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PODCAST

PsychCrunch

The British Psychological Society Research Digest

PsychCrunch is the podcast from the British Psychological Society"s Research Digest. Each episode we explore whether the findings from psychological science can make a difference in real life. Just how should we live, according to psychology? We speak to psychologists about their research and whether they apply what they"ve discovered in their own lives.

science social sciences

All Episodes

19:54

Ep 42: What makes hobbies healing?

PsychCrunch ·

2025/08/18

In this episode of PsychCrunch, Tabby Taylor Buck delves into the world of unconventional therapeutic activities, guided by the latest psychological research and insights from practitioners in the field. She explores how innovative approaches are reshaping what therapy can look and feel like. Tabby begins with climbing therapy, stepping into a pair of painfully tight climbing shoes and joining psychotherapist Lee Simmons on the wall. We then turn to the imaginative world of structured roleplay, as

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22:39

Ep 41: What makes a successful transition to school?

PsychCrunch ·

2025/07/18

Most of us remember what it was like to start school. Intimidating new places, being unsure of the schedule, lots of new potential friends — and maybe a few foes. It’s a huge moment for kids, and their families, that brings with it a lot of big, complex challenges. In this episode, Jon Sutton chats with Professor Claire Hughes, Deputy Director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge, about the hurdles families face when children start school, what it means to be ‘school

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38:12

Ep 40: Kink, community, and transformation

PsychCrunch ·

2025/04/30

The massive variety of human sexual interests is a little mind-boggling. As what we consider to be sexually typical continues to be expanded and shaped by the internet and popular culture, psychologists are making efforts to research kinks and members of the kink community like never before. Join Ella Rhodes in conversation with Liam Wignall (Senior Lecturer at Brighton University and committee member of the BPS’s Sexualities Section) about his work exploring community in these underground spaces,

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31:05

Ep 39: Why it's worth embracing uncertainty

PsychCrunch ·

2024/12/10

There’s no question that we find ourselves in uncertain times. Looking at current events and wondering about what the future may hold can leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed, to say the least. But uncertain times aren’t always the ominous force we make them out to be. In fact, research suggests that they can create unique opportunities for growth and transformation that we wouldn’t otherwise encounter. This episode, Ella Rhodes chats with Maggie Jackson — author of Uncertain and

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30:10

Ep 38: Nothing about us without us

PsychCrunch ·

2024/06/14

This is Episode 38 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. In years gone by, the norm for psychological research was to design studies from the outside looking in. Acting as observers of particular populations, there was generally an expected separation between the researcher and the researched. More recently, however, there’s been a shift. For decades, the rallying cry “nothing about us without us” has been used by the

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42:08

Ep 37: Talking with patients about sad, bad and...

PsychCrunch ·

2024/05/16

This is Episode 37 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. [Content warning: This episode centres around cancer. As such, it makes references to medical events and themes that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.] In the face of significant medical challenges, we would all hope for compassionate, informative communication from medical professionals and those close to us. Sometimes, though,

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30:59

Ep 36: The secrets of dreams and nightmares

PsychCrunch ·

2024/03/14

This is Episode 36 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Why do we dream? And what business does a good dream have turning into a nightmare? In this episode, Ella Rhodes embarks on an exploration of our non-waking life. In it, she speaks with Director of the Swansea University Sleep Laboratory, Professor Mark Blagrove, about his research and latest theories about the origins of dreams. Research Clinical Psychologist Dr

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19:40

Ep 35: Why do we enjoy playing with fear?

PsychCrunch ·

2023/10/26

This is Episode 35 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. From haunted houses to scary movies, many of us find a thrill in a good scare. But… isn’t that a bit counter-intuitive? In this episode, we ask why so many of us are drawn to things that should make us run a mile, and whether we can use fear to help us better cope with day-to-day anxiety. Host Ella Rhodes speaks with Director of The Recreational Fear Lab, Dr

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19:11

Ep 34: How do you make friends as an adult?

PsychCrunch ·

2023/06/16

This is Episode 34 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Despite it being easier than ever to communicate, so many of us find it challenging to make new friends – especially as we get older. Opening up conversations with strangers can leave us feeling like a bother, and fizzle into nothing more than a one-off interaction. The loneliness this can create isn’t just a passing sting, it can have ongoing impacts to both our

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33:49

Ep 33: Have you experienced the unseen other?

PsychCrunch ·

2023/02/23

Have you ever had the feeling that there was someone – or something – nearby? Perhaps you were in bed falling asleep when you suddenly became convinced that a person was standing next to you, even though you couldn’t actually ‘see’ or ‘hear’ anyone at all. Or maybe you were out in the wilderness, with no-one for miles around, and couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following you. In this episode, Dr Jon Sutton, editor of The Psychologist magazine, talks to Dr Ben Alderson-Day, Associate

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26:01

Ep 32: How to face grief

PsychCrunch ·

2023/02/15

Grief is a universal experience, but one which affects every individual differently. A grieving person might feel guilty, listless, frightened, or angry. And at a time when they most need support, the bereaved may find other people turning away from them, not really knowing how to talk to them about their feelings and the person they’ve lost. So how can we learn to better cope with grief in ourselves and in others? In this episode, Ella Rhodes, journalist for The Psychologist, speaks to two experts

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22:09

Ep 31: How to better understand your cat

PsychCrunch ·

2022/09/06

We’ve lived side-by-side with domestic cats for thousands of years, yet they maintain an aura of mystery and a reputation for aloofness and even outright disdain for humans. But are cats really so enigmatic – or are we only just beginning to understand them? In this episode, Ella Rhodes, journalist for The Psychologist, speaks to two experts who are working to help us to understand cats. They discuss research on cat cognition and intelligence, chat about what we can do how to make our cats’ lives

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20:46

Ep 30: The psychology of superstitions

PsychCrunch ·

2022/05/13

From carefully avoiding cracks in the pavement to saluting every magpie that you meet, superstitious behaviour is really common. But why do we have superstitions? Where do they come from? And are they helpful or harmful? To find out, our presenter Ginny Smith talks to Stuart Vyse, former professor of psychology at Connecticut College and author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition. Ginny also chats to Laramie Taylor, professor of communication at the University of California

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20:45

Ep 29: Why do people share false information — and...

PsychCrunch ·

2022/01/26

Why do people share false information? In this episode, our presenters Ginny Smith and Jon Sutton explore the psychology of misinformation. They hear about the factors that make people more or less likely to share misinformation, discuss strategies to correct false information, and learn how to talk to someone who is promoting conspiracy theories. Our guests, in order of appearance, are Tom Buchanan, Professor of Psychology at the University of Westminster, and Briony Swire-Thompson, senior

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24:59

Ep 28: Why songs get stuck in our heads

PsychCrunch ·

2021/10/15

Why do some songs get stuck in our heads? In this episode, our presenter Ginny Smith explores the psychology of earworms. Ginny hears about the possible evolutionary reasons for why we experience the phenomenon, learns what earworms can teach us about memory — and finds out how to get rid of them. Our guests, in order of appearance, are Kelly Jakubowski, assistant professor of music psychology at Durham University; Petr Janata, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis; and

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50:55

Episode 27: The Psychologist presents… at Latitude...

PsychCrunch ·

2021/08/16

This is Episode 27 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. At Latitude Festival in Suffolk in July, The Psychologist Editor Dr Jon Sutton hosted a conversation in The Listening Post with Greta Defeyter, Professor of Developmental Psychology and founder and Director of the "Healthy Living" Lab at Northumbria University. An expert on food insecurity, social injustice, school feeding programmes and holiday hunger,

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21:10

Ep 26: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected our...

PsychCrunch ·

2021/08/03

This is Episode 26 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. What impact has the pandemic had on people’s mental health? In this episode, our presenter Ginny Smith talks to researchers who have been conducting work throughout the pandemic to understand the toll that it has taken on our wellbeing. Ginny learns about the different factors that can make us more or less vulnerable to these effects, finds out how pregnant

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26:12

Ep 25: How to change your personality

PsychCrunch ·

2021/05/18

This is Episode 25 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Are our personalities set in stone, or can we choose to change them? In this bonus episode, Matthew Warren talks to former Research Digest editor Christian Jarrett about his new book Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change. Christian discusses the evidence-based methods you can use to alter your personality, whether you’re an introvert who

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21:48

Ep 24: How Children Learn Through Play

PsychCrunch ·

2021/04/13

This is Episode 24 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. What role does play have in child development? In this episode, our presenter Ginny Smith talks to some top play researchers to find out how children learn new skills and concepts through play, and explores what teachers and parents can do to encourage this kind of learning. Ginny also discovers how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way kids play and learn

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13:34

Ep 23: Whose psychology is it anyway? Making...

PsychCrunch ·

2021/01/21

This is Episode 23 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest. In this episode, Emily Reynolds, staff writer at Research Digest, explores modern psychology’s relationship with race and representation. It’s well-known that psychology has a generalisability problem, with studies overwhelmingly using so-called “WEIRD” participants: those who are Western and educated and from industrialised, rich and democratic societies. But how does that shape the assumptions

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