Episode 48: Subliminal Minds, Hidden Senses: How the Unconscious Shapes Your Reality (Podcast with Oxford University Professor, Dr.Charles Spence) [INFLUENCE SERIES]

In this episode of Professor P Podcast, we unlock the invisible side of human behavior — the mental processes shaping your decisions, perceptions, and beliefs long before you’re aware of them.

We begin with a deep-dive review of Leonard Mlodinow’s Subliminal, a groundbreaking book revealing that much of what we call free will is actually guided by unconscious forces. From snap judgments to distorted memories, we explore five core insights:

• You Are Not Aware of What You’re Not Aware Of — how tiny cues (like holding warm coffee) alter your perception without your permission.
• Your Senses Edit Reality — the brain constructs the world rather than recording it.
• First Impressions Form in 33 Milliseconds — and why they’re often wrong.
• Memory Is Reconstruction, Not Replay — and how your stories reshape themselves over time.
• Beliefs Aren’t as Rational as You Think — the mind prefers comfort over truth.

With practical tools such as the Bias Log, Double-Take Challenge, and Belief Audit, listeners learn to spot unconscious patterns in real time.

🎧 Conversation with Dr. Spence: The Science of Crossmodal Perception

Next, we sit down with the brilliant Dr. Charles Spence to explore one of psychology’s most fascinating topics: crossmodal perception — how your senses constantly interact, influence one another, and create illusions you don’t notice.

We discuss:

• How brands design sensory illusions to shape emotions and choices
• The ethics of sensory manipulation in marketing
• How tuning into your senses can help you make smarter decisions

Dr. Spence breaks down the science in a way that is practical, mind-bending, and immediately applicable.

Finally, we’re joined by Mariam Marcy, one of my former students, who brings a fresh perspective on how unconscious processes and sensory illusions show up in everyday life — in habits, relationships, learning, and performance.

Her insights bridge the science with lived experience, showing how understanding the unseen parts of the mind can transform self-awareness and elevate personal growth.

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*Act of Kindness: Give gifts to others (Surprise gifts); Giving a compliment.

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Dr. Charles Spence is a leading experimental psychologist and professor at the University of Oxford, specializing in multisensory perception—how our senses interact to shape experiences in areas like food enjoyment, product design, and consumer behavior. His work has pioneered the field of gastrophysics, revealing how sensory elements such as sound, color, and texture influence taste and dining experiences. Dr. Spence has collaborated with major brands like Unilever, Starbucks, and BMW to apply sensory science in marketing and product innovation. He is the author of Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating and a recipient of the Ig Nobel Prize for his research demonstrating how the sound of a chip can alter its perceived freshness, solidifying his reputation for uncovering the subtle ways our senses shape behavior.