464. The psychology of cults

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. 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: [email protected]  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.

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. 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: [email protected]  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.

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?  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: [email protected]  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.

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:  • 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: [email protected]  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.

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. 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: [email protected]  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.

If I could sit down with my 21-year-old self, there are a few things I would definitely want to say. Today, I'm going to say them, like 'don't even THINK about moving in with that guy, use your savings account, care less about grades' and a few more. I also asked you guys, the listeners, about your biggest regrets from your early 20s so we can all learn from each other (how nice is that). Watch on Netflix: HERE We discuss: Why the right relationship should expand your life, not shrink it Why you shouldn’t rush into adulthood Financial avoidance and learning to actually save Why audacity can matter just as much as hard work Caring less about grades and more about experience Why nobody can tell you exactly how to live your 20s Happy listening and drop yours below! Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: [email protected]  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.

Many of us are conditioned to believe that being described as kind, nice, accommodating and generous are the key to overall happiness. But when these traits veer into Good Girl Syndrome, we can be left with a pathological need to please others, be hypervigilant towards others’ emotions, and ultimately suppress how we really feel. In this episode, we explore the origins of Good Girl Syndrome, understand the mental and physical cost of emotional suppression, and learn how to challenge this early social conditioning.  Watch on Netflix: HERE We unpack: Why women are particularly vulnerable to Good Girl Syndrome How trying to be liked shows up personally and professionally The link between a high score on the Silencing the Self Scale and depression Why it can be harder to break Good Girl habits as we get older The ways we can challenge Good Girl Syndrome traits Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: [email protected]  Our favourite sources: https://reachlink.com/advice/general/good-girl-syndrome-why-compliance-destroys-mental-health/ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a34642791/good-girl-complex/  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362662346_Appendix_A_The_Silencing_the_Self_Scale  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.

Ambition feels like my entire personality and I'm trying to fix that. Who are we beyond our ambition? In a world that only cares about success, output and productivity, what do we feel like we'll lose when we slow down? Watch on Netflix: HERE In this episode I explore:  The psychology of highly ambitious people The lies that ambition tells us  How ambition steals your joy  How to value yourself beyond your output  What matters more than ambition The way to slow ambition and why it builds more  If you can relate, this is the episode for you!  Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: [email protected]  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.

Stress has a reputation for burning us out, torching our relationships and even causing our lives to end prematurely. But not all stress is created equal. In this episode, we explore the difference between eustress - good stress - and distress, understand why our experience of stress is rooted in our perception of it, and understand how we can harness stress as a powerful force for motivation, energy and well-being.  Watch on Netflix: HERE We unpack: • The difference between eustress - good stress - and distress• Why avoiding stress can actually cause cognitive decline• The dangers of too much stress on our bodies and minds• The Yerkes-Dodson law and the ‘sweet spot’ of stress• How we can reframe our approach to stress to create our own ‘biology of courage’ Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: [email protected]  Our favourite sources:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcGyVTAoXEU&vl=en https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8384975/ https://www.healthline.com/health/yerkes-dodson-law   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.

We treat our memories like a reliable recording of the past. We remember what happened, how we felt, where we were, and what was said. But what if our account is more like a subjective recollection of events? In this episode, we explore the concept of false memories – how they form, why this matters in our everyday lives, and their more serious potential impacts. We explore:•        The cognitive mechanisms behind false memories•        The misinformation effect and the car crash study•        Why our memories are open to imagination, repetition and social influence•        Potential consequences of false memories in news reporting and eyewitness testimony•        The importance of ethical therapeutic practices and memory Watch on Netflix: HERE Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: [email protected]  Our favourite sources:https://innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/memory-mind-and-media/article/fake-memories-a-metaanalysis-on-the-effect-of-fake-news-on-the-creation-of-false-memories-and-false-beliefs/B6A66A305AFD6724E1C1C56A68BB5CF2 https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0021-9010.83.3.360 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022537174800113?via%3Dihub https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03196174 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.