Smooth Brain Society
Episodes
#85. Men's Health Beyond the Stereotypes - Associate Professor. Gareth Terry
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The episode explores men's mental, sexual, and reproductive health, challenging stereotypes and examining how masculinity influences health behav...
#84. The Moral Psychology of Voluntourism - Dr. Melanie Altemus
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Melanie Altemus of Massey University, New Zealand, explores the complex psychology behind volunteer tourism, including motivations, moral implicat...
#83. Dark Chapters in Psychiatry - Jack El-Hai
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jack El-Hai, acclaimed journalist and author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist and The Lobotomist, takes us inside Dr. Douglas Kelly's psychologic...
#82. How to Build a Conspiracy Theory - Dr. John Kerr
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. John Kerr, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago and Science Lead for the Public Health Communicati...
#81. The Puzzle of Hinduism - Dr. Feryl Badiani
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Feryl Badiani, Lecturer at Sophia College, Mumbai, India and Researcher at Masaryk University, Czechia delves into the complexities of Hinduism, e...
#80. Navigating Ethical Decisions in Animal Welfare - Dr. Adam Feltz
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Adam Feltz of The University of Oklahoma discusses the complexities of ethical decision-making, particularly in relation to animal welfare. He sha...
#79. The Journey of Women in Neurocience - Ginevra Sperandio & Riya Verma
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features two members of Women in Neuroscience UK, Ginevra Sperandio and Riya Verma, discussing their journeys into neuroscience, the impo...
#78. The Complexity of Smoking in Mental Health And Addiction Services - Dr. Zoe Swithenbank
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Zoe Swithenbank, a senior research associate at Lancaster University, delves into her work at the intersection of mental health, addiction, and pu...
#77. Rangatahi Māori, Identity, and Perfectionism - Dr. Ellie Rukuwai
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ellie Rukuwai of Victoria University of Wellington, discusses her research on perfectionism and self-injury within the Māori community, exploring...
#76. The Future Of Brain Imaging - Dr. Liam Collins-Jones
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Liam Collins-Jones of University of Cambridge shares his journey from studying medicine to becoming a neuroscientist and comedian. He discusses in...
#75. From Neurology to Pandemic Misinformation - Dr. Jonathan Howard
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jonathan Howard, neurologist and psychiatrist at NYU Langone and chief of the neurology service at Bellevue Hospital, discusses his dual origin st...
#74. From the Cochlea to Comedy - Dr. Kate Slade
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kate Slade, Lecturer and Researcher at Lancaster University, discusses her research on the intersection of hearing loss, aging, and cognition. She...
EJOP #3. The Impact of Financial Well-Being on Happiness - Dr. Cicilia Larasati Rembulan
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Smooth Brain Society, Sahir and Amer engage with Dr. Cicilia Larasati Rembulan, Associate Professor from Universitas Ciputra, I...
#73. Life With And Without Pain - Arnas Tamasauskas
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the fascinating world of pain research with Arnas Tamasauskas, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool. Explore the mysteries of neurop...
EJOP #2. Emotion Regulation via Attentional Deployment - Dr. Daniel Rojas Libano
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in this insightful episode as we dive into the world of emotion regulation and attentional deployment with Dr. Daniel Rojas Líbano of Univers...
#72. Touching a Nerve - Adarsh Makdani
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating episode we dive into the world of somatosensation with Adarsh Makdani, a researcher at Liverpool John Moores University. Discover ...
#71. A Child’s Rights: Politics, Law & Sex Crimes - Dr. Pantea Javidan
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
⚠️ Content warning: This episode discusses child sexual exploitation, trafficking, and trauma.What does the law really say about protecting childr...
#70. Autism, Deception, and the Justice System - Tiegan Blackhurst
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can autistic adults lie—and detect lies—like everyone else? And what happens when the justice system misreads autism traits as deception?In this e...
#69. How Creativity Really Works - Dr. Keith Sawyer
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is creativity, really? In this episode of the Smooth Brain Society, we dive deep with Dr. Keith Sawyer—MIT-trained computer scientist, jazz pia...
#68. Why Adults Struggle to Learn Languages (and Kids Don’t) - Dr. Kate Messenger
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this in-studio episode of Smooth Brain Society, Sahir and Neil are joined by Dr. Kate Messenger as they explore the fascinating world of language a...
#67. Motivations Behind The Protein Transition - Dr. Chris Bryant
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Chris Bryant—executive director of Bryant Research and an expert in alternative proteins—to unpack the scie...
#66. Psychology of Human-Animal Intergroup Relations - Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Hopwood
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What factors underpin how we treat animals? In this episode, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Hopwood of the University of Zurich and the Editor-in-Chief of P...
#65. Mainstreaming of the Far-Right - Dr. Aaron Winter
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Aaron Winter, senior lecturer in sociology at Lancaster University and Director of the Centre for Alter...
#64. Funding the Future: Women’s Sport in New Zealand - Erin Roxburgh
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to elevate women's sport? Sahir and Lily Joiner of Nuku Ora - an active Wellington dive into the unique landscape of women&apos...
#63. Sex Disclosures in Romantic Relationships - Katie Knowles
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How much do we really talk about sex in our relationships — and when should we? In this episode, Sahir and Olivia sit down with relationships resear...
#62. Epilepsy Explained - Professor Tony Marson
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Tony Marson of the University of Liverpool talks to Beth and Sahir about Epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizur...
#61. Memory and Healthy Ageing - Dr. Dorothy Tse
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the build to the International Festival of Neuroscience being held in Liverpool from the 27th to 30th of April, 2025. We spoke to Dr. Dorothy Tse o...
#60. Psychopathy, Relationship Satisfaction and Career Success - Aaron Hissey
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Individuals' psychopathic personality traits can have negative effects on the people around them. Aaron Hissey of Victoria University of Wellingt...
#59. Understanding Autism - Dr. Calum Hartley
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors,...
#58. SAFE: Supporting BlAck Families AffEcted by psychosis - Angela Kibia
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Kibia, Researcher at King's College London, talks about the work being carried out by the SAFE project aimed towards developing education ...
#57. I Am But More Than A Refugee - Behrouz Boochani and Abdul Samad Haidari
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Behrouz Boochani and Abdul Samad Haidari speak about their journeys as refugees, the systems which demonize asylum seekers as criminals, Manus Prison ...
#56. D-CYPHR: The Power of Spit - Dr. Anna Moore and Elizabeth Mordey
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"You’re a hero. It’s in your DNA." The NHS and NIHR BioResource has started a nationwide movement for ages 0 - 15 to help health researc...
#55. Arti's Twinkle: Shining a Light on Parental Alcohol and Drug Use for Children - Dr. Cassey Muir and Josie Brookes
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Children and young people whose parents use substances often feel alone in their experiences, with very few people to trust or talk to. Parents and ...
#54. Self-Injury and Emotion Regulation - Dr. Kealagh Robinson
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a self-inflicted act that causes pain or superficial damage but is not intended to cause death. Dr. Kealagh Robinson...
#53. Collaborating with Voice of Aroha to end the year
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We Collaborated with Voice of Aroha on an exciting podcast featuring Lawyer and Host of the Podcast, Me, Racism and I, the incredible Thoraya Abdoul-...
#52. Decoding Concussions: Biomarkers, Diagnosis, and Recovery - Asha Strom
22 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, better known as concussions, are poorly understood. This means diagnosis and proper management are difficult often leadin...
#51. Baby See, Baby Do: Imitative Behaviour in Children- Dr. Frankie Fong
07 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Frankie Fong, of Victoria University of Wellington, discusses imitation behaviors and how they are key to child development. He also shares his re...
#50. New Country. New Friends? Refugee Youth Experience of Resettlement in Aotearoa - Dr. Nuzha Saleem
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Nuzha Saleem is a Teaching Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. She discusses her research working with youth from migrant and refugee bac...
#49. Understanding Co-occurring Alcohol and Mental Health Problems - Dr. Jo-Anne Puddephatt
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jo-Anne Puddephatt of Edge Hill University is a mixed-methods researcher in the field of mental health, alcohol use, and co-occurring problems. Sh...
#48. Booze, Dads and Drunken Rats - Dr. Sahir Hussain
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finally! after 47 episodes as host, Sahir takes his place in the wrinkly brained experts chair to talk about his research on how alcohol drinking by f...
#47. Bayesian Statistics in Psychology Research - Dr. Taylor Winter
12 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bayesian Statistics allows combining prior information of a population to the current sample of experimentation to create stronger inferences. Dr. Tay...
#46. Why we need to research Parkinson’s Disease - Bethany Facer
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bethany Facer, PhD student at University of Liverpool and Science Communicator explains the intricacies of Parkinson's Disease. We discuss Beth’...
#45. Maternal Depression and Antidepressant Use - Dr. Stephanie D'Souza
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is often a tendency to focus on physical rather than mental health during pregnancy. While rates can vary by country, research suggests that abo...
#44. The Influence of Stoicism on Psychology - Dr. John Sellars
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At its core, Stoicism is a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom: something one uses to live a virtuous life. However, the Eng...
#43. Subjective Fear and The Experience of Presence - Dr. Christopher Maymon
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Chris Maymon, of Victoria University of Wellington, talks to us about his research on the experience of being Present. Him and his team use virtua...
#42. Do No Harm: A Neurosurgeon's views - Dr. Dilnavaz Bhiladvala
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Dilnavaz Bhiladvala is a neurosurgeon with over 30 years of experience working in various hospitals across India and the UAE. She is the Head of D...
#41. ‘Ngaruroro’: Understanding Māori Wellbeing - Finley Johnson
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finley Ngarangi Johnson and Colleagues introduce 'Ngaruroro' which is a new model for Māori wellbeing. Fin, who is a PhD student at Victori...
#40. Voice of Aroha - Kodrean Eashae & Luis Perez
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
World Refugee Day is on the 20th of June each year and is dedicated to refugees all around the world. We spoke to Kodrean Eashae and Luis Perez from V...
#39. Reimagining the Role of the Catholic Church - Geo Robrigado
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Catholic church is the only religious entity to hold a seat in the United Nations through the Vatican city’s status as a state. Geo Robrigado, L...
#38. Planetary Melancholia - Prateek Shankar and Valerie Navarrete
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prateek Shankar and Valerie Navarrete are founders of the Jungle Publics, a group trying to foster interdisciplinary discussions and reimagine how we ...
#37. Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics - Dr. Liza Bolton
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The use of stats and throwing around numbers in conversation is incredibly common, yet statistics itself is poorly understood. Dr. Liza Bolton from ...
#36. Drugs 101: Cannabis - Professor. Tim Karl
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Tim Karl of Western Sydney University. He joined to give us a basic overview into the world of cannabinoids. He spoke about what happens in ...
EA #4. Atheism After Near Death Experiences - Dr. Alex Fry
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are common amongst those coming close to death and profoundly impact how they make sense of the world. Dr. Alex Fry of t...
#35. International Law and Armed Conflict - Prof. Alberto Costi
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the term "international law" is brought up frequently in discourse these days we sat down with Professor Alberto Costi to get an introduc...
#34. How Virtual Reality is Reshaping Neuroscience - Dr. Chris Maymon
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Dr. Christopher Maymon, Head of the Virtual Reality lab at Victoria University of Wellington delves into the captivating realm of VR ...
#33. So Emotional - Assoc. Prof. Gina Grimshaw
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Gina Grimshaw leads the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at Victoria University of Wellington. She joins to talk about emo...
#32. Elite Dominance and Inequality in Academia - Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Orhan
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Mehmet Orhan, Associate Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior at EM Normandie Business School joined us to talk about authorship ine...
EA #3. Unholy Catholic Ireland - Dr. Hugh Turpin
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hugh Turpin of Oxford University joins Feryl and Sahir on the podcast to share his work on the decline of Catholicism in Ireland and the factors...
EJOP #1. Muslim Women's Experiences of Identity and Belonging in Switzerland - Rachael Loxston
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the very first episode of our collaboration with Europe's Journal of Psychology, Rachael Loxton joins to discuss her research paper titled “...
EA #2. The Rise and Fall of Rituals - Dr. Martin Lang
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Martin Lang is assistant professor at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. And is the Director of the Laboratory for the Experimental Research of R...
#31. AI and Māori/Indigenous Data Sovereignty - Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru
06 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru is a Māori technology ethicist specializing in Māori rights with Artificial intelligence, Māori Data Sovereignty and Governan...
#30. Unravelling the Role of Dopamine - Dr. Kate Witt
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kate Witt, lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, joins to discuss her research on Dopamine. Dopamine is an integral neurotransmitter, mai...
EA #1. Explaining Māori Deconversion from Christianity in Aotearoa (New Zealand) - Dr. Sara Rahmani
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the first episode of our Explaining Atheism series, Dr. Sara Rahmani from the School of Social and Cultural Studies at Victoria University of Well...
EA #0. Introduction to the Explaining Atheism Project
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Smooth Brain Society is collaborating with the Explaining Atheism Project to bring you a brand new series focusing on non-religion. Over the cours...
#29. Place Cells: How we know where we are - Prof. Kate Jeffery
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Kate Jeffery, Head of School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow. Discusses her work on our idea of place, space and...
#28. Memory and Wrongful Convictions - Dr. Faye Skelton
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Faye Skelton is the program lead for Applied Criminology and Forensic Psychology at the Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. She joins us to tal...
#27. I'm not rude, I'm just face blind (Prosopagnosia) - Dr. Tirta Susilo
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some people are poorer at identifying faces. Dr. Tirta Susilo, Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, talks about what prosopagnosia is...
#26. What is Artificial Intelligence?- Dr. Andrew Lensen and Amer Hussain
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Andrew Lensen and Amer Hussain from the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Victoria University of Wellington come on the podcast to tal...
#25. Politics, Rugby and Emotion Regulation: A snapshot of New Zealand (2023) - Prof. Marc Wilson and Terise Broodryk
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's election and rugby world cup time in Aotearoa New Zealand and Professor Marc Wilson and his team from Victoria University of Wellington are ...
#24. Perception of Ambiguous Images and False Memories - Dr. Marina Wimmer
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Marina Wimmer, Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University calls in from Scotland to talk about the perception of ambiguous figures, "...
#23. Leadership and Mental health: Experiences from the Military - Dan 'Zia' Joseph
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Zia Joseph, author of Backpack to Rucksack: Insight Into Leadership and Resilience From Military Experts, joins from the United States to speak ab...
#22. Cultural Embeddedness: Complexity of Māori identity - Dr. Ririwai Fox and Ellie Rukuwai
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple factors shape the complex relationships people have with their own culture and identity. This particularly affects indigenous communities the...
#21. Diagnosing Wokeness: Researching what being 'woke' is and cancel culture - Prof. Paul Jose
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Paul Jose is a developmental, cross-cultural and political psychologist currently working at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the fi...
#20. Risks and opportunities of living in the digital age - Dr. Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne is the lead researcher of two National Health Service (NHS) projects in the United Kingdom. One looks at the use of menta...
#19. Poverty is Painful: Pain perception and socioeconomics - Dr. Marianne Reddan
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Marianne Reddan, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, USA. Joins Sahir and Olivia to talk about social factors which influen...
#18. Neuropsychology in Context - Dr. Carolyn Wilshire
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Carolyn Wilshire is a neuropsychologist who examines the cognitive processes and neural systems involved in high-level mental functions (such as m...
#17. Language and Culture in Child Development - Associate Prof. Mele Taumoepeau
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Mele Taumoepeau of Victoria University of Wellington joins Olivia and Sahir to talk about the use of language in child development...
#16. Being Creative - Prof. Vlad Glaveanu
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do we mean when someone is creative? Professor. Vlad Glaveanu from Dublin City University video called in to talk about his work with creativity,...
#15. How to stop a Murderer - Prof. Adrian Raine
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Adrian Raine, is one of the leading voices in neurocriminology. He was the first scientist to use neuroimaging to study the brains of murderers an...
#14. Why do we perform rituals? - Dr. Johannes Karl
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Johannes Karl, Assistant professor in Psychology at the Dublin City University, Ireland, joins us to talk about what rituals are, why they come ab...
#13. Religion - Dr. Aiyana Willard
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Aiyana Willard, Senior lecturer at the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University London and research associate at the Institute for Co...
#12. Panel Discussion: Queering Psychology
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For Pride month at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, post-graduate students at the School of Psychology held an event showcasing thei...
#11. Mental Health Awareness Special with Youthline, Bravely and Jasmin Shoukri
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Aotearoa New Zealand celebrated Mental Health Awareness week 2022 from the 28th of September to the 2nd of October. To pay tribute to the work done ...
#10. Drugs 101: Psychedelics - Prof. Bart Ellenbroek
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The criminalization of multiple recreational drugs in the 1970s also led to a reduction in the research on them. Research on psychedelics (example, LS...
#9. The Ancestors in Us - Dr. Richard Johnson
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Richard Johnson, Lead of The Indian in Me project and Senior Lecturer in the School of Education Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australi...
#8. Offender Rehabilitation - Dr. Roxy Heffernan
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Forensic Psychologist Dr. Roxy Heffernan discusses rehabilitation programs in the prison systems focusing on New Zealand. The two prevailing models of...
#7. A Concussion Discussion - Dr. Josh Faulkner
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr. Josh Faulkner talks to us about traumatic brain injury (TBI) mainly focusing on mild injuries commonly known as concuss...
#6. World Refugee Day: Whoever. Wherever. Whenever - Dr. Marieke Jasperse and Kodrean Eashae
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the 20th of June is World Refugee Day, we had Dr. Marieke Jasperse, Senior Advisor Trafficking in Persons, Immigration New Zealand and Kodrean Ea...
#5. From the ground up: Māori and Community Based Research - Dr. Tia Neha
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Tia Neha, Senior Lecturer in Māori and Indigenous Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, speaks about community driven research with th...
#4. Born with it: Genetics and Genetic Counselling - Dr. Qurratulain Hasan
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For our first international interview, we called in to Hyderabad, India and spoke to Dr. Qurratulain Hasan, Founder and President of the Board of Gene...
#3. Relationships, red flags and love - Dr. Matt Hammond
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Relationships researcher, Dr. Matt Hammond joined us to answer questions asked by our instagram followers about relationships. CW: The episode covers ...
#2. The Anatomy of a Psychopath - Associate Prof. Hedwig Eisenbarth
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Hedwig Eisenbarth talks to us about research on people with high psychopathic traits. What characteristics define a psychopath? ar...
#1. Intro to social psychology: Political Psychology, Identity and Wellbeing - Prof. Marc Wilson
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Discussion with Social and Political Psychologist, Associate Dean of Science at Victoria University of Wellington, Professor Marc Wilson. Prof, Wilson...