7 Psychology Podcasts You've Got To Hear
There are a lot more psychology podcasts, given their increase in popularity. Here are some of our recommendations for you to check out.
I love listening to podcasts. Period. They tell a story, fiction or non-fiction, through an audio medium and provide us with an evocative pseudo-experience. One of the genres I binge through is anything Psychology-related. It gives me the opportunity to explore new avenues of psychology and further fuel my passion for the subject.
If you are looking to learn more about the different ideas of Psychology all you have to do is log into Apple Podcast or Spotify. Below are some of my podcast recommendations. I have also included my favourite episodes from each of these podcasts. Please note that the podcasts are listed in no particular order.
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Top Psychology Podcasts to Listen To
a. Speaking of Psychology - Kim I. Mills
Produced by the American Psychological Association (APA), Speaking of Psychology, is a podcast that explores current research and its implications in our everyday lives. From how to effectively spend time, to the effectiveness of personality tests as recruitment tools; this podcast covers a whole array of topics with experts who work in the various approaches of Psychology.
This podcast is one of the first few that got me hooked from the get-go. They inform listeners about the latest developments in Psychology using simple language making the discussion easy to follow. And they get bonus points for keeping me away from hours browsing through Google Scholar and other journal databases, making this a perfect option to keep myself updated.
The episode I recommend:
b. Hidden Brain - Shankar Vedantam
This weekly podcast explores every topic under the sky. From shopping to happiness to self-enlightenment, Hidden Brain grounds concepts of psychology into our everyday behaviour making it easy to understand and follow. This podcast, although similar in structure to other Psych podcasts, weaves real-life examples in the form of audio clips.
When I came across Hidden Brain, I was unsure what to expect. But the tangibility of the topics and the story-telling narrative got me engrossed in the blink of an eye. Through the course of each episode, the host interviews different psychologists. Together they take a deep dive into a topic and use personal examples or famous events which help paint a vivid image in our mind’s eye that ultimately aid us to understand the concepts better.
The episode I recommend:
c. The SOS Show with Suchita - Suchita Bhhatia
In a country where stigma still persists around mental health, this podcast looks at how psychology is growing within India. Speakers from various walks of life discuss how psychology translates into the Indian subculture, bringing forth how the perception of psychology in various contexts is changing.
Psychology as a discipline can be restricting because much of the pioneering work focuses on the Western population that the rest of the world must follow. And as someone who believes that psychology cannot be approached in a one-size-fits-all all manner, I found this podcast to be a welcome change in the narrative. Each speaker talks about what mental health is to them and also highlights how Psychology is perceived in India. But my absolute favourite bit is that they do not undermine the influence complementary and alternative therapeutic approaches or certain culturally specific behaviours have on our mental health. Rather, they emphasise the potential value these factors add to the mental health experience in Indian Society.
The episode I recommend:
d. Popcorn Psychology - Ben Stover, Hannah Espinoza, Britney Brownfield
This podcast follows three psychologists from diverse fields as they explore the stories and characters from some of the most popular movies. Whether it is the emotional abuse Harry Potter endures before entering Hogwarts or Panem’s dystopian structured society in The Hunger Games, this podcast examines the underlying psychological themes in these stories.
As a podcast I recently came across, it is a breath of fresh air and their approach is quite different to the other Psychology podcasts out there. The way the hosts examine a movie and consider the potential impact of the environment on the character’s thoughts and behaviours provides us with a brief glance at how psychologists work with their clients.
Furthermore, the hosts also go forward to provide listeners with possible treatment plans for the character and also give us their perspective on why it might work. Although the episodes are quite long, the ease with which they carry the conversation makes you feel like you are sitting at the table with them chatting about your favourite movies and characters.
The episode I recommend:
e. All in the Mind - Claudia Hammond
A podcast series released by the BBC, taking on an identical structure to its newsroom producer, highlights the concepts of psychology through the lives of various individuals or non-profit organizations.
They also include expert opinions from psychologists explaining these behaviours as well as highlighting any relevant research in that area of psychology. This unique structure of the podcast keeps you engaged throughout eager to get to know more.
The episode I recommend:
f. The Psychology of Your 20's - Jemma Sbeg
Are you in your 20s? Are you still figuring out what to do? This podcast combines the rollercoaster we experience in our 20s and psychological concepts to explain why we behave or feel a certain way.
The level of relatability I had to this podcast was just on another level. From feeling lonely to being unsure of your future, this podcast not only provided me with a sense of solidarity that someone else is going through something similar but also the psychology behind it. If you are in your 20s reeling from the aftershocks of adulthood, more so the scam that it is (literally nobody knows what they are doing), then this podcast is for you.
The episode I recommend:
g. Killer Psyche - Candice Delong
Of course, it would be a crime to not include a podcast from a genre that is all the rave these days. Killer Psyche is a podcast released by Wondery. Candice Delong is a former FBI agent and psychiatric nurse who looks at some of the most high-profile cases during her tenure at the Bureau.
Unlike your typical true crime podcast, Killer Psyche, not only discusses the deep cuts of the crime but also delves into the minds of the perpetrators, highlighting the potential psychology behind why they did what they did. This was a nice change of pace, particularly if you, like me, listen to so many true-crime podcasts. True Crime and Psychology? You got me hook, line and sinker.
The episode I recommend:
Happy Listening!