The Psychology of your 20s

In this bonus episode, we’re looking at the placebo effect - what it is, how it became an important part of medical research, and why an inactive treatment can sometimes produce genuine changes how we feel, and what this tells us about the relationship between the brain, body and experience of receiving care.
The FULL Debunking Psychology playlist: HERE
We explore:
• How placebos became an important part of scientific research
• Some of the earliest placebo experiments
• Why our expectations can change the way we experience symptoms
• Whether the placebo effect produces real, biological changes
• Why the ritual of receiving care may itself influence how we feel
• Whether placebo effects represent genuine, lasting change
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
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.

From abusive MLM’s and wellness programs to doomsday sects and UFO religions, we’re all fascinated by cults. Their mystery offers us a way to explore the darkest recesses of human behaviour, while remaining seemingly out of their reach. But how do we actually define a cult?
Watch on Netflix: HERE
In this episode, we look at popular examples of cults, understand how they’re organised and recruit followers, and examine what makes some people so vulnerable to joining. We unpack:
• How a cult is defined, featuring the BITE model of authoritarian control
• What makes cult leaders so distinctive - and dangerous
• The (often surprising) tactics cults will employ to get people to join
• How people behave during and in the aftermath of leaving a cult
• Why there are cults all around us today, and people are still drawn to them
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
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 our 20s, we’re all vulnerable to feeling that we’re falling behind. Whether it be chasing the perfect job, relationship, friends, living situation, trip abroad, or something else, we’re led to believe that there’s a certain window of time that we should be achieving certain milestones within. In this episode, we unpack:
• Why social media makes us compare ourselves with ‘the best’
• The figures behind what people in their 20s really have - and don’t
• How milestone anxiety and the social clock make us panic
• How we can reframe envy as a useful compass
• Why life circumstances mean we might have a different ‘starting line’ to other people
• Why you’re not delulu - things really are getting harder!
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
Our favourite sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40888380/
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/uk/savings/average-savings-by-age-in-uk/
https://jessup.edu/blog/cultural-impact/why-do-adults-adhere-to-a-social-clock/#:~:text=Social%20psychologist%20Bernice%20Neugarten%20identified,purchase%20a%20home%2C%20and%20retire
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 Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most famous studies in psychology, but also one of the most controversial. In this bonus episode, we look at what actually happened in the basement of Stanford University in 1971.
We explore:
The landscape of psychological research at the time of the study
How participants were selected and assigned roles
The theatrical procedure of the study
The unexpected outcomes and why it was stopped early
Ethical lessons around consent and researcher responsibility
Why the study is so influential to our understanding of institutions, power and authority
The Debunking Psychology series: HERE
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
Our favourite sources:
http://pdf.prisonexp.org/ijcp1973.pdf
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/heroism-science/vol10/iss1/5/
https://gen.medium.com/the-lifespan-of-a-lie-d869212b1f62
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 I could sit down with my 21-year-old self, there are a few things I would definitely want to say. Today, I'm going to say them, like 'don't even THINK about moving in with that guy, use your savings account, care less about grades' and a few more. I also asked you guys, the listeners, about your biggest regrets from your early 20s so we can all learn from each other (how nice is that).
Watch on Netflix: HERE
We discuss:
Why the right relationship should expand your life, not shrink it
Why you shouldn’t rush into adulthood
Financial avoidance and learning to actually save
Why audacity can matter just as much as hard work
Caring less about grades and more about experience
Why nobody can tell you exactly how to live your 20s
Happy listening and drop yours below!
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
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.