Dr Kathryn Bates

Are chatbots making us lonely? Watch now | with Arthur Bran Herbener (Aarhus University, Denmark) and Shaheem Mclaurin (therapist in New York)

Are chatbots making us lonely? Latest episode out now: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/are-chatbo...

Rewind: Can embracing winter improve mental health? Watch now | with Dr Kari Leibowitz, health psychologist and writer

Could a positive wintertime mindset help us feel less blue during winter? ☔ find out in our latest episode: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/rewind-can...

Drop us an email asap to secure a spot and have your say in shaping the podcast! the focus group will be running first week of February www.scienceorfiction.co.uk

Can gene therapy cure Huntington's disease? with Professor Rachael Scahill, University College London

Can gene therapy cure Huntington's disease? 🧠 a new treatment professes to slow progression by 75%. What does this mean for families living with Huntington's? What does a cure look like? Find out in a latest episode: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/have-we-fo... #HD #genetherapy #huntingtonsdisease

Is sleep important for the brain? 🧠😴 we asked Professor @andersfjell.bsky.social and explored the different theories as to why we sleep, and why the golden 7 hours might not be for everyone: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/is-sleep-i...

First paper from the UNITE project now preprinted! We used network analysis to investigate relationships between peer bullying and family conflict (10-15yrs) and loneliness and social connection (16-24yrs) at different levels of socio-economic marginalisation: doi.org/10.31234/osf...

We're looking for young people to take part in our focus group, please share with your networks :)

Thank you for sharing, I have integrated into my feedback too.

What is a brain-computer interface, and can it read your mind? The first episode of our special neuroscience series produced by Chloe Carrick and Anushka De is out now: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/what-is-a-...
#neuroscience #evidence #podcast #stem #womeninstem #braincomputerinterface #neuralink

Episode two on chronic pain is out now! We spoke to Misha Gardner to learn about the #PEACs chronic pain healthcare programme co-designed with Black people.

Listen now at www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/how-do-we-... or wherever you get your podcasts 🎧

Thank you for sharing! Really glad you enjoyed the episode

Chronic pain is an invisible disability that shapes life in ways many don’t see. This podcast captures it spot-on — essential for anyone living with pain, and anyone who wants to truly understand and support.

What does it mean to live with chronic pain? Watch now | with Dr Anna Hood, University of Manchester

What does it mean to live with #chronicpain?

This is the first of two episodes on chronic pain produced by Mariam Shah - next episode dropping next week, subscribe now and don't miss out!! www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/what-does-...

Listen on the website or wherever you get your podcasts 🎧

Should young people be banned from using smartphones? Adults should support young people in making healthy decisions about their phone use, rather than banning phones

“Banning smartphones entirely risks pushing smartphone use underground and driving a wedge between young people, parents, and schools.”
Adults should support young people in making healthy decisions about their phone use, says @kathrynbates.bsky.social. boldscience.org/should-young...

Great opportunity for ECR mentorship here with @eleanorchats.bsky.social 👇

Why loneliness should be treated as a social issue Fighting loneliness means more than self-help. It means rebuilding the social fabric – with spaces, services and support for everyone.

Loneliness needs to be treated as a societal issue, not just one that required psychological interventions, argues IoPPN's @kathrynbates.bsky.social in @uk.theconversation.com

#IoPPNInTheNews #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

theconversation.com/why-loneline...

We need societal solutions to tackle loneliness - more on this in my new article for @uk.theconversation.com 👇

Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions - Nature Human Behaviour Using a nationally representative UK sample of adolescents with clinical-level mental health symptoms, this Registered Report examined differences in social media use. The results suggest that adolesc...

What's the relationship between social media use and mental health problems in adolescents? A Registered Report by @fassiluisa.bsky.social et al examined this question using a nationally representative UK sample. #socialmedia #mentalhealth
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Why is diversity important in science? Watch now | Diversity, equity and inclusion programmes have been cut and research grants are being pulled in the US. We discuss why diversity is needed in science.

We interviewed @chrischirp.bsky.social to better understand the recent cuts to funding in the US and why diversity is important in science. TLDR: Diverse teams produce more impactful work and we need to study diversity to improve healthcare. Listen now: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/why-is-div...

We have a youth advisor position available! Are you aged 18-25 and want to help share neuroscience findings with the public? We want to hear from you.

We have a new paid youth advisor (aged 18-25) position supporting a neuroscience series of The Science or Fiction Podcast produced by Chloe Carrick 🧠 ✨ Find out more here and submit applications by 11th April: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/we-have-a-...

Not forgetting Dr Laura Pritschet (bluesky only let me post 4!)

I'm so grateful to the women that inspire me every day! We asked some of the incredible women featured on the podcast: "What do you love most about being a #woman in #science?" let us know what you love most below 🤗👇 #internationalwomensday2025 #IWD2025 #womeninstem

A framework for understanding adverse adolescent experiences - Nature Human Behaviour Adolescence (ages 10–24) is characterized by cognitive, behavioural and social development. This Review proposes the adverse adolescent experiences (AAEs) framework to categorize and examine potential...

Our approach to understanding how adversities impact adolescent development often neglects the specificity and complexity of adolescence. In our new review, we propose the adolescent adverse experiences framework to capture adverse experiences at multiple levels: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Do tablets help or hinder children’s play? Playing in the digital world can have benefits similar to playing with physical toys

“Using a tablet won’t set children on an irreversible course to specific later outcomes.” @kathrynbates.bsky.social speaks with Salim Hashmi about making sense of mixed research findings and the potential benefits of collaborative digital play. boldscience.org/do-tablets-h... @s-hash93.bsky.social

Thank you for sharing your experience Sarah-Jayne

Can embracing winter improve mental health? with Dr Kari Leibowitz, health psychologist and writer

Dr Kari Leibowitz is changing our gloomy narrative around winter. Can winter mindsets improve our mental health? Find out in our latest episode 🎧 www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/winter-min...

How are you finding this winter? Comment a snippet of something wintery that made you feel good this week 🫶❄️

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our recent live podcast event in person and online! ✨

The live recording is now available! Listen/watch now to hear us explore self-diagnosis and ADHD: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to join the community! 🤗

Self-diagnosing ADHD: social media, statistics, and everything in between Explore why ADHD rates are increasing and how to use social media wisely when seeking ADHD information at this live podcast recording.

A few days away from our first live podcast recording and I'm itching to get to it after months of planning!!

Interview prepped, volunteers prepped, admin printed ✅

We're sold out but if you'd like to join online sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/self-diagn...

EXCITED

💡Research Assistant Job Opportunity. The post is to support my fellowship research programme into anhedonia, across diagnoses. I really welcome applications from anyone currently under-represented in the field.
Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology | King's College London (kcl.ac.uk)

Thanks for the kind message and glad you like the episode