Unlocking Behaviour Change

Unlocking Behaviour Change is a podcast delving into psychology and motivation. Join Professor Robert West, a world-leading behavioural scientist, and Jamie West, a writer and musician, as they explore the human mind with practical insights and a touch of humour. Whether you’re into psychology, behaviour science, or just want to understand yourself (and others) a little better, this podcast is for you. Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange

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Episodes

4 days ago

In this episode, we talk about how we tend to overstimate the likelihood of things we can easily imagine, overly assume that people who are good at one thing tend to be good at other things, underestimate the importance of things the further we think they will occur in the future, and wrongly allow 'sunk costs' to influence decision-making.
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  
 

Tuesday Oct 21, 2025

It’s one of the oldest debates in science: nature vs nurture – but where does the truth lie? Robert and Jamie discuss false dichotomies and black-and-white thinking as they continue exploring biases. Robert promotes using Bayesian probabilities to guide our decision-making, and Jamie gets angry at ChatGPT. 
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

Tuesday Oct 14, 2025

Everyone has biases, but what exactly is a bias? When do they work for us, and when are they maladaptive? In this episode, Jamie and Robert explore motivated biases, politics, and the power of optimism, with side-tracks into cricket and vegetarianism!  
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

Tuesday Oct 07, 2025

In this episode, Robert has an update on recent research into changes in mental rigidity as we age, and Jamie searches for silver linings. The duo go on to talk about ‘Just Noticeable Differences’, the transformative power of turning things off then on again, and how human's are going to have to become like chicken sexers when it comes to detecting fake videos and stories ...
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  
 

Tuesday Sep 30, 2025

Jamie has attended a wine-tasting, and Robert extrapolates insights into how we elaborate our ‘schemas’. The duo also discuss the complexities of choosing domestic solar panels and how schemas are essential for creativity . . . 
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

Tuesday Sep 23, 2025

This week, Robert and Jamie explore the work of the famous psychologist Jean Piaget. They talk about ‘schemas’ and how we ‘assimilate’ and ‘accommodate’ new information. They also discuss the ‘Big Five’ personality model, TikTok ‘Influencers’ and AI . . . 
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

Tuesday Sep 16, 2025

We all know first impressions are important, but why? And what about final impressions? Robert offers some practical advice, including how to make your CV more impressive and Jamie talks about how to structure a live performance.  
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  
 

Tuesday Sep 09, 2025

How do our beliefs shape our perceptions? And how do our wants and needs affect our beliefs about what is true? What happens when our expectations are violated? In this episode, Robert and Jamie look at the fundamental ways in which we interpret the world and how this affects the decisions we make. Also, Robert reminisces about hearing Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath for the first time . . . 
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  
 

Tuesday Sep 02, 2025

What is 'temporal discounting' and how does it influence decisions to stop smoking and decisions about what clinical interventions are worth paying for? Can procrastination be a good thing sometimes? How can we achieve long-lasting behaviour change? And what is going on with tea . . . ?
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

Tuesday Aug 26, 2025

Robert and Jamie talk through the knotty business of enacting decisions. Robert emphasises that for decisions such as stopping smoking, acting on the decision sooner rather than later can make all the difference. They discuss levels of commitment and the power of identity. And Jamie casts doubt on Shakespeare’s true identity . . .  
Want more? Check out our latest books:  
Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y 
React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9  
Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/  
Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange  

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