Figuring It Out

Everyone tells you how strong you are. But inside, you feel like you’re barely holding it together. Does that mean you’re not actually resilient?

In Part 2 of the Figuring It Out podcast, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore resilience and coping with stress through a listener’s dilemma: why is there such a gap between how others see them and how they really feel?

Together, they explore what building resilience can look like day to day, from reframing difficult situations and asking for help to finding purpose and making space for rest. What might help when you’re struggling, and does coping have to feel the way we expect it to?

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever looked at someone going through a difficult time and wondered how they’re coping so well? What makes us more resilient, and how much of it comes from things we don’t see?

In Part 1 of the Figuring It Out podcast, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore what resilience really means, how researchers study it, and why there’s more to coping with adversity than individual willpower.

From the way our brains and bodies respond to stress to the support we get from other people, they unpack what shapes our capacity to cope. And they ask an uncomfortable question: when we praise someone for being resilient, are we overlooking why they’ve had to be?

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.
We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is loneliness really as bad for you as smoking? In Part 3, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates put some of the most common claims about loneliness to the test. Does the quality of our relationships matter more than the quantity? Can being in a crowd actually make us feel lonelier? And are humans the only animals that experience loneliness?

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? In Part 2, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore how long it really takes to form a close friendship, why we tend to underestimate how much other people like us, and what changes when making friends no longer happens automatically. Plus, why even the smallest interactions with strangers and acquaintances might matter more than we realise.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are we lonelier than ever? In Part 1, Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore what loneliness actually is, why being alone isn’t the same as being lonely, and what can happen when loneliness becomes persistent. They also look at why meaningful connection may be getting harder to find, whether social media is really making us lonelier, and why loneliness isn’t simply an individual problem.

No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.

We're not here to give medical advice, we're just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.

Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It's Complicated.

Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.