Podcasts about anomalistic psychology research unit

-How did horror movies come to haunt us? Guest: Dr. Gary Rhodes, Professor of Media Production at Oklahoma Baptist University -Could BC's deep sea minerals offer cures for illness? Guest: Moronke Harris, Founder of The Imaginative Scientist -Are ghosts real? Guest: Dr. Christopher French, Professor of psychology and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London -What are Canada's most genetically lonely animals? Guest: Arne Mooers, Professor of Biodiversity, Phylogeny and Evolution at Simon Fraser University -How prevalent is misinformation in Canada? Guest: Timothy Caulfield, Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta -What is the origin story of Halloween? Guest: Nicole Kilburn, Professor of Anthropology at Camosun College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences.Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, then how should we go about understanding them? In this fascinating book, Chris French investigates paranormal claims to discover what lurks behind this “weird shit.” French provides authoritative evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed.Using academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, The Science of Weird Shit convincingly debunks ESP, communicating with the dead, and alien abduction claims, among other phenomena. All the while, however, French maintains that our belief in such phenomena is neither ridiculous nor trivial; if anything, such claims can tell us a great deal about the human mind if we pay them the attention they are due. Filled with light-bulb moments and a healthy dose of levity, The Science of Weird Shit is a clever, memorable, and gratifying read you won't soon forget.Chris French is Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of Humanists UK. He is the coauthor of Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience.Buy the book from Wellington Square Bookshop - ​https://www.wellingtonsquarebooks.com/book/9780262048361

Chris French is Emeritus Professor and Former Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at the University of London and author of The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Brains Conjure the Paranormal

As we approach Easter and Passover, it's worth noting that our mainstream monotheistic creeds are based on a belief in what Professor Chris French, the head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths college at London University, would call “weird s**t”. So as French, the author of new MIT press book THE SCIENCE OF WEIRD S**T, explained to me, maybe we shouldn't be that surprised with all the weird s**t about pizza parlors and extraterrestrial invasions that seems to have invaded all but the most scientific minds. Nobody seems to believe anything anymore, French explains. But it's an anti skeptical science of the networked 21st century rather than the skeptical science of the 18th century Enlightenment. Happy Easter and Passover, everyone!Professor Chris French is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of the British Humanist Association. He has published over 150 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. His most recent book is Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

You've probably heard this old rock & roll legend… that when Van Halen performed in concert, they used to ask for M&Ms in their dressing room but all the brown ones had to be removed. Why in the world would they want that? Listen as I reveal the amazingly practical reason. https://www.safetydimensions.com.au/van-halen/ A lot of people suffer from too much anxiety. But anxiety is not the problem according to Dr. John Delony. Rather than focus on reducing your anxiety, John's advice has more to do with handling whatever it is that is causing the anxiety in the first place. Much like when a smoke alarm goes off in your house, do you just try to figure out how to turn off the alarm or do you try to put out the fire? Listen and you will get a very different approach to dealing with anxiety in your life. Dr. John Delony is a mental health and wellness expert who hosts The John Delony Show podcast (https://www.ramseysolutions.com/shows/the-dr-john-delony-show) and he is author of the book Building a Non-Anxious Life. (https://amzn.to/4aabU1G). Do you believe in the paranormal? Many people not only believe but insist they have had actual experiences with ghosts, or psychic ability or telepathic powers – even alien encounters. While the proof for all of this is sketchy, many very intelligent people swear by their beliefs. Why? The "why" is what's so fascinating according to Chris French, Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London and author of the book, The Science of Weird Sh**: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal (https://amzn.to/3PdKnVd). Could the believers be on to something? Listen as we explore this. Do you hate to get out of bed in the morning? Is it just hard to pull off the covers and actually get up? There are some things you can do to make that experience a little less dreadful. Listen as I explain. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tricks-waking-up-sleep_n_2718257#slide=2125100 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UFOs, tarot cards, and ghostly figures. The paranormal world is all around us, but how can the unexplainable be explained? We spoke to Chris French, the head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London to find out more about the world of the paranormal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. French is Emeritus Professor & Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. He explores paranormal stories and phenomena through a skeptical lens, believing that most have a non-paranormal explanation. We spoke with him about why people are drawn to the paranormal, and what his thoughts are on Skinwalker Ranch. Hosted by Ray TararaWritten & Produced by R.J. Blake and Ray TararaTheme Music by Terra MonkSpecial guests: Dr. Christopher French - Goldsmiths Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit

Have you ever seen a ghost, or a UFO, or had some seemingly supernatural experience that you can't explain? If you haven't, we'd be willing to bet you probably know someone who has. These experiences are fairly common across cultures and they can't all be the work of hoaxers and charlatans. So what's going on? Chris French is Emeritus Professor of Psychology in the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at the Goldsmiths University of London. He joins Jonathan to discuss.

Our Sunday Interview is with Professor Chris French, Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. As well as being a well respected academic and researcher he has also appeared on many TV shows and documentaries investigating apparent psychic or supernatural phenomena. We talk to Professor French about his work on false memories and the disturbing accusations of ritualistic Satanic abuse of the 80s and 90s.  This episode of the podcast includes themes related to sexual abuse and descriptions of what was alleged to have taken place. Listener discretion is advised.

Chris is Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths University, a fellow at the British Psychological Society and a patron of Humanists UK. In this episode he speaks about what being a sceptic means to him, the difficulty of living out a fully materialist worldview, why even scientists have to take some things on faith and much more.

Flora is joined by Professor Christopher French for an interview all about Anomalistic Psychology! Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, Prof. French discusses the ins and outs of his field of expertise. David asks what the definition of Anomalistic Psychology is, how people think about the paranormal, and what all goes into being a skeptic while keeping an open mind. To get a better understanding of why folks believe paranormal claims, David seeks answers from a scientific/psychological angle. Prof. French discusses many examples and experiences he's had for mundane and extraordinary paranormal claims. It's a fun and fascinating discussion with one of the leaders in skepticism and open-minded scientific approach on this episode of Blurry Photos! Check out Chris' website Take a look at Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub Co-Author of Anomalistic Psychology Co-author of Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience Music Myst on the Moor - Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

A 2019 YouGov survey says that 20 percent of American adults "definitely" believe in ghosts; another twenty-five percent believe they "probably exist." And, while no data yet proves it, there's a good chance that quarantining at home during the pandemic has led more people to wonder where those nighttime creaks and groans are coming from. Some skeptics say that seeing ghosts is part of the human experience and far too common an occurrence for everyone who thinks they see a ghost to be crazy. But there are a lot of reasons to explain why we sincerely believe we're seeing a ghost. Yet, it's hard to convince people otherwise - even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. In the end, psychologists can offer explanations but no one can definitively prove ghosts don't exist. GUESTS: “Danielle” is a lawyer in British Columbia. She chose not to have her full name used. Chris French is a professor of psychology and head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He’s a former editor of The Skeptic Magazine (@chriscfrench) Deborah Hyde is a cultural anthropologist, and a fellow of “The Committee of Skeptical Inquiry.” She recently retired as editor of The Skeptic Magazine. (@jourdemayne) Elizabeth Saint is an electrical engineer, paranormal researcher, and president of the streaming platform VidiSpace. She was a researcher on Discovery’s “Ghosts of Shepherdstown” (@ElizabethSaint) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris French is a British psychologist and prominent skeptic focusing on the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences. He is currently Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, is head of their Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit which he founded in 2000, and former Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic (UK) magazine. Jim talks with Chris on the trajectory of the skeptics movement in the UK and US and how they both became involved, what it's like to run Skeptics in the Pub, and how skeptics have widened their focus from the paranormal to fake news and political conspiracy theories.

Throughout human history, across different cultures, people have told tales about supernatural visitations during the night. We now know that these stories refer to a condition known as sleep paralysis, a hybrid sleep/wake state whereby our muscles are largely paralysed but our brain 'wakes up'. Today we speak to psychology professor Christopher French about this common, and often frightening sleep disorder - how its symptoms manifest, the fascinating cross-cultural background and some strategies to help manage and cope with sleep paralysis   This Episode's Guest Professor Christopher French is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has published over 150 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. Goldsmiths: https://www.gold.ac.uk/psychology/staff/french/ ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_French2 Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriscfrench More Resources Article in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/02/sleep-paralysis Sleep Paralysis Project: https://sleepparalysisproject.wordpress.com Cheyne et al Factor Analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105381009990404X http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Paralysis-Historical-Psychological-Perspectives/dp/0199313806/ http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Paralysis-Night-mares-Connection-Anthropology/dp/0813548861 Article from Sleep Junkies: http://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-paralysis-demons-nightmares/ Episode Homepage: http://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-paralysis-explained/ More Episodes:

Throughout human history, across different cultures, people have told tales about supernatural visitations during the night. We now know that these stories refer to a condition known as sleep paralysis, a hybrid sleep/wake state whereby our muscles are largely paralysed but our brain 'wakes up'. Today we speak to psychology professor Christopher French about this common, and often frightening sleep disorder - how its symptoms manifest, the fascinating cross-cultural background and some strategies to help manage and cope with sleep paralysis   This Episode's Guest Professor Christopher French is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has published over 150 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. Goldsmiths: https://www.gold.ac.uk/psychology/staff/french/ ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_French2 Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriscfrench More Resources Article in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/02/sleep-paralysis Sleep Paralysis Project: https://sleepparalysisproject.wordpress.com Cheyne et al Factor Analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105381009990404X http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Paralysis-Historical-Psychological-Perspectives/dp/0199313806/ http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Paralysis-Night-mares-Connection-Anthropology/dp/0813548861 Article from Sleep Junkies: https://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-paralysis-demons-nightmares/ Episode Homepage: https://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-paralysis-explained/ More Episodes:

Episode Notes In this episode I chat to Professor Chris French who is an active skeptic and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. Chris is Special Advisor and former Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic Magazine, the UK's foremost and longest-running skeptical magazine. It's a chance for us to talk about skepticism and the use of science, reason, and evidence to examine all sorts of phenomena. We cover the paranormal, near death experiences, conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers and the kind of psychological biases that can creep in to all these areas. A concise description of skepticism used by Chris as the strapline for The Skeptic Magazine is: "Pursuing truth through reason and evidence". We delve into the skepticism movement and knowing how we are prone to biases can only help us make sound, reasoned decisions about all sorts of areas of our life. We also manage to talk about risk perception in humans, MMR vaccines, and the wonderful Skeptics in the Pub movement. (Get yourself along to an event if you can.) Links Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit The Skeptic Magazine Skeptics in the Pub Skeptics in the Pub - Greenwich QED Conference - two day science and skepticism convention Podcast Promotion I've moved away from most social media but I realise it is still an important part of many people's lives. If you want to share an episode or more on Twitter, Facebook etc then I'd be thrilled. Even better, why not mention it to a colleague, friend, or family when you next speak to them. In fact, why not give them a call and meet up anyway? All the evidence suggests you'll be healthier and benefit. And, if you can and it's relevant, thanks for mentioning the podcast to them.  If you got something out of this episode then please mosey on over to Apple Podcasts and kindly leave a rating, a review and you can subscribe there too! Other ways to subscribe to Blokeology Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe on Android You can also subscribe via Stitcher Sign up for the Journal of Blokeology newsletter It's my regular newsletter that shares some cool evidence-based health, fitness, and lifestyle advice. And get your free Healthy Bloke Action Plan. Head over to www.blokeology.io/journal to do that. Feedback I would love to hear from you and your own experiences. Best bet is to email: blokeology AT gmail.com.

Opinion polls repeatedly show relatively high levels of belief in ghosts even in modern Western societies. Furthermore, a sizeable minority of the population claim to have personally encountered a ghost. This talk will consider a number of factors that may lead people to claim that they have experienced a ghost even though they may not in fact have done so. Topics covered will include hoaxes, sincere misinterpretation of natural phenomena, hallucinatory experiences and pareidolia (seeing things that are not there), inattentional blindness (not seeing things that are there), the fallibility of eyewitness testimony, the possible role of complex electromagnetic fields and infrasound, photographic evidence, electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), and the role of the media. Professor Chris French is Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He does a metric ton of other work and there's far too much to list here... Twitter: @chriscfrench Web: http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/

Chris French is a bloody good bloke, so good he was the catalyst for Edinburgh Skeptics' birth. Unfortunately, he can't remember how... But not to worry! Kitty Johnstone has plenty of other things to ask him about, including ghosts, death, and the public's belief in the paranormal in general. Kitty chatted to Chris before his talk for us during the 2016 Fringe, and you can download that talk along side this podcast. Professor Chris French is Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He does a metric ton of other work and there's far too much to list here... Twitter: @chriscfrench Web: http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/

Rob Brotherton is the author of Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. Rob has a doctorate in the psychology of conspiracy theories, and taught classes at the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths. He joins us in this episode to discuss the psychology of conspiracies. Read the episode notes

Ernie Rea returns with a new series of Radio 4's discussion programme in which guests from different faith and non-faith perspectives debate the challenges of today's world. Each week a panel is assembled to represent a diversity of views and opinions, which often reveal hidden, complex and sometimes contradictory understandings of the world around us. In this programme, the first in a new series, Ernie and guests discuss the supernatural and ask whether there are always rational explanations for the apparently inexplicable. Why does belief in the supernatural appear to have increased in recent years? Can it be explained by an increase in visibility in books, television and the internet or could our fascination with ghosts, spirits and the hereafter be filling a void left by organised religion. The panellists hear from a medium and paranormal investigator who claims to have daily visions and has helped police forces solve murder cases. Joining Ernie to discuss the supernatural are Gordon Smith, one of Britain's best known psychic mediums, the Reverend Anthony Delaney, pastor of Ivy Church in Manchester and Professor Christopher French, head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, London. Producer: Karen Maurice.

Ernie Rea returns with a new series of Radio 4's discussion programme in which guests from different faith and non-faith perspectives debate the challenges of today's world. Each week a panel is assembled to represent a diversity of views and opinions, which often reveal hidden, complex and sometimes contradictory understandings of the world around us. In this programme, the first in a new series, Ernie and guests discuss the supernatural and ask whether there are always rational explanations for the apparently inexplicable. Why does belief in the supernatural appear to have increased in recent years? Can it be explained by an increase in visibility in books, television and the internet or could our fascination with ghosts, spirits and the hereafter be filling a void left by organised religion. The panellists hear from a medium and paranormal investigator who claims to have daily visions and has helped police forces solve murder cases. Joining Ernie to discuss the supernatural are Gordon Smith, one of Britain's best known psychic mediums, the Reverend Anthony Delaney, pastor of Ivy Church in Manchester and Professor Christopher French, head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, London. Producer: Karen Maurice.