All In The Mind

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

Latest Episodes:

The ick: dating, disgust and evolutionary psychology Mar 09, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever experienced "the ick"?

It's that sudden, visceral feeling of being put off by someone you're dating. Maybe it's their hat, a hobby or even the way they laugh.

Stories of the ick are prolific online, but it leaves us with a question - what causes it?

To separate red flags from disgust, we get into the psychology of the ick - why you might feel icky, if it should be a deal breaker, and what it says about your own attachment style.

If you want to hear more about dating and psychology, check out our episode The false promise of love languages.

Can humans make it to Mars without losing their minds? Mar 02, 2025

Show notes

NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the next decade or so. But can our minds handle it?

We talk to a NASA psychologist and retired astronaut about the psychological challenges people already face on long-duration space missions — and find out what it will take to get to Mars.

This episode was first broadcast in March 2024.

Looking for another episode to listen to next? Check out Dark tourism + selfie sticks = moral outrage.

Do you hate yourself? Healing from self-hatred Feb 23, 2025

Show notes

Join us for a live episode of All in the Mind at Podfest in Adelaide this March. You can enter to win tickets here.

Many of us have felt self loathing at some point in our lives — maybe when you've failed at an important task at work, or lost an important relationship.

But some people hate themselves all the time — their inner monologue is a constant drumbeat of self-criticism and self-loathing.

Where does this kind of all-encompassing self-hate come from? And is there a way to unlearn it?

We speak to psychiatrist Dr Blaise Aguirre, author of I Hate Myself: Overcome Self-Loathing and Realize Why You're Wrong About You.

This episode discusses the topic of suicide - please take care while listening.

If you're looking for something to listen to next, check out our episode Can we trust our memories?

Resources:

'Bad behaviour' or just misunderstood? What to know about kids' mental health Feb 16, 2025

Show notes

Developmental paediatrician Dr Billy Garvey has seen a lot of kids with behavioural issue over the years, and there are ten things he wishes all parents understood about their kids mental health.

From insecure attachment to separation anxiety to emotional difficulties – he gives us the low down on why kids get labelled ‘bad’ – and what’s really going on (usually).

Looking for something to listen to next? Check out our episode, Wanted: Unicorns. Mission: Mars.

All in the Mind is heading to Podfest in Adelaide this March. You can enter to win tickets here.

The baby decision — how to decide when you can't decide Feb 09, 2025

Show notes

There are some decisions in life that can be trickier to navigate. Do you want to get married? Should you change careers? Do you want a baby?

Parenthood is a choice more vexed than ever in a world threatened by climate change, political instability and cost-of-living crises.

So how can people approach this choice? And if you're lucky enough to have a choice, how do you make peace with your decision?

Decision coach Merle Bombardieri has been working with couples on this very topic for decades — today, we ask her about the tools, tips and strategies you can use to tackle the baby question.

If you're interested in hearing more about parenthood, check out our episode called Why do we sing to babies?

'My brain snapped': Harry's sudden psychosis Feb 02, 2025

Show notes

Harry had been lucky. He'd never struggled with his mental health.

Then, when he was 18, seemingly out of nowhere — he had his first psychotic episode.

It was an abrupt change, with ripple effects across his family.

Today, the shock of experiencing psychosis, why you're most likely to get it when you're young, and how you can recognise the signs and support a loved one.

If you'd like to hear more about this topic, we have an episode called A musician processes her bipolar diagnosis.

Extra resources:

Age of rage: the psychology behind our moral outrage Jan 26, 2025

Show notes

Politics, 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 humans developed morality, why we differ in what we consider right and wrong, and how that drives us to moral outrage.

And after all of that, we'll find out how to have better conversations with people you disagree with (even if you're feeling outraged).

If you want to hear more about that, check out The skills supercommunicators use, which you can learn too.

The promise and perils of manifesting Jan 19, 2025

Show notes

If you could manifest anything into your life, what would it be? A perfect partner, your dream house, winning the lottery?

Manifesting promises a limitless potential of dreams to achieve — through methods like vision boards and affirmations.

But does manifesting actually help us realise our goals? Is it harmless fun? Healthy positive thinking? Or can manifestation lead the brain down some dark alleys that you might not expect?

In this episode we mention another episode called Visualisation and values — goal setting like a winner. It's part two of our two part series on the athlete's mindset. Part one is called A winning mindset — how top athletes think.

This episode was first broadcast in March 2024.

"Scarier than killer robots": why your brain isn't ready for AI Jan 12, 2025

Show notes

The AI revolution is coming. Your mind isn't ready for it.

Cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson walks us through the many ways artificial intelligence is messing — and will mess — with our psychology.

From falling in love with AI to unforgettable deep fakes, we dive into an uncertain future and what you can do to prepare for it.

This episode was first broadcast in April 2024.

If you'd like to hear more from Joel, he featured on our episode about intuition called When to trust your gut instinct, and when to ignore it.

What influences your inner voice? Jan 05, 2025

Show notes

That voice inside your head - where does it come from?

We bring back a topic that was one of our most popular for a long awaited part two.

Today, what shapes your internal chatter.

This episode was first released in March 2024.

Our original episode on chatter is called Controlling the chatter in your head, if you liked this episode you'll love that one!

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