Surfing and mental health, grief for dead celebrities, and being unique

Claudia Hammond has her surfboard and wetsuit at the ready to investigate whether surfing could improve her mental health. And she speaks to Ariane Gerami from the University of Bristol to find out whether the enthusiam for surfing to help your mental health is running ahead of the evidence.

Claudia is joined in the studio by psychologist Dr Peter Olusoga at Sheffield Hallam University. They talk about a study that's found the need for uniqueness has dwindled over the last 20 years.

And one of our listeners got in touch to ask why she felt so much grief for someone she had never met, following the death of Michael Mosley . Claudia speaks to sociologist Dr Ruth Penfold-Mounce from the University of York, and psychologist Dr Dara Greenwood from Vassar College in New York, to discuss why we can feel such an intense loss for someone we've never met.

And the All in the Mind Awards are open for entries. We hear from Ben May from bereavement charity The New Normal, who won the project category in 2023. Full details about the awards are in the programme, or at bbc.co.uk/radio4/allinthemind where you’ll find full terms and conditions too. Entries close at 1pm on 8th January 2025.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell Editor: Holly Squire Production coordinator: Siobhan Maguire

Photo credit: The Wave