Speaking Of Psychology Podcast: Mind Myths Exposed

 There are too many people on TV, radio, and podcasts claiming to have expertise in psychology and being a psychologist. Shows like Dr. Phil seem more exploitative than illuminating. However, they're some terrific psychology podcasts like Hidden Brain and All In The Mind.

The psychology podcast I am highlighting today can be considered the anti-Dr. Phil or the inverse-Dr. Drew. This podcast is serious and scholarly but also informative, insightful, and captivating.

Speaking of Psychology is an audio podcast series highlighting some of the latest, most important, and relevant psychological research being conducted today.

Produced by the American Psychological Association, the objective of these podcasts is to help listeners apply the science of psychology to their everyday lives.

The host of the podcast is Kim Mills, who is the senior director of strategic external communications and public affairs for the American Psychological Association (APA), where she has worked since 2007. Mills led APA’s foray into social media and envisioned and launched APA’s award-winning podcast series Speaking of Psychology in 2013. A former reporter and editor for The Associated Press, Mills has also written for publications including The Washington Post, Fast Company, American Journalism Review, Dallas Morning News, MSNBC.com, and Harvard Business Review. 

As a host, Mills is as dry as Lake Mead will be soon, with a voice I can only describe as molasses with a touch of gravel. Having made that criticism, let me say that Mills is an incredibly good host. I know what you're thinking. How can both attributes be accurate? 

Easy. Although Mill's voice and sonic demeanor may not trigger a dopamine release, her interviewing skills and her ability to ask bullseye target questions make her superb at unearthing valuable information from the guests. 

For example, in a February episode, How to live with bipolar disorder, not only revoked some persistent myths about the disorder via Dr. David Miklowitz but also offered listeners a stark, first-hand account from entertainment lawyer Terri Cheney, who suffers from the disorder. Mills and her guests shake us up with the knowledge that this disorder affects about four percent of the population but is mired in misunderstanding about its symptoms and treatment.

In the category of relevance, the episode called, Can a pathological liar be cured, offered listeners insight into the roots of the misinformation and disinformation that impacts social media and political dialogue. In the episode, the two guests, Dr. Drew Curtis and Dr. Christian L. Hart, explain that pathological liars often display their dishonesty with lies that are too incredible or inconsistent.

The example given is when former Republican NY Congressman George Santos claimed his mother died at 9/11, but then later on, claimed she died a decade later. The guests assert that pathological lying should be classified as a mental health disorder. They also note that liars are more prevalent in professions such as sales -- timeshare, anyone? -- or politicians.Anyone you can think of?

In the November 2, 2022, episode, Why you should apologize even when it's hard to, Mills interviews Dr. Karina Schumann, who details why apologizing is so important -- hear that, men -- and what makes a good apology. Schumann explains that offering an apology -- even a good one -- does not always mean forgiveness should be expected immediately.

Other recent topics covered include procrastination, living a single, happy life, why we care so much about fairness, and mass shootings.

One of my favorite episodes just came out on November 6th, 2022. It's called Some birds talk, but do they understand you?The show notes here encompass the theme of the show: "Birdbrain may be an insult, but birds are far smarter than they’re often given credit for. Irene Pepperberg, PhD, talks about her five decades of research with gray parrots, how she teaches parrots to communicate with English words, how birds’ mathematical and other abilities compare with young children, how the field of animal cognition has evolved over the decades and what it can teach us about intelligence in general."

In the October 16, 2024 episode titled Are ‘onlies’ lonely? Busting myths about only children, with Toni Falbo, PhD, host and guest dismantle the conventional wisdom that only children are spoiled and socially inept. In fact, Dr. Falbo presents evidence to the contrary. 

Some famous only children include Laura Bush, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra.

What makes this podcast accessible to listeners without a psychology degree boils down to Kim Mills as the host, transforming academic blabber into understandable language, and the objective of the podcast, which seems to be using psychology as a valuable tool to interpret and manage our lives.

Check out Speaking of Psychology. You do not need a degree in psychology to listen. Just an open mind.