The Wellbeing Lab with Will Young

Shame can be one of the most painful and difficult emotions to deal with and most of the time, when it arises, we don't even deserve to feel it!

It's a complex topic so I called in Dr June Tangney to discuss it with me because she's been working in the field of moral emotions for decades. We talk about what moral emotions are, the difference between shame and guilt and the ways in which society's expectations can sometimes cause us to feel shame.

As always, let me know about your experiences. You can contact the lab on the links below:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

Countless people all over the world swear by the ancient practice of acupuncture, where very fine needles are inserted at certain sites in the body for therapeutic or preventative purposes. I've had acupuncture many times and I find it very clarifying.

In this episode I speak to Gerad Kite, a Five Element acupuncture master who runs a clinic and a training school in London. He talks about the origins of acupuncture, the philosophy behind Five Element and how acupuncture is best utilised.

And, you'll be pleased to hear that after a long time without featuring on the podcast, the dogs return! See if you can catch Domino snoring.

As always, let me know what you think about this episode, or any other. You can contact the lab about you acupuncture experiences on the links below:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

I'm getting scientific this week! I'm delving into the world of epigenetics, which is the study of how our behaviours and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work. It's a relatively new field, so I called up the wonderful Dr Chloe Wong to give me the latest. Dr Chloe is a senior lecturer in epigenetics and she works at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience within King's College London.

One of the questions I ask, thanks to a question from you dear listener, is about whether trauma felt by our ancestors can be passed down to us genetically and the answer might not be what you think.

You can follow Dr Chloe on Twitter @ChloeCWong and if you're looking for more information on the studies she mentions you can find them here:

The EDGI Eating Disorders Genetic Initiative also on Twitter @EDGI_UK

The Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study also on Twitter @ERiskstudy

The NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre also on Twitter @NIHRMaudsleyBRC and Facebook

Please share your thoughts, feelings and feedback on the episode. Here's all the ways you can get in touch with the Wellbeing Lab:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

We all know that exercise is good for us and, usually, makes us feel better, but why? In this episode I learn about the science of what happens when we exercise, how technology can aid our exercise efforts and that everything I thought I knew about endorphins is wrong.

My guest is Dr Joseph Firth, a UKRI research fellow at Manchester University, who researches physical health and lifestyle interventions for improving mental health.

Please let me know what you thought of the episode. Here's all the ways you can be part of the Wellbeing Lab community:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

In this episode I learn about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome which causes extreme emotional and physical symptoms. My guest is the wonderfully funny Annika Waheed, who is an educator, a patient expert in PMDD and an advocate for those who have it. You can follow her on Instagram @Hormonesandheartache

Please take care whilst listening to this episode as it contains a conversation about suicide.

As always, let me know what you think about this episode, or any other. You can contact the lab on the links below:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

Self-love can be a difficult goal to achieve and self-hatred isn't a desirable state to be in, so where is the middle ground? Well, acceptance is the antidote to self-hatred, according to The School of Life's book on the subject. I dig into this idea with Sarah Stein Lubrano from The School of Life, discussing the roles of expectations, compassion and friendship, plus we go off on a short tangent about the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno.

I'd love to hear from you if anything you've heard in this episode resonates. You can contact the podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can email [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

I've heard people describe the gut as the second brain and if it's important to look after the health of our brain, is it also important to look after our gut health too? Who better to ask than Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist and science writer who knows everything there is to know about our guts and the important microbes that live within them. He told me about the link to our immune system, the value of health supplements and the role nutrition plays in keeping our gut microbiome healthy.

You can find out more about Tim, his projects and his books here.

If you relate to anything we've discussed in the podcast so far I want to hear from you, please get in touch...

Instagram @thewellbeinglabpodcast

Facebook @thewellbeinglabpodcast

Twitter @thewellbeinglab

Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

In this week's episode I'm talking about adult-diagnosed ADHD. It's something I've been hearing a lot about recently, so I wanted to find out what it's like to get an ADHD diagnosis as an adult and how that can effect your life going forward. My guest is the amazing Vivienne Isebor. She's the founder of ADHD Babes, as well as being a psychotherapist and a singer... and she's very funny.

The Wellbeing Lab team always read all the correspondence that comes in, so please get in touch if you have anything to say about this episode, or any other. You can contact the lab on the links below:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

Is there a better job title than neuropsychopharmacologist? I think not and today I'm lucky enough to speak to one. His name is Professor David Nutt and he's an expert on the use of psychedelic drugs to treat things like depression, addiction and anxiety. We cover a lot of ground and get into some deep questions as we explore a very interesting area of study.

If you're looking for more information on David's forthcoming book 'Psychedelics' you can find it here.

As always, let me know what you think about this episode, or any other. You can contact the lab on the links below:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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

Welcome! The hiatus has come to an end, dear listener. I'm back with a fresh batch of episodes of The Wellbeing Lab and the season begins with a biggie.

I'm unpacking confidence. How to get it, how to keep it and why it might be lacking in the first place. Many of you have been in touch asking me to cover this, so I settled down for a chat with psychotherapist and Sunday Times bestselling author Anna Mathur, whose book 'Know Your Worth' asks the hard questions about why we feel the way we do.

As ever, I'd love to know what you think of the episode. Here's all the ways you can be in touch with me:

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Email: [email protected]

I'm also delighted to tell you I'm now a Patron of Shout, the UK's first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope.

The Wellbeing Lab is produced by AudioAF and is part of the Acast creator network.

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