Cited by: 1690

Crum, A., & Lyddy, C. (2014). De-Stressing Stress: The Power of Mindsets and the Art of Stressing Mindfully. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness, 948–963. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118294895.ch49 Cited by: 83

Core Concept: Dr. John Gottman can predict with over 90% accuracy whether a couple will divorce based on observing their arguments. This episode breaks down his famous "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling—and discusses the research-backed antidotes for each.

• Original Citation: Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1992). Marital processes predictive of later dissolution: Behavior, physiology, and health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(2), 221–233. Link: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.101.2.221

Core Concept: For decades, schools have taught that people are either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. This episode exposes this as a pervasive neuromyth. Scientific reviews show zero evidence that tailoring instruction to specific learning styles improves educational outcomes, and exploring what actually works instead.

• Original Citation: Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest , 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
• .Newton, P. M. (2015). The Learning Styles Myth is Thriving in Higher Education. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01908 Cited by: 474
• Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x Cited by: 4966
• Willingham, D. T., Hughes, E. M., & Dobolyi, D. G. (2015). The Scientific Status of Learning Styles Theories. Teaching of Psychology, 42(3), 266–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628315589505 Cited by: 844

Core Concept: When asked how they feel, most people say "good" or "bad". This episode explores the concept of emotional granularity—the ability to precisely label emotions (e.g., distinguishing between anger, frustration, and betrayal). Research shows that people with high emotional granularity regulate their feelings better and are less prone to emotional overwhelm.

References

Erbas, Y., Gendron, M., & Fugate, J. M. B. (2022). Editorial: The role of emotional granularity in emotional regulation, mental disorders, and well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1080713 Cited by: 8

Hoemann, K., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. S. (2021). Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125 Cited by: 65

Lennarz, H. K., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Timmerman, M. E., & Granic, I. (2017). Emotion differentiation and its relation with emotional well-being in adolescents. Cognition and Emotion, 32, 651-657. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2017.1338177 Cited by: 123

Vishnubhotla, K., Teodorescu, D., Feldman, M. J., Lindquist, K. A., & Mohammad, S. M. (2024). Emotion Granularity from Text: An Aggregate-Level Indicator of Mental Health. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2403.02281 Cited by: 7

Core Concept: With smartphones keeping us perpetually tethered to our jobs, true rest is rare. This episode explores the psychological concept of "detachment from work." Research demonstrates that physical absence isn't enough; you must mentally stop thinking about work-related problems to avoid burnout, increase life satisfaction, and actually improve productivity the next day.

• Original Citation: Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 204–221.
• Link: https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.3.204

Core Concept: In the age of thousands of social media followers, this episode explores the cognitive limit to human relationships. Anthropologist and psychologist Robin Dunbar found that the size of our neocortex limits us to maintaining about 150 stable social relationships. Going beyond this number stretches our emotional and cognitive resources too thin.

Original Citation:

Dunbar, R. I. M. (1992). Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates. Journal of Human Evolution, 22(6), 469–493.Acharjee, S., & Oza, A. (2024). Stability in social networks. Royal Society Open Science, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231500 Cited by: 1

Acharjee, S., & Panicker, A. T. (2023). Trust levels in social networks. Heliyon, 9(10), e19850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19850 Cited by: 9

Lindenfors, P., Wartel, A., & Lind, J. (2021). ‘Dunbar's number’ deconstructed. Biology Letters, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0158 Cited by: 112

Von Der Heide, R., Vyas, G., & Olson, I. R. (2014). The social network-network: size is predicted by brain structure and function in the amygdala and paralimbic regions. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(12), 1962-1972. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsu009 Cited by: 166

West, B. J., Massari, G. F., Culbreth, G., Failla, R., Bologna, M., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Grigolini, P. (2020). Relating size and functionality in human social networks through complexity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(31), 18355-18358. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006875117 Cited by: 88

We are largely taught that stress is universally toxic and should be avoided at all costs. However, research reveals that if you view stress as an enhancing force (eustress) rather than a debilitating one (distress), your body produces a vastly different and healthier physiological response.

References

Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30, 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585 Cited by: 659

Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 716–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031201 Cited by: 1690

Crum, A., & Lyddy, C. (2014). De-Stressing Stress: The Power of Mindsets and the Art of Stressing Mindfully. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness, 948–963. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118294895.ch49 Cited by: 83

We know exercise is good for the heart, but it's equally crucial for the brain. This episode dives into neurogenesis—the creation of new brain cells. Research demonstrates that regular aerobic exercise physically increases the size of the hippocampus, directly improving memory and protecting against cognitive decline.

• Original Citation: Erickson, K. I., et al. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017–3022.
• Link: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1015950108