The Psychology of your 20s

Afleveringen

1. 471. The psychology of weddings

   19 oktober 2026 · 43 min

   Afspelen
   Why is there so much pressure for your wedding to be the best day of your life? And what happens when that pressure gets in the way of actually enjoying it? Today, we’re unpacking the psychology of weddings: the expectations, money, family dynamics and friendship tensions that come with saying “I do”. Lees meer

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   We explore:

   Why the “perfect wedding” can leave us feeling disappointed

   How weddings became such extravagant events

   Social media, comparison and the pressure to spend more

   The surprising relationship between wedding spending and divorce

   Why weddings can expose cracks in our friendships

   The psychology of elopements ...

   Whether you’re planning a wedding, attending your sixth this year or wondering whether to skip the whole thing, let’s talk about keeping the celebration from overshadowing the relationship.

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2. 470. Are the love languages a big myth?

   17 oktober 2026 · 27 min

   Afspelen
   Do you really have a love language? And does learning your partner’s actually make your relationship better? In this bonus episode of our debunking psychology series, we unpack the truth behind one of the most popular ideas in modern dating. We explore: Lees meer

   Where the five love languages came from and their religious roots

   The controversial advice in Gary Chapman’s original book

   What the research actually says about love languages and relationship satisfaction

   Why lasting love might need a “balanced diet” of affection

   Partner responsiveness and what it means to feel understood, valued and cared for

   Find all episodes of DEBUNKING PSYCHOLOGY: HERE

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3. 469. The psychology of embarrassment

   15 oktober 2026 · 43 min

   Afspelen
   We blush, we look away, we replay the moment for hours (or years) after it happened, becoming convinced that everyone noticed far more than they probably did. Embarrassment is an interesting and complex emotion, but it can help us recognise social expectations and communicate how our behaviour affects others. Lees meer

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   We explore:
   • When we first develop the capacity to feel embarrassed
   • Why we blush and the role of embarrassment in trust
   • Why some of us feel embarrassment more than others
   • The role of rumination
   • The psychological and social role of embarrassment
   • How we can form a better relationship with it

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   Our favourite sources:

   https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0025403

   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-psychiatry/article/not-intended-still-embarrassed-social-anxiety-is-related-to-increased-levels-of-embarrassment-in-response-to-unintentional-social-norm-violations/F4143AB3B88D41FB18F9962696A77151

   https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.70024

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4. 468. The psychology of brain fog

   12 oktober 2026 · 36 min

   Afspelen
   Brain fog is so much more than just feeling tired. It's that frustrating feeling of knowing what you want to say or do, but your brain simply won't cooperate. And whilst it's incredibly common, we're only just beginning to understand what actually causes it. Lees meer

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   In today's episode, we're breaking down the fascinating new research behind brain fog, including:

   The three main causes of brain fog, from physical depletion to cognitive overload and neurological disruption

   Why chronic stress, anxiety and mental load can leave your brain feeling exhausted

   The surprising links between brain fog, inflammation, long COVID and gut health

   Why women may be more susceptible to brain fog

   The science of sleep, nutrition and the brain's natural cleaning system

   What actually helps clear brain fog, beyond just drinking more water and getting more rest

   Extra links:

   Brain fog and trauma: HERE

   Brain fog and ADHD: HERE

   Brain fog and food: HERE

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5. 467. The psychology of the cab theory

   8 oktober 2026 · 42 min

   Afspelen
   Does the taxi cab theory actually explain why some people suddenly become ready to settle down, or is it just another dating myth? Lees meer

   In this episode, we’re breaking down the psychology behind the infamous, Sex and The City taxi cab theory and asking whether timing really can determine who we end up with. We explore commitment readiness, the social clock, why our relationship priorities change as we age, and the painful psychology of watching someone give their next partner everything they refused to give you.

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   We discuss:

   • The psychology behind the taxi cab theory
   • Why someone can suddenly become “ready” for commitment
   • The foster girlfriend phenomenon
   • Why timing matters, but compatibility matters more
   • How to tell when someone is genuinely serious about you
   • Why waiting for someone’s “light to switch on” can keep you stuck

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6. 466. How your environment programs your behaviour (and how to deprogram yourself)

   5 oktober 2026 · 43 min

   Afspelen
   How much of your behaviour is really “you” - and how much has been shaped by the environments around you? In this episode, we explore how childhood, relationships, social expectations, habits and physical spaces can influence the way we think, feel and behave. From nervous-system responses and beliefs about what is possible for us, to the people we pursue, the habits we repeat and the versions of ourselves that present in different places, we look at the psychology of how environments programme our behaviour. Lees meer

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   We explore:
   ● What our ‘environment’ can include
   ● Impacts of childhood experiences on our nervous system
   ● Where our belief of what it possible or attainable comes from
   ● How relational environments shape our pursuit of love
   ● How our environment shapes our habits
   ● The impact of our physical environment on our personalities

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   Our favourite sources:
   https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02309.x

   https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-33544-001

   https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883795/full

   https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-08705-013

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7. 465. The psychology of the placebo effect

   4 oktober 2026 · 32 min

   Afspelen
   In this bonus episode, we’re looking at the placebo effect - what it is, how it became an important part of medical research, and why an inactive treatment can sometimes produce genuine changes how we feel, and what this tells us about the relationship between the brain, body and experience of receiving care. Lees meer

   The FULL Debunking Psychology playlist: HERE

   We explore:
   • How placebos became an important part of scientific research
   • Some of the earliest placebo experiments
   • Why our expectations can change the way we experience symptoms
   • Whether the placebo effect produces real, biological changes
   • Why the ritual of receiving care may itself influence how we feel
   • Whether placebo effects represent genuine, lasting change

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8. 464. The psychology of cults

   1 oktober 2026 · 56 min

   Afspelen
   From abusive MLM’s and wellness programs to doomsday sects and UFO religions, we’re all fascinated by cults. Their mystery offers us a way to explore the darkest recesses of human behaviour, while remaining seemingly out of their reach. But how do we actually define a cult? Lees meer

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   In this episode, we look at popular examples of cults, understand how they’re organised and recruit followers, and examine what makes some people so vulnerable to joining. We unpack:

   • How a cult is defined, featuring the BITE model of authoritarian control
   • What makes cult leaders so distinctive - and dangerous
   • The (often surprising) tactics cults will employ to get people to join
   • How people behave during and in the aftermath of leaving a cult
   • Why there are cults all around us today, and people are still drawn to them

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9. 463. The 5 reasons you’re not as behind as you think

   28 september 2026 · 48 min

   Afspelen
   In our 20s, we’re all vulnerable to feeling that we’re falling behind. Whether it be chasing the perfect job, relationship, friends, living situation, trip abroad, or something else, we’re led to believe that there’s a certain window of time that we should be achieving certain milestones within. In this episode, we unpack: Lees meer

   • Why social media makes us compare ourselves with ‘the best’
   • The figures behind what people in their 20s really have - and don’t
   • How milestone anxiety and the social clock make us panic
   • How we can reframe envy as a useful compass
   • Why life circumstances mean we might have a different ‘starting line’ to other people
   • Why you’re not delulu - things really are getting harder!

   Watch on Netflix: HERE

   Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

   Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

   Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

   For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

   Our favourite sources:

   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40888380/
   https://www.forbes.com/advisor/uk/savings/average-savings-by-age-in-uk/
   https://jessup.edu/blog/cultural-impact/why-do-adults-adhere-to-a-social-clock/#:~:text=Social%20psychologist%20Bernice%20Neugarten%20identified,purchase%20a%20home%2C%20and%20retire

   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10. 462. The truth about the Stanford Prison Experiment

    27 september 2026 · 29 min

    Afspelen
    The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most famous studies in psychology, but also one of the most controversial. In this bonus episode, we look at what actually happened in the basement of Stanford University in 1971. Lees meer

    We explore:

    The landscape of psychological research at the time of the study

    How participants were selected and assigned roles

    The theatrical procedure of the study

    The unexpected outcomes and why it was stopped early

    Ethical lessons around consent and researcher responsibility

    Why the study is so influential to our understanding of institutions, power and authority

    The Debunking Psychology series: HERE

    Watch on Netflix: HERE

    Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

    Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

    Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

    For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

    Our favourite sources:
    http://pdf.prisonexp.org/ijcp1973.pdf
    https://scholarship.richmond.edu/heroism-science/vol10/iss1/5/
    https://gen.medium.com/the-lifespan-of-a-lie-d869212b1f62

    The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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