Everyday Neuro: Psychology and Neuroscience Podcast

In Part 1 of this episode I talk about social connection and the effects of digital media. I also investigate social isolation and loneliness and the effects they have on our cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing. This is Part 1 of a 2 part episode. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode I talk about how engaging the thoughts and ideas of younger people in social decision making through “transcendent thinking”, the practice of looking beyond the immediate situation to understand deeper meanings and implications, can influence brain development and potentially enhance identity formation and self-liking in our future change makers.   Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode I talk about Behavioural Activation Therapy and how actions can boost your mental health. I also discuss social prescribing and the approach that promotes activities alongside traditional healthcare. I am joined by guest Nicole R. Smith who provides wonderful insight into the benefits of volunteering and how this can can boost your mental and physical health.

For more information about Nicole, please go to nicolersmith.net or @nicolersmith.net on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can support Everyday Neuro and get ad-free and exclusive episodes at patreon.com/everydayneuro

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In this episode I talk about sleep and the beneficial effects it has on the brain. We are joined by an expert in the field, the amazing Dr Michelle Ni Raghallaigh from The Sleep Sphere (https://thesleepsphere.com), a NHS-trained insomnia specialist and cognitive neuroscientist who helps us to uncover some of the myths about sleep, understand more about the most common sleep disorder insomnia, and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia or (CBTI) is the ‘gold standard’ treatment. A bonus exclusive episode is also available that provides top tips for maintaining healthy sleep habits and how they benefit our mood and performance, available to members of Everyday Neuro Acast+ and Patreon. See the website for more details at everydayneuro.com.au/podcasts. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss what PTSD is and what some of the symptoms are. I talk about ways to minimise stress when facing a traumatic incident including a lived experience. I also provide information about self-care from the viewpoint of someone who might be supporting a person living with PTSD. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In Part 1 of this episode, I discuss the topic of nature and how it can enhance our wellbeing, feelings of safety and security and ultimately our health and productivity. In Part 1, I am joined by interior designer Tara Cantwell of Cantwell Interiors (https://www.cantwellinteriors.com), who provides rich insight into how we can bring nature into our homes and workspaces. Part 2 is a bonus exclusive episode that further explores how taking a walk in nature can relax our fight and flight system, lowering stress and promoting productivity thanks to a reduction in activity in the region of the brain called the amygdala. Part 2 is available to members of Everyday Neuro Acast+ and Patreon. See the website for more details at everydayneuro.com.au/podcasts. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In Episode 17, I discuss the topic of relaxation and how we can engage in breath work to help reduce tension and anxiety. I talk with Tessa Hughes, an experienced mindfulness practitioner about the benefits that mindfulness and meditation can bring to our thinking and wellbeing. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In Episode 16, I discuss advances in research and technology that are attempting to provide new information to improve the safety of playing high impact adult and youth sports. I talk with Damien Hawes about an innovative mouthguard developed by HITIQ that aims to provide an incredible surveillance system that has the potential to further our understanding of the effects of high level impacts during sport on our brain health and cognition. I also talk about the role neuropsychologists play in a world of virtual reality and cutting edge technology. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In Episode 15 Part 2, I discuss some of the symptoms of stroke including coordination and communication issues, and explain how this is organised in the brain. I complete my interview with Cassie Watson, who explains how stroke has affected her Dad’s abilities and how humour and resilience has helped shape a new future for Paul and his family. I also provide some information and links to apps and therapy tools for people living with stroke to aid recovery and enhance quality of life. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In Episode 15 Part 1, I discuss what is stroke, how to identify the potential signs of stroke and that ‘time is brain’. I share with you the latest strategies to treat stroke including the use of mobile stroke units. Due to the impact that stroke has on the individual and their loved ones; we look at stroke from the viewpoint of those who have been affected by it. In part 1 of a 2-part interview, I talk with Cassie Watson, who courageously shares her Dad’s experience of stroke and what it was like to go through such a traumatic event as a family. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the huge benefits that recreational travel or taking a holiday can have on your thinking and wellbeing. I will introduce research that shows that the benefits to our mood occur both at the time of taking a holiday and in the time thereafter. I will share with you how even the thought of your next holiday can raise your perceived happiness levels, can build your knowledge and enhance your social skills. This podcast will also look at reasons why people do not take vacations and offers ways to reduce travel anxiety and panic. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I introduce the topic of ethical considerations in psychological research and describe past research experiments that are now deemed as potentially harmful. I will be telling you about three famous studies that may make you question not only the impact that taking part in research has on participants, but also on the investigators and how the results are portrayed, with some now the focus of docudramas such as the 2018 movie, Three Identical Strangers. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss theories of human development including a look at the psychologists who proposed them and how these contribute to our current understanding of learning. I talk about neuroimaging research of the developing brain and how this lends support to the psychological theories. I also look at how we use internal concepts called schemas to help understand and modify our knowledge of the environment and how these can shape the way we form relationships in adult life, including the use of schema therapy. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss goal setting and implementation including a review of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. I talk about ways to maximise your success as an individual, small business or as an entrepreneur using goal attainment strategies such as mental contrasting and fantasy realisation theory. I also look at the cognitive and anatomical bases of creating goals using future thought and episodic foresight. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I invite you to take part in tasks to help illustrate the use of schemas, or packages of information, that help to guide our memory and how such energy saving ‘short-cuts’ by our brain can lead to distortions in recollection. I talk about the misbeliefs we have about our own memory abilities and reasons these occur using evidence from research. In the final part of the episode, I discuss the rise in interest in true crime and eyewitness testimony, how errors occur and why this is an area of controversy in the study of memory. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the topic of apps and how they are becoming increasingly used to support symptoms relating to brain damage. I provide a summary of a novel virtual peer delivered memory support app that was also able to enhance wellbeing. I talk about the efficacy of brain training apps and games and provide links to useful support apps for those living and working with brain injury. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the topic of autobiographical memory (ABM) and the brain areas associated with it. I will test your own memory for personal events, and will look at cases of people with highly superior and highly deficient ABM. I introduce the less familiar topic of children and adolescents living with chronic personal memory impairment, including the rare syndrome of Developmental Amnesia. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the topic of anxiety with a particular focus on the workplace. I will look at the symptoms of anxiety and provide helpful ways in which anxiety can be reduced to enhance wellbeing and productivity at work. I will use a real life scenario to illustrate how these strategies can be beneficial when used by all members of the workforce. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the topic of diet on cognition. I look specifically at the affects of the so-called ‘western diet’, alcohol and caffeine on cognitive skills such as memory and attention, and discuss the contribution of genes and the brain on our ability to choose healthy options. I also talk with Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr Matthew Hughes, to discuss the affect and management of Type II diabetes on cognition. Get bonus content on Patreon

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In this episode, I discuss the topic of expertise and introduce the cognitive domains that contribute to it, namely working memory, attention and executive functioning. I will talk with Joel Goulter who has explored the expertise of Air Traffic Controllers, to try and understand the complex skills that help maintain our safety in the air. I conclude by providing you with some ways in which you can potentially enhance your knowledge and skills at a chosen task. Get bonus content on Patreon

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