How stressed out do you get by TV quiz shows? And would that change if you were a contestant yourself? Cognitive researchers at the University of Arizona have studied back-episodes of Mastermind to find out how people react in high-stress situations - particularly how much they blink. Their findings offer insight into how blinking changes in stressful and mentally challenging situations – but also what it can tell us about cognitive processes. Claudia Hammond hears from BBC presenter and Celebrity Mastermind "Champion of Champions" 2019, Samira Ahmed, and speaks to Bob Wilson, associate professor in cognitive science and psychology at the University of Arizona, about the research.
Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten what you came in for? Studies show that changing your physical location can "bookend" thoughts and shape how our memories compartmentalise information. Now a new study has been looking at whether shifts in our moods can do the same. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, used music to elicit specific emotions in subjects, so they could assess how changes in emotional states might affect how memories are formed. Claudia hears from assistant professor of psychology, David Clewett, one of the paper’s authors.
And this week's studio guest Catherine Loveday, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Westminster, explains why anger can on occasion be a rather useful emotion.
Organisations offering information and support relating to some of the issues covered in this series of All In The Mind can be found at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Lucy Taylor Studio Manager: Tim Heffer Production Coordinator: Siobhan Maguire Editor: Holly Squire
Stories of Loss and Hope
Supporting a son with schizophrenia
How much empathy should doctors have?
Do lonely brains see the world differently?
Aphasia
Feeling an unseen presence
Can you knit away your worries?
Fergal Keane and PTSD
The sudden rise in teenagers developing tics during the pandemic
Can Mental Health Awareness have unintended consequences?
Devices to aid our memories and safe music for driving
Diagnosing bipolar disorder and the launch of the 2023 All in the Mind Awards
Negotiating a crisis
Steven Pinker
Urban rewilding for wellbeing, oxytocin and kindness, false alarm crowd panic
One mother's story of the psychological impact on her children of her ex husband's sexual offences
The Psychology of Regret
Breastfeeding Trauma and the Psychology of Awkwardness
Post-pandemic mental health; navigation ability; conversations with strangers
Gardening and mental health
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