A report from Goldman Sachs estimates that generative AI like ChatGPT could expose the equivalent of 300mn full-time jobs to automation. Therapy is one of the current parts of the workforce that is considered to be more resilient to these technological changes. But not immune. This week: what are the capabilities of AI in the therapy space? And what are the limitations? Ultimately, are the robots coming for my job?___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music by Juan Iglesias *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial intelligence permeates the full range of our lives, from something as casual as a song recommendation to matching us with our perfect partner. But, increasingly, we are building relationships with AI itself. Last week mother filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Character.AI, a generative AI chatbot platform. She says that the technology played a key role in her teenage son’s death by suicide. In this week’s episode, what happens when the human brain meets AI?If you are based in the US, and need urgent mental health assistance, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or [email protected].  If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.  US deaths by suicideAccess to a firearmPareidolia New York Times Article___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music by Juan Iglesias *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anger is an emotion that a lot of people struggle with. We find it uncomfortable, overwhelming and unwelcome. Many people simply don’t know what to do when they feel angry. One common suggestion is to let it out in an act of safe aggression like punching a pillow. In fact an entire industry of rage rooms – spaces devoted to wilful, rage-fuelled destruction – often with a baseball bat - has emerged, encouraging people to work through their fury at a colleague by smashing things. But…does it work? In this week’s episode, I’m exploring the science behind 'blowing off steam'.Original paperUnderstanding Anger EpisodeImage credit: By mrAnmol - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132764560___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music by Juan Iglesias *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here are the episodes of BBC Radio 4s The Food Programme (and Start the Week) that I have appeared on, in case you would like to listen.Food and Mood: how eating affects your mental healthBroadcast: 19th July 2020Start the Week - The food we eat13th February 2023Feeding Your Brain: A User's GuideBroadcast: 30th July 2023The Brain Gut ConnectionBroadcast: 27th September 2024Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The signal to stop eating comes from your stomach when it is full, right? Well…kinda but that’s not the whole story. This week’s episode is all about the science of satiety.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greater social and political awareness, mediated by social media, has allowed more of us to participate in important social movements. But it’s also given us unprecedented access to horror. From body cams of police brutality and killings to harrowing images of war. To what extent is it our responsibility to bear witness to these events versus the need to protect our own wellbeing? The whys and hows of managing horror is the subject of this week’s Stronger Minds Podcast.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The average full term baby weighs just over 7lbs. One pound of that is the baby’s brain. Nature, via the mother’s body, devotes enormous amounts of energy into building the baby’s brain during and just after pregnancy. And as you’ve heard me say many, many times, the brain is the hungriest organ in the body and requires specific nutrients from the diet for proper structure and function.So why, dear listeners, is brain development completely absent from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline update on pregnancy and child nutrition?In this week’s episode I am a starting a teeny tiny beef with NICE.Think Through NutritionThe Food ProgrammeNICE Maternal & Child Nutrition Stakeholder List___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music by Juan Iglesias *Affiliate links Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Called ‘the sunshine vitamin’ vitamin D is the only vitamin that the UK Department of Health and Social Care recommends that adults and children over the age of four should supplement daily because insufficiency is widespread. While there is some controversy about the threshold for deficiency in the general population, what is consistently observed is that Black and Brown communities have lower serum levels compared to white individuals in the same countries, and that this difference may contribute to some of the observed health disparities.In this week’s episode I’m explaining why vitamin D levels can be so low in these groups, the potential implications, particularly in relation to brain health, and what you can do about it.  ---Diabetes Risk ToolThe company I used for ny vitamin D testing (OmegaQuant) no longer offers this specific test.___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there a link between childhood trauma and stress eating? And what’s the deal with emotional hunger? I’m answering your questions on the psychological side of hunger in this week’s episode.https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/---Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music by Juan Iglesias *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Going for a walk. Having a mindful cup of coffee. Keeping a gratitude journal. These common self-care practices can be helpful and have their place. But some of us have to go back a step. To the basics. In this week’s episode, I’m bringing you an absolute beginners guide to self-care.___How to keep your teeth clean - NHSTooth brushing videoFlossing videoRegister with a doctor - NHSFeelings wheelHow to cope with financial worries - NHSSleep HygieneInstagram link to this post - to come___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I talk a lot about the importance of building a brain healthy lifestyle, but what does it look like in practice? In this episode, I share how I translate the research into simple daily habits for brain health.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting your five servings of fruit and vegetables a day good for you. But why exactly? And more specifically, what are some of the nutrients in fruits and veggies doing for your brain? In this episode, I’m bringing you some fresh data on Antioxidants & Alzheimer’s disease. RefsLow Xanthophylls, Retinol, Lycopene, and Tocopherols in Grey and White Matter of Brains with Alzheimer’s DiseaseBiomagnification Supplements and dry AMD Lutein zeaxanthin AD diagnosis ___Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Original music my Juan IglesiasSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why am I hungrier before my period? Am I addicted to cheese? And is it true that we confuse hunger and thirst? I’m answering your questions on hungry in today’s episode.Instagram Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your stomach’s rumbling. You can’t concentrate. And if one more person annoys you… We experience hunger every day but what is it all about and how does it affect us psychologically? The intricate, complex and exceedingly clever science of hunger – including how it affects our mood - is the topic of this week’s episode.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you choose what you are going to eat? Do you think about it for a long time? Do you plan it in advance? Or do you wait for inspiration in the moment? The science and psychology of what we choose to eat is as fascinating as it is complex. The unconscious, internal and external drivers of food choice are the topic of this week’s episode.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manifesting, the idea that you can bring the things you want into being through controlling your thoughts, is hugely popular around the world, with people claiming that the practice has changed their lives. But can attaining success and riches really be that simple and are there truly no downsides? In this episode I outline the psychology of manifesting and discuss its links to Margaret Thatcher.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you knock on wood for good luck? Throw a pinch of salt over your shoulder? Maybe you’re someone who avoids opening an umbrella indoors just in case?Superstitions sit on a spectrum from common habits and rituals to symptoms of mental illness. In the world of psychology we call these beliefs magical thinking. The nature, pros and cons of magical thinking is the topic of this week’s podcast.___Pareidolia (coming soon!)Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us can think of someone in our lives that we own an apology, but put it off because of shame, embarrassment, or not knowing where to start. But apologies can be hugely important not just in helping the person who has been hurt to heal and move forwards, but in supporting our own emotional maturity. So, this week’s episode is a science-backed guide to the perfect apology.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even when we know we should, even when we want to, apologising can feel impossible. In this week’s episode , I present six psychological barriers to apologising, looking under the surface to see why sorry really is the hardest word. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new idea in psychology suggests that mental health awareness campaigns and activities are driving up the recorded incidence of mental illness in both good and bad ways.In this week’s podcast, I overview the hypothesis, share my thoughts, and highlight the additional factors that, if it is true, might make young people particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon.Social Media Contagion – TikTok ticsRead the paper____Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is in response to a request from someone whose family has been bereaved by the death of a child.So I reached out to Dr. Martha Deiros Collado, a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with children and families, and who spent over a decade working with and developing services for children with life limiting and life shortening conditions.I am enormously grateful to Martha for her support with this episode in which she covers issues like:Why the language you use around death is importantThe value of creating ritualsHow to manage important dates like birthdays after the death of a childWhat to say and not say to parents after their child has diedWe hope this will be a helpful resource for bereaved parents, family members and people around the family.Support & ResourcesSue RyderWinston’s Wish – support for children who are grieving -the loss of a sibling or the loss of a parentChild Bereavement UKLullaby Trust Tommy’sSandsGingerbread – Support for single parents including those who are bereavedChild Death Helpline – helpline operated by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all bereaved parents ____Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conformity, the act of adjusting your behaviour to fit in with group norms or expectations, is one of the strongest, most consistent and yet subtle social pressures that we experience. In this episode I’m talking about the evolutionary roots of shame and its links to conformity and physical pain.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dementia is the disease that most adults are frightened of and global rates are set to triple by 2050. But too few of us know that there is anything we can do reduce our chances of developing the condition. Yet, research indicates that around 40% of global dementia cases could be delayed or prevented through changes in lifestyle.In this episode I overview the 12 known modifiable risk factors for dementia and how you can start to look after your long-term brain health starting right now.Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon NHS Alcohol Support Alcohol Change UKDrinkaware*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Five Factor Model of Personality is the most empirically supported paradigm for personality assessment, with five traits that have been identified universally – across sex, age, geography and culture.In this episode I outline the five factors and how they link to physical and mental health. Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon Big Five Questionnaire *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over 50 million people have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to profile their personality. What can it tell you about yourself and is it worth the money?Newsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* Patreon *Affiliate linksMBTI website quotes accurate on 29th April 2024.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world’s largest food and drink company, Nestlé, hit the headlines recently due to unethical practices with baby foods in countries in the global south: Asia, Africa and Latin America. But this isn’t their first rodeo. In this episode I discuss the original baby food scandal from the 1970s, which caused millions of excess infant deaths, and their latest moral failings.LinksNewsletter sign up How to Build a Healthy Brain* Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain* PatreonReferences The original ‘The Baby Killer’ report from 1974 The 2024 Public Eye Investigation Baby Milk Action Chronology New Internationalist Babies Edition VoxDev Analysis Nestlé brands *Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode: Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics & Psychobiotics. This time I want to talk to you about leaky gut.What is it?How much of a problem is it?And what, if anything, can we do about it?Newsletter sign upA probiotic I use and trust*How to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is all about microbes. Specifically, the ones in your gut that we are discovering play important roles in supporting your overall health, including your brain and mental health. But there is a lot of noise out there, and a lot of grand claims being made. In this episode I want to help you cut through the noise and make sense of this fascinating but complex area of research and to know, when it comes to gut health, where you should be spending your time and money.Newsletter sign upKefir How ToA probiotic I use and trust*How to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is all about Ozempic or, more specifically, the GLP-1 receptor agonist medications that have, far beyond their original medical use, taken the dieting and weight loss world like an absolute hurricane and now clinical trials are recruiting children aged 6-18. In the episode I give a very brief outline of their physical targets and actions, but really I want to talk about the psychology of these drugs and to speculate on what they might mean for body sovereignty and how we relate to weight loss and bodies of different sizes in the future.Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part two of the brain health Q&A and I’ll be covering binge eating and the links between stress and dementia.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Q&A episode, I answer your questions including:Does sugar cause anxiety symptoms?What does magnesium do for the brain?What foods support brain healthNewsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of Love languages, the five ways we give and receive love, is hugely popular, spawning thousands of posts and articles where people confidently proclaim what their or their spouses primary love languages are. But is it real? In this episode I look at the science - and pseudoscience - behind Love Languages and ask when will there be justice for Ann? Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hyper independence is described as a trauma-related response that includes behaviours like a fear of relying on others and a reluctance to ask for help even when it is needed. But...says who? Where's the evidence? And what are the harms?Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I describe the phenomenon of regret: the different types of regret, how it is generated in the brain, what our biggest regrets are, and how to reduce the amount of regret you experience in the future.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a growing ideological chasm between the men and women of Gen Z, which is unlike anything we have seen before. What's behind it, what are the implications for society. And what has Joe Rogan got to do with it?RefsKing's College Survey https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/emerging-tensions.pdfChange Research Survey https://changeresearch.com/post/young-women-are-more-liberal-than-young-men/Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this short episode I share some thoughts on understanding and managing a particularly harmful aspect of envy.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the November 2020 book clubSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the October 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the September 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the September 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the July 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the May 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the April 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the March 2020 Book Club.P.s. The transition you hear 10 minutes in is my microphone, not your device!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good relationships are one of the most important resources for psychological resilience. But toxic relationships can do real harm and seriously undermine mental wellbeing. In this first of two episodes I want to talk about a particularly unhealthy and unhelpful type of friendship: The Frenemy - someone with whom you are friendly or consider a friend but who does not have your best interests at heart. In this episode, my guest, Emmie Harrison-West describes the shocking end of her relationship with her best friend at university and the effects it has had on her.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The evidence of improved behaviour and academic outcomes for children with access to breakfast clubs, of reduced violence with improved nutrition in prison populations, as well as other research from around the world on nutrition, brain and behaviour, is well-established.But we’re still no closer to answering on key question. Why aren’t we doing anything with this information? In this final episode I speak to legal experts to try understand why the UK government and judicial system has failed to integrate biological research into sentencing guidelines.ContributorsProf. Nicola Padfield QC - Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice, University of Cambridge. Life Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.Fabio Tartarini – Chartered Psychologist and Ph.D. Candidate - Prisons Research Centre, University of Cambridge.Luis Navarro – Restaurateur, consultant to prison kitchens in association with Learning Together prison education programme.John Samuels QC FRSA – Retired judge, former Chairman of the Criminal Sub-committee of the UK Council of Circuit Judges, former Chair of the Prisoners’ Education Trust.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we move away, temporarily, from the prison studies to consider other research being conducted around the world showing the profound effects of nutrition on behaviour and mental health including decision-making and protection from stress and PTSD.ContributorsProf. Dr. Soyoung Park - Head of department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition and Joint professor of Charité – University Hospital Berlin and the German Institute of Human NutritionProf. Julia Rucklidge - the Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2002, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that nutritional supplementation could reduce violence in prison by 37%. This study has since been replicated in prison populations in the UK, The Netherlands and Singapore. So why, when violence in UK prisons, including assaults on staff, is at an all time high are we not using this cheap, low-risk, accessible intervention? In this episode I speak to scientists behind this inexplicably ignored research.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.