The Psychology of your 20s

Stress has a reputation for burning us out, torching our relationships and even causing our lives to end prematurely. But not all stress is created equal. In this episode, we explore the difference between eustress - good stress - and distress, understand why our experience of stress is rooted in our perception of it, and understand how we can harness stress as a powerful force for motivation, energy and well-being.
Watch on Netflix: HERE
We unpack:
• The difference between eustress - good stress - and distress
• Why avoiding stress can actually cause cognitive decline
• The dangers of too much stress on our bodies and minds
• The Yerkes-Dodson law and the ‘sweet spot’ of stress
• How we can reframe our approach to stress to create our own ‘biology of courage’
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com
Our favourite sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcGyVTAoXEU&vl=en
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8384975/
https://www.healthline.com/health/yerkes-dodson-law
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.

We treat our memories like a reliable recording of the past. We remember what happened, how we felt, where we were, and what was said. But what if our account is more like a subjective recollection of events? In this episode, we explore the concept of false memories – how they form, why this matters in our everyday lives, and their more serious potential impacts.
We explore:
• The cognitive mechanisms behind false memories
• The misinformation effect and the car crash study
• Why our memories are open to imagination, repetition and social influence
• Potential consequences of false memories in news reporting and eyewitness testimony
• The importance of ethical therapeutic practices and memory
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://innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/memory-mind-and-media/article/fake-memories-a-metaanalysis-on-the-effect-of-fake-news-on-the-creation-of-false-memories-and-false-beliefs/B6A66A305AFD6724E1C1C56A68BB5CF2
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0021-9010.83.3.360
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022537174800113?via%3Dihub
https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03196174
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.

Why does feeling sad sometimes feel... so good? Whether it’s putting on the saddest song you know, rewatching a movie that always makes you cry, indulging in a little self-pity or finally letting yourself have a good sob, there is something strangely satisfying about sadness. And psychology may be able to explain why.
In this episode, we explore the surprising psychological value of sadness, including:
Why sadness can sometimes feel pleasurable
The psychology of sad songs and sad movies
The tragedy paradox
Why a good cry can feel so cathartic
Emotional suppression and why it exhausts us
Hedonic adaptation and why happiness loses its intensity
The surprising appeal of self-pity
Watch on Netflix: HERE
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.

It’s a known fact that time moves faster as we get older, but what does this really mean, and can we slow it down? In this episode, we’re going to try to make sense of why flies as we enter our 20s - from memory, to novelty, eye movements and the effects of COVID.
Watch on Netflix: HERE
We explore:
Different types of time: measured vs. perceived
What makes time feel fast and slow?
The effect of the pandemic
The relationship between time and age
How social media is making time go faster
The 4 ways we can feel like we have more time
Happy listening!
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.

The Oedipus complex is one of Freud’s most renowned and shocking ideas. In this episode, we dive into the origins of the theory and whether anything really remains once its gendered assumptions and controversial sexual claims are stripped away.
We explore:
- How the Greek tragedy of Oedipus inspired Freud’s theory
- What Freud meant by unconscious childhood desire and parental rivalry
- The importance of the phallic stage
- How Freud believed it was resolved - and what fixation was thought to mean for adulthood
- His problematic gendered ideas
- The scientific and ethical problems surrounding the theory
- How modern psychoanalysis has reinterpreted Oedipal ideas
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://lacanianworksexchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/19260101-The-Flight-from-Womanhood-The-Masculinity-Complex-in-Women-as-Viewed-by-Men-and-by-Women-Karen-Horney-IJP-7-p324-339.pdf
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.2167-4086.2004.tb00151.x
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0033-3204.32.4.535
https://www.routledge.com/The-Oedipus-Complex-A-Contemporary-Introduction/Rohleder/p/book/9781032495651
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.