Just in time for Halloween, we talk about the psychology of strange stuff – including ghostly visitations, alien abductions, ESP, and more – with Chris French, PhD, head of the anomalistic psychology unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr. French discusses how psychological explanations such as sleep paralysis and inattentional blindness could underlie ... Show More
Jul 1
Why listening well is harder -- and more powerful -- than you think, with Guy Itzchakov, PhD
Most people think they’re good listeners. But really listening well is harder than it seems. Guy Itzchakov, PhD, talks about what distinguishes high-quality listening from just staying quiet while someone else talks; how feeling heard affects speakers’ emotions, attitudes and rel ... Show More
45m 21s
Jun 24
“Sharenting”: What happens when children's lives are shared online? With Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD
From ultrasound photos to graduation pictures, many parents share their children's lives online. For some families, these posts help maintain connections with friends and relatives or build supportive parenting communities. But what does it mean for children to grow up with a dig ... Show More
24m 5s
Jun 17
Multisensory perception: How sight, sound and touch shape what we taste, with Charles Spence, PhD
Why does seafood taste better at the beach? Why are so many snacks crunchy? Can the color of a room or the music in the background change the way we experience what we eat and drink? Charles Spence, PhD, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford, disc ... Show More
41m 17s
Jun 2024
The Psychology of The Paranormal - Carl Jung
Since early childhood, Carl Jung experienced paranormal phenomena, that is, phenomena that are beyond the scope of scientific understanding. They were virtually commonplace in Jung’s family. Jung’s personal experiences with the paranormal would set him on a quest to find an expla ... Show More
48m 34s
Oct 2019
Richard Wiseman on lying, luck and the paranormal
How do you tell if someone is lying? When Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, conducted a nationwide experiment to identify the tell-tale signs, the results were surprising. If you want to spot a liar, don’t loo ... Show More
28m 21s
Apr 2020
STBYM Halftober Monsterfest Playlist, Episode 8: Demon in the Halls of Sleep
Halftober Monsterfest is about to get even weirder. Explore the basics of incubus and succubus myths, a few international variants and the possible biological, psychological and neurological explanations for these paranormal encounters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/ ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2020
SYSK Selects: How Ghosts Work
<p>According to a 2009 poll, more Americans believe in ghosts than don't. But what are ghosts exactly? If they do exist, what are they made of and why are they hanging around? In this classic episode airing for Halloween, Josh and Chuck explore both sides of the divide between be ... Show More
43m 3s
Oct 2023
Do you know about ghosts? 👻
In this episode, we discover why you might have thought you saw a ghost. We found out that many cultures, even if they are far apart, have tales about ghosts or spirits. We looked at ghosts from a science perspective and learned that sometimes our eyes and brains play tricks on u ... Show More
28m 31s