The Psychology of your 20s

We treat our memories like a reliable recording of the past. We remember what happened, how we felt, where we were, and what was said. But what if our account is more like a subjective recollection of events? In this episode, we explore the concept of false memories – how they form, why this matters in our everyday lives, and their more serious potential impacts.

We explore:
•        The cognitive mecha...

Why does feeling sad sometimes feel... so good? Whether it’s putting on the saddest song you know, rewatching a movie that always makes you cry, indulging in a little self-pity or finally letting yourself have a good sob, there is something strangely satisfying about sadness. And psychology may be able to explain why.

In this episode, we explore the surprising psychological value of sadness, including:

• Why sadness can so...

It’s a known fact that time moves faster as we get older, but what does this really mean, and can we slow it down? In this episode, we’re going to try to make sense of why flies as we enter our 20s - from memory, to novelty, eye movements and the effects of COVID. 

Watch on Netflix: HERE

We explore:

• Different types of time: measured vs. perceived
• What makes time feel fast and slow?
• The effect of the pandemic
• T...

The Oedipus complex is one of Freud’s most renowned and shocking ideas. In this episode, we dive into the origins of the theory and whether anything really remains once its gendered assumptions and controversial sexual claims are stripped away.

We explore:
- How the Greek tragedy of Oedipus inspired Freud’s theory
- What Freud meant by unconscious childhood desire and parental rivalry
- The importance of the ph...

There are a surprising number of myths and misconceptions about the brain, particularly with regards to its development in our 20s. In this episode, we unpack a number of surprising facts and studies about the brain so that we can in turn better understand how to make the most of our 20s. 

Watch on Netflix: HERE

We unpack: 
• The science of neuroplasticity and how our brain can rewire itself 
• Why, on a cognit...

The fear of missing out or not seizing every moment are some of the biggest worries we experience in our 20s. However, spending time alone isn’t the same as being lonely or doing nothing - in fact, it’s quite the opposite. In this episode, we explore why we resist being alone - but why learning to do so is psychologically positive, and can even be a superpower.

Watch on Netflix: HERE

• Why we culturally and socially vil...

Dating can bring out the psychologist in us. One delayed reply, one vague comment, and we try to decode someone’s attachment style, childhood wounds, and capacity for commitment. But while psychological language can help us make sense of relationships, it can also become a way to avoid the much harder truth - sometimes we simply don’t know yet. In this episode we look at why overanalysing feels so reassuring, especially...

In this episode, we explore the psychology of the quarter life reinvention: the period that can come after the confusion, uncertainty and identity crisis of our early and mid-20s, when things finally begin to fall into place. We look at how the quarter life crisis can transform us, the stages we move through, and why sometimes everything has to fall apart before we can rebuild a life that feels more like our own.

We explore:
• T...

What is the shadow self? And how do we meet ours? In today's episode we explore what it means to get curious about the shadow parts of ourselves. We take a grounded look at shadow work - where the idea came from, the layers of our psyche, and how the repressed parts of ourselves show up. 

We explore:
•        What Jung meant by the shadow and the persona
•        How the dark or di...

We're talking about reputation. On a fundamental level, our reputations are a signal of our qualities that make us worth associating with, and we tend to spend a large amount of time ruminating and even obsessing over what others think of us. In this episode, we explore why we need reputations as social creatures, understand why we can misinterpret others’ reputations, and think about what we can do to repair a bad reputation...

I was recently diagnosed with PMOS, and with that came a lot of questions: why is my body like this, what caused it, will I be able to have kids, how can I fix it? There's a lot of information (and misinformation) online, so today I decided to sit down with an expert to ask all my burning questions on this condition. 

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Dr Hazel Wallace is a medical doctor, registered associate nutritionist, women's health...

The term “Stockholm Syndrome” is used to explain why someone might defend, protect, or feel attached to a person who has harmed them - but why does this happen? In this bonus episode, we explore where the term came from, some famous cases, and how the mind functions to keep us safe.

We explore:
•        The 1973 bank robbery
•        Famous cases linked to Stockholm syndrome...

Tips for nervous system regulation are everywhere right now - from breathwork and cold plunges to conversations about burnout, anxiety, and trauma. But what does it actually mean to be regulated, and are we sometimes turning healing into another thing to obsess over? In this episode, we take a grounded, research-informed look at what your nervous system is really trying to do, why fight-or-flight is not the enemy, and how stress, t...

Angel numbers have a way of showing up just when we need them. 111 symbolises new beginnings. 444 means divine protection. Why does our mind pay such close attention to these numbers, what is the history, and what is their impact from a psychological standpoint? In today's episode, we break down:

• The ancient origins of angel numbers 
• Why the founder of angel numbers now regrets them 
• The meaning behind some of the mo...

I think we all instinctively know if we find someone interesting… or not. But how can we cultivate the skills of being interesting to others? In this episode, we break down the science behind what makes people interesting, talk about some easy things we can all do to tap into what already makes us unique, and focus on one of life’s greatest conversational hacks - learning how to be truly interested in others. 

We ...

If anyone tells you that they’re not even a little bit insecure, they’re lying, in denial, or both. It’s a fact of life that we all feel insecure at times - about how we look, behave, our achievements, and whether we are liked by others. In this episode, we examine the psychology behind common insecurities, recognise how we can be our own worst enemies, and consider the ways we can come to accept that we are all f...

Uncertainty is the defining emotion of our 20s. Career paths, relationships, identity, purpose ... so much of this decade is marked by not knowing. Does that have to be as uncomfortable as we think it does? In today’s episode, we unpack the psychology of uncertainty: why our brains fear it, how it triggers anxiety and avoidance, and why trying to “figure it all out” might be doing more harm than good.

We explore:

Over the past 6 months I've been asking people: what is the biggest mistake you made in your 20s? I've heard from over 5'000 people, some of them 21, some of them 80 and I have combined all their responses to make the ultimate list of the 20 biggest mistakes people make in their 20s, for the people, by the people. 

From love, to career, to finances, going to college, friendship, taking risks: today we talk through the most com...

The life of the highly sensitive person is often misunderstood. Highly sensitive aren't just people who cry too much or get overwhelmed, take things too personally: they actually take in so much of the world that it can be too much. They feel everything, from joy to sadness, so immediately and profoundly. They are also so in tune with the emotions of all those around them that sometimes it can be too much. Today we break down the p...