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 when we have been hurt before, and how the search for hidden meaning can distract us from direct communication, being present, and the person actually in front of us.

Watch on Netflix: HERE

We explore:
• The difference between noticing patterns and control rumination
• Why dating uncertainty makes labels feel so appealing
• Why overanalysing often comes from fear rather than insight
• Why this can stop us from being vulnerable ourselves
• Why behaviour matters more than the story behind it
• How to slow the spiral and regain clarity, communication, and self-trust

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_stop_overthinking_your_relationship 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X16300306?via%3Dihub 
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.75.2.545 
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-01742-003 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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:
• The difference between a quarter life crisis and a quarter life reinvention
• The ‘locked in’ and ‘locked out’ forms of the quarter life crisis
• The four stages of the crisis
• The signs that you’re entering your reinvention era
• How experimentation, risk taking and new experiences help us rebuild
• The role of narrative psychology and rewriting the story you tell about your life
• Why learning to tolerate uncertainty may be the key to finally moving forward

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 disowned parts of ourselves can develop
•        Why anger, neediness, ambition, or confidence can feel uncomfortable to acknowledge
•        The role of projection, triggers and repeated patterns
•        How to approach shadow work cautiously and with curiosity

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources:

The book I spoke about: HERE

The YouTube video: HERE 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

We unpack: 
• Where our reputations come from
• Why two people can view the same person so differently 
• The halo effect and how appearance biases our perception of others
• How our reputations can change over time 
• Why we shouldn’t always believe what others say
• How we can repair a bad reputation

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8487743/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/ecology-of-minds/202509/what-makes-a-good-reputation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349443219_The_halo_effect

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 expert, author and founder of the platform, The Food Medic. In this episode, we discuss: 

• The origins of PMOS/PCOS 
• Why we had to change the PCOS name 
• What causes PMOS and whether it's genetic 
• How PMOS intersects with psychology and mental health
• The 5 things you should and shouldn't do if you have PMOS 
• What actually helps 
• How to deal with medical dismissal and misinformation

Happy listening! 

Dr Hazel's book HERE

Follow Dr Hazel HERE 

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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
•        The role of appeasement
•        How it relates to trauma bonding
•        Why dependence breeds attachment
•        How those experiencing Stockholm syndrome are supported

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2007.01112.x

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008066.2022.2161038

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/00048670701261178

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, trauma, lifestyle, and hypersensitivity can shape the way we feel in our bodies.

We explore:
•        What the window of tolerance can teach us about overwhelm and shutdown
•        Why your nervous system is trying to protect you
•        The role of trauma, chronic stress, and lifestyle factors in dysregulation
•        What a regulated nervous system can actually feel like 
•        How hypersensitivity can keep us stuck in symptom-monitoring
•        Why sleep, safety, nourishment, connection, and routine matter more than expensive wellness tools

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources: 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.4/jbremner
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789413000191?via%3Dihub
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/44/6/zsaa289/6053003
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTJAjx-AGAo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 most significant angel numbers
• Why our brain pays close attention to symbolism 
• The emotional comfort of angel numbers 
• Why people feel threatened by angel numbers 
• When angel numbers can become harmful

Happy listening!

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 explore: 
• Why we all love interesting people 
• How ‘digital saturation’ is making us more bored, and boring
• The importance of asking open-ended questions to unlock better conversations
• Why being truly unique is a status symbol 
• The power of learning to talk to strangers
• Why social skills are actually just social courage

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources:

https://tedbauer.medium.com/are-people-more-boring-now-98105e03e20c

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-12130-004

https://thevectorimpact.com/how-to-be-more-interesting/

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 flawed, and might not actually need ‘fixing’. 

We unpack: 
• The surprising evolutionary benefits that come with insecurity
• How our levels of insecurity change throughout our lives
• The ‘liking gap’, and why we think others like us less than they do 
• How being insecure can feed insecurity, in a vicious cycle 
• Why people pleasing and over confidence are often signs of insecurity 
• How we can address insecurities that negatively impact our lives

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

Our favourite sources: 

https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/insecurity-leads-us-underestimate-how-much-others-us

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228079585_Self-Esteem_Development_Across_the_Lifespan

https://www.centerforanxiety.org/what-is-hyper-independence-is-it-a-bad-thing/

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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:

• The neuroscience behind our discomfort with the unknown
• Why perfectionism is often a mask for our fear of uncertainty
• The cultural myths that make us believe we need a step-by-step life plan
• How to assign meaning to uncertainty and build resilience through it
• Practical strategies to take action even when the future feels unclear

If you've never felt more confused than you do now, and are unsure 'what's next', this episode is for you. 

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: [email protected] 

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.