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Pearn Kandola LLP

A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. May 29

    Beyond the Divide: Can We Reverse Polarisation?

    We're more divided than ever – and mostly avoiding the conversations that could change that. Research shows that a single civil conversation reduces polarisation more than people expect. Not a debate. Not a lecture. Just a chat. In this episode, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Louise Weston to explore the psychology behind polarisation. Together, they unpack the "online disinhibition effect", the algorithms that reward outrage over nuance, and the new research that proves talking across difference works to depolarise attitudes. They close with four ground rules for how to have challenging conversations effectively and move towards a less divided society. References: Suler, John. (2004). The Online Disinhibition Effect. Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society. 7. 321-6. 10.1089/1094931041291295. Kardas, M., Nordgren, L., & Rucker, D. (2026). Unnecessarily divided: Civil conversations reduce attitude polarization more than people expect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 130(2), 187–214. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000469 A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking. Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    10 min
  2. May 15

    Why You’re Always Bored: Digital Overstimulation Explained

    We've never had more ways to entertain ourselves. So why are so many of us more bored than ever? This week, Grace sits down with Chartered Psychologist Dr Jo Kandola to explore the paradox of modern boredom: how the very devices designed to keep us entertained are rewiring our brains to crave constant stimulation and are ultimately making the problem worse. From the way social media is fuelling a boredom epidemic, to the point at which scrolling stops being a distraction and starts becoming an addiction, to the impact of boredom on our mental health and wellbeing, this conversation might just change the way you think about reaching for your phone. References: Dora, J., van Hooff, M., Geurts, S., Kompier, M., & Bijleveld, E. (2020). Fatigue, boredom, and objectively-measured smartphone use at work (preprint). Radboud University. Date taken from manuscript (May 1, 2020).Tam, K. Y. Y., & Inzlicht, M. (2024). People are increasingly bored in our digital age. Communications Psychology, 2, 106.Tam, K. Y. Y., & Inzlicht, M. (2024). Fast-forward to boredom: How switching behavior on digital media makes people more bored. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking. Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 min
  3. Apr 17

    What Power Does To Us

    When we talk about power, we often focus on who has it. But the more important question is: what does it do to us? While the Epstein files continue to dominate headlines, most coverage focuses on allegations and those implicated. We're taking a different approach, examining the role power played and how possessing it changed people in ways that made this kind of behaviour possible. Grace is joined by Stuart Duff, Chartered Psychologist, Partner and Head of Leadership at Pearn Kandola, to examine the psychology of power - how it is defined, how it influences behaviour, and how it can distort moral judgement if it is not understood. References: Cuddy, A. (2017) Presence: Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges. London: Orion.Deng et al. (2018) When does power trigger approach motivation? Threats and the role of perceived control in the power domain. Social and Personality Compass, 12(5), e12390Fiske, S.T. (1993) ‘Controlling other people: The impact of power of stereotyping.’ American Psychologist, 48, 621-28.Guinote, A. (2017) ‘How power affects people: Activating, wanting and goal-seeking’. Annul Review of Psychology, 68(1), 353-81.Scholl, A. and Sassenberg, K. (2015) ‘Better know when (not) to think twice: How social power impacts pre-factual thought.’ Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(2), 159-70.A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking. Brought to you by the expert team of chartered business psychologists at Pearn Kandola LLP. Find out more at pearnkandola.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

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A podcast exploring the psychology behind current events, daily decision-making, and the ideas that frame our thinking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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