The Psychology of your 20s

We have found some pretty amazing ways to observe human behaviour and from it, discovered some especially interesting things about how we operate, who we are at our core, our irrational beliefs and so much more. In today's episode, we break down five of my favourite psychology studies of all time from jam, to mental escapism and binge watching TV, how many friends we actually need, the healing power of nature and the origins of imposter syndrome. Listen now!

Study One: The Stanford Jam Experiment

https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Iyengar%20%26%20Lepper%20(2000).pdf

Study Two: In your 20s it's quantity, in your 30s its quality

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-10764-001

Study Three: Loneliness, Escapism, and Identification With Media Characters

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.785970/full

Study Four: The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women

https://www.paulineroseclance.com/pdf/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf

Study Five: Effects of Coastal Environment on Well-being

https://www.walshmedicalmedia.com/open-access/effects-of-the-coastal-environment-on-wellbeing-jczm-1000421.pdf

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Finding the joy in your own company is one of the most healing, rewarding and fulfilling things we can do. It's also really difficult in an age of FOMO, constant distraction, stimulation and fear of boredom or loneliness. In today's episode we break down exactly why you need to fall back in love with your alone time, the amazing benefits and HOW to do it. Listen now!

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Social comparison is the thief of joy - it will make us question everything that we have, doubt our own abilities, steal our sense of gratitude and peace. It also sometimes feels impossible to escape, especially in our 20s when we look to others for confirmation that we are doing something right. In today's episode we break down the 5 rules you need to stop comparing yourself to others and embrace the benefits of healthy social comparison, this includes:

1. Don't unfollow, don't suppress, recognise and expand
2. Keep your judgements realistic
3. Do things for YOU first
4. Water your own grass
5. Comparison as a motivator

Listen now to learn how you can control your urge to compare yourself to others!

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Our inability to make decisions is wasting our time, keeping us acting from a place of fear and stuck in a life we don't want! It's also not entirely our fault and often stems from unconscious mechanisms, neuroticism and fears that we haven't recognised. In today's episode we break down:

• Why you struggle to make decisions
• The consequences of our chronic indecisiveness
• Perfection and indecision
• Choice overload
• A fear of failure
• How to overcome your indecisiveness using the 80/20 rule
• The 'trusted advisor' method

Listen now!

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About 2/3rds of couples start off as friends according to recent research. But developing feelings for a friend isn't always a happily ever after situation. In today's episode we break down why it is that we fall in love with our friends, the principles of attraction such as the similarity liking effect and mere exposure effect, whether to say anything or keep it to yourself, managing the pain of rejection or social loss and your best tips for protecting the friendship and your own heart. Listen now!

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Sleep is one of our most vital functions but how many of us actually know that much about it, the links to our physical functioning, mental health, relationships and overall wellbeing. What about some of the strange experiments they've conducted to investigate dreams or how long we can go without sleep? In today's episode we take a deep dive into the psychology of sleep, including:

• Why we need sleep?
• What actually is REM sleep?
• The Russian Sleep Experiment
• Sleep debt
• Sleep as a form of self sabotage
• Revenge bedtime procrastination
• The impact of blue light and screens in the bedroom
• How to improve your sleep hygiene and more

Listen now for when you want to maximise your shut eye!

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More and more 20 something year olds are choosing to live with their parents; we are moving out later and a lot of us are boomeranging (coming back home after moving out). In today's episode we explore the emotional and psychological impacts of living with your parents in your 20s, why more of us are living at home because of financial anxiety or housing insecurity, how to handle conflict with your parents whilst you're still living under their roof and 6 tips for a successful living at home situation + some of your stories, advice and the benefits.

Listen now!

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We lose our spark and love for life for many reasons: burnout, mental ill health, people pleasing, a breakup. When we do it can feel like life gets very boring, it loses colour, we lose interest and we can become cynical towards all of the small joys and brilliance of being alive and being human. In this episode we break down six tips for getting your spark back:

• The power of rest
• Choosing to live light versus live heavy
• Reconnecting with your inner child + play
• Seeking inspiration in the mundane and The Alchemist
• Exercise + the healing power of nature
• Ignoring the urge to compare

Listen now for when you're in a rut or have lost your spark!

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You're not going to get along with everyone and one of those people you don't get along with might end up dating someone you love i.e your friend. Disliking your friends partner often stems from one of three reasons: your dating preferences don't match, you're experiencing platonic jealousy, you're genuinely worried about this other person being bad for your friend, exploitative or abusive. We talk about all three of these outcomes in today's episode along with what to do in response: do you stay silent or speak up?

Listen now!

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Social media is impacting our mental health in ways we are not ready or willing to acknowledge, and it's time we talk about it. In today's episode we discuss all the psychology of social media and how it is embedded in our social lives, our relationships, our beliefs, our daily routines, our news and our self worth. We break down how social media was designed to be addictive, how it captures more of our time than we think, the differences between people who have been on social media for over 10 years versus who have never been and what we can do about it. We also discuss the role of algorithms and misinformation. There is so much negativity spread online and innate need to compare ourselves to others, but I also believe we can have a positive and moderated relationship with these platforms. Listen now.

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