Change Your Mind with New Scientist

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.

Change Your Mind with New Scientist is a health podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Change Your Mind with New Scientist, a health show with 21 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #8

  Adolescence - How to support teenage mental health

  Sep 24, 202639 minS2

  Is now really the worst time in history to be a teenager? This week, health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson take on a topic that worries many parents: teenage mental health. Helping them wade through the misinformation is Lucy Foulkes, a psychologist at the University of Oxford who specialises in teenage mental health and social development.  She explains why adolescence is such a vulnerable time for the brain, and why it lasts much longer than you might expect. She also shares a surprising idea about whether all our talk about mental health might have unexpected downsides. Are smartphones really villain they're made out to be, or is something bigger going on? Cat and Helen come away with practical ideas for supporting the teenagers in their lives, and a few habits they need to change themselves. Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at changeyourmind@newscientist.com If you're struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, support is available from the UK Samaritans and the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Produced by Emily Bird. Find out more about Adolescent Mental Health at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443636-is-youth-mental-health-really-worse-today-than-it-was-decades-ago/  https://www.newscientist.com/article/2495265-matt-richtel-grapples-with-how-modern-life-is-warping-adolescence/ 

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #17

  The Vagus Nerve - Could this be the key to reducing your inflammation?

  Sep 17, 202641 minS2

  Feeling tempted by social media tips to “reset” your vagus nerve, fix your anxiety and banish inflammation? In this episode, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dig into the science behind vagus nerve stimulation.  With neurosurgeon and researcher Kevin Tracey, they explore how this a modern wellness obsession came about, what FDA‑approved implants can really do for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and why most DIY hacks may be running ahead of the evidence. 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 The Vagus Nerve at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388223-unravelling-the-secrets-of-the-vagus-nerve-will-revolutionise-medicine/  Sources:  The Great Nerve book by Kevin Tracey https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470370/the-great-nerve-by-tracey-dr-kevin/978140597850 Linda Watkins paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7746479/ Kevin’s original paper triggering the discovery of inflammation and vagus nerve: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9361344/ Testing the inflammation-vagus nerve theory: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10839541/ Earlobe experiment: https://jasontsukahara.com/publications/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil.pdf Small human study recording non invasive vagus stimulation and brain response https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28648089/ POTS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37999672/ 

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #6

  Blue Spaces - How Spending Time Near Water can Boost your Mental Health

  Sep 10, 202646 minS2

  Why do so many of us feel calmer, clearer and more creative by the sea, a river or a lake? In this episode, Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dive into the science of blue spaces. Picking apart the theories behind why water captures our attention and how time spent near water can change how we feel pain, our stress levels and even long-term physical health.  They’re joined by psychologist Dr Mathew White, whose large-scale studies are revealing why time near water might give our brains an extra boost over green spaces alone, and how much you really need each week to feel the effects.  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 Blue Spaces at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2328003-why-spending-time-near-water-gives-us-a-powerful-mental-health-boost/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2272260-green-spaces-arent-just-for-nature-they-boost-our-mental-health-too/ Sources: https://bluehealth2020.eu/people/mathew-white/ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/06/best-walk-hike-for-mental-health-uk Attention Restoration theory  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155 Wales study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196%2823%2900212-7/fulltext Large England study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024002538?via%3Dihub Moving urban to rural http://pubs.acs.org/esthag/article/48/2/1247/1481535/Longitudinal-Effects-on-Mental-Health-of-Moving-to Lake and electric shocks  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56870-2 Lake and dentist https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013916517710077  19 country study of blue spaces: https://natureandhealth.uw.edu/publications/the-restorative-power-of-blue-spaces-a-19-country-study/ 

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #4

  Cognitive Reserve - How to Future-Proof your Brain

  Aug 27, 202641 minS2

  In this episode of Change Your Mind, Health Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange explore the science of cognitive reserve, the brain’s hidden resilience that can help delay the symptoms of dementia.  They talk to Professor Yaakov Stern, a leading researcher in the field, to uncover what cognitive reserve actually is, how it’s measured, and why some people stay mentally sharp despite significant brain changes. Along the way, they delve into surprising evidence on music, bilingualism, social life, exercise, and even hobbies like quilting and photography to ask how much effort we really need to put in to future‑proof our brains. 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 Cognitive Reserve at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2526727-why-you-need-to-future-proof-your-brain-in-middle-age-and-how-to-start/ Sources: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2490103-steadfast-lifestyle-changes-seem-best-to-improve-cognitive-decline/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2514823-specific-cognitive-training-has-astonishing-effect-on-dementia-risk/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2397664-we-may-finally-know-how-cognitive-reserve-protects-against-alzheimers/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25544932/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #3

  Ozempic: Could Weight-Loss Drugs have Surprising Brain Benefits?

  Aug 20, 202648 minS2

  In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist, Health Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange dive into the headline grabbing class of drugs behind the Ozempic boom to ask what these medications are really doing to our brains? Beyond weight loss and diabetes, early evidence hints at wide‑ranging effects on appetite, addiction, mood, and even long‑term brain health. With so many people now taking GLP‑1 agonists, are we unintentionally running the largest brain experiment in history, and what is it starting to reveal? To find out, they’re joined by Professor Paul Kenny, a leading expert on the brain’s reward and motivation systems. Together, they unpack how these drugs might quiet “food noise”, reshape our cravings, and potentially influence conditions like depression, alcohol use, and Alzheimer’s disease, while also confronting their cultural side effects, from shifting body ideals to questions about who really benefits.  Produced by Emily Bird Find out more about Oxempic and other GLP-1 Agonists at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2503480-the-potential-of-glp-1-drugs-to-transform-medicine-exploded-in-2025/ Sources: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2456669-why-do-ozempic-and-wegovy-seem-to-treat-everything/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464829-glp-1-drugs-like-ozempic-and-wegovy-lower-the-risk-of-42-conditions/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2435246-the-surprising-mental-health-and-brain-benefits-of-weight-loss-drugs/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2460806-well-learn-about-ozempics-potential-for-alzheimers-disease-in-2025/#:~:text=Two%20clinical%20trials%20investigating%20semaglutide,in%20treating%20this%20intractable%20condition.&text=Semaglutide%20belongs%20to%20a%20class,a%20hormone%20called%20GLP%2D1 https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/oct/17/fashion-shows-fewer-plus-size-models-vogue-business

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Change Your Mind with New Scientist. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.