Was the moon landing mankind’s giant leap, or was it Hollywood's greatest special effect? Was the global vaccine rollout an elaborate scheme by Bill Gates to implant microchips in all of us? And do the condensation trails you see behind aeroplanes in the sky contain chemicals to keep the population docile?

Let's be honest, a small part of us loves a good conspiracy theory. They’re exciting. They make the world feel a little less random. But why are these ideas so sticky? What makes us want to believe the unbelievable, and is there a fine line between enjoying a wild theory and falling down a rabbit hole of misinformation?

With me to discuss the psychology of conspiracy theories is Professor Jan-Willem van Prooijen, who is Head of Social Psychology at Free University Amsterdam. The second edition of his book, The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories is out in December published by Routledge.

Links

Order The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories – https://www.routledge.com/The-Psychology-of-Conspiracy-Theories/vanProoijen/p/book/9781032868585

Find out more about Professor Jan-Willem Van Prooijen – https://www.janwillemvanprooijen.com/

Play the online fake news game – https://www.getbadnews.com

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

What makes a great athlete? Why do some sports professionals rise to the occasion, while others crumble under pressure? Do the lessons from sports transfer to other areas of our lives, such as business or parenting?

With me to discuss the psychology of sport, is Dr Jim Taylor.

Jim holds a PhD in Psychology, has written 18 books including The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology and Train Your Mind for Athletic Success, and he is the co-founder of Mindto, a start-up developing an app that empowers athlete performance, well-being, and mental health.

www.drjimtaylor.com

www.mindto.io

The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology (Amazon UK)

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

Why do people start a podcast? I chat with host of the Growth Mindset Psychology podcast, Sam Webster Harris, about his motivations for launching a podcast and why, after 500+ episodes, he's still doing it. We chat about the psychology of motivation, self-determination, signalling theory, and whether there's a hierarchy of influencers.

Listen to the Growth Mindset Psychology website on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2rQ6Aug8EBudJMSBYTi8nM?si=5db3dfbf082943cc

Catch Sam's new podcast, How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQxPJyT?si=8a7d052ef9704634

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

What psychology have we seen in the first four episodes of the Celebrity Traitors? Were we right in our predictions? Now that we've seen how the celebs are playing the game, who do I think will make it to the end?

Don't forget to listen to last week's episode where I chat with three psychologists from the University of Chester about the psychology in the show. And check out their own podcast, ‘The Psychology of The Traitors’ on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/show/4mlX6OZRgRodLBmkNZrfuj?si=8bdc0c98286e4993

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

With the celebrity version of The Traitors UK starting on October 8th, I talk with three psychologists from Chester University about the psychology used in the show as a whole, how contestants have played the show previously, and how the gameplay will change with celebrities in the Traitor house.

Listen to Lisa, Clea, and Kevin breakdown each new episode of the Celebrity Traitors on their own podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mlX6OZRgRodLBmkNZrfuj?si=4513f5ce732344bb

Professor Lisa Oakley: https://www.chester.ac.uk/staff-directory/loakley/

Dr Clea Wright: https://www.chester.ac.uk/staff-directory/cleawright/

Dr Kevin Hochard: https://www.chester.ac.uk/staff-directory/khochard/

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

In this episode, I expand on last week's interview with the details of a 2025 research paper that examined the influence of erotic content platforms, such as OnlyFans, on teenagers.

You can read the full paper here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-025-10389-2.

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

Valued this year at $8 billion, OnlyFans is the video hosting site generating significant media interest, with celebrities using it to support their other work.

I chat with Dr Anna Kelberg about why people put themselves on cams, and whether it's just for the money. Also, is paying for a subscription to an OnlyFans provider considered cheating on your partner? And, is OnlyFans something which young people view as empowering or exploitation?

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Find out more about Anna's work at https://www.annakelberg.com/

Anna's research into sex webcammers: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1173902/full

Anna's thoughts on infidelity: https://www.annakelberg.com/blog-posts/cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater

The paper I mentioned from Guadalajara from Anguita & Romero: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-025-10389-2

Research into sexual attitudes and characteristics of OnlyFans users: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9330933/

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

I share my framework to help companies struggling to persuade their customers to make decisions that will make them better off. I share how mapping customer communications to a psychological model helps promote action.

For more on the Behaviour Relay, email paul@behaviour.co.uk

Get updates and freebies from my upcoming book at behavebook.com

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology