At a time when most people set New Year's resolutions but only a few keep them, this episode explains the neurobiology and psychology behind habits—how the striatum, frontal cortex and dopamine create shortcuts that drive behaviour.

Learn the habit loop (cue → craving → response → reward) and the four laws for change: make cues obvious, cravings attractive, responses easy and rewards satisfying. Practical tips include habit stacking, shaping your environment, removing bad cues, and using accountability and gratitude to reinforce success.

This episode explains why joy is not an accident but a learnable skill, blending neuroscience, psychology, and real-life practice.

Listen for clear explanations of the brain systems behind happiness, the role of habits, relationships, and purpose, and simple daily steps you can use to increase contentment and resilience.

This episode reviews an umbrella meta-analysis of randomized trials examining popular diets (Mediterranean, DASH, low-carb, low-fat, high-protein, vegetarian/vegan, low-GI, paleo, intermittent fasting and more) and their effects on weight, BMI, lipids, glucose, insulin, HbA1c and blood pressure.

Key takeaways: the Mediterranean diet showed the most consistent benefits with no reported harms, DASH showed some benefit, while many other diets produced short-term or mixed results. Overall evidence quality was often low and highly variable, so the episode emphasizes sustainable, whole-food, plant-forward eating patterns and long-term adherence over short-term fad diets.