A podcast that explains how everything is psychology. Even your 20s. Hosted by Jemma Sbeg, each Tuesday and Friday we deep dive into the science and psychology behind a topic, concept or universal experience that defines our 20s - from dating, to mental health, career anxiety, friendship, finances and all the growing pains associated with this decade. Listen now. For business enquires please email [email protected] New merchandise here: https://the-psychology-of-your-20s.myshopif ...
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It's said that around 1/3 of society has tattoos - that increases to nearly half for people in their 20s. What is it about this permanent form of art that so many of us feel called to get? And what are the psychological underpinnings behind our design choices, why we may find ourselves wanting more and more tattoos, the relationship to childhood ex…
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I'm turning 25! Here are all my thoughts and feelings about ageing, dealing with expectations around birthdays, loneliness, the pressure to have fun and a much needed mindset shift towards growing older. I also discuss my GO TO birthday routine that brings me peace, growth and clarity every year! Listen now and thank you for another wonderful year …
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What makes someone an introvert vs. an extrovert and why is it different to what you may have been told? In today's episode, we break down the psychology between these two personality types that seem to categorise and divide society by looking back at when the theory was first created, till now. We also discuss: The myth of ambiverts What dopamine …
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When we first meet someone, the thing we instantly look for is a 'spark' - do a connect, are we attracted to each other, do we feel passion and fire and connection. What we often forget to look for is compatibility - does this person see me? Compatibility is the long term make or break of a relationship, regardless of how much intensity is there in…
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Youngest children have a reputation for being rebellious, rule breakers, sociable, charming, a bit spoiled and maybe even attention seekers. Is all of that true? And why is that the case? In today's episode, let's tackle the last sibling in our birth order series by deep diving in the psychology of birth order theory, alongside: The biggest stereot…
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Morning, weekly, day-time and night routines are something that successful people swear by. Whether it's a 5am wakeup followed by 45 minutes of meditating, or a structured skincare and journal routine, exercise and eating blocks, routines seem to provide what the modern world can't: certainty within the chaos. In today's episode, we break down the …
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Today's episode is a rather personal, less psychological one. I want to talk about my fear of flying but also how I have managed to bring that fear back into my control and the huge list of tips I've put together along the way. In this episode we discuss: Where the fear of flying emerges from How a fear of the unknown or a lack of control contribut…
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In this episode I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to interview a personal hero of mine, the author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love, writer, true creative and teacher, Elizabeth Gilbert. We discuss why the idea of 'purpose' is incorrect and making us confused and anxious, how to identify your calling, the difference between a career, hobby, jo…
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It's an age old question - can men and women ever actually be friends? In today's episode we explore the social psychology and studies that help us understand why the genders sometimes have so much difficulty being close friends, as well as how to assert boundaries and keep friendships platonic, including: The differences in male vs. female friends…
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Everyone has an opinion, but are they all worth listening to? When we're not careful we can get carried away by imagining what people may or may not think about everything from our outfits, to our life choices, to our social media presence, to our relationship decisions. When we do, we become less in touch with our authentic, true self. It makes it…
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Cortisol is the 'it' hormone of the moment. So many people are talking about cortisol face, cortisol weight gain, cortisol anxiety, but what is cortisols actual function and role and why are many of the myths that surround it, simply not true? In today's episode, we talk cortisol and our stress response, including: Why cortisol isn't all bad The ev…
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Sometimes our 20s feels more like a checklist than a decade: graduate, find dream job, meet life partner, secure friends, buy house. What happens when your perfect life plan suddenly crumbles underneath you and you are forced to start over? Today we discuss this common 20-something experience, including: The 5 biggest ways we find ourselves startin…
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Alcohol is one of societies most highly accepted and used drugs. But what is it's actual impact on our brains and our bodies, and what is the psychology behind why we use alcohol and why it makes us feel so good? In today's episode, let's break down the true psychology of alcohol, including: Why we feel drunk and how alcohol is processed How alcoho…
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MY NEW PODCAST IS HERE! Ready to take a fresh path to self-discovery? Every Monday, Jemma brings you a new mantra, breaking it down to show you how you can apply it to your own life. Whether you’re facing a major transition or looking to evolve your everyday routine, Mantra is the podcast for you. Join Jemma every week for reflections, practical ti…
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We are often torn between passion versus practicality when it comes to our dreams and our careers. Do I take the steady job, or do I take a risk and pursue writing, music, art? In today's episode we discuss how to prioritise your creative passion no matter your circumstances and what barriers we tend to encounter, from money to time, nay-sayers and…
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We are writing and thinking about your goals all wrong and in today's episode I want to discuss how we can think about our goals in a manner that will make us more successful! Whether it's a fitness goal, financial, personal, career or relationship goal, this formula works for all of them. We discuss: The 4 biggest psychological barriers to achievi…
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Manifestation far more mystical than scientific, but there is some important psychology behind how it works and why. In today's episode we break down the exact science and research behind the power of manifestation and 5 important exercises that can help you create powerful, positive shifts in your love. This includes: The roots of manifestation Th…
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This year is your year for complete self trust, in all forms! The opposite of anxiety and doubt is self trust. This means we have confidence and clarity in our choices. we believe in our ability to overcome failure, we have a deep sense of self and we trust in our belief for our future. Each year I like to set a theme for the 12 months to come. In …
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This week we bring back an episode from 2022 on the psychology of New Years resolutions, the significance of the new year for making goals and promises to ourselves, why we set New Years resolutions, the typical reasons we tend to fail and how to be successful. We explore self efficacy, personal development theory and the psychology behind failure …
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When it comes to dating in our 20s, the entire experience seems like a bit of a maze and often leaves us questioning, is there a RIGHT way to be dating in our 20s? Should I be playing it casual, and just having fun, prioritise being single and getting to know myself, only dating people we want to marry, be looking for long term compatability? And w…
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Childhood is a funny thing. You can only really understand it in hindsight and as we become adults we begin to reconsider the ways in which our families have shaped us, for better or for worse. In today's episode, we break down the complicated ways we rethink our family dynamics in adulthood, including: What happens when our family lets us down Our…
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In today's we tackle a topic many of us face but rarely discuss openly: sexual shame and sexual confidence. What holds us back from having amazing sex? What emotional wounds stop us from asking for what we want? Why do we zone out when we're with someone we love? Why do we feel shame about having too much, or not enough sex? These are the questions…
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Today we have on the most special guest of all: the listeners! I asked you all to send in your biggest 20-something dilemmas, the things that are leaving your confused, keeping you up and night, have you overthinking everything, and you delivered. Today we hear from seven of our listeners, and answer questions like: Should I travel or save for a ho…
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We have been hearing a lot about the use of psychedelics to treat mental health in recent years, but what does that actually entail? What do psychedelics actually do to our brain? What would it feel like? What would it look like if psychedelics were as easily prescribed as antidepressants? What are we currently getting wrong about mental health? In…
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What does it mean to experience misogyny these days? Is it the typical locker room talk and exclusion, or does it go deeper than that? In today's episode, my guest and I discuss the many dimensions of misogyny, including: Internalised misogyny and sexism from other women The psychology of the 'pick me' girl Dating as a feminist The ethics of cosmet…
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On today's episode we welcome on entrepreneur, founder and Hot, Smart, Rich icon, Maggie Sellers to discuss her formula and mindset for having it all, how she founded her business and her best tips for confidence + more. Maggie created a unique space on the internet that helps women break into the male dominated spaces of investing, tech and entrep…
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For our very first guest of the holiday season, I invited on Dr Lisa Miller - a professor at Columbia University, author, clinical psychologist and researcher to discuss her profound work on the intersection between spirituality and mental health. Our spiritual health is often the dimension of wellbeing we neglect the most, but in this episode we u…
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There is a lot of terrible news out there, so much so that we could spend every hour of every day reading it and still not be done. What's worse is that we can now access that news at any time, any where, any place from our phones and this has lead to a phenomena known as doomscrolling. Doomscrolling may feel comforting, but it leads to more existe…
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The best things in life aren't always the easiest and it's often this exertion and extra effort that holds us back from diving in or fully committing. Whether it's a new routine, an ambitious study schedule or workout plan, knowing how we can use psychology and neuroscience to make hard tasks easier is incredibly valuable. In today's episode we dis…
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Friendships are hard. Add in distance and they can get even harder at times. But long distance friendships seem like a fact of life in our 20s as people scatter for school, work, travel, and just because they want to. Whilst it's said that some 50% of these relationships fail, I want to give you the tools to help your long distance friendships succ…
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Public speaking is one of our biggest fears as a species - some 75% of us list public speaking as our biggest and greatest fear. In today's episode, I want to discuss why that is and where this fear stems from, socially, psychologically and evolutionary, but also how we can transform our attitude to public speaking and excel, including tips based i…
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Solo travelling is something that we romanticise a lot in our 20s and is a big thing on many of our bucket lists. It can be such a transformative experience, it allows you to listen to your intuition better, explore the places you've always dreamed about without waiting for others and builds a unique kind of confidence. In today's episode, we break…
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A lot of us try to convince ourselves we can be friends with our ex in the immediate aftermath of a breakup, but is that necesserily the best idea? In 2022 I did an episode with my ex-boyfriend talking about how a friendship was totally possible, well since then it is obvious to say that I have changed my mind, and in this episode I give my reasons…
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Many of us have been facing increasing levels of political anxiety in the past days and weeks. It seems that the world has never been more divisive and polarised and there is a lot that we are uncertain and fearful of. In today’s episode we talk about how we can acknowledge that the future feels scary, but still find an internal sense of safety and…
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We all know the stereotypes about the eldest child, the youngest and the only child, but the middle child often seems to be left out, and not just from our conversations on birth order theory, but also seemingly from the family sometimes. In today's episode, we putting a spotlight on the middle children, including how their position in the family m…
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The idea of a 'soft life' originated from a group of Nigerian influencers who chose the term to describe a way of living that was comfortable, joyful, minimised stress whilst prioritised self care and simple beauty, in comparison to hustle culture, burnout and urgency. In today's episode we are going to go through 5 practical tips to make this gent…
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Your hobbies may be just as important as your friendships in your 20s. But whilst you may dedicate 10-15 hours a week to your friends, most of us can go a week or two without actually performing our hobbies. Why is that, and what is the consequence?In today's episode we break down the psychology of why our hobbies are so important, including: The d…
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Daydreaming can be a perfectly normal part of life - zoning out in the shower, before we fall asleep, on the train to work. But some of us cross over into dangerous territory or what we call maladaptive daydreaming where we can't pull ourselves away from the fantasy. We feel disconnected and it makes our real life feel so much less bright and enjoy…
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Sometimes the loudest critic, our biggest hater is not someone we know, it is ourselves. We are the ones who are the first to judge ourselves, to shut ourselves and our ambitions down, to say the nastiest things. In today's episode we break down why we are our own worst critic, including: How we learn self criticism in childhood The evolutionary co…
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In our 20s it can feel like a mad rush to find the one. If you are single and dating, you know the experience of going on what seems like dozens of dates only to be disappointed and, at the end of the day, exhausted and yet you still haven't found someone. In this episode, we discuss why that is including: The signs your experiencing dating burnout…
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At some stage in our 20s, all of us will experience what I call 'The Loneliest Chapter' - a period where we feel detached, disconnected and isolated. Whilst this experience can feel terrible and make us question our relationships, friendships and selves, it's an important rite of passage and actually ends up teaching us a lot. In today's episode we…
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What is the cost of caring too much for others? Always being the person to fix everyone's problems? Never needing anyone, but secretly loving that everyone else relies on you? Well, it turns out it can cost you and your relationships a lot, and may also be a sign of high functioning codependency. High functioning codependency is much more common am…
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Shame follows us everywhere. So many of us are bound by shame about our past, our mistakes, our identity, our looks, our decisions and choices. This can make living a meaningful and fulfilling life incredibly difficult when you have your own personal, shame bully following you everywhere. In todays episode we learn: How shame gets implanted in us T…
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At some stage in our 20s we'll have to make a life changing decision where the right choice is not at all clear: stay or leave my job, the country, my relationships? We can become paralysed in that moment, unable to take a step forward, not realising that doing nothing is, in itself, a decision. In today's episode we break down: Why we struggle to …
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The right person at the wrong time might be one of the saddest kinds of love stories we come across. This person may be perfect for us, our dream partner, but factors like distance, life, obligations, emotional readiness get in the way and mean that we can't be together. Despite knowing we can't be together, we can't let go and pine after this pers…
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Let's talk about what's been going on with my mental health recently and what's changed. This is a rather vulnerable episode so please check in with yourself before listening. Lifeline (AUS): 13 11 14 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (US): 988 Samaritans (UK): 116 123 Mental health resources (worldwide): https://www.helpguide.org/find-help Foll…
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Work makes up a large component of our lives. It's estimated that 1/3 of our waking lives will be spent working, so when that environment is toxic or harmful, it takes it's toll. Especially in our 20s, a toxic workplace can be quite a negative, formative experience and leave us with poor confidence, imposter syndrome and chronic burnout. In today's…
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When someone criticises us we naturally feel on edge and defensive. This is because criticism threatens our ego and our sense of self and so we have a very emotional reaction. But that doesn't have to be the case. In today's episode, we break down: What makes us so sensitive to criticism Hypercritical parenting and an aversion to feedback Rejection…
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If nothing else, our 20s are a time for reinvention and transformation. We become clearer and clearer about the version of us we want to be, and hopefully more confident around expressing our authentic elves, but sometimes this is interrupted by periods of boredom, stagnation, isolation and discomfort. These are all signs that something in our live…
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Flirting! Usually thought of as something used to express romantic or physical interest may actually be the secret to unlocking more connections than you can ever imagine: platonic and romantic. In today's episode we break down the psychology of flirting, including how to gain confidence in your flirting ability, the flirt languages or styles, why …
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