PsychCrunch (podcast)

I listened to every episode of PsychCrunch. These are my favourite episodes and my thoughts on the topics discussed:

• Episode 7
• Ep 21: How To Stay Connected In The “New Normal”
• Ep 25: How to change your personality

 

The importance of supportive sports teammates

I think mindset plays an incredibly important role in sports performance. It can impact your confidence, communication and strength, which is why psychologists are advocating for positive self-talk. This is a technique which athletes use to motivate themselves and keep their mindsets in check and it involves speaking to yourself with words of encouragement. 

However, some people find it difficult to remember to do this because they are preoccupied with the excitement and stress of the sport. Others simply find it uncomfortable to speak to themselves in this way. This is why I think supportive teammates make such a huge difference to those who play team sports. If you can be the teammate who offers everyone encouragement, your team will play better! The more you do it, the more other people will also start to speak up and this will allow for a positive team environment. So self-talk is definitely important, but don’t forget to talk to others with the same positivity.

Virtual vs in-person communication

I think in-person communication allows for better human relationships because this is the way we have always communicated throughout the history of our species. However, I also think there is great value in virtual communication. It allowed us to connect with one another during the COVID-19 pandemic and it means that we can catch up with family members who live far away. As video chat and virtual reality technologies continue to develop, I think virtual communication will play an increasingly important role in our relationships. 

But I still think there is something unique about in-person communication. For example, eye contact is not quite the same over Zoom as it is in real life. The subtleties of whether a person’s eyes look at your eyes, mouth, or the floor, is something which makes interactions distinct and real. Other elements of body language, such as posture, mimicry and playfulness are also more difficult to communicate virtually. This is why I believe that in-person communication cannot be replaced by virtual communication, at least not yet.

 

Can you change your personality?

I think we are capable of changing our personalities because of neuroplasticity. If you practice something enough, new neural pathways form in your brain and they become more natural. This works with playing the piano, taking a free kick, but also with personality traits. So, if you’re introverted but you want to become an extrovert, you can go to social events and talk to strangers so that extraversion eventually becomes your default. The same goes for the other ‘Big Five’ personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. Personality is fluid and it often changes with age, too. Therefore, I believe personality change is absolutely possible, although it can feel uncomfortable when we try to change our habits, and it’s actually quite likely that your personality has changed in some way already.