INSyed: Psychology, Simply

Syed Imran Al-Hasyir

0.0 (0)
Self-Improvement

What happens when you take psychology research and make it personal? INSyed is a weekly podcast hosted by a masters student in Psychology of Education at the University of Bristol — exploring real studies on the mind, burnout, and emotional well-being, then reflecting on what they mean for both you and I. Part research, part journal. Join me in making life a little nicer, INSyed and out.

Jul 16

The Watch I Wasn't Ready to Wear: On Possible Selves and Becoming Who You're Meant to Be

My brother sent a photo of a watch he bought me — and it sent me straight to a drawer where my late grandfather's watch had been sitting, unwound, for years. Turns out, this is a textbook case of "possible selves" — the psychological gap between who we are and who we're afraid we haven't earned the right to become. This episode is about inheritance, imposter syndrome, and why the feeling of being "ready" never actually comes first. What have you been waiting to feel ready for?
Jun 25

conditions, not character — what my calendar taught me about quitting on myself

I deleted my entire to-do list out of spite. What filled the empty calendar afterward wasn't more guilt — it was everything I'd already done that never made the list. A story about contingent self-worth, the psychology of why winning and losing both hit harder when you tie them to performance, and what's left of you on the days you cross nothing off at all. Source: Wouters, S., Thomaes, S., Colpin, H., Luyckx, K., & Verschueren, K. (2018). How does Conditional Regard Impact Well-being and Eagerness to Learn? An Experimental Study. Psychologica Belgica, 58(1), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.401
Jun 18

it was never all or nothing — how to ruin a meal and mean it

I tried making fried vermicelli noodles for the first time and ended up with porridge. What surprised me wasn't the failure — it was how quickly I let it mean everything. In this episode, I explore all-or-nothing thinking, what the physics of energy has to do with resilience, and why ruining something is sometimes the only way to make it. Source: Understanding and Overcoming All-or-Nothing Thinking
May 21

start now or plan forever; why do my sims always live better lives than I do

You know exactly what you need to do. You've written it down, time-blocked it, maybe even colour-coded it. And yet — nothing starts. In this episode, I reflects on six hours of playing The Sims and the uncomfortable moment I realised my virtual self was outperforming me. Not because he was smarter or more disciplined — but because he was simpler. No hesitation. No "one more thing before I start." Just the next action. References Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493
May 7

you still have a battery

How letting my laptop die let me live. Burnout doesn't always announce itself with a collapse — sometimes it shows up as not caring anymore. In this week's episode, I'm coming to you five hours deep into a report, running on fumes and the wrong kind of determination, and what happened when I unplugged my laptop on purpose and worked until the battery died. Rest days exist for a reason. You're no machine — but you still have a battery. Reference List https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35997632/
Apr 30

You Don't Need Hope, You Need Agency

This one is different. I'm going back to where it all started — episode one. And reading it with fresh eyes, a year later and 10,000km from home. In this episode: the reason agency is still the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, the mistake I made framing hope and agency as opposites, and why hope is the invitation that agency walks through. As always — there's always more INSyed.
Apr 23

you were always going to notice it

My shoelaces kept coming undone. On the third time stopping to tie them, I noticed a patch of grass I'd never really seen — despite walking past it every day. That's inattentional blindness: the brain's filter that helps us function, and quietly hides the world from us. This week, we look at what we've been missing. Reference List https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12620563_Gorillas_in_Our_Midst_Sustained_Inattentional_Blindness_for_Dynamic_Eventshttps://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-inattentional-blindness-2795020https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
Apr 16

good enough is enough

What if the thing holding you back isn't laziness — it's perfectionism in disguise? In this episode, I explore how the pressure to get everything right before we begin quietly narrows our thinking and kills our satisfaction. Drawing on a 2020 study on self-compassion as a remedy for maladaptive perfectionism, I share what it actually looks like to swap perfectionism for excellence — and why that shift changes everything. Plus, a small story from a career fair that I almost didn't go to. Reference List https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343521847_Self-Compassion_as_a_Mediator_Between_Perfectionism_and_Personal_Growth_Initiativehttps://summer.harvard.edu/blog/perfectionism-might-be-hurting-you-heres-how-to-change-your-relationship-to-achievement/#What-is-Perfectionismhttps://www.valleyoaks.org/health-hub/perfectionism-understanding-the-hidden-mental-health-risk/

What happens when you take psychology research and make it personal? INSyed is a weekly podcast hosted by a masters student in Psychology of Education at the University of Bristol — exploring real studies on the mind, burnout, and emotional well-being, then reflecting on what they mean for both you and I. Part research, part journal. Join me in making life a little nicer, INSyed and out.

Creator

Syed Imran Al-Hasyir
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

23
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Syed Imran Al-Hasyir 2025
Show Website

INSyed: Psychology, Simply