{"podcast":{"title":"Change Your Mind with New Scientist","slug":"change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716","podcast_index_feed_id":7861716,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML7523345494","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/8b33ae98-4a58-11f1-948a-fb3d0bf5c0ea/image/aec6ee05301bbfee693dd8a3cebc92f9.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Scientist","episode_count":18,"summary":"Change Your Mind from New Scientist brings you the brain health advice you really need to know. Every week, award‑winning science journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson cut through wellness hype to find out what actually keeps your mind sharp, your mood steady and your memory strong. As friends, they’ve spent decades swapping stories, testing trends and exploring the latest neuroscience, and thought it was about time to share the tips and tricks that have genuinely changed their own lives. From cold plunges to coffee, supplements to sleep, Ozempic and AI they speak to leading experts and ask: does this really work? Expect smart conversations, clear answers, and practical takeaways - with plenty of laughs along the way. Because when you understand your brain, you really can change your mind - for the better. New Episodes every Thursday.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-03T14:20:08.714868+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716"},"episode":{"title":"Solitude - How Time Alone Can Strengthen Your Mental Resilience","slug":"solitude-how-time-alone-can-strengthen-your-mental-resilience","published_at":"2026-07-02T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/solitude-how-time-alone-can-strengthen-your-mental-resilience","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML6100046178.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML6100046178.mp3","summary":"Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson just want some time to themselves... but not everyone feels that way, for others moments alone can be deeply uncomfortable. Research shows that solitude could be incredibly important for our mental health, so whether we’re craving it or avoiding we should probably learn how to do it right,  In this episode of Change Your Mind from New Scientist, Helen and Cat explore the surprising science of solitude. Including how it differs from loneliness, and why time alone can sometimes even improve our connections with other people. They’re joined by Professor Netta Weinstein, a psychologist at the University of Reading and co-author of Solitude: The Power and Science of Being Alone, to ask how much time alone is actually good for your brain? And how do you make the most of your alone time to restore your mood, creativity and patience?  Produced by Emily Bird We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠⁠ Find out more about Solitude at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134840-400-how-mastering-the-art-of-being-alone-can-boost-your-mental-health/⁠  Make space for solitude over the holidays: ⁠https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26835751-800-why-it-is-important-to-make-space-for-solitude-over-the-festive-season/⁠ Learn more about our sponsor Alzheimer’s Society: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.newscientist.com/alzheimers-society/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sources Mindset: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11705512/ Digital strain https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26935790-200-the-internet-feels-super-lonely-right-now-heres-why/","meta_description":"Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson just want some time to themselves... but not everyone feels that way, for others moments alone can be de…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2612,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/episodes/solitude-how-time-alone-can-strengthen-your-mental-resilience/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/solitude-how-time-alone-can-strengthen-your-mental-resilience.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}