All In The Mind

ARIA-nominated musician Parvyn knows what it's like to lose touch with reality. Delusions, mania, psychosis — she's experienced it all, often while on tour. Despite processing these experiences on her debut solo album 'Sa', she's never spoken publicly about her mental health — until now.

This episode was first broadcast in February 2022.  Most of us have an inner voice – it reminds you to pick up milk on your way home, helps problem solve, or rehearse what you’re going to say. But there are times that helpful voice veers into harmful chatter.

As a teen, Hunter Johnson wanted to be the best at sport, the best at getting girls, and the best at getting attention. But one moment would change everything for him — forcing him to rethink his ideas about masculinity. Now, he's paying it forward. Last week, we explored why toxic masculinity is tricky to talk about. Today, we hear from someone having that conversation daily — shifting the focus from toxic behaviours and beliefs … to emotional intelligence.

Do you get defensive when you hear the term toxic masculinity? You wouldn't be the only one, if so. In this episode, we follow one dad's attempts to understand where internet algorithms are sending his son… and ask, how do we deal with toxic masculinity, when the very term has become contested?

From phantom limbs to Alice in Wonderland syndrome — why does the brain sometimes mess up its awareness and understanding of the body it belongs to? Neuroscientist and author of Body Am I, Moheb Costandi explains.

Sex, scandal, money and misdeeds. All elements of good gossip. So why do we love the gossip, but not the gossiper? And why are we invested in the secrets of celebrities, even though they're strangers?

Where do you draw the line between brainwashing… and influence? Thought control… and mere suggestion? From the Korean War, to The Beatles, to current day, we trace the sometimes scary/sometimes weird history of brainwashing.

This episode was first broadcast in September 2022.  You might not think of yourself as a negotiator but big or small we all negotiate daily. Getting better at it could make your life easier. So what's the most effective way to negotiate? Is playing hardball ever a useful strategy? And what do you do when you're at a power disadvantage?

This episode was first broadcast in May 2022.  On All in the Mind this week, the early history of autism. With historian of science Professor Marga Vicedo we learn about the blame that was cast on mothers, the fight to get adequate help and support for families, and the movement that one mother, Clara Park, helped spark.

This episode was first broadcast in March 2022.  Why do we laugh, and what makes something funny? A psychologist, a neuroscientist and satirist Mark Humphries weigh in on humour and the brain.

Over summer, we're sharing some of our favourite episodes of the year. This one was first broadcast in April 2022.  Anxiety and alcohol misuse are a common pairing. How do the two egg each other on and what can be done to halt the cycle? Plus, the personality traits that shape our likelihood of harmful alcohol use.

This summer, we're sharing some of our favourite episodes of the year. This episode was first broadcast in April.  What are the constructive things our minds do when they wander? And when does mindwandering cross over … into not-so-constructive territory? Guests: Professor Moshe Bar Cognitive Neuroscientist, Bar-Ilan University; Author, Mindwandering: How It Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Your Creativity Producer: James Bullen Sound Engineer: Roi Huberman

As a toddler, Nicole's son was extremely aggressive. As he got older, his behaviour worsened. In our final episode of the year, we examine 'callous unemotional traits' — the early warning signs of psychopathy that emerge in childhood.

This episode was first broadcast in November 2021.  Are your colleagues rude? Do people regularly ignore each other or dismiss opinions in meetings? Ever gotten an all caps email? On All in the Mind this week, we examine the toxic effects of rude behaviour. And are we getting more rude as a society?

If you open any social media app, you're likely to eventually come across videos of people discussing trauma.  The hashtag TraumaTok has billions of views...   So how did trauma take over the internet? And what effect is it having on our mental health? Technology Reporter Ariel Bogle investigates.

When you get nervous, can you feel it in your stomach?  The gut-brain connection is something many of us have experienced but probably not given much thought to.  Research into this connection has led to the rise of a seemingly unexpected treatment for IBS: hypnotherapy.  Producer Danni Stewart investigates how Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be treated.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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 unethical territory. First broadcast on 22 August 2021.

Over the past two decades, our cultural understanding of autism and what it means to be autistic has grown - though we have a long way to go. But there are entire generations of people who grew up when the popular conception of autism was a far cry from how it’s now understood. It meant a whole host of people who grew up feeling like they didn’t fit in, but never quite knowing why. They were autistic, but undiagnosed. And when a diagnosis did come as an adult – it was often revelatory and life-changing. On All in the Mind this week, 'hidden histories’ of late-diagnosed autistic adults. First broadcast 8 August 2021.

Guilt and shame are often used interchangeably, but researchers in emotion and psychology say they are distinct – and often motivate people into very different paths of behaviour. For the feeling of guilt, at least, that might even push you into making unexpected positive changes.

At night our brain can have adventures. Even if they're fully asleep, some people end up sleep walking or even sleep driving! The neuroscience of nightmares and dreaming—and what they can tell us about the workings of our brain.

Our brains are easily distracted or overwhelmed. And that can make getting stuff done harder than it needs to be. This week, we look at methods and strategies for avoiding unnecessary stress by managing your priorities, your focus, and your energy with organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber.

Imagine getting a diagnosis in adulthood that suddenly made so much of your life make sense. It explains why you’ve always had trouble being on time, starting things you don’t finish, avoiding difficult projects. Producer Jennifer Leake explores the impact of an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.

Michael Slepian researches the psychology of secrets. But what he didn't know — until about a decade ago — was that his family had a major secret they were keeping from him. One they planned never to reveal. Until …

In the uncertain times we live in, how exactly are we meant to make up our minds? How do we weigh up pros, cons and risk factors, and how do stress and fear bear on our capacity for critical thinking? And how often are we even aware of the decisions we’re making? On All in the Mind this week, a special panel discussion recorded at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Music is central to the human experience. We celebrate with it, commiserate through it - often some of our strongest memories are tied to it. On All in the Mind this week, how music affects us from the womb through the rest of our lives - and what new research tells us about its measurable impact on our mental health. Plus, the 'plink' test - how our musical memories can identify a track from just a sliver of song, and the power of music to shape our emotions.

On All in the Mind this week, the early history of autism. With historian of science Professor Marga Vicedo we learn about the blame that was cast on mothers, the fight to get adequate help and support for families, and the movement that one mother, Clara Park, helped spark.

Have you ever wanted to change your personality? Many people do - studies find we're keen to become more extroverted, more agreeable and more conscientious. But what does the evidence say about whether people do change? And can you tweak your personality deliberately?

Two disasters, two years apart - the ongoing mental health impact on survivors and what the research can tell us about the different ways people respond to these life-changing events.

The quirks of psychology that influence when we give to charity … and when we don't.

Dolls can tell us a lot about how kids see the world – especially when it comes to race. One American researcher spent months watching pre-schoolers play with dolls and what she observed shocked her. Plus, did you know the very first study of children and their thoughts about dolls actually changed the course of American history? First broadcast 4 April 2021.

Anxiety and alcohol misuse are a common pairing. How do the two egg each other on and what can be done to halt the cycle? Plus, the personality traits that shape our likelihood of harmful alcohol use.

Grief is deeply painful but it's something the majority of us …eventually … find ways to live with. But research is starting to emerge on how the pandemic may have changed the way we grieve - making the experience more intense, more debilitating.  As places like Australia and the US move on from the harshest restrictions of the last two years… is how we grieve returning to baseline? Or is it still too early to know? On All in the Mind this week, how the COVID pandemic has changed the nature of grief.

About one in five Australians experience a mental illness in any given year. But what about when mental health issues occur ... together? On All in the Mind this week, we look at a massive Scandinavian epidemiological study series which considers why having one mental illness puts you at greater risk of developing subsequent ones, and explore what that might mean for the treatment and prevention of mental health issues.

What are the constructive things our minds do when they wander? And when does mindwandering cross over … into not-so-constructive territory?

If you’re lucky enough to have fallen in love at some point in your life, you’ve  probably also had your heart broken. The experience can be excruciating, protracted, disorienting … but can it cause you lasting psychological – even physical – harm?

Chris Hadnagy’s job involves breaking into banks. But he’s not after money, gold or jewels. He’s searching for weaknesses – in systems, in security, and in people.  And he doesn’t use weapons or threats of violence to get past guards and into vaults. He uses a smile - and a few tricks from his toolbox of psychology and social engineering techniques. Chris is the founder and CEO of Social Engineer LLC and lectures about social engineering around the globe. On All in the Mind this week, the psychology of influence and what makes some people more vulnerable to being ‘hacked’ than others. [This episode originally aired on 01 August 2021]

Why do we laugh, and what makes something funny? A psychologist, a neuroscientist and satirist Mark Humphries weigh in on humour and the brain.

An excerpt from a new ABC podcast called What the Duck?! Each week the ABC's resident nature nerd Ann Jones explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?!

Spicy food, scary movies, BDSM … why do humans sometimes chase painful experiences and how are they linked to pleasure?

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is tricky to pick up at the doctor's office and impossible to cure. And for those who live with the condition, their families and their carers, the situation can be very challenging. On All in the Mind this week, we hear from those people and a researcher who has spent decades working on the condition.

What happens when we let our most destructive emotion dominate? On All in the Mind this week, we explore why we get angry, how you might control aggression and whether it can ever be ... useful.

We're urged to stay positive and keep up a cheerful disposition ... but sometimes things are just awful, aren’t they? On All in the Mind this week we look at why we engage in toxic positivity, why it's so damaging when we do and whether something called 'tragic optimism' could be the antidote.

Most of us have an inner voice – it reminds you to pick up milk on your way home, helps problem solve, or rehearse what you’re going to say. But there are times that helpful voice veers into harmful chatter.

You’ve heard of adrenaline, oxytocin and cortisol, but what about glutamate and GABA? And how much do you really know about the chemicals coursing through your brain? On All in the Mind this week, we take a whistle stop tour through your brain to learn how various chemicals influence our behaviour.

Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous time, despite the sleep deprivation and constant crying. But for many women, it can be a dark time. We know one in six suffer post partum depression, but there's another condition that affects women during this period that you may not have heard of. It's called post-partum psychosis. It's rare, but for those who get it, it can be utterly debilitating. This episode was first broadcast on 25 April 2021.

It’s a condition which affects some patients who end up in intensive care …  and can continue after they’re released from hospital. People often experience paranoia and fear, sometimes believing doctors are trying to kill them or that ghostly figures have visited during the night. Disrupted sleep, bright lights, the endless beeping of alarms — all are thought to play a role in bringing on the condition. On All in the Mind this week, delirium in the ICU – and how our hospital system might be redesigned to reduce it.

The uncertainty, isolation, and danger posed by the Coronavirus pandemic affects the mental health of many people - but for those on the frontline, all of those feelings can be heightened. We talk to health professionals who have been managing their own panic attacks and anxiety.

Growing older is something we only get to do if we’re lucky, so why are so many of us unenthusiastic about the prospect of ageing? We speak to neuroscientist and author Dan Levitin about his new book The Changing Mind, which looks at the ways the brain actually improves as we age, and how we can help it.

Design and creativity really can work together. We talk with a design critic and a product design educator who both have an interest in toys - their history, and how they’re created and assessed in the real world. Get your blocks ready to play along.

There's a condition so bizarre and rare that most doctors haven't even heard of it - it's called Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome and it causes people to hear their blood moving, bones creaking, lungs breathing and even eyeballs moving. It can have a profound impact on a person's life and mental health. So can it be fixed? We go into a hospital operating room to learn about this little-known condition. Warning: this episode contains a description of a surgical operation.

Believe it or not … a Formula 1 car can be driven by someone just using their brain. We consider the neurogeneration: people who in the future are likely to be using some kind of brain-powered technology to do their job or to extend their knowledge. But we don’t leave the past behind, there’s also a peek into the brain collection of Cornell University.

We all know that certain diseases are contagious, but sometimes behaviour is contagious as well. We take a look at some historical examples—such as the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962, and the 1518 case of uncontrollable dancing—and we consider what might drive copycat crimes. There's also the possibility of suicide contagion. Trigger warning: this episode touches on the subject of suicide, please take care while listening.

Habits are notoriously hard to change—exercising more often, practising calmness, getting healthy—it all takes time and effort. So perhaps you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a way to get habits into your routine. We talk with Bernard Balleine, Director of the Decision Neuroscience Lab at UNSW; and with B J Fogg, founder of the Behaviour Design Lab at Stanford University about his new book Tiny Habits.

How good are you at imagining or hearing music in your head? Can you think of the tune to ‘Happy Birthday’ and bring the notes to mind without actually singing? We consider the mind’s musical ear and what it reveals about us. And ... earworms—those pesky songs stuck in your head—where they come from and persuading them to leave.

When it comes to pseudoscience you might consider yourself to be a sceptic But don’t give yourself too much credit because we’re all vulnerable to believing dubious claims. This is because of powerful cognitive biases in the brain—and we could actually be satisfied with quite shallow explanations for things—and for being suckers for pseudoscience.

Indigenous people in Australia are having a very difficult time finding a psychologist who understands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. Sometimes Indigenous patients seeking treatment have been denied a voice, and the reality of their situation. There are about 800,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, but only 218 Indigenous psychologists. Australia needs more of them—and we look at what many mainstream psychologists fail to understand about Indigenous patients.

Dr Rebecca Gelding is a cognitive scientist who investigates what is going on in the brain as people imagine musical pitch and rhythm. As part of the series This Sounds Like Science, you can explore music on a different level in a free lunchtime event by Dr Gelding, presented by City Recital Hall and Inspiring Australia. In an upcoming program, All in the Mind will feature an interview by Sana Qadar with Dr Gelding, so stay tuned—in the meantime, here's a short extract about some topics being discussed at her talk on Tuesday, 18 February, at the City Recital Hall.

At some point in your career there’s a good chance that you’ll cross paths with a workplace bully. If you do, it can have a profound impact on your well-being and mental health. But why do bullies do it and what motivates them? And do corporate psychopaths fit into the picture? We take a look at the personality and organisational factors that play a role in workplace bullying.

While presenter Lynne Malcolm takes a short break, the program will be presented by Sana Qadar—looking forward to your continued company for 2020.

We used to believe that babies and young children had irrational and naive thinking skills. Developments in psychology and neuroscience now reveal that infants are actually smarter, more thoughtful, and have a different consciousness to adults. Children’s exploratory and creative style of thinking may even inform improved AI design.

Questions about whether we are masters of our own destiny and if we really have free will have puzzled philosophers and scientists for many years. Now neuroscience is challenging much of what we thought we knew about ourselves—from how much our pre-birth experience affects our later lives, to how we make decisions and form our own reality.

When you’re waiting in a queue there are various ways to bide your time: chat to someone, gaze off into the distance, or check your phone. The science of human interaction tells us that the impact on your brain and body is vastly different depending on your choice. Live person-to-person connection changes us and the society we live in, so it’s in our best interests to use technology sensibly. This program was first broadcast in June 2019.

Picture this—an Australian journalist sitting near a squat toilet under the only light in the prison cell he shares with 140 others, writing pages of notes about happiness. After 15 months in a notorious Cambodian prison, for a crime he denies, James Ricketson shares his insights into his personal experience in Prey Sar prison—and his new reflections on the state of happiness. Please note that this episode contains a small amount of strong language This program was first broadcast in July 2019

Would you be comfortable with a Huntsman spider crawling on your arm, or a python slithering over your shoulder? Not many of us would, but when this discomfort causes you so much anxiety that it interferes with your daily life – it’s become a phobia. But there is treatment, and virtual reality can assist.

Smart people are not only just as prone to making mistakes as everyone else—they may even be more susceptible to them. This idea has been dubbed the Intelligence Trap. It explains the flaws in our understanding of intelligence and expertise, and how the decisions of even the brightest minds and talented organisations can backfire.

The connection between our minds and bodies determines our health and well-being, and the rate at which our cells age and die can be influenced by lifestyle choices. We hear about keeping our genes in good order by protecting our telomeres—a buffer zone at each end of our chromosomes. We'll also hear about a mindfulness-based intervention which could really help millions of extremely traumatised displaced people around the world. This program was first broadcast in August 2019

Dementia affects around 450,000 Australians, and it comes in hundreds of forms. New research reveals that one form of dementia takes away the ability to daydream, and this has implications for improved care. Sleep disruption in middle age also emerges as another risk factor. And we hear how, after diagnosis, one person found a meaningful role in breaking down the stigma of dementia.

Music deeply affects us emotionally, and individually—and now we know that our relationship with music provides a unique opportunity to gain further insight into the workings of the brain itself. We discuss the latest in music research with one of the editors of The Oxford Handbook of Music and the Brain. Hear about why we may prefer particular types of music, how being a musician can change the brain over time, and what happens to our musicality as we age.

There’s more and more scientific evidence that climate change is having a major impact on our planet. Recently more than 11,000 scientists across the world declared a climate emergency, and many of us are experiencing grief, anxiety and powerlessness about the future. We discuss the connection between climate change and mental health, and the strategies we need to maintain hope and take action.

What we see, hear, and feel as a child affects us later in life—and our brain is changed by childhood traumas. A leading Canadian psychiatrist is working to understand how childhood harm can impair brain development and affect mental health, in the hope of effective treatment. And we hear about an intervention which can improve educational outcomes for vulnerable children.

Even when it gets the go-ahead, research on sex and the brain is still highly stigmatised—yet there is still so much to learn. Sometimes a brain injury or disease causes hypersexuality, or a change of sexual preference; orgasm can cause a brain aneurysm to rupture, and the latter becomes more likely if it’s sex with someone other than your usual partner.

The trauma of war and displacement has a negative impact on the mental health of hundreds of thousands of refugees around the world. Australian researchers recently travelled to a large refugee camp in Bangladesh* where around 500,000 Rohingya people are living. The researchers found that sports and exercise programs make a huge difference to these refugees' physical and mental health, and to their well-being. *There are around 900,000 Rohingya refugees now living in Bangladesh

In English there's no single word to describe an anxiety about how much aeroplane flight is damaging our environment. But in Swedish the word for this anxiety is 'flygskam'. And perhaps, having a word for this specific emotion may change the way we think about it  Come on our tour of culture and language to explore some strange destinations and untranslatable emotions.

Our guest, Rhonda Macken, tells her remarkable story—a testament to the power of human creativity and resilience in the face of unimaginable childhood trauma. Rhonda created a complex jigsaw of multiple personalities as protection against her harsh reality. Now in her 70s, and after years of intense psychotherapy, she's fully integrated and enjoying the love of her family.

Is an enlightened planet possible? Co-writers of a new film and book called The Portal say it is—through the power of collective meditation. They share personal stories of inspiring individuals who have come through adversity by reflecting inwards, using meditation.  Hope for humankind may lie in the cumulative effect of individual meditation and whether mindfulness can promote empathy.

The Big Anxiety festival uses the arts and lived experience to re-imagine mental health. Through creativity and innovative technology, empathy replaces fear and stigma. Virtual reality worlds open up to an optimistic future and offer insight from ancient indigenous stories.

Gabby was on an emotional roller-coaster, feeling empty and needy. After lashing out in anger, she’d regret it and say sorry over and over again. Her partner, Eliza, felt like she was walking on eggshells, always fearful of arousing Gabby’s intense emotions. Gabby was diagnosed with the highly stigmatised Borderline Personality Disorder. They share their journey together to a calmer and happier life. ** Trigger warning: please note that this interview contains references to self-harm, abuse, and violence**

When Tim was 11 years old he created his own superhero. Laser Beak Man now appears in colourful artworks showing Tim’s unique sense of humour connected to his literal understanding of language. And when Oakley was 5 years old he drew a pirate, inspiring his mother to write a kids’ book to raise understanding about autism and difference.

Meet an Australian philosopher and cultural analyst who spent 20 years of his life addicted to just about every drug you could imagine. His best work was done when he was enveloped in haze of cannabis smoke, he prowled local pharmacies to score large doses of codeine, and drank until he lost consciousness. Amazingly he lives to eloquently share his insights into the thought processes of an addict.

Anxiety is an essential human emotion—it kicks in to protect us from threats—but sometimes those threats are only perceived. When worries start to become overwhelming, approximately 25 per cent of us experience clinical anxiety. But it is highly treatable. A ten-year-old girl and a 30-year-old man share their anxious thoughts and their strategies to manage them.

The art of talking and listening in therapy can be powerful and transformative. The talking cure has changed since Freudian psychoanalysis, but evidence is building that the therapeutic relationship can have deep and lasting benefits. Two leading psychotherapists reveal the common dynamics that can interrupt our sense of well-being, through characters based on real-life case studies.

Our perception of the world is significantly affected by the language we speak. Indigenous languages from around Australia pose a vastly different perspective of the world than that of English. We explore how these languages influence perceptions of self, kinship and the natural world.