Immersion
A search for how to live a meaningful life in the modern world. Exploring psychology, philosophy, and the world around us. Let’s dive 30 minutes beneath the surface each Sunday together. | Hosted by Pamela Carey
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This podcast is a production of Bounding Husky LLC doing business as Pamela Carey Enterprises
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or licensed psychologist
Episodes
43 episodes
The Hidden Personality Trait That Shapes Your Reality: Intuition vs. Sensing
There’s an often-overlooked personality trait that shapes how you process almost everything you encounter day-to-day. While traits like introversion and extraversion get all the spotlight, this core piece of our psychology is just as crucial to...
Happiness Is Not the Opposite of Sadness | How to Handle Negative Emotions
If you’ve ever felt deeply grateful and incredibly sad at the exact same time, you know emotions don't always fit into neat boxes. We often view emotions as a simple spectrum, with happiness on one end and sadness on the other. But our feelings...
Ending Excess Screen Time (Habits that actually work)
We’ve all heard the basic advice: turn off notifications, put your phone in grayscale, or just "try harder." But if you’re like me, those tips didn't stick. After years of experimentation and diving into the psychology of habit formation, I’ve ...
How Culture Changes Your Pursuit of Happiness
Happiness is a universal human aim, but what we believe makes us happy, and how we define a life well-lived, varies. In Part 10 of our Positive Psychology deep dive, we explore how cultural norms, language, and social safety nets dictate our pe...
How to Find Purpose: Do We Find or Create Meaning? (Exploring with Sartre and Frankl)
Do you ever wish you knew what your purpose was? Does your life ever feel void of meaning? In this episode we explore the idea of meaning through the lens of positive psychology, logotherapy, and existentialist philosophy. We learn from Dr. Vik...
Relationship Science 101: Why "Minding" is the Secret to Lasting Relationships
How do we build relationships that actually flourish? In Part 8 of our Positive Psychology series, we’re looking at the science of staying connected through Minding and Active Construction. Whether it’s with friends, family, or partners, we’re ...
Does Success Lead to Happiness – OR Does Happiness Lead to Success? (Part 7 in Positive Psychology Deep Dive)
We are 7 episodes into this series and I have a confession: I expected to feel "happier" by now, but the reality of positive psychology is a lot more nuanced. While I’ve definitely picked up some great habits around Grit and finding Flow in my ...
How to Master Any Skill Faster (It’s Not 10,000 Hours)
Is the 10,000-hour rule a myth? We’ve all heard that it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft, but the truth is that not all hours are created equal. In this episode, we dive into the science of peak performance and the current "Gold Standard" o...
Flow State: Why Getting "In the Zone" is a Secret to Happiness & High Performance
What if you could disappear into your tasks and emerge happier, more productive, and less stressed? That "magical" feeling - one you have likely experienced from time to time - is called Flow. And it’s more than just a catchy term thrown around...
How Habits for Health and Vitality Impact Happiness (Positive Psychology Series Part 4)
How do exercise, sleep, and nutrition actually impact our mood and mental health?You have likely felt the difference between weeks when you are caring for your body versus weeks when those habits fall away. Sometimes, we need to conscio...
Grit, Resilience, and Optimism: How to not quit when things get hard
Ever feel like you have the talent, but you just can't seem to finish what you start?In this episode, we’re looking at why we "hit the wall" and quit when things get difficult. It’s a dive into the science of Grit, Resilience, and Hope ...
Your Brain Has an Immune System for Sadness: & How to strengthen it
Why do we recover from heartbreaks, job losses, and injuries faster than we could ever imagine?For example, if you were fired today or left at the altar, how long would you be miserable? You probably guess "months or years." But the scie...
The Happiness Equation: Genetics vs. What You Control (Part 1 in Positive Psychology Deep Dive)
We spend our whole lives chasing happiness, but we rarely stop to ask: Are we chasing the right things? Or more importantly - do we even have control over how happy we are?Research suggests that while a portion of our happiness is genet...
The Decision To Have Kids Or Not (Part 2): Regret & Pressure + Action step ideas
In Part 2 of our deep dive into the decision to be a parent in the modern world, we move from the statistics to the emotional reality. We explore the fear of regret, the definition of legacy, and how to navigate intense societal pressure.
Why Millennials Are Not Having Kids (Part 1): History & Economics
In this video, we explore why millennials are not having kids, looking at the declining birth rate through the lens of history, economics, and sociology.We go beyond the usual headlines about money to discuss intensive parenting, modern...
The Freedom Trap: When to commit and when to stay flexible
Do you feel stuck between the desire for flexibility while also craving for structure? In a world of infinite options, "keeping your doors open" feels like the smart move. But often, it leads to a specific kind of misery: the anxie...
Why Branding Feels Fake (And How to Fix It)
Branding is difficult because you are trying to turn a complex, 3D human or experience into a flat, 2D logo. In this episode we cover the psychology of branding and how to simplify your message without losing your authenticity.In this e...
Welcome to Immersion: 30 Minutes Beneath the Surface
Welcome to the trailer for Immersion! The show is getting a new name and a renewed focus, right here on this feed. I’m still your host, Pam Carey, and while the voice is the same, we are bringing more depth and structure to the conversat...
Little pod update (some changes coming soon)
Felt chatty - may delete later ;) Just wanted to keep you posted on where the pod is headed and when we’ll be back in full force posting more regularly.Excited for what is ahead!
How to Talk to Anyone & Develop more Social Range with the Psychology of Role Theory
Have you ever felt stuck in one role with friends? Often we rely on the same social skills in group dynamics. They start as assets based on our strengths and preferences, but over time they can become a crutch - limiting growth in other areas. ...
How to get Organized and Get Things Done: A System for Tasks, Ideas, and Remembering What Matters
Let’s organize everything in your mind! From the tasks you need to complete, to calendars and planners, to your notes, ideas, and the random sticky notes floating around your house - it’s time to streamline your system so you can focus on what ...
Why Time Feels Faster Every Year - And How Japan Helped Me Slow It Down
Let’s explore how travel, memory, and presence can help us reclaim a slower sense of time:Have you noticed that time seems to move faster with each passing year? What if we could slow it back down?In this episode, we explore the ...
The Missing Step in Goal Setting: The Four Types of Goals
In this episode we discuss a main reason people fail to achieve their lists of goals they set around New Years or their birthdays during “life resets.” It is because we often fail to evaluate the scope of our goals. We will do that here with a ...
Should we tell people about our goals or keep them to ourselves?
In this episode we will examine the psychology of goal setting through personal anecdotes and the research to see if we should share about our projects, goals, and dreams or if we are more likely to stay motivated and achieve them if we keep ou...
On Breaking Your Phone Addiction: how to spend less time on the Internet and more time on what matters to you
Because, it's not just screen time, it's your life: So many of us feel compulsive with the internet, our phones, screens of all sorts, and constant external stimulation. This started about 10 years ago as social media became more po...