All In The Mind

The Certainty Myth

If the only certainty is uncertainty, how do we manage our anxieties about the unknown? Today we explore why the mind struggles with uncertainty and what we can do to manage it.

Trauma, OCD and a PhD

Before she was Dr Alix Woolard, Alix was a teenager grappling with a traumatic event in her family. It would affect her mental health dramatically, leaving her unsure of her path ahead. Now, Dr Alix Woolard researches childhood trauma and it's lifelong impacts. This episode deals with mental health and discusses suicide. Please listen with care.

Trauma, OCD and a PhD

Before she was Dr Alix Woolard, Alix was a teenager grappling with a traumatic event in her family. It would affect her mental health dramatically, leaving her unsure of her path ahead. Now, Dr Alix Woolard researches childhood trauma and it's lifelong impacts. This episode deals with mental health and discusses suicide. Please listen with care.

The dark side of fame and what it does to the brain

Have you ever thought, I wonder what it's like being famous? Maybe it's something you've always dreamed of, or maybe it's your worst nightmare. Being famous is something many people aspire to, but the reality can be isolating. This week, producer Jennifer Leake looks at what fame does to a person's psychology.

Milgram Shock and Stanford Prison — what we misunderstand about the most infamous experiments in psychology

What makes people do evil things? Psychologist Stanley Milgram wanted to understand if people could be led to do awful things, just by being told to do them. The experiment he would devise to test this would become one of the most infamous examples of unethical studies in the field of psychology: The Milgram Shock Experiment. But Professor Alex Haslam says that's not the full picture… And the findings are misunderstood.

Milgram Shock and Stanford Prison — what we misunderstand about the most infamous experiments in psychology

What makes people do evil things? Psychologist Stanley Milgram wanted to understand if people could be led to do awful things, just by being told to do them. The experiment he would devise to test this would become one of the most infamous examples of unethical studies in the field of psychology: The Milgram Shock Experiment. But Professor Alex Haslam says that's not the full picture… And the findings are misunderstood.

Childhood attachment, animal rights and the 'pit of despair': Harry Harlow's unethical experiments

Childhood attachment, animal rights and the 'pit of despair': Harry Harlow's unethical experiments

Why being a beginner is good for you

Learning chess with his young daughter kickstarted a life-long journey of learning for Tom Vanderbilt. Here's what he discovered about being an adult beginner, its benefits, and how kids and adults learn differently.

Why being a beginner is good for you

Learning chess with his young daughter kickstarted a life-long journey of learning for Tom Vanderbilt. Here's what he discovered about being an adult beginner, its benefits, and how kids and adults learn differently.

Unethical experiments: the Monster Study

With relatively benign intentions, Wendell Johnson devised an experiment that would go on to be dubbed the Monster Study, inflicting terrible harm on a group of vulnerable and unsuspecting children.

Unethical experiments: the Monster Study

With relatively benign intentions, Wendell Johnson devised an experiment that would go on to be dubbed the Monster Study, inflicting terrible harm on a group of vulnerable and unsuspecting children.

The psychological tricks that make cults so dangerous

Popular culture is endlessly fascinated with cults, and they have to capacity to make ordinary people do unthinkable things. So how do cults reel people in and what does it take to leave?

Language and loss

What goes on in the multilingual mind? And what does it mean to 'lose' your language?

Language and loss

What goes on in the multilingual mind? And what does it mean to 'lose' your language?

The Art of Negotiation: mind games and emotional intelligence

You might not think of yourself as a negotiator but big or small we all negotiate daily and getting better at it could make your life easier.

The Art of Negotiation: mind games and emotional intelligence

You might not think of yourself as a negotiator but big or small we all negotiate daily and getting better at it could make your life easier.

Pleasure, pain, dopamine and the brain

Addiction has long been a problem for humans, but smart phones and the internet have changed the game. So how can we find balance in a dopamine overloaded world?

Pleasure, pain, dopamine and the brain

Addiction has long been a problem for humans, but smart phones and the internet have changed the game. So how can we find balance in a dopamine overloaded world?

Busting bias: what works and what doesn't

You've probably heard of unconscious bias but how are they formed and what can we do to stop the damage they can cause?

Introversion vs Extroversion Part II: Genes, gender and leadership

What does neuroscience and psychology tell us about how these traits are developed?

Introversion vs Extroversion Part II: Genes, gender and leadership

What does neuroscience and psychology tell us about how these traits are developed?

Introversion vs Extroversion

Are you outgoing or shy? there are pros and cons of each but is it possible to switch sides?

Introversion vs Extroversion

Are you outgoing or shy? there are pros and cons of each but is it possible to switch sides?

Can we 'unlearn' chronic pain?

Few sensations are as primal, as fundamental to our very survival, as pain. But for a fifth of Australian adults, that useful protective mechanism lingers as chronic pain — persistent aching, searing, stabbing sensations, which can be incredibly stressful and debilitating. What if you could dial down that pain — or even extinguish it altogether — by retraining your brain?

The making of a magnificent memory

Anastasia Woolmer explains the techniques memory athletes use, and how you can apply them to everyday life.

The making of a magnificent memory

Anastasia Woolmer explains the techniques memory athletes use, and how you can apply them to everyday life.

Misadventures in multitasking

How many times in a day are you doing just one thing? Or is it more common that you’re multitasking – maybe texting and walking? Reading while listening to music? We all multitask to some degree, but do any of us do it well? And is that even possible? This week on All in the Mind, we look into the science of multitasking – why we struggle to do it, why some of us are better at it than others – and how to do it effectively if you must. First broadcast 19 December 2021....

Misadventures in multitasking

How many times in a day are you doing just one thing? Or is it more common that you’re multitasking – maybe texting and walking? Reading while listening to music? We all multitask to some degree, but do any of us do it well? And is that even possible? This week on All in the Mind, we look into the science of multitasking – why we struggle to do it, why some of us are better at it than others – and how to do it effectively if you must. First broadcast 19 December 2021....

Neuromarketing — how brands target your brain

Would you be able to tell the difference between a bargain bin red and a top drop? Or how about what separates a duck paté … from one made of dog food? Perception is everything when it comes to marketing, and decades of neuroscience and psychology research have given businesses ever greater insights into how we can make decisions and how they can subtly shape our expectations so that yes – even dog food paté can become appealing. But the ramifications of this power may be pushing companies into ...