I was only five years old when my mother and father died in a car crash. A drunk truck driver hit the SUV so hard that it flipped in the air a couple of times before landing on the paved road, roof first. The good thing was that both of my parents wore seatbelts, so neither of them flew out of the window. But the bad news was that the seatbelts kept them from jumping out of the car, so they flipped in the air with it.
Where was I in all these commotions? I was in the backseat, asleep in my car seat. From what I heard, the first responders thought that only two adults were in the vehicle until they heard a child crying. Various bystanders worked hard to pry the scrunched up door open and scoop me out. I came out of the totaled car with nothing but a few scratches from the glass that flew all over me by some angel. However, Mom and Dad were not as lucky, considering the EMTs pronounced both dead before they reached the hospital.
Now, let me assure you that this is not a sob or emo story. I am merely talking about my background as an intro to the beautiful life I had after the accident. I automatically went to live with my grandparents, who shared many meaningful things with me, including their love for radio.
For The Love Of Radios
Gran Sid and Grampy Leon were my mother’s parents who lived in Miami, Florida. They were first-generation Cubans who fled to the United States together before Mom was even born. They had to leave everything behind, except for Grampy’s vintage radio. My grandparents could not afford a TV back then, so their only source of news and entertainment was that device. And if they got lucky, they would find a channel that played radionovelas – Gran’s favorite.
My grandparents were pretty well off when I went under their care. Couple with their food truck business with a significant amount of savings that my parents left to me, we could technically buy as many TVs as we wanted. Despite that, they still listened to the same radio every day.
This routine made me disinterested in hi-tech stuff while growing up. I had a computer and laptop, but I bonded with my grandparents by listening to the radio with them. I definitely brought this habit to adulthood, although I was no longer as much of a fan of radionovelas as my grandmother. Since I embraced technology, too, I tend to listen to podcasts nowadays.
What is a podcast? How do I listen to it?
A podcast is a collection of recorded speeches or interviews in audio form. Some broadcasting stations may capture the episode in video and release them on YouTube or their respective platforms, but starting a podcast as an audio podcast is more common than that.
If you want to listen so you can enjoy the benefits of podcast for mental health, Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play Store are excellent sources of podcasts. Due to the wide variety of content in such channels, you can find a few psychology-focused podcasts with ease.
How do I get free psychology podcasts?
Spotify is an ideal source of free psychology podcasts. When you type ‘psychology’ in the search button, various podcasts from various reputable sources may come up, namely Speaking of Psychology by the American Psychological Association, Psychology Concepts Explained by Dr. Jack Chuang, Psychology in 10 Minutes by David B. Feldman, etc.
In case Spotify does not suffice, you may try Google Play Store, iTunes, etc.
What are some exciting psychology podcasts?
Some of the most exciting psychology podcasts include:
- The Hidden Brain (Shankar Vedantam)
- PsychCrunch (British Psychological Association)
- The Psychology Podcast (Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman)
- The Psych Files (Dr. Michael A. Britt)
What are the best podcasts to listen to right now?
- Serial (Julie Snyder and Sarah Koenig): This podcast is the best one for forensic psychologists and wannabes, considering it focuses on investigative journalism. Every season is about a unique issue, so people get hooked quickly.
- Start With This (Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink): The podcast encourages the listeners to work on their creative skills and show their creativity with every episode.
- Safe for Work (Liz Dolan and Rico Gagliano): This series gives people an insight into achieving work-life balance. It is especially important now that more people are working from home than ever.
What is the #1 podcast in the United States?
The Joe Rogan Experience holds the top spot among all the podcasts in the United States. This podcast has been hosted and produced since 2009 by Joe Rogan – its namesake – and Brian Redban, both comedians. According to 2019 reports, it has already earned more than $30 million.
What is the #1 podcast in the world?
Based on Podtrac analytics, the #1 podcast in the world is The Daily. This series is produced by The New York Times, which aims to bring fresh news to their listeners every weekday. Its host is Michael Barbaro, a well-known political journalist.
Final Thoughts
If you may have noticed from the frequently asked questions I answered above, I am obsessed with two genres: psychology and comedy.
I fell in love with comedy first as I found comedians as some of the most intelligent people on the planet. They could pinpoint the tiniest details in everything they observe and make their audience laugh and eventually say, “Dang, that person’s spot-on, though. Amazing!” The fact that many comedians started doing podcasts even before the pandemic meant that I could get my daily dose of laughter wherever I went.
Meanwhile, I became enamored by psychology podcasts because of my profession. Though I was a psychologist, and I could talk to multiple clients every day, they were technically paying me to listen about their issues and help them find clarity. However, as a human being, I also had some problems or questions that I could not bounce off of other people all the time. Thus, it was nice to follow podcasts like the Speaking of Psychology by the American Psychological Association and hear experts discuss important matters at length. Best of all, I could download or save them in my playlist and replay them anytime.
As for my grandparents, they could tolerate technology now, but they still won’t let their beloved radio retire. Old habits do die hard, after all.