The Psychology of your 20s

Why does it suddenly feel like everyone has a diagnosis? From ADHD and autism to anxiety, trauma, burnout, and depression - mental health language is everywhere right now. But are rates actually rising? Or are more people finally being seen after years of being overlooked, misread, or excluded from the stereotype? In this episode, we unpack the psychology, politics, and culture of diagnosis: how diagnostic criteria have changed, why context matters, what social media has done to this conversation, and the tension between labels as affirming, or oversimplified.
We explore:
• What the data actually says about rising diagnosis rates
• Why historically missed groups are being recognised more now
• The role of context in shaping our experiences
• The risk of pathologising ordinary human struggle
• When scepticism is useful - and why it should be aimed at systems, not individuals
• Why a label can still be meaningful, helpful, and nobody else’s business
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]
Our favourite sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7422602/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4810039/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11747871/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10251666/
https://reference-global.com/article/10.58734/plc-2025-0009
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It can feel like the world - and our future - has never been more precarious or frightening. It’s a very normal response to feel anxious about it - and in many ways, being concerned is just a sign that you’re alive, switched on, and care about the what’s going on around you. But what happens when this anxiety becomes overwhelming, and we’re consumed by worry about the future? In this episode, we unpack:
• Why we’re prone to anticipatory anxiety in our 20s
• The evolutionary reasons for catastrophic thinking
• Why long-term anxiety rewires our brain
• When it’s healthy - and not healthy - to worry
• How to rebrand anxiety as excitement
Happy listening!
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

Or favourite sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3086262/#:~:text=For%20some%20individuals%2C%20uncertainty%20about,%2C%20&%20Camerer%2C%202005
https://theconversation.com/how-chronic-stress-changes-the-brain-and-what-you-can-do-to-reverse-the-damage-133194
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24364682/
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not a hot take to say that most of us are incredibly addicted to our phones. But when our usage bleeds into full-blown ‘technoference’ - technology interference - there can be significant, harmful consequences. In this episode, we explore how phones can harm our friendships and romantic relationships, including:
• How phones are replacing in-person interaction
• Why we can't help but be addicted
• The impact of 'phone snubbing' on our loved ones
• How phones are killing our sex lives
• The ways we can break our habits and find our way back to intimacy
Happy listening!
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

Our favourite sources from this episode:
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/31/age-of-intimacy-famine-interact-with-phones-rather-than-loved-ones
www.ericpickersgill.com/Removed
https://www.sellcell.com/blog/phone-addiction-statistics-watch-out-your-phone-addiction-is-making-your-dating-sex-life-toxic/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are bombarded with ideas about how we should look, behave, and be. But instead of trying to constantly strive for the societal ideal, we can cut through the noise another way - and that’s by cultivating self-love. The funny thing is, psychology actually shows us that the more confident and self-loving we are, the more attractive we become. It’s a win-win… if we can get there. Today, we're going to talk about how loving ourselves makes us more attractive.
We unpack:
• The power of the mind-body link and self-esteem
• Why plastic surgery might not make us happy
• The damaging physical effects of negative self-talk
• How simple behavioural changes affect how others see us
• Why cultivating self-love is the greatest gift we can give ourselves
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your 20s are sold to you as the “best years of your life” - which is hilarious, considering how many of us spend them underpaid, overthinking, heartbroken, living in transitional housing, and finding a new identity every 6 months. So what does it actually mean to ‘romanticise your 20s’? In this episode, we break down romanticising as a real psychological skill - how your brain constructs meaning, why attention shapes what feels like reality, and why building a coherent life story matters most when your life feels messy.
We explore:
• Why your attention changes your experience
• The neuroscience and cognition of meaning-making
• The role of emergent adulthood
• Why narrative psychology is so important
• Five grounded ways to romanticise your life
Watch on Netflix: HERE
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]
Our favourite sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4324396/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224545.2025.2563539
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3045747/
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.