This Might Help

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 ⁠TikTok
The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

Some 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 Press
van 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.2021.06.013
Some additional resources can be found here:
Podcast episode with Dr Karen Douglas https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/conspiracy-theories
SIFT Method: https://guides.lib.uchicago.edu/c.php?g=1241077&p=9082322
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 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 ⁠TikTok
The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

Some 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.2008.1.3.192
Johnson, 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.2013.03.019
Koster, 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.2010.08.005
Lilly, 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.2023.1239112
Treynor, 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:1023910315561

These resources were also used for this episode:
https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_how_to_turn_off_work_thoughts_during_your_free_time
https://www.headspace.com/articles/stop-overthinking-start-living

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.
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 ⁠TikTok
The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

Some 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/10.2196/72053
Weinberg, 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-blues
Yan, 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/a000518
These resources were also discussed in this episode:
https://www.headspace.com/articles/post-holiday-blues
https://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 ⁠TikTok
The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

Some 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.2016.04.001
Buenconsejo, 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.12447
Jans-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/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651888
Lange, 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 ⁠TikTok
The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

If you liked this podcast, you might also enjoy this other podcast on burnout:
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/burnout

Some 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.e34084

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)