Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences

Happy World Sleep Day! Today MSPS researchers Professor Amy Jordan and Dr Joanne Avraam joined Leanne Ngo and others from the Health Promotion unit to quiz students, answer questions and promote good sleep.

❗ Venue change for Blindspot with Prof Mahzarin Banaji ❗

Due to technical issues, tonight's Miegunyah Lecture has moved to the Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, 761 Swanston St. We'll also be starting slightly later - please be seated by 6.15pm.

📍 maps.app.goo.gl/iST38CE9446R...

There's just a week remaining until the Miegunyah Lecture with Prof Mahzarin Banaji as she presents "Blindspot: Hidden Biases in Humans and Machines"

When: Wednesday, 11 March, 6-7.30pm
Where: Public Lecture Theatre, Old Arts, Parkville
Register here: go.unimelb.edu.au/str2

Why do I get ‘butterflies in my stomach’? Prepping for a job interview or giving a speech at your best mate’s wedding? Here’s why your tummy’s a-flutter.

“Butterflies in the stomach” is a cute description for one part of the fight-or-flight response. But what exactly are these butterflies? Why can we feel them in our stomach? And is there anything we can do about them?

Read Dr Amy Loughman's article:
go.unimelb.edu.au/akr2

In this bonus episode of PsychTalks, Cassie Hayward and Nick Haslam welcome one of the world’s most influential developmental psychologists, Professor Alison Gopnik for an extended conversation on how our minds grow and change over the lifespan.

Listen here: go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Behind the Screens by Dr Niraj Lal We are delighted to have University of Melbourne Professor Peter Koval host the launch of Niraj Lal's new book, Behind the Screens. Niraj Lal is a Melbourne author and the host of ABC Kid’s Imagine ...

Tonight, Prof Pete Koval hosts the launch of Behind the Screens by Dr Niraj Lal, host of ABC Kid's Imagine This podcast.

In Behind the Screens, Lal explores one of the most life-changing inventions in history, the internet!

Learn more and book here: www.readings.com.au/events/behin...

Part 1: How do LLMs work? YouTube video by Andrew Perfors

I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊

Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.

Tobacco companies targeting gen Z through social media Experts say Australia risks becoming complacent in the war against tobacco, with big companies pivoting to social media to "greenwash" their products to generation Z.

Prof Michelle Jongenelis warns: "Sixty-six Australians die every day from smoking, still to this day... We need to go back to the mass media campaigns that really highlight the dangers of smoking — we've dropped the ball on that."

Read more: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

How to Cope With Failure: 10 Tips You can’t win at everything, but you can learn how to handle setbacks more gracefully. Experts share their best tips on what to do when things don’t work out.

Associate Professor and Co-director of the FEEL Lab @elisekalo.bsky.social contributed to an article about ways to cope with failure: www.everydayhealth.com/mental-healt...

Weight loss drug success does not last study finds - ABC listen A study published by the British Medical Journal has found most people will regain weight lost within two years of stopping taking weight loss medications.

"Medications should not be treated as a standalone cure."

A/Prof Trevor Steward spoke to the ABC about studies finding that weight loss drug success does not last.

Listen to it here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Or learn more here: www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clini...

We said the season was over – but for Prof Alison Gopnik, we made an exception. In this bonus PsychTalks episode, Nick and Cassie had a conversation with one of the world's most influential developmental psychologists about how our minds change across our lives.

Listen here: go.unimelb.edu.au/3axe

Congratulations Prof Michelle Jongenelis! She is Chief Investigator on a project (led by Prof Rebecca Bentley in MSPGH) that has received $5 million in NHMRC Synergy Grant funding. They will conduct research on reducing mould exposure in homes, focusing on people with respiratory conditions.

Can social media bans protect young minds?

The teen social media ban has unofficially begun today across several platforms. This ban marks a world-first experiment in how to best tackle social media's impact on young people.

Listen to our PsychTalks episode with A/Prof Scott Griffiths: open.spotify.com/episode/0Npt...

The $220 billion mind gap: Meet the startup founder tackling entrepreneurial burnout Founder-turned-psychologist Byron McCaughey has launched Sublime Studio, a membership for mental fitness to tackle burnout.

MSPS alumni Byron McCaughey and Craig Hyde-Smith were featured in Forbes Australia for their startup Sublime Studio which combines evidence-based psychology with founder-specific coaching to help entrepreneurs build resilience, focus and clarity to prevent burnout. www.forbes.com.au/news/entrepr...

Congratulations to Master of Applied Psychology grads Olivia Vermeesch and Robert Capp for their success at The Research Society Awards! Olivia Vermeesch (The Behavioural Architects) won The Young Researcher of the Year Award and Robert Capp (Ipsos) won the Rookie of the Year Award.

🏆 Individual: @simine.com, psychologist at @unimelb.bsky.social & editor-in-chief of Psychological Science, is recognized for pioneering methodological rigor, reproducibility & collaborative research, driving initiatives such as @improvingpsych.org & the journal Collabra @ucpress.bsky.social. (2/5)

‘Supervised’ self-driving cars are here – and Australia’s laws aren’t ready

Dr Angus McKerral and Professor Kristen Pammer contribute to a discussion in The Conversation:

theconversation.com/supervised-s...

New preprint from the lab led by @violetchae.bsky.social! We debut an open EEG dataset for research into food cognition and dietary choices.

Featuring data from 117 different brains relating to 120 different food stimuli.

@tgro.bsky.social @psychunimelb.bsky.social

Congratulations to the successful recipients of 2026 ARC Discovery Project funding: A/Prof Piers Howe, Dr Daniel Bennett, Prof Nick Haslam, Dr Sarah Tashjian and Prof Katherine Johnson!

Congratulations Dr @ccwalton.bsky.social ! He has been awarded a Movember grant for his project,'Enhancing suicide postvention in community sport’. This program delivered with the AFL and @orygen.org.au aims to better understand how sports clubs respond to instances of youth suicide and self-harm.

Why do we like haunted houses? The science behind why people pursue fear : Short Wave Like haunted houses? Scientists do! That’s because they’re an excellent place to study how humans respond to – and even actively seek out – fear. In an immersive threat setting, as opposed to a carefu...

Still feeling the Halloween spirit🎃? Listen to Dr Sarah Tashjian on NPR's Short Wave discuss the science behind why we seek out scary experiences like haunted houses.

Find the podcast here: www.npr.org/2025/10/29/n...

The body inside out: From experience to perception and back Join us for the annual Brotherton Lecture, presented by Professor Beatrice de Gelder, exploring the science of visual body perception.

There's just two days remaining before the Brotherton Lecture with Prof Beatrice de Gelder as she presents "The body inside out: From experience to perception and back"
When: 30 Oct, 6:00–7:00pm
Where: Forum Theatre
Register here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-body-i...

New article in @theconversation.com - featuring some exciting new findings on how our brains rapidly encode a wide range of food properties when we see a food item.

Your brain is doing a lot of work when you scroll through food delivery apps!

Led by @violetchae.bsky.social w/ @tgro.bsky.social

Are we really making healthy choices for our children in the supermarket? Or are we being nudged by bright colours and fruit-filled imagery?

A/Prof Helen Dixon and Jane Martin unpack the psychology, policy and packaging that influence what ends up in our shopping trolleys.
go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Breakfast - ABC listen Bonsai, mall cops, and the almighty algorithm - today on Hobart Breakfast

This morning, Associate Professor Scott Griffiths went on ABC Hobart Breakfast to discuss how social media algorithms create negative echo chambers and how we can take back control.

Listen to it here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Misinformation and disinformation now pose some of the biggest global risks to democracy and public trust. In the latest PsychTalks episode, A/Prof Piers Howe explains why it's important to stay informed, think critically and understand the science behind persuasion.
go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Misinformation and disinformation now pose some of the biggest global risks to democracy and public trust. In the latest PsychTalks episode, A/Prof Piers Howe explains why it's important to stay informed, think critically and understand the science behind persuasion.
go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Storytelling, stats, and helping everyone belong with Andy Perfors Storytelling, stats, and helping everyone belong with Andy Perfors

Education at Melbourne interviewed Professor @andyperfors.bsky.social, Director of the Complex Human Data Hub at the University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, and Academic Lead, LGBTIQA+ Inclusion at the University.

Read it here: go.unimelb.edu.au/t3qp

What's the best way to convince your boss to take on an idea you have? According to Prof Jen Overbeck, it’s important to look beyond our immediate goal and focus on establishing a foundation of credibility and respect.
Tune in to PsychTalks to hear more: go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Want tips on how to use power and influence more effectively - whether you’re pitching an idea, leading a team, or asking your preschooler to brush their teeth? Prof Jen Overbeck unpacks how persuasion works, and why gender, identity and context matter.

Find it here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe