Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley BBC Podcasts

Michael's last interview, How to Live a Good Life, is with psychologist Paul Bloom and was recorded in the BBC tent at the Hay Festival on 25 May, 2024.
Paul is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and he shares with Michael his top five tips for living a good life. And we hear Michael at his best - full of warmth, insight and enjoying his time with the audience and sharing some of his reflections on his life, career and the importance of family.
Presenter: Michael Mosley with Chris Van Tulleken
Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Executive Producers: Helen Thomas and Sasha Feachem
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Studio Engineer: Richard Ward

In our bustling modern lives, it can be all too easy to wolf down our meals on the go, and never take the time to enjoy them properly. In this episode, Michael Mosley finds out how simply slowing down the speed at which you eat can help you feel full for longer, snack less, and improve your digestion. Michael speaks to Dr Sarah Berry from the department of nutritional sciences at King's College London, who shares findings showing that eating slower can reduce your blood sugar response to food, as well as reducing your calorie intake. Our volunteer Stewart tries to make eating slowly a habit in an attempt to improve his sleep.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Christine Johnston
Researcher: William Hornbrook
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoë Heron
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

In this episode, Michael Mosley discovers that, as well as being a very rewarding thing to do, volunteering your time, labour or spare room can really benefit your health too. Michael speaks with Dr Edith Chen from Northwestern University in the US, who has been investigating the power of helping others. She tells Michael about her studies showing that by boosting your mood and empathy, volunteering can lower chronic inflammation, cholesterol and even help you lose weight. It’s also a great way to meet new people! Meanwhile, Matt gives back to his local community by volunteering at a food bank.

Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

Although yoga is thought to have been practised for over 5,000 years, its myriad benefits for our health and wellbeing are still being uncovered. Professor Rima Dada from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi reveals the extraordinary findings into the benefits of yoga - how half an hour a day can slow down ageing at a cellular level by protecting your mitochondria and your DNA. It can also improve your brain health and even reduce symptoms of depression. Just a few sessions are enough for our volunteer James to catch the yoga bug!
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

Reading poetry can reduce stress and help give you words to express the things you're feeling. And reading a poem out loud has been shown to be a surprisingly simple way to activate your relaxation response and bring about a sense of calm. It’s all to do with the way it slows and controls your breathing rate, which in turn stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system and can lead to many beneficial effects. Michael Mosley speaks to Dietrich von Bonin from the Swiss Association of Art Therapies, who says as little as 5 minutes of rhythmic poetry read aloud can be even more effective than slow-paced breathing at relaxing your body and mind. Our volunteer Colm dives into the world of Irish poetry and incorporates reading it aloud into his bedtime routine.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

Sit back, leave behind the cares of the day and take a sonic journey with Dr Michael Mosley. In this new podcast series, designed to help you let go and unwind, each episode focuses on a scientifically-proven technique for activating the body’s built-in relaxation response, and takes a deep dive to explore what’s happening inside as we find stillness and calm.
Most of us instinctively know that music can have a huge impact on our mood. But it can also be an effective tool to tap into your body’s relaxation response. Plus thought loops, soundwaves and an encounter with the Organ of Corti.
Guest: Stefan Koelsch, professor at the University of Bergen in Norway.
Series Producer, sound design and mix engineer: Richard Ward
Researcher: William Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoë Heron
Specially composed music by Richard Atkinson (Mcasso)
A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.