Attachment theory is a foundation of modern psychology — a framework for understanding human relationships and how we connect other people.

But has social media taken this concept — grounded in decades of research — too far?

Scroll through Instagram or TikTok for too long, and you might think that if you have a certain attachment style, you're fundamentally unlovable — or that you need to steer clear of people who are avoidant, anxious or not secure enough.

Today, what we get wrong about attachment styles. Plus, the experiments that helped discover them in the first place ... and how a better understanding of attachment could help us to heal.

If you liked this episode, you'll love our episode on when to trust your gut instinct and when to ignore it.

Do you know your love language? 

Maybe you've done an online test — tested your partner — spent time talking it over — even made decisions about your relationship on the basis of your love language.

But where did this concept of love languages even come from? And how good is the evidence that backs it up?

Today, two research psychologists go deep on the concept of love languages — and what they really mean for your relationships.

Want more relationship content from All in the Mind? Check out our episode Why heartbreak hurts so bad.

Do you wake up each morning refreshed and well-slept? Or are you the kind of person who tosses and turns for ages before falling asleep, ruminating on all of your missteps and stresses from the day?

If you chose option two, this episode is for you. Two sleep experts share advice on making night-time more restful — beyond the standard 'don't look at your phone before bed.' (Though that's important too).

This episode was first broadcast in March 2023.

Looking for something to listen to next? Check out our episode, Busting bias: what works and what doesn't.

Credits:

• Presenter/Producer: Sana Qadar
• Producer: Rose Kerr
• Sound engineer: Ann-Marie DeBettencor

Popular culture is endlessly fascinated with cults, and they have to capacity to make ordinary people do unthinkable things.

So how do cults reel people in and what does it take to leave?

What goes on in the multilingual mind? And what does it mean to 'lose' your language?

You might not think of yourself as a negotiator but big or small we all negotiate daily and getting better at it could make your life easier.

Addiction has long been a problem for humans, but smart phones and the internet have changed the game. So how can we find balance in a dopamine overloaded world? 

You've probably heard of unconscious bias but how are they formed and what can we do to stop the damage they can cause?

What does neuroscience and psychology tell us about how these traits are developed?

Are you outgoing or shy? there are pros and cons of each but is it possible to switch sides?

Few sensations are as primal, as fundamental to our very survival, as pain.

But for a fifth of Australian adults, that useful protective mechanism lingers as chronic pain — persistent aching, searing, stabbing sensations, which can be incredibly stressful and debilitating. 

What if you could dial down that pain — or even extinguish it altogether — by retraining your brain?

Anastasia Woolmer explains the techniques memory athletes use, and how you can apply them to everyday life.

How many times in a day are you doing just one thing?

Or is it more common that you’re multitasking – maybe texting and walking? Reading while listening to music?

We all multitask to some degree, but do any of us do it well? And is that even possible?

This week on All in the Mind, we look into the science of multitasking – why we struggle to do it, why some of us are better at it than others – and how to do it effectively if you must.

First broadcast 19 December 2021.

Long before Bieber fever and Swifties, there was Lisztomania.

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer who inspired such intense fandom and frenzy that it was dubbed mania.

So, was it true mania? What caused fans to respond to him so passionately? 

And what can Lisztomania reveal about the way we talk about female obsession?

If you're looking for something to listen to next, check out our episode; Hook me baby one more time: the psychology of pop music.

Would you be able to tell the difference between a bargain bin red and a top drop? Or how about what separates a duck paté … from one made of dog food?

Perception is everything when it comes to marketing, and decades of neuroscience and psychology research have given businesses ever greater insights into how we can make decisions and how they can subtly shape our expectations so that yes – even dog food paté can become appealing.

But the ramifications of this power may be pushing companies into unethical territory.

First broadcast on 22 August 2021.

Over the past two decades, our cultural understanding of autism and what it means to be autistic has grown - though we have a long way to go. But there are entire generations of people who grew up when the popular conception of autism was a far cry from how it’s now understood.

It meant a whole host of people who grew up feeling like they didn’t fit in, but never quite knowing why.

They were autistic, but undiagnosed. And when a diagnosis did come as an adult – it was often revelatory and life-changing.

On All in the Mind this week, 'hidden histories’ of late-diagnosed autistic adults.

First broadcast 8 August 2021.

Our brains are easily distracted or overwhelmed. And that can make getting stuff done harder than it needs to be.

This week, we look at methods and strategies for avoiding unnecessary stress by managing your priorities, your focus, and your energy with organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber.

Imagine getting a diagnosis in adulthood that suddenly made so much of your life make sense.

It explains why you’ve always had trouble being on time, starting things you don’t finish, avoiding difficult projects.

Producer Jennifer Leake explores the impact of an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.

Michael Slepian researches the psychology of secrets.

But what he didn't know — until about a decade ago — was that his family had a major secret they were keeping from him.

One they planned never to reveal. Until …

Guilt and shame are often used interchangeably, but researchers in emotion and psychology say they are distinct – and often motivate people into very different paths of behaviour.

For the feeling of guilt, at least, that might even push you into making unexpected positive changes.

In the uncertain times we live in, how exactly are we meant to make up our minds?

How do we weigh up pros, cons and risk factors, and how do stress and fear bear on our capacity for critical thinking?

And how often are we even aware of the decisions we’re making?

On All in the Mind this week, a special panel discussion recorded at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Music is central to the human experience. We celebrate with it, commiserate through it - often some of our strongest memories are tied to it.

On All in the Mind this week, how music affects us from the womb through the rest of our lives - and what new research tells us about its measurable impact on our mental health.

Plus, the 'plink' test - how our musical memories can identify a track from just a sliver of song, and the power of music to shape our emotions.

On All in the Mind this week, the early history of autism.

With historian of science Professor Marga Vicedo we learn about the blame that was cast on mothers, the fight to get adequate help and support for families, and the movement that one mother, Clara Park, helped spark.

Have you ever wanted to change your personality?

Many people do - studies find we're keen to become more extroverted, more agreeable and more conscientious.

But what does the evidence say about whether people do change? And can you tweak your personality deliberately?

For 8 months, images and videos of the carnage in Gaza have been flooding social media. They give a powerful view of what's happening to Palestinians on the ground – but they also have the potential to cause vicarious trauma.

Today – what is vicarious trauma, and why doomscrolling doesn't help.

Two disasters, two years apart - the ongoing mental health impact on survivors and what the research can tell us about the different ways people respond to these life-changing events.

The quirks of psychology that influence when we give to charity … and when we don't.

Dolls can tell us a lot about how kids see the world – especially when it comes to race.

One American researcher spent months watching pre-schoolers play with dolls and what she observed shocked her.

Plus, did you know the very first study of children and their thoughts about dolls actually changed the course of American history?

First broadcast 4 April 2021.

Anxiety and alcohol misuse are a common pairing. How do the two egg each other on and what can be done to halt the cycle?

Plus, the personality traits that shape our likelihood of harmful alcohol use.

Grief is deeply painful but it's something the majority of us …eventually … find ways to live with.

But research is starting to emerge on how the pandemic may have changed the way we grieve - making the experience more intense, more debilitating. 

As places like Australia and the US move on from the harshest restrictions of the last two years… is how we grieve returning to baseline? Or is it still too early to know? On All in the Mind this week, how the COVID pandemic has changed the nature of grief. 

About one in five Australians experience a mental illness in any given year. But what about when mental health issues occur ... together?

On All in the Mind this week, we look at a massive Scandinavian epidemiological study series which considers why having one mental illness puts you at greater risk of developing subsequent ones, and explore what that might mean for the treatment and prevention of mental health issues.

What are the constructive things our minds do when they wander?

And when does mindwandering cross over … into not-so-constructive territory?

If you’re lucky enough to have fallen in love at some point in your life, you’ve  probably also had your heart broken.

The experience can be excruciating, protracted, disorienting … but can it cause you lasting psychological – even physical – harm? 

Chris Hadnagy’s job involves breaking into banks. But he’s not after money, gold or jewels. He’s searching for weaknesses – in systems, in security, and in people. 

And he doesn’t use weapons or threats of violence to get past guards and into vaults. He uses a smile - and a few tricks from his toolbox of psychology and social engineering techniques.

Chris is the founder and CEO of Social Engineer LLC and lectures about social engineering around the globe.

On All in the Mind this week, the psychology of influence and what makes some people more vulnerable to being ‘hacked’ than others.[This episode originally aired on 01 August 2021]

Why do we laugh, and what makes something funny? A psychologist, a neuroscientist and satirist Mark Humphries weigh in on humour and the brain.

Trans non-binary performer Dax has spent most of her life not loving who she sees in the mirror. That is, until earlier this year.

A few months ago, Dax finally experienced a particular kind of joy — gender euphoria. And it's transformed the way she sees herself.

So what is gender euphoria? Why is it so powerful for trans and non-binary people? And why are researchers keen to flip the script and talk about trans joy?

If you're looking for something to listen to next, check out our episode Taking back control of your time. 

An excerpt from a new ABC podcast called What the Duck?! Each week the ABC's resident nature nerd Ann Jones explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?!

Spicy food, scary movies, BDSM … why do humans sometimes chase painful experiences and how are they linked to pleasure?

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is tricky to pick up at the doctor's office and impossible to cure.

And for those who live with the condition, their families and their carers, the situation can be very challenging.

On All in the Mind this week, we hear from those people and a researcher who has spent decades working on the condition.

What happens when we let our most destructive emotion dominate?

On All in the Mind this week, we explore why we get angry, how you might control aggression and whether it can ever be ... useful.

We're urged to stay positive and keep up a cheerful disposition ... but sometimes things are just awful, aren’t they?

On All in the Mind this week we look at why we engage in toxic positivity, why it's so damaging when we do and whether something called 'tragic optimism' could be the antidote.

Most of us have an inner voice – it reminds you to pick up milk on your way home, helps problem solve, or rehearse what you’re going to say.

But there are times that helpful voice veers into harmful chatter.

You’ve heard of adrenaline, oxytocin and cortisol, but what about glutamate and GABA?

And how much do you really know about the chemicals coursing through your brain?

On All in the Mind this week, we take a whistle stop tour through your brain to learn how various chemicals influence our behaviour.

Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous time, despite the sleep deprivation and constant crying.

But for many women, it can be a dark time. We know one in six suffer post partum depression, but there's another condition that affects women during this period that you may not have heard of.

It's called post-partum psychosis. It's rare, but for those who get it, it can be utterly debilitating.

This episode was first broadcast on 25 April 2021.

How would you describe your parents?

Nobody's perfect, of course, but some parents leave more of a mark than others.

On All in the Mind this week, we look at the life-long impact of having 'emotionally immature' parents.

This episode was first broadcast on 30 May 2021.

Have you ever tried a self-help book? Did it… well, help?

On All in the Mind this week, why self-help sometimes falls short ... and the problem with pop psychology more generally.

Patric Gagne is a sociopath, but she doesn’t fit the stereotype.

From a violent kid, to now a PhD and author - we track the unusual story of a sociopath who learned to be 'good'.

Plus, there's been some controversy and questions about the veracity of her PhD - so, we fact checked it.

Need something to listen to next? Check out our episode Why heartbreak hurts so bad.

Guest:Patric Gagne, Author, Sociopath: A Memoir.

Credits:

• Presenter/Producer: Sana Qadar
• Producer: Rose Kerr
• Sound engineers: Tegan Nicholls and Ann-Marie de Bettencor

One spring weekend a few years back, around 15 people gathered in a south Melbourne office space.

They were mostly neuroscience and maths types and there for something super niche and somewhat nerdy — the Australian Memory Championships.

Anastasia Woolmer was a first time competitor — but she’d go on to win.

On All in the Mind, she explains the techniques memory athletes use, and how you can apply them to everyday life.

This episode was first broadcast on 30 May 2021.

It’s the lightest metal on the periodic table. Its origins lie in the very beginnings of our universe. And it's taken, in the form of a pill, by thousands of Australians every day.

Join us as we dive deep into the story of this wonder element lithium — the magic ion, as it's sometimes called — and its remarkable impact on mood.

This episode was first broadcast on 28 March 2021.

How many times in a day are you doing just one thing?

Or is it more common that you’re multitasking – maybe texting and walking? Reading while listening to music?

We all multitask to some degree, but do any of us do it well? And is that even possible?

This week on All in the Mind, we look into the science of multitasking – why we struggle to do it, why some of us are better at it than others – and how to do it effectively if you must