About this podcast
Why do people lie? Why do relationships fall apart? Can trauma change your brain?
Every week on All in the Mind, award-winning journalist Sana Qadar explores the psychology behind the biggest questions in our lives — how we think, feel and behave.
Featuring leading experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross, you'll hear personal stories and practical insights that will leave you thinking long after the podcast ends.
Whether it's debunking pop psychology trends or translating the latest neuroscience research, more than 100,000 listeners join Sana each month to learn the best strategies for surviving life with your mental health intact.
All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and was awarded Best Health and Wellness podcast at the 2026 Australian Audio Awards
Episodes
The newest 50 of 1,049 episodes
- Dopamine, detoxes and donuts · 30 minDopamine feels great, but is it always good for us? The answer is complicated, so today, we get into what dopamine actually does in the brain. How does it affect our…
- Daddy brain: how parenthood changes men · 30 minCan a shrinking brain and drop in testosterone levels ever be a good thing? Turns out, yes. We find out why fatherhood forces these neurobiological changes in men, and how they…
- Friction-maxxing: does more effort = more value? · 30 minMental map or GPS? Delivery or cooking at home? Scrolling or reading? In a world of convenience, there are plenty of tools that make our lives easier. But is there a benefit to…
- Mental health and the manosphere · 30 minThis week, we unpack the appeal of masculinity influencers and the psychological needs they fulfil, like the need for certainty and a sense of purpose. Because interestingly…
- 'Task paralysis' and overcoming procrastination · 30 minFive years of unpaid taxes. Homework handed in on the last day of an extension. Some people are champion procrastinators. Why? And what does task paralysis (sometimes called…
- What self-help advice is actually useful? · 30 minToday, we're making sense of the tips, tricks and treatments that the self-help landscape has to offer. So whether you're keen to try exposure therapy, tackle your need for…
- Is AI the end of creativity and cognition? · 30 minAs the headlines get scarier, a neuroscientist and an English professor weigh in on some of our big questions about AI. From cognitive offloading to memory and creativity, we'll…
- Trying to read more? Your brain will thank you · 30 minReading is good for you, but fiction has added benefits. So how does reading work in the brain? Why are stories so impactful? And why, in this era of book clubs and booktok…
- Hypochondria and cyberchondria: the many ways to worry about health · 30 minHow do you know if you have health anxiety? For mental health nurse Sarah, she had real health concerns, but they were coupled with panic, spiralling worries and late nights…
- Burnout: the warning signs and how to stop it · 30 minSally Gould was a couple of years into her dream job as a paramedic when it all started to fall apart. It wasn’t the trauma and injury she was exposed to on shifts that was…
- When meditation goes wrong: part two · 30 minMeditation sickness, meditation-related adverse effects or meditators in distress – you probably haven't heard these terms, even if you do meditate. Yet research finds adverse…
- When meditation goes wrong: part one · 30 minMeditation has a lot of benefits, but could it also have risks? Over the past decade, meditation and mindfulness have been promoted to reduce stress and increase relaxation…
- Why do we crave closure? · 30 minClosure can feel like the ultimate solution to help us heal. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Today, we learn about ambiguous loss — the type of grief that comes without…
- Why should I spend time in nature? · 30 minNature is good for our wellbeing. But how much green space does a community need, before you can see a wellbeing boost? And how do we encourage people to spend more time…
- Dark tourism, selfies and moral outrage · 30 minSince the days of gladiator battles and public hangings, dark tourism — our attraction to places linked to death and despair — has been a part of human behaviour. But there's…
- From gaming addiction to healthy gamer: Dr K's story · 30 minWhy is gaming addictive? How do you know if it's a problem? And what should parents do if they're worried about their kids' gaming habits? This week, psychiatrist and author Dr…
- How can I become more securely attached? · 31 minWhether you're anxious or avoidant, there are steps you can take to make your relationships more secure. And the benefits extend beyond dating — finding secure people can help…
- Oppositional defiant disorder and bad behaviour in schools · 29 minAggression, not listening, interruptions ... bad behaviour is on the rise in schools. What's causing this trend? Is it parenting styles or the pandemic? Nurse Erin has had…
- We're all stressed. What should we do about it? · 30 minHow stressed have you been lately? Are you heading towards burn out? Time and time again, Dr Rangan Chatterjee has seen chronic stress wreak havoc on his patients' lives —…
- ‘Should have been my birthright’ - the journey to reclaim a lost language · 30 minLanguages are so much more than words and sounds — they encode culture and shape our identity. So how do you connect to your culture, if language is lost? While many Indigenous…
- From death to divorce: getting through the worst losses of your life · 32 minAt some point in our lives, we all face the question, "how will I ever get through this?". You know the moments — a sudden loss, a messy break up, an unexpected diagnosis or a…
- Fame, isolation and terror: inside the mind of a lone mass killer · 30 minWhat is it that drives a person to mass murder? It's a question forensic psychiatrist Professor Paul Mullen has made a life's study of. While these devastating events can at…
- Emotionally immature parents and grandparents: what to do if you have them (or are one) · 35 minShould you consider estrangement from an emotionally immature parent? How do you process the grief of realising your more stable parent … might have been a passive enabler? And…
- Handling emotionally immature parents, raising emotionally mature kids · 33 minIf you've never had good parenting modelled to you, how do you raise emotionally mature kids? Clinical psychologist Dr Lindsay Gibson has thoughts. You might remember Lindsay…
- How to catch a liar (it's harder than you think) · 35 minRebecca figured out a brilliant way to catch her partner in a lie. It led to a career in forensic psychology… These days, Rebecca studies lie detection, and it turns out, people…
- Ambiguous crimes and inattentional blindness: the science of eyewitness memory · 30 minIf you saw a crime, how clearly would you remember it? What about if you were questioned years… even decades later? Eyewitness testimony is an important part of the justice…
- Confessing to a crime you didn't commit · 31 minImagine police are interrogating you over a crime you didn't commit. If you're innocent, you're safe, right? Wrong. Sometimes, being innocent can make you more likely to…
- Can criminal profiling identify a killer? · 32 minCriminal profiling promises a lot — being able to piece together a picture of a suspect through clues, intuition and psychology sounds great. But how reliable is it? In our…
- INTRODUCING — Forensic · 1 minForget everything you’ve learned from crime dramas. Forensic is a new podcast series from All in the Mind on ABC Radio National that takes you behind the psychological tools…
- Our millennia-long obsession with immortality · 32 minWould you want to live forever? The rich and powerful certainly do. There are numerous examples throughout history of people going to extreme lengths in search of immortality…
- Pretty privilege, surgery stigma and the cosmetic procedure paradox · 30 minCosmetic procedures aren't reserved for celebrities anymore - they're becoming more and more accessible for every day people. So if we're able to alter our looks or avoid the…
- The psychology behind our moral outrage · 30 minPolitics, war, abortion, gun control — why do some topics make us so outraged? One theory is that our preoccupation with preventing harm is to blame. So today, we examine how…
- Staying sane in space · 29 minIn the last couple of weeks, a lot of people have been getting excited about space exploration thanks to Artemis II. So this week, we revisit an episode from our archives all…
- Mind Hacks with Dr Billy Garvey: "being a bit kinder to myself" · 8 minWelcome back to All in the Mind's little sister: Mind Hacks. In this episode, we're joined by developmental paediatrician and co-host of Pop Culture Parenting, Dr Billy Garvey…
- Tantrums, sleep training and anxiety: Dr Billy Garvey answers your parenting questions · 30 minHow can I help my child with anxiety? What's the deal with sleep training? Are we supposed to ignore tantrums? This week, we've invited developmental paediatrician Dr Billy…
- The psychology of masturbation · 29 minThis week we're talking about something intimate… and sometimes taboo: masturbation. From self-love, to disordered behaviour and back again, we explore how our perceptions of…
- Mind Hacks: Casey BerosWelcome back to All in the Mind's little sister: Mind Hacks. In this episode, health journalist and author Casey Beros on managing your inner critic, balancing competing…
- Tough conversations and anticipatory grief: being a carer · 30 minWhen Casey Beros' dad was diagnosed with mesothelioma, she knew her entire world would change. More than three million Australians are carers — a role people are often thrust…
- Family estrangement and infidelity: Esther Perel answers your questions · 30 minHow do you grieve a dying parent you're estranged from? Do cheaters ever change? People say love should feel 'easy', is that true? Psychotherapist Esther Perel is back on All in…
- Mind Hacks: Joel Pearson · 7 minWelcome back to All in the Mind's little sister: Mind Hacks. In this episode, cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson tells us how he manages his own stress (clue: it involves…
- Is AI making our brains lazier? · 33 minSocial media gave us brain rot; will AI give us cognitive atrophy? How can we possibly learn to cope with the sheer amount of uncertainty and change heading our way? Cognitive…
- Mind Hacks: Esther Perel · 7 minIntroducing All in the Mind's little sister: Mind Hacks. Each week, we'll bring you bonus content with special guests, featuring rapid fire questions about their mental health…
- Couples therapy with an AI partner? Esther Perel's just done it · 30 minPsychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel has had a lot of 'firsts' over her four decade-long career — counselling her first polyamorous relationship, or her first gay…
- We want your parenting questions · 2 minDevelopmental paediatrician Dr Billy Garvey is returning to All in the Mind and we'd love to ask him your questions! Billy is an expert on kids' mental health — last time he was…
- Why do we choke under pressure? · 30 minThe siren has sounded. The scores are even. A footy player has one final chance to kick an easy goal to get his team into the finals. He's right in front of the goals. He lines…
- Can 'normalisation of deviance' help to explain a catastrophe? · 35 min40 years ago, NASA experienced one of its most devastating disasters. The Challenger space shuttle disintegrated just 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members…
- Got a question for Esther Perel?Renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel is coming to All in the Mind! And we'd love to ask her some of your questions. Esther Perel is an internationally recognised couples…
- The paradox of petty problems: Why small annoyances can snowball · 29 minSlow walkers. Unmelted cheese in a toastie. Bad formatting in documents. If these small annoyances make you weirdly mad, you're not alone (in fact, you're human). But when…
- Grief and guilt: losing a loved one to suicide · 33 minWhen Blake's dad died by suicide, it came as a complete shock. Overwhelming grief, combined with confusion and guilt — it uprooted his life. The loss made him rethink his own…
- Driving me mad: why we get road rage · 30 minSimon considers himself a calm, conscientious, conflict-avoidant type of person. But in the car, his personality flips — and it scares him. It can be hard to admit, but many of…
