What's going on up there?

We’ve all had a song, chorus, or long-forgotten jingle get stuck in our head and repeat on a loop no matter how hard we try to shake it. But why do earworms happen, and what do they reveal about the way our minds work? In this episode, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Professor Binna Kandola OBE to explore the psychology of involuntary musical imagery — better known as earworms. Together, they discuss why familiar, catchy, and repetitive songs are especially likely to linger, the roles of memory, attention, habit, and imagination, and why earworms tend to surface when our minds wander.References:Arthur, C., 2023. Why do songs get “stuck in our heads”? Towards a theory for explaining earworms. Music & Science, 6, p.20592043231164581.Killingly, C., Lacherez, P. and Meuter, R., 2021. Singing in the brain: Investigating the cognitive basis of earworms. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 38(5), pp.456-472.Beaman, C.P., 2018. The literary and recent scientific history of the earworm: A review and theoretical framework. Auditory Perception & Cognition, 1(1-2), pp.42-65.Dodds, C.M., 2025. Earworms as ‘mental habits’: Involuntary musical imagery is associated with a wide range of habitual behaviors. Consciousness and Cognition, 130, p.103834.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do we choose to watch horror films, read scary stories or seek out a good jump scare?In this Halloween special, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Stuart Duff to explore the psychology of horror. From Halloween and Psycho to The Haunting of Hill House and The Woman in Black, they unpack why fear can feel fun, comforting, and even bring us closer together.Together, they explore the science behind recreational fear, morbid curiosity, sensation-seeking and whether horror can help us practise emotional regulation, build resilience and safely rehearse how we might respond in threatening situations.Whether you’re a horror devotee or prefer to watch from behind a cushion, this episode reveals why we are so drawn to a good scare.References:Clasen, M. Monsters evolve: A biocultural approach to horror stories. Review of general psychology (2012)Clasen, M. and Scrivner, C. Various research papers from the Recreational Fear Lab based at Aarhus UniversityHaidt, J., McCauley, C., & Rozin, P. (1994). Individual differences in sensitivity to disgust: A scale sampling seven domains of disgust elicitors. Personality and Individual Differences.Martin, G.N. (Why) do you like scary movies? A review of the empirical research on psychological responses to horror films. Frontiers in psychology, 2019A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do some answers feel right before we have properly thought them through?In this episode of What’s going on up there?, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist James Meachin to explore the psychology of fast, intuitive thinking.From falling for a convincing headline to making assumptions about someone we have just met, we all rely on fast, automatic thinking every day. It helps us navigate a busy world, but it can also catch us out.Grace and James unpack why our brains take mental shortcuts, when trusting your gut can be helpful, and when it might be worth stopping to think again.References:Frederick, S. (2005). Cognitive reflection and decision making. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 25–42.Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G. (2019). Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning. Cognition, 188, 39–50.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can an ancient Greek story reveal about the realities of leadership today?In this episode, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Louise Weston to explore the leadership lessons hidden in the Odyssey.Odysseus is celebrated for his intelligence and strategic thinking, but his journey also raises questions about trust, communication, decision-making, and the impact leaders can have on those around them. From perilous choices at sea to a mysterious bag of wind, Louise examines why this nearly 3,000-year-old story still has something to say about leading through uncertainty, pressure and complexity.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ageing happens to all of us, every day. Yet many of us are taught to see it as a story of inevitable decline: slower thinking, less energy and fewer possibilities.But what if the way we think about getting older shapes how we experience it, and even how long we live?In this episode, Grace is joined Professor Binna Kandola OBE to explore the psychology of ageing. They discuss how the stereotypes we absorb throughout life can become self-fulfilling, influencing our confidence, behaviour, health and wellbeing as we grow older.Drawing on research into self-perceptions of ageing, Binna explains why more positive attitudes towards getting older are associated with longer, healthier lives, and why it’s never too early, or too late, to challenge the assumptions we hold about age.References:Tully-Wilson, C., Bojack, R., Millear, P.M., Stallman, H.M., Allen, A. and Mason, J. (2021) ‘Self-perceptions of aging: A systematic review of longitudinal studies’, Psychology and Aging, 36(7), pp. 773–789.Levy, B. (2009) ‘Stereotype embodiment: A psychosocial approach to aging’, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(6), pp. 332–336.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the thrill of a new car to the life-changing prospect of a lottery win, we often assume we know exactly how future events will make us feel. But are we as good at predicting our emotions as we think?This week, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist James Meachin to explore the psychology of affective forecasting — our ability to predict how we’ll feel in the future.Together, they unpack what the research reveals about how we anticipate the impact of major life events, why we can overestimate how long feelings will last, and how our often-overlooked resilience shapes our emotional experiences.James also shares practical advice for using these insights to make more informed choices and improve day-to-day wellbeing.References:Albrecht, G. L., & Devlieger, P. J. (1999). The disability paradox: High quality of life against all odds. Social Science & Medicine, 48(8), 977–988. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00411-0Brickman, P., Coates, D., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(8), 917–927. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.36.8.917Wilson, T. D., & Gilbert, D. T. (2003). Affective forecasting. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 35, 345–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(03)01006-2A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.The people around us can influence the information we receive, the opportunities we hear about and whether we feel safe enough to speak up.In this bonus Psychological Safety Week episode, Grace and Chartered Psychologist Louise Weston explore social capital: the value held in our relationships, networks and connections.From the “old boys’ network” to everyday introductions, they examine how connections can open doors, build trust and support psychological safety at work.Louise also shares practical ways we can broaden our networks and use our own influence to build more inclusive, connected and psychologically safe workplaces.Find out more about Psychological Safety Week: https://www.psychologicalsafetyweek.comA podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is changing how we work. So why are people afraid to admit they're using it? In this Psychological Safety Week bonus episode, Grace is joined by Managing Psychologist Janet Tarasofsky to explore the anxiety, uncertainty, and silence surrounding AI at work. They examine the research behind shadow AI, social evaluative threat and technostress, and what it reveals about Talent Hushing. From job security and imposter syndrome to the pressure to keep pace, this episode unpacks why AI use has become a psychological safety issue in the workplace. Find out more about Psychological Safety Week: https://www.psychologicalsafetyweek.comReferences:Microsoft UK (2025). Rise in ‘Shadow AI’ tools raising security concerns for UK organisations. Microsoft UK Stories, 13 October 2025.Sawhney, G., McCord, M.A., Cunningham, A., Cook, P., Adjei, K. & Flinn, T. (2026). ‘A meta-analytic review of 60 years of role stressor research’. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 167, 104234. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2026.104234.Dickerson, S.S. & Kemeny, M.E. (2004). ‘Acute stressors and cortisol responses: A theoretical integration and synthesis of laboratory research’. Psychological Bulletin, 130(3), 355–391. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.355.Liu, M., Li, Y. & Li, J. (2026). ‘The impact of generative AI use on employees’ psychological distress: A moderated mediation model’. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, 1798423. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1798423.Högemann, M., Hein, L., Britsche, J-O. & Thomas, O. (2025). ‘Technostress and generative AI in the workplace: A qualitative analysis of young professionals’. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 8, 1728881. DOI: 10.3389/frai.2025.1728881.Mizrak, F. & Karakaya, T. (2026). ‘Why Hide AI Use? Psychological Configurations and Explainable Machine Learning Evidence from Marketing Work’. Behavioral Sciences, 16(6), 994. DOI: 10.3390/bs16060994.Kandola, B. (2025) Building a psychologically safe work environment. Routledge.Morrison, E.W. (2023). ‘Employee Voice and Silence: Taking Stock a Decade Later’. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 79–107. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-054654.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Psychological Safety Week bonus episode, Grace is joined by Professor Binna Kandola OBE to explore the findings from our 2026 research into talent hushing: the ways organisations fail to hear, value and make full use of people’s ideas and capabilities.Drawing on a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 people, they examine who feels heard at work, whose ideas are taken seriously, and how negative experiences can lead people to hold back in future. The conversation explores important differences across gender, sexual orientation, disability and ethnicity, and why focusing only on visible differences can obscure the bigger problem.They close with three practical principles to help unlock the talent in your organisation.Find out more about Psychological Safety Week: https://www.psychologicalsafetyweek.comA podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI can write an article, solve a problem, or plan our holiday in seconds. But as we rely on it more, are we becoming lazy thinkers? In this week’s episode, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Dr Jo Kandola to explore what the research tells us about AI and cognition. Together, they unpack the psychology of cognitive offloading, why our brains love shortcuts, and what happens when AI boosts our performance without improving our capability. They also discuss what AI could mean for creativity, judgement and critical thinking, and how we can use it to support our thinking rather than replace it. References:Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social Cognition (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.Georgiou, G. P. (2025). ChatGPT produces more “lazy” thinkers: Evidence of cognitive engagement decline.Ghasemi, H. (2025). The dual impact of artificial intelligence on human cognition: Balancing benefits and risks.Hailegebriel Girma, A. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence in shaping human interaction and cognitive function. KUE Journal of Education, 3(1), 69–88.Rao, Sohail. (2025). The Impact of Artificial Intelligence Tools on Human Cognitive Abilities: A Comprehensive Review. Shanmugasundaram, M., & Tamilarasu, A. (2023). The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: A review. Frontiers in Cognition, 2, 1203077.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking.Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.