Podcast · Free
All in the Mind
BBC Radio 4
A long-running guide to psychology, neuroscience, and mental health, grounded and humane.
Can you change your personality?
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? A type A or a type B? Or maybe you don't care about the categories but you would like to be less shy or more organised? Claudia Hammond and her panel of experts discuss personality in front of a live audience at Cheltenham Science Festival. P
Is it ADHD or perimenopause?
Are ADHD-like symptoms during perimenopause just down to hormonal changes or could they actually be revealing undiagnosed ADHD? Brain fog can be a key symptom of both, which means it's not always easy to tell the difference, leaving women unsure. 'Scummy Mummies' podcaster Helen
The promise of psychedelics
With moves to fast-track research into psychedelics to treat serious mental health conditions in the US and a flurry of new scientific studies, we look at the issue here. How convincing is the evidence that drugs like psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can help
Political emotions; Shared play; Forgotten women in psychology
In this week’s programme, guest Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, talks to Claudia Hammond about whether people feel emotions about politics differently in the body to everyday emotions. Visiting the Institute for the Scienc
Could a keto diet help treat bipolar depression?
Claudia Hammond explores intriguing early evidence that a ketogenic diet - high fat, low carbs - might help treat bipolar depression.We already know this diet can help with some kinds of epilepsy. But now, after a promising pilot study, the Wellcome trust is funding a £7.9 milli
How does reading fiction impact our imagination and mental health?
How does reading shape our mind and spirit? Why do novels make us feel more human? In front of a live audience at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, Claudia Hammond looks at the science of what reading does to the mind and explores the profound impact it can have on our lives
What do out-of-body experiences tell us about consciousness?
What would you say is the difference between the mind and the brain? Claudia delves into this complex question after listener Paul got in touch to ask about Near Death Experiences. What can they tell us about the mind, the brain and who we are? Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive
Overcoming OCD
Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. But how does it feel to be trapped in a constant cycle of intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours?This is the reality of life for many people with obsessive compulsive disorder, a common - but commonly misunderstood -
Toxic work behaviours, mind blanking, and why spending time with friends makes you more yourself
Claudia Hammond and guests offer insights into tackling knowledge theft and discourteous emails. Dr Emma Russell, occupational psychologist and reader in occupational and organisational psychology from the University of Sussex, has insights into perpetrators of disrespectful emai
How to be OK in a world that isn’t
How can we feel ok in a world that isn’t? With multiple global crises going on at the same time, it can make many of us feel very uncertain and anxious. But why are we affected by events happening so far from home - and what can we do to help ourselves feel better in difficult t
Navigating the Pacific without technology
How well can you remember the details of your childhood? Sometimes, the memories are there, but a little hazy. But what if you could trick your brain into thinking you looked like your younger self again? Would that help you recall more childhood memories? A new study has tried e
Asylum hotels and mental health
More than 32,000 asylum seekers are being housed in hotels in the UK, the latest figures show.There's been intense political debate in recent weeks focused on the cost – both financially for the government and for local communities. But what about the cost to the mental health of