BBC All in the Mind

All in the Mind

All in the Mind examines how we think and behave. It’s presented by psychologist Claudia Hammond. She investigates the latest techniques being used by mental health practitioners, speaks to people with psychological issues and uncovers all the most recent research from the world of the mind. Every year there are 2 series of 8 episodes of All in the Mind, in the spring and autumn. Each programme is 28 minutes long.
English United Kingdom Science
36 Episodes
1 – 20

Can you knit away your worries?

Many people say that knitting or crochet helped ease their anxiety during the Covid-19 lockdowns - but what is it about these repetitive, absorbing and creative hobbies which soothe the mind? Claire Anketell set up free Yarn for Mental Health courses in Northern Ireland a year ago and Gemma was…
27 Dec 2022 28 min

Fergal Keane and PTSD

Fergal Keane describes living with PTSD. For thirty years Fergal covered some of the most brutal wars for the BBC, including Rwanda, Iraq and Ukraine. Despite having PTSD he kept going, taking more and more risks until witnessing a massacre in Sudan, he realised he couldn't do it anymore, that…
20 Dec 2022 32 min

13/12/2022

The show on how we think, feel and behave. Claudia Hammond delves into the evidence on mental health, psychology and neuroscience.
13 Dec 2022 28 min

Can Mental Health Awareness have unintended consequences?

Mental health awareness campaigns have reduced stigma and changed attitudes to mental illness, but has the messaging also led to unintended consequences? With the help of a panel consisting of mental health campaigner James Downs, the former director of Time to Change England Sue Baker, psychologist and author Lucy Foulkes…
6 Dec 2022 32 min

29/11/2022

With busy lifestyles many turn to devices for aide memoires. Claudia discusses new findings with Dr Sam Gilbert who studies so called ‘offloading’ and gives tips on how best to remember the important things. And a visit to Manchester’s Turn it Up exhibition reveals what psychological research can tell us…
29 Nov 2022 28 min

Negotiating a crisis

Claudia meets Professor Elizabeth Stokoe author of 'Crisis Talks' whose research shows when preventing a suicide, that words really do matter and can save lives during a crisis. Through analysing real time recordings of actual conversations between people in crisis and police negotiators, new findings highlight what can work and…
15 Nov 2022 29 min

Steven Pinker

Claudia Hammond meets cognitive scientist and author Steven Pinker. He describes the times we are living in as a pandemic of poppycock and has advice on how to be more rational.
8 Nov 2022 28 min

Urban rewilding for wellbeing, oxytocin and kindness, false alarm crowd panic

What amount of biodiversity in our cities is enough to benefit our wellbeing? Good evidence can be hard to come by. Andrea Mechelli, professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health at Kings College London, together with landscape architect Joanna Gibbons discuss their pioneering Urban Mind citizen science project which adopts…
28 Jun 2022 27 min

21/06/2022

Programme exploring the limits and potential of the human mind.
21 Jun 2022 27 min

The Psychology of Regret

Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of regret with an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival. What role do rueful thoughts on "what might have been" play in our lives? Is regret a wasted emotion or does it have some hidden benefits? Joining Claudia on stage : Teresa McCormack - Professor…
14 Jun 2022 39 min

Breastfeeding Trauma and the Psychology of Awkwardness

When breastfeeding goes wrong some women feel guilty that they have failed to do what should come naturally. But Professor Amy Brown from Swansea University says those with the most severe physical and emotional impact could be experiencing trauma, similar to the effects of a traumatic birth. We hear from…
7 Jun 2022 29 min

24/05/2022

Programme exploring the limits and potential of the human mind.
24 May 2022 28 min

Manifestation; Overconfidence; Radio drama changing attitudes

Instagram is awash with people sharing dream homes, holidays, partners and jobs which they claim to have 'manifested' into being. Proponants of manifestation say that thinking positive thoughts attracts tangible positive things into your life. They believe that 'asking the universe' for what you want via journaling, mood boards, and…
17 May 2022 28 min

Treating refugee mental health; Improving personal growth; Dreamachine

What role can psychologist play in supporting the mental health of displaced Ukrainians? Millions of people have had to flee either abroad or to other parts of the country and the implications for mental health are huge – not only in terms of trauma but for those who’ve escaped, the…
10 May 2022 27 min

Dreams and dreaming; brain scans for personality traits; extrovert listening

Many of us tend to dismiss dreams as merely the churning of the brain— but for much of human history, dreams were taken very seriously. Claudia Hammond speaks to Brazilian neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro who in his new wide ranging book The Oracle of Night wants to recapture that seriousness of…
3 May 2022 28 min

26/04/2022

Programme exploring the limits and potential of the human mind.
26 Apr 2022 28 min

The Anatomy of Kindness

In the final part of the Anatomy of Kindness, Claudia Hammond and guests ask 'Can Bosses be Kind'? Using evidence from the Kindness Test, the world's largest psychological study into kindness, Claudia starts her quest with Thom Elliot Co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, who deliberately set out to foster a kind…
30 Mar 2022 35 min

The Anatomy of Kindness

In the Anatomy of Kindness Claudia Hammond asks who we are kind to. Professor Nichola Raihani from University College London says there are circles of connections, so family and friends, work colleagues, neighbours continuing out to everyone on the planet. Different people will put their boundaries in different places. One…
23 Mar 2022 28 min
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