Mind Over Media
Welcome to Mind Over Media, where we decode the psychology behind your favourite movies, TV shows, music, and pop culture moments. From deep-diving into complex characters to analyzing the lyrics that hit home, we explore the hidden psychological themes shaping the media we love. Whether it’s the mental struggles of iconic protagonists, the psychology of villains, or the deeper meaning behind a song’s lyrics, this is where entertainment meets the mind.
Jeff Winger and the Psychology of Defended Charm
Jeff Winger is not just Community’s sarcastic lawyer with good hair. His charm, vanity, manipulation, and emotional distance work as defences against shame, abandonment, and the terror of being genuinely known.
The Psychology of Popular Culture
Explore the psychological mechanisms through which popular culture impacts societal values and individual behaviour, examining both its constructive and detrimental effects.
Psychological Themes and Lessons from the Hagakure
Explore the psychological themes and lessons from the Hagakure, examining how these principles can be applied to modern life.
The Psychology Behind Britain's Got Talent: A Deep Dive
This article explores the psychological aspects that underpin both the participation in and the viewership of BGT, drawing on peer-reviewed research to understand the motivations, experiences, and effects associated with the show.
The Science of Doll Play: Barbie, Empathy, and the Trouble with Branded Neuroscience
Doll play may help children practise social imagination, empathy, and theory of mind, but when the research is tied to Barbie and Mattel, the neuroscience needs careful reading rather than easy marketing.
Reading Harry Potter as a Trans Allegory: Identity, Belonging, and the Author Problem
Harry Potter does not need to have been written as a trans allegory to be read as one. This essay explores identity, misrecognition, chosen belonging, and the discomfort of loving a story whose author later became harder to live with.
Cinderella Isn’t a Love Story: It’s a Study in Coercive Control
Cinderella is often remembered as a romance, but psychologically it is also a story about coercive control, emotional abuse, forced labour, isolation, humiliation, and the struggle to reclaim agency.