Find my guide on the parental and teen transition from high school to college at https://www.plantthespark.com

Letting your kid grow up isn’t just hard — it’s psychological.In this episode of Planting Thoughts, Mike dives into why parents often struggle more than their kids when it’s time to let go… especially when children leave for college or adulthood.We explore:Why identity loss hits parents so hardThe neuroscience of control and attachmentHow overparenting can actually increase fearWhy “helping” sometimes hurtsThis episode is for parents who feel lost, anxious, or over-involved — and want a healthier way forward.Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#EmptyNest #ParentIdentity #LettingGo #CollegeTransition #ParentingAdults #PlantingThoughts #Psychology #AttachmentTheory #FamilySystems

Go to https://www.plantthespark.com and check out my digital manuals on successful parenting!

Modern parenting didn’t mean to create anxious kids — but here we are.In this episode of Planting Thoughts, Mike breaks down the psychology behind why today’s children are more anxious, fragile, and overwhelmed than any generation before them… despite having more safety, resources, and support.We dive into:The psychology of overparentingWhy protection can actually stunt resilienceWhat the research really says about anxiety, autonomy, and growthHow good intentions quietly backfireThis episode isn’t about parent-shaming — it’s about parent awakening.If you’re a parent, educator, or someone trying to understand why so many young people are struggling, this one matters.Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#ParentingPsychology #AnxiousKids #Overparenting #MentalHealth #RaisingResilientKids#PlantingThoughts #PsychologyPodcast #ModernParenting #ChildDevelopment

Imagine a partner who never forgets your anniversary, always agrees, and is perfectly tailored to your deepest desires. That person exists, and they're running on an algorithm.This isn't sci-fi anymore. Modern research shows humans are forming deep, intimate bonds with AI companions, often leaving real relationships in the dust. Today, we plant the strangest seed yet: The rise of Virtual Intimacy.We dive deep into the psychology, the neuroscience, and the startling social cost of dating a perfect ghost. We explain why your brain is being chemically rewarded for choosing pixels over pores, the dangers of emotional fragility, and the ultimate question: What is real love when you can download perfection?🧠 In This Episode:Dopamine Delivered: The behavioral science of why AI provides better instant gratification than a human.Comparison Crisis: The social pressure on real partners who have to compete with a flawless, non-confrontational algorithm.The Psychoanalytic Void: Why relating to a mirror (the AI) instead of an "Other" (a human) leads to deep unfulfillment.Relationship Displacement: The media stories of people leaving real partners for digital companions.The Philosophical Quandary: Is it love if there's no risk, no sacrifice, and no potential for pain?The Scaffolding Solution: How to use AI as a tool for social training, not as a shelter from reality.If this episode makes you look at your phone differently, hit the Like button. And Subscribe to Planting Thoughts—because the real world is complicated, and we’re the only ones brave enough to talk about it.Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.🎙️ Hosted by Mike Plant🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#AIIntimacy #VirtualLove #AICompanion #Psychology #Neuroscience #DopamineDetox #VirtualRelationships #AIandDating #Replika #ErosBot #SocialPsychology #DigitalHealth #Loneliness #AttachmentTheory #EthicalAI #PlantingThoughts #MikePlantingThoughts #FutureofDating

Love isn’t magic—it’s biology with a sense of humor and absolutely no chill.

In this episode of Planting Thoughts, Mike breaks down the psychology and neuroscience of attraction, falling in love, and heartbreak—why your brain obsesses, why losing someone feels physically painful, and why otherwise intelligent people end up serenading dorm windows at 1 a.m. (ask him how he knows).

We dive deep into:

• The evolutionary psychology of attraction (yes, hypergamy included)
  

• The dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin cocktail that hijacks your brain
  

• Why love lowers judgment and raises confidence at the worst possible times
  

• The real neuroscience behind heartbreak and emotional withdrawal
  

• Practical, science-backed steps to become more attractive and recover faster
  

• Pop psychology myths vs what actually works
  

If you’ve ever wondered why love makes you act unrecognizable—or how to stop repeating the same painful patterns—this episode is for you.

🌱 Subscribe for psychology, self-mastery, attraction, attachment, and emotional resilience—without the fluff.

You’re not bad at reading people.You’re just ignoring the data.In this episode of Planting Thoughts, Mike breaks down the real psychology and neuroscience behind reading people—without the TikTok pseudoscience, mind-reader nonsense, or “alpha” cosplay.We dive deep into:1-What body language actually means (and why most advice is wrong)2-How tone of voice reveals more than words ever will3-The neuroscience of intuition, empathy, and prediction4-Why liars don’t look nervous—and how deception really leaks5-FBI-informed interrogation and behavioral analysis techniques6-Cultural and psychological factors that change how people express emotion7-A step-by-step framework to read people accurately without becoming paranoidThis isn’t about manipulation. It’s about clarity, awareness, and emotional intelligence with teeth.🌱 Plant that thought.If this episode sharpened your awareness, like, subscribe, and share with someone who still believes crossed arms mean “defensive.”Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#PlantingThoughts #Psychology #ReadingPeople #BodyLanguage#HumanBehavior #EmotionalIntelligence #LieDetection #Neuroscience#BehavioralPsychology #SocialDynamics #CommunicationSkills #SelfAwareness #MentalFrameworks #PsychologyPodcast #CriticalThinking #MasculinePsychology

Why do New Year’s resolutions feel like a magical rebirth at midnight… and then die by January 12th? In this episode of Planting Thoughts, Mike breaks down the real psychology behind resolutions—the neuroscience, the behavioral traps, the motivation myths, the influencer nonsense, and the emotional chaos behind why you swear you’re becoming a 5 a.m. gym warrior… right after finishing that last slice of holiday fudge.We dive into: ✨ Why your brain LOVES the idea of “New Year, New Me” ✨ The most common American resolutions (and why they repeat every year) ✨ Why resolutions fail (hint: it’s not because you’re weak) ✨ What research generally suggests about dopamine, habit formation, and fresh-start effects ✨ Why waiting for the “perfect time” is a trap ✨ How productivity culture can wreck your sanity ✨ A step-by-step blueprint for building resolutions that actually survive the year ✨ How to create goals that align with your identity, not your guilt ✨ And why tiny, consistent wins beat motivational hype every timeThis episode is part humor, part science, part “stop buying vision boards you won’t fill out,” and 100% designed to make your resolutions work for you, not against you. If you’re ready to build goals that don’t collapse like wet cardboard—hit subscribe, join the Firestarters, and start shaping the year today instead of “someday.”Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#NewYearsResolutions #Psychology #MotivationScience #SelfImprovement #HabitBuilding #PlantingThoughts #MindsetShift #BehaviorChange #IdentityBasedHabits #PositivePsychology #ResolutionTips #GoalSetting #Dopamine #PersonalGrowth

Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.Today's episode digs into the REAL truth about PTSD, trauma responses, survivor guilt, narcissistic relationship fallout, family chaos, hypervigilance, detachment mindset, and why “small” experiences like car crashes or sudden breakups can leave huge psychological footprints.This isn’t Instagram therapy.This is the blend of evidence-based psychology, storytelling, and comedic honesty that actually helps you understand your brain, heal your nervous system, and feel less alone.In this episode you’ll learn:

• What trauma actually is (and what it’s not) • Why subthreshold trauma still leaves scars • Survivor guilt and the brain’s false sense of control • Narcissistic abuse cycles and intermittent reinforcement • Hypervigilance, dissociation, and nervous system overload • Detachment mindset from Stoicism & Eastern philosophy • Science-backed strategies: vagus nerve resets, CBT reframes, grounding techniques, EMDR • Crisis resources if you're unsafe or overwhelmedIf you’re surviving trauma, healing from a toxic relationship, navigating family chaos, or trying to understand why your brain reacts the way it does — this episode is for you.If you’re in crisis: • Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call/text 988 • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFEYou are not alone.🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast#TraumaHealing #PTSDRecovery #CPTSD #MentalHealthPodcast #TraumaSurvivor #EmotionalHealing #NarcissisticAbuseRecovery #SurvivorGuilt #DetachmentMindset #AnxietyTools #VagusNerveReset #EMDRTherapy #MentalHealthMatters #ToxicRelationships #PsychologyPodcast #HealingJourney #BrainScience #Hypervigilance #TraumaEducation #RelationshipRecovery

Welcome to Planting Thoughts, the psychology podcast that digs into the weird, funny, and fascinating sides of human behavior. From cults and moral dilemmas to personality, decision-making, and why our brains do the dumb stuff they do — we blend science, humor, and storytelling to make psychology real and relatable.In this episode of PLANTING THOUGHTS, we dive deep into the psychology of personality disorders—Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and the rising archetype known as the DARK EMPATH. If you’ve ever wondered why some people can read you instantly, mirror your emotions perfectly, and then use everything they learned against you, this episode explains the psychology behind that weaponized empathy. We break down the neuroscience, the behavioral patterns, the emotional manipulation strategies, the trauma roots, and why these personality structures are so difficult to change. We also explore how movies and history portray these traits through characters like Amy Dunne, The Joker, Anton Chigurh, and figures like Napoleon and Caligula. This is a psychological deep dive designed to help you understand personality disorders in real life, spot the manipulation patterns early, and protect yourself from the people who wear their mask too well. Whether you're interested in dark psychology, dating psychology, human behavior, mental health, or emotional self-defense, this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been missing.#DarkEmpath #Narcissist #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #DarkPsychology #PersonalityDisorders #EmotionalManipulation #PsychologyPodcast #PlantingThoughts #MentalHealthEducation🎙️ Hosted by Mike 🧠 Topics: psychology, neuroscience, social behavior, moral psychology, mental health, personality science, pop culture, dark psychology, and the psychology of everyday life.Subscribe for weekly deep dives, mind-bending insights, and some laughs along the way.🔍 Keywords: psychology podcast | human behavior | moral psychology | cognitive biases | social psychology | mental health science | Planting Thoughts podcast | psychology explained | funny psychology podcast