All in the Mind

The All in the Mind Awards are back for 2027, and nominations are open now!
Claudia Hammond hears from previous finalists on what the Awards mean to them – and Sir Stephen Fry sends in a special note on why the Awards are so important.
Also, how can music make a difference to life with Parkinson’s disease? We investigate prompted by one of our listeners, and hear how even just imagining music could have an impact.
And Claudia is joined by Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds, who shares new research on how listening to music calms our brains. Plus, Claudia and Daryl try some slow-paced breathing in the studio to help lower stress levels.
If you would like to nominate someone for the All in the Mind Awards, then head to bbc.co.uk/allinthemindawards. You’ll find the terms and conditions and the privacy notice on the website, and you must be over 18 to send in a nomination. You have until 1pm on Friday the 8th of January 2027 to enter.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt
Assistant producer: Tabitha Taylor Buck
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth

Most of us have experienced difficult feelings like grief or stress or sadness – but are we too quick to label these feelings as a mental health problem?
Clinical psychologist and author of You Are Not a Diagnosis Tanya Byron thinks we are – and we should also stop saying things like, “I’m traumatised”, “totally triggered” or “I’m so OCD”.
So why does the language we use matter - and why does Tanya feel she's seeing a rise in self-diagnosis?
Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Westminster, also joins us in the studio to give her take on the debate.
Plus, we tackle a listener's question about why some sounds can make us feel spine-tinglingly good and why are we ticklish?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt
Content editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth
Studio engineer: Steve Greenwood
Details of help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

Are you an extrovert or an introvert? A type A or a type B? Or maybe you don't care about the categories but you would like to be less shy or more organised? Claudia Hammond and her panel of experts discuss personality in front of a live audience at Cheltenham Science Festival.
Professor Kathryn Paige Harden from the University of Texas at Austin discusses how much of our personality is down to our genes and how much is down to environment. And she explains why children can end up with such different personalities from their siblings and parents despite sharing so many genes.
Professor Anu Realo from the University of Warwick describes how important personality is for wellbeing and health, and how cultural differences in personality traits are not as pronounced as we might think.
And Professor Vincent Deary from Northumbria University has spent many years running a clinic for people who are chronically ill and who can sometimes find that their illness changes who they are. He makes the case for working to accept ourselves as we are before we think about changing.
Producer: Lorna Stewart
Content Editor: Ilan Goodman
Technical Producers: Emma Harth & Gayl Gordon
Production Coordinator: Jana Holesworth

Are ADHD-like symptoms during perimenopause just down to hormonal changes or could they actually be revealing undiagnosed ADHD? Brain fog can be a key symptom of both, which means it's not always easy to tell the difference, leaving women unsure. 'Scummy Mummies' podcaster Helen Thorn shares her experience, while Claudia Hammond unpicks the evidence with Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais. And Kerry explains the impact of getting an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.
And Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, discusses the difficulties of accurate cognitive tests to measure brain fog.
Plus, brand-new research on a different way to teach mental health classes in schools. Previously, All in the Mind revealed that evidence for teaching universal strategies was often disappointing. Now Professor Tim Dalgleish at the University of Cambridge has results of a new approach called One Step Back.
And finally, for anyone who runs or goes to the gym, there's a new study of what's happening in the body when exercising to our favourite music.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Erika Wright
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Sound engineer: Neva Missirian

With moves to fast-track research into psychedelics to treat serious mental health conditions in the US and a flurry of new scientific studies, we look at the issue here.
How convincing is the evidence that drugs like psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can help with treatment-resistant depression - and after decades of research, are we on the cusp of seeing these treatments in the UK?
Claudia discusses the science with Dr James Rucker, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and she chats with Raya, who took part in one of Dr Rucker's studies to hear about what she experienced.
And why do we often miss what’s right in front of us?
We hear about inattentional blindness and what we miss from the world around us with mathematician Kit Yates.
And Dr Peter Olusoga, senior lecturer in psychology from Sheffield Hallam University, joins us in the studio with a surprise test of attention for our listeners - and brings with him an intriguing new study about why you think your phone is vibrating…
...when it isn’t.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Sound engineer: Andrew Garratt
Details of organisations offering support with mental health, or feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.