Speaking of Psychology

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Rethinking sleep and mental health, with Philip Gehrman, PhD

July 08, 2026

Too often, we treat sleep as something we can sacrifice when life gets busy. But a growing body of research finds that sleep is essential to both mental and physical health -- and that sleep problems can be a cause, not just a consequence, of conditions like depression and anxiety. Philip Gehrman, PhD, discusses what happens in the brain while we sleep; how insomnia and disrupted circadian rhythms affect mental health; why psychologists are paying more attention to sleep; and what all of us ...

Why listening well is harder -- and more powerful -- than you think, with Guy Itzchakov, PhD

July 01, 2026

Most people think they’re good listeners. But really listening well is harder than it seems. Guy Itzchakov, PhD, talks about what distinguishes high-quality listening from just staying quiet while someone else talks; how feeling heard affects speakers’ emotions, attitudes and relationships; why high-quality listening can reduce defensiveness during disagreements; and whether AI chatbots will ever be good listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sharenting”: What happens when children's lives are shared online? With Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD

June 24, 2026

From ultrasound photos to graduation pictures, many parents share their children's lives online. For some families, these posts help maintain connections with friends and relatives or build supportive parenting communities. But what does it mean for children to grow up with a digital footprint that begins, in some cases, before they are even born? Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, discusses the psychology of "sharenting," the privacy and safety risks of sharing in the age of AI, and how familie...