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PODCAST

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions

Welcome to Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions — the podcast that helps you stop the old mental loops and start building a better life. Each episode decodes the psychology behind the choices you make, uncovering the hidden biases and invisible forces shaping your behaviour. We explore why your brain does what it does — and how to take back control. Circuit Breaker gives you the tools to think clearer, decide smarter, and break the circuit for good.

science social sciences

All Episodes

6:53

The Barnum-Forer Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/10/03

Why do personality descriptions feel so accurate, even when they could apply to almost anyone? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Barnum-Forer Effect — the psychological phenomenon that makes us believe vague, general statements are uniquely tailored to us.Discover why we are so quick to accept flattering or seemingly personal feedback, how our desire to understand ourselves can distort our judgement, and how to recognise when something feels accurate simply

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7:36

The End-of-History Illusion

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/09/12

Why do we feel like we've changed so much in the past - but assume we won't change much in the future? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the End of History Illusion - the tendency to recognise how much we have changed, while underestimating how much we will continue to change. We often see our current personality, preferences, values, and goals as the finished version of ourselves, even though our past selves once felt exactly the same.Discover why we

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8:29

Harry Harlow's Monkey Experiments PART 1

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/09/05

Why do we need more than just food and survival to truly thrive? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore Harry Harlow’s controversial monkey experiments — research that challenged the idea that attachment is simply about satisfying physical needs. We examine how the monkeys sought comfort and security, while also confronting the serious ethical questions surrounding the experiments.Discover why comfort and emotional security matter, but also why Harlow’s findings

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7:48

The Peak-End Rule

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/08/22

Why do we remember an experience based on its most intense moment and how it ended, rather than the experience as a whole? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Peak-End Rule - the psychological bias that causes our memories of an experience to be shaped disproportionately by its emotional peak and its final moments.Discover how our memories can distort the way we judge past experiences, why a great ending can transform how we remember something difficult, and

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6:34

The Hot Coffee Study

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/08/08

Why can something as simple as a warm cup of coffee change the way we see another person? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Hot Coffee study - research showing how physical sensations can subconsciously influence our social judgements. Discover how something as subtle as temperature can shape our perceptions without as realising it, and how our physical experiences are not at all unrelated to our social ones.Studies and links:Does Physical Warmth Prime

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7:52

The Scarcity Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/08/01

Why do we want something more simply because it's harder to get? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Scarcity Effect - the psychological tendency to place greater value on things that seem rare, limited, or about to disappear. Discover how scarcity shapes our decisions, why "limited-time offers" and exclusive opportunities feel so irresistible, and how to recognise when urgency is driving your choices more than genuine value.Studies and links:How

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7:21

The Chameleon Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/07/25

Why do we unconsciously become more like the people around us? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Chameleon Effect — the psychological tendency to automatically mirror the behaviours, attitudes, and habits of those around us, often without even realising it.Discover how the people you surround yourself with quietly shape the way you think, act, and grow, why your environment matters more than you might expect, and how choosing the right influences can help

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7:08

The Broken Windows Theory

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/07/18

Why do small signs of disorder have such a big impact on the way people behave? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Broken Windows Theory — the idea that visible signs of neglect, disorder, or rule-breaking can encourage further antisocial behaviour by signalling that no one is paying attention.Discover how our surroundings influence our decisions, why environments can shape behaviour more than we realise, and what this theory reveals about the power of

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7:35

The Gambler’s Fallacy

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/07/04

Why do we believe a random event is “due” to happen just because it hasn’t happened in a while? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the gambler’s fallacy — the cognitive bias that makes us think past random outcomes influence future ones, even when every event is completely independent.Discover why streaks can fool our intuition, how our brains search for patterns in pure chance, and how recognising this bias can help you make more rational decisions in situations

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6:12

The Phone in the Room Study

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/06/20

Why does having your phone nearby make it harder to think — even when you’re not using it? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Phone in the Room Study — the surprising research showing that the mere presence of a smartphone can reduce attention, working memory, and cognitive performance.Discover how your brain allocates resources to resisting distraction, why “just having it there” can drain mental capacity, and what this study reveals about the hidden

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6:10

The White Bear Suppression Study

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/06/14

Why is it that the harder we try not to think about something, the more it seems to take over our minds? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the White Bear Suppression Study — the famous experiment that revealed the paradox of thought suppression. When participants were told not to think about a white bear, they found themselves thinking about it even more.Discover why trying to suppress thoughts often backfires, how unwanted ideas can become more persistent the

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6:55

The Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/05/30

Why do people agree to big requests after saying yes to a small one? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the foot-in-the-door technique — a powerful persuasion strategy where securing a small commitment first makes people more likely to agree to a larger request later.Discover why consistency is such a strong force in human behaviour, how marketers, salespeople, and campaigners use this technique to influence decisions, and how to recognise when a seemingly

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6:23

The Curse of Knowledge

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/05/23

Why is it so difficult to remember what it’s like not to know something? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the curse of knowledge — the cognitive bias that makes informed people assume others share the same understanding, context, or perspective that they do.Discover how knowledge can unintentionally create blind spots, why experts often struggle to explain simple ideas clearly, and how this bias shapes communication, teaching, and everyday misunderstandings

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6:01

The Scar Experiment

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/05/10

Why does what we believe about ourselves change the way other people seem to treat us? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the Scar Experiment — the psychological study showing how our beliefs and insecurities can shape the way we interpret social interactions.Discover how seeing yourself as judged, weak, or victimised can subtly change the way you act and respond to the world — and how the same mechanism can work in the opposite direction. Studies and

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5:11

The Decoy Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/05/02

Why do our preferences change just because a third option is added? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the decoy effect — the phenomenon where introducing a strategically inferior option makes one of the original choices more attractive.Discover how comparisons shape what we choose, why “irrelevant” options can steer decisions, and how to recognise when your preference is being nudged by the way choices are presented rather than what you truly want.Studies and

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5:11

The Identifiable Victim Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/04/25

Why do we feel a surge of compassion for one person’s story — yet stay emotionally flat when thousands are suffering? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we unpack the identifiable victim effect — our tendency to respond more strongly to a single, vivid individual than to an entire group.Explore why statistics leave us cold, how our brains are wired to care about people rather than numbers, and how recognising this pattern helps you understand why one story can move you to

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4:54

Outcome Bias

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/04/18

Why do we judge decisions by how they turn out - rather than how they were made? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore outcome bias - the tendency to evaluate the quality of a decision based on its result, instead of the reasoning behind it.Discover how good decisions can lead to bad outcomes (and vice versa), how hindsight skews our judgement, and how to focus on the process rather than the result when it matters most.Studies and links:Outcome Bias in Decision

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6:34

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/04/11

Why do we blame people's haracter for their actions - but excuse our own behaviour as "just the situation"? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions. we explore the fundamental attribution error - the tendency to overestimate personal traits and underestimate situational factors when judging others.Discover how this bias shapes the way we interpret behavior, why we're quick to label others but slow to consider context, and how recognising this pattern can lead to

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4:55

Hindsight Bias

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/04/04

Why do events feel obvious after they've already haappened? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore hindsight bias - the tendency to see outcomes as predictable in retrospect, even when they weren't at the time. Discover how this "knew it all along" effect distorts memory, inflates confidence in our judgement, and makes us underestimate uncertainty.Studies and links:Hindsight^Foresight: The Effect of Outcome Knowledge on Judgment Under Uncertainty |

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4:37

The Pratfall Effect

Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions ·

2026/03/28

Why does making a small mistake sometimes make someone more likeable? In this episode of Circuit Breaker: Rewiring Your Decisions, we explore the pratfall effect - the psychological phenomenon where a minor slip-up can actually increase someone's appeal, especially if they're already seen as competent. Discover how imperfection can humanise us, how confidence interacts with mistakes, and how a flaw can actually make you more relatable.Studies and links:The effect of a pratfall on increasing

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40 results

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