Everything's Psychology
Chatting with incredible minds about the psychology of our everyday world.
Join Paul Davies, behavioural psychologist, as chats with guests about the mechanisms of human behaviour and the motivations behind people’s actions.
Episodes
39 episodes
The Psychology of Weight Loss
Are you on a diet? Have you got a shelf full of books to help you shed the pounds and get that summer beach bod or are you considering a weight loss jab such as Ozempic or Mounjaro? When the world seems to focus on the need to have a fit and fi...
The Psychology of Childhood
In a world of screens, social media, climate anxiety, and mental health awareness, what does the future of childhood and education look like?With me to discuss the psychology of childhood are Sue Roffey, founder of Growing Great Schools...
The Psychology of James Bond
What kind of person is James Bond? What do audiences want from a Bond actor? What traits make someone convincing as the world's most famous spy? And how realistic is James Bond when compared to the psychological make-up of real-life spies?<...
Season 2 Trailer
In season two, I'll be chatting with some fascinating guests about topics such as the psychology of childhood, the psychology of Harry Potter, the psychology of weight loss, and, by popular demand after last season’s episode on cats, the psycho...
The Psychology of The Met Gala
Every year, on the first Monday of May, something extraordinary happens. 450 of the world's most powerful, most beautiful, most photographed people climb a set of steps in Manhattan — and the internet collectively loses it’s mind....
The Psychology of Cats (Archive Episode)
The most popular episode of 2025 was about the psychology of cats 😻Dr Claude Béata, animal behaviouralist and author of The Interpretation of Cats, emphasises cats dual role as both predator and prey and how this distinction can help us ...
The Psychology of Investing (Archive Episode)
How do your behavioural biases impact investment decisions?Are financial advisers affected by these psychological biases?What practical steps are there for individuals looking to improve their investing strategies or just...
The Psychology of Habits (Archive Episode)
Do habits really take 66 days to form? Should you rely on willpower? How does a psychologist approach overcoming their own bad habits and starting good ones?Professor Ben Gardner leads me through th...
The Psychology of Search Engines (Archive Episode)
Going back to the very first episode of Everything's Psychology, where I talk with Professor Robert Epstein about the psychological techniques Google employs in its search engine. Are you being manipulated by search engines?
Bias: Present Bias
My final short story on behavioural biases. This week, the story focuses on the power of today over tomorrow by looking at present bias.Present bias describes our tendency to give greater weight to rewards available now, while undervalui...
Bias: Revenge
Another short story involving a behavioural bias. This week, the bias is revenge.Maybe not considered by behavioural scientists as one of the core cohort of behavioural biases, revenge certainly fits the bill. It makes people act irratio...
Sticking to New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year! Have you set yourself a resolution? If so, in this episode, I share how a behaviourist psychologist would approach sticking to them and sailing past Quitters Day on January 17th.The principles are taken from a book called...
Bias: Choice Overload
Something different for Christmas. I share a short story based on a behavioural bias.This week, the story is called Spaghetti Sauce and is about choice overload. Choice is a paradox. We convince ourselves that we want it, and certainly r...
The Psychology of Time
In this episode of Everything’s Psychology, I sit down with Richard D. Gross, author of The Psychology of Time, to unpack how our minds construct the very thing we live inside of: time. From internal body clocks and ‘mind time’ to cultur...
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
Was the moon landing mankind’s giant leap, or was it Hollywood's greatest special effect? Was the global vaccine rollout an elaborate scheme by Bill Gates to implant microchips in all of us? And do the condensation trails you see behind aeropla...
The Psychology of Sport
What makes a great athlete? Why do some sports professionals rise to the occasion, while others crumble under pressure? Do the lessons from sports transfer to other areas of our lives, such as business or parenting?With me to discuss the...
The Psychology of Podcasts
Why do people start a podcast? I chat with host of the Growth Mindset Psychology podcast, Sam Webster Harris, about his motivations for launching a podcast and why, after 500+ episodes, he's still doing it. We chat about the psychology of motiv...
Psychbite: Celebrity Traitors
What psychology have we seen in the first four episodes of the Celebrity Traitors? Were we right in our predictions? Now that we've seen how the celebs are playing the game, who do I think will make it to the end?Don't forget to listen t...
The Psychology of The Traitors
With the celebrity version of The Traitors UK starting on October 8th, I talk with three psychologists from Chester University about the psychology used in the show as a whole, how contestants have played the show previously, and how the gamepl...
PsychBite: OnlyFans Influence on Teens
In this episode, I expand on last week's interview with the details of a 2025 research paper that examined the influence of erotic content platforms, such as OnlyFans, on teenagers.You can read the full paper here:
The Psychology of OnlyFans
Valued this year at $8 billion, OnlyFans is the video hosting site generating significant media interest, with celebrities using it to support their other work.I chat with Dr Anna Kelberg about why people put themselves on cams, and whet...
Psychbite: Motivating people to invest
I share my framework to help companies struggling to persuade their customers to make decisions that will make them better off. I share how mapping customer communications to a psychological model helps promote action.For more on the Beh...
The Psychology of Investing
In this episode, I explore the intricate relationship between psychology and investing with Dr. Daniel Crosby. We discuss how behavioural biases impact investment decisions, the importance of understanding these biases, and the role...
Psychbite: What's been the most popular episode so far?
In this shorter episode, I share a few more ideas from psychology that relate to last week's topic of sexual violence. I also give an update on which episodes have proven to be the most popular to date.If you have an idea for an episode,...
The Psychology of Sexual Violence
In this episode, we dip our psychological toes into the world of sociology and gender studies by chatting with Professor Alison Phipps (Newcastle University) about sexual violence.It's certainly a serious topic, but we try to tackle it w...