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
Manifestation; Overconfidence; Radio drama changing attitudes
Treating refugee mental health; Improving personal growth; Dreamachine
Dreams and dreaming; brain scans for personality traits; extrovert listening
How to cope when your child can't
The Anatomy of Kindness
The Anatomy of Kindness
The Anatomy of Kindness
The Anatomy of Kindness Results
Looking inside the minds of our pets - and our relationships with them
Fish Oils for depression, Pain pleasure and a good life, Kindness, Comedy memory
The power of expectation, Buildings and neurodiversity, Music therapy for Parkinson's
Earworms in sleep, body sensations and image, Louis Wain exhibition
Stomach pains and eating disorders and post-Olympic blues.
Depersonalisation disorder; Air pollution and mental health; Counter-messaging
Persecutory delusions, engine idling and taxi driver brains
Does working in the office boost well-being?
The Kindness Test
All in the Mind Awards ceremony from the Wellcome Collection in London
The psychology of courage and bravery
Learning and taking breaks, the awards: Spectrum People, financial strain and pain
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