Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.In this week's episode, we discuss the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies on adult life and wellbeing ever conducted. From decades of research, the study highlights what actually predicts a long, healthy and fulfilling life! In this episode, we covered:How relationships are the single strongest predictor of happiness The harms of loneliness What people regretted when they looked back on their lives What we can take from the findings of the study and implement into our lives to boost wellbeing and happiness.You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastThe research we chat about can be found below:Waldinger, R. J., & Schulz, M. S. (2010). Psychology and Aging, 25(2), 422–431. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019087The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness published in 2023 by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz (https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-good-life-9781846046780)Some additional resources can be found here:https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_the_secret_to_a_happy_life_lessons_from_8_decades_of_researchAdditional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.In this week's episode, we discuss the psychology of time management and why so many of us feel like there is never enough time. We cover why our brains are wired to make time management hard, and what the research says actually helps.In this episode, we covered:The planning fallacy and why we consistently underestimate how long things takeTask completion bias and why we gravitate toward easy tasks over important onesWhy procrastination is an emotion regulation problemHow skipping rest actually reduces our productivityEvidence-based strategies, including if-then planning, time-blocking, and building in realistic buffersWhy self-compassion beats self-criticism for getting back on trackYou can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the "planning fallacy": Why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.366Roxburgh, S. (2004). “There Just Aren’t Enough Hours in the Day’: The Mental Health Consequences of Time Pressure. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45(2), 115-131.Some additional resources can be found here:Brian Christian — "How to manage your time more effectively (according to machines)" (TED-Ed): https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-manage-your-time-more-effectively-according-to-machines-brian-christianhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/mindful-professional-development/202309/the-psychology-of-time-management-and-5-strategiesAdditional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.In this week's episode, we explore what conspiracy theories are and unpack why people are drawn to them, including that they are driven by a need for certainty, a need for control and social motives, alongside cognitive biases and proportionality bias. We also discuss the real-world consequences, from reduced health behaviours to lower political engagement and weakened social cohesion. Finally, the episode offers practical strategies for managing misinformation and approaches to having respectful debunking conversations.You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Douglas, K. M., Sutton, R. M., & Cichocka, A. (2017). The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(6), 538-542. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417718261 Caulfield, M., & Wineburg, S. (2023). Verified: How to think straight, get duped less, and make better decisions about what to believe online. The University of Chicago Pressvan Prooijen, J. W., Spadaro, G., & Wang, H. (2021). Suspicion of institutions: How distrust and conspiracy theories deteriorate social relationships. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 65–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.06.013Some additional resources can be found here:Podcast episode with Dr Karen Douglas https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/conspiracy-theoriesSIFT Method: https://guides.lib.uchicago.edu/c.php?g=1241077&p=9082322Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help. This week's episode is all about overthinking or "repetitive negative thinking", including ruminating and worrying. Overthinking is so common, especially for young women, and in this episode we unpack what can lead to overthinking, why our brains get stuck in this pattern and talk through short-term and longer-term strategies to help reduce overthinking.You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Ehring, T., & Watkins, E. R. (2008). Repetitive negative thinking as a transdiagnostic process. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 1(3), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1680/ijct.2008.1.3.192Johnson, D. P., & Whisman, M. A. (2013). Gender differences in rumination: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(4), 414–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.03.019Koster, E. H. W., De Lissnyder, E., Derakshan, N., & De Raedt, R. (2011). Understanding depressive rumination from a cognitive science perspective: The impaired disengagement hypothesis. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.08.005Lilly, K. J., Howard, C., Zubielevitch, E., & Sibley, C. G. (2023). Thinking twice: Examining gender differences in repetitive negative thinking across the adult lifespan. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1239112. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1239112Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R. & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. Rumination Reconsidered: A Psychometric Analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research 27, 247–259 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561These resources were also used for this episode:https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_how_to_turn_off_work_thoughts_during_your_free_timehttps://www.headspace.com/articles/stop-overthinking-start-livingIf you or a loved one needs further support, we strongly encourage you to speak with your GP, psychologist, or another qualified healthcare professional.Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help. In this episode, we chat about the post-holiday blues - the low mood many people experience returning to work after a break and discuss psychological research and practical strategies to cope. Research shows that while holidays do boost wellbeing, those benefits fade quickly after returning to work, and longer holidays don't necessarily help more. To combat the everyday monotony of daily life, we discuss strategies like savouring small positive moments, pairing mundane tasks with enjoyable activities, building in micro-moments of joy, maintaining social connections, and giving yourself buffer time before diving back into work.You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.de Bloom, J., Kompier, M., Geurts, S., de Weerth, C., Taris, T., & Sonnentag, S. (2009). Do we recover from vacation? Meta-analysis of vacation effects on health and well-being. Journal of occupational health, 51(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.k8004 Guevarra, D. A., Park, Y., Xu, X., Liou, J., Smith, J., Callahan, P., Simon-Thomas, E., & Epel, E. S. (2025). Scaling a Brief Digital Well-Being Intervention (the Big Joy Project) and Sociodemographic Moderators: Single-Group Pre-Post Study. Journal of medical Internet research, 27, e72053. https://doi.org/10.2196/72053Weinberg, M. (2024). Why it's normal to feel post-holiday blues. Deakin University School of Psychology. https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/why-its-normal-to-feel-post-holiday-bluesYan, N., de Bloom, J., Dubbelt, L., & Halpenny, E. (2024). We Continue to Recover Through Vacation! Meta-Analysis of Vacation Effects on Well-Being and Its Fade-Out. European Psychologist, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000518These resources were also discussed in this episode: https://www.headspace.com/articles/post-holiday-blueshttps://ggia.berkeley.edu/bigjoy?If you or a loved one needs further support, we strongly encourage you to speak with your GP, psychologist, or another qualified healthcare professional.Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.Valentine's Day is celebrated as a modern (often consumeristic) holiday; however, it has a very old (and pretty odd) history. This episode unpacks what the research says about the so-called “Valentine’s Day Blues.” We discuss whether the holiday impacts psychological well-being and how this might have changed over time. From milestone anxiety to the mental health benefits of gratitude, friendship, and self-expansion, this episode offers practical, evidence-based ways to protect (and even boost) your wellbeing, whether you’re single, partnered, or happily opting out altogether. 💌 You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Braithwaite, S., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). Romantic relationships and mental health. Current opinion in psychology, 13, 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.04.001Buenconsejo, J. U., Fincham, F. D., & Datu, J. A. D. (2023). The perks of being grateful to partners: Expressing gratitude in relationships predicts relational self-efficacy and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applied psychology. Health and well-being, 15(4), 1472–1489. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12447Jans-Beken, L., Jacobs, N., Janssens, M., Peeters, S., Reijnders, J., Lechner, L., & Lataster, J. (2020). Gratitude and health: An updated review. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(6), 743–782. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651888Lange, R., Jerabek, I., & Dagnall, N. (2022). Do the ‘Valentine’s Day Blues’ Exist? A Legacy Report on a Purported Psychological Phenomenon. Journal of Scientific Exploration. McIntyre, K. P., Mattingly, B. A., Stanton, S. C. E., Xu, X., Loving, T. J., & Lewandowski, G. W., Jr (2023). Romantic Relationships and Mental Health: Investigating the Role of Self-Expansion on Depression Symptoms. Journal of social and personal relationships, 40(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221101127 If you or a loved one needs further support, we strongly encourage you to speak with your GP, psychologist, or another qualified healthcare professional.Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.It's the beginning of 2026, and there's no better time to think about the best practices we can put in place now to prevent burnout this year. In today's episode, we talk about why burnout is so prevalent amongst young people, and what strategies we (and workplaces) can use to prevent it! You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastIf you liked this podcast, you might also enjoy this other podcast on burnout: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/burnoutSome of the key research we chat about can be found below:Gallup. (2022). State of the global workplace report. Gallup. Martinez, M. F., O'Shea, K. J., Lee, B. Y., & Haidari, L. A. (2025). The health and economic burden of employee burnout to U.S. employers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111.Mental Health UK. (2025). The Burnout Report 2025. https://mentalhealth-uk.org Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(1), 72-103.Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179-201. Zaitouni, M., Hewapathirana, G., Mostafa, M., Al Hajj, R., & ElMelegy, A. R. (2024). Work-life balance: A landscape mapping of two decades of scholarly research. Heliyon, 10(14), e34084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34084If you or a loved one needs further support, we strongly encourage you to speak with your GP, psychologist, or another qualified healthcare professional.Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.This is our last episode of 2025 and of Season 1! To wrap up the year, we're chatting all about how to reflect on 2025 and how to make regular reflection a part of 2026. We cover:Why we overlook our successes and winsWhy it is so important to celebrate progressHow to make the most out of our achievementsPractical strategies for reflecting on your year!You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastReferences from this episode:Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Ledgerwood A, Boydstun AE. Sticky prospects: loss frames are cognitively stickier than gain frames. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2014 Feb;143(1):376-85. doi: 10.1037/a0032310. Epub 2013 Mar 25. PMID: 23527949.Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden and build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218-226. https://doi.org/10.1037%2F%2F0003-066x.56.3.218Some of the resources we chat about in this episode:https://www.alisonledgerwood.com/negativity-and-positivity-biases.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XFLTDQ4JMkThe Progress Principle: Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. J. (2011) - https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=40692https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/16/learning/10-ideas-for-reflecting-at-the-end-of-the-school-year.htmlAdditional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - ⁠https://www.beyondblue.org.au⁠ 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - ⁠https://988lifeline.org/get-help/⁠ 13 11 14 Headspace - ⁠https://headspace.org.au⁠ 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.This episode covers goal setting, including research-backed approaches for how to set goals, why so many of us don't achieve the goals we set and how to make goals stick. You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastReferences from this episode:Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1Kiresuk, T.J., Sherman, R.E. Goal attainment scaling: A general method for evaluating comprehensive community mental health programs. Community Ment Health J 4, 443–453 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530764Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2019). The development of goal setting theory: A half century retrospective. Motivation Science, 5(2), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000127Oettingen, G., Pak, H., & Schnetter, K. (2001). Self-regulation of goal setting: Turning free fantasies about the future into binding goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(5), 736–753. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.5.736Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2011.643698Singh, B., Murphy, A., Maher, C., & Smith, A. E. (2024). Time to Form a Habit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Health Behaviour Habit Formation and Its Determinants. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 12(23), 2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12232488Steel, P., Svartdal, F., Thundiyil, T., & Brothen, T. (2018). Examining procrastination across multiple goal stages: A longitudinal study of temporal motivation theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 327. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00327Some of the resources we chat about in this episode:Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery. Additional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - ⁠https://www.beyondblue.org.au⁠ 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - ⁠https://988lifeline.org/get-help/⁠ 13 11 14 Headspace - ⁠https://headspace.org.au⁠ 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under) 

Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help.This episode is a deep dive into "milestone anxiety" - that feeling and worry you get about being "behind" in life, or when you get stuck comparing yourself to other people's life milestones. We unpack what this is, what the signs of milestone anxiety are and what we can do about it!You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTokThe full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcastSome of the resources we chat about in this episode:Relate (2022). ‘Milestone Anxiety’ on the rise among millennials and Gen Z. ‘Milestone anxiety’ on the rise among millennials and Gen Z | Relatehttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/not-where-i-want-to-be-in-life/202301/i-am-just-not-where-i-want-to-be-in-lifeAdditional support can be found through:Beyond Blue - ⁠https://www.beyondblue.org.au⁠ 1300 22 4636 LifeLine - ⁠https://988lifeline.org/get-help/⁠ 13 11 14 Headspace - ⁠https://headspace.org.au⁠ 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under)