The Psychology Undergrad Podcast

A deep dive into the psychology, sociology, and developmental outcomes of voluntary childlessness—who chooses it (low agreeableness, high independence, secular), why the "selfish" label is scientifically backwards, and what a longitudinal study actually found when it asked older childfree adults if they regret it
psychology, voluntary childlessness, childfree, Big Five personality, agreeableness, independence, generativity, Erikson, marital satisfaction, fictive kin, fatherhood bonus, regret, developmental psychology, sociology, evolutionary psychology.

A deep dive into the ethics and biology of late maternal age—from the world's oldest moms (66-year-olds who lied to fertility clinics) to the gender double standard around older parents, the "Goldilocks window" of 30–35, and why technology still can't fix the math of life.​

psychology, reproductive psychology, late maternal age, IVF ethics, fertility, biological clock, postmenopausal pregnancy, inconvenient biology, older parents, egg freezing, fertility tourism, maternal age, child outcomes, bioethics, gender double standard.​

A deep dive into the psychology of teenage motherhood—debunking the "epidemic" myth with data showing rates have dropped since the 1950s, exploring why mental health struggles exist even without the baby, and how young mothers describe motherhood as a "competency anchor" that gave them purpose in a world that offers them nothing else.

psychology, teen pregnancy, teenage motherhood, moral panic, poverty, stigma, developmental psychology, sociology, qualitative research, Patel & Sen study, fundamental attribution error, competency anchor, defensive mothering, family psychology, public policy.

A deep dive into the neuroscience and sociology of adoption—exploring how early trauma physically rewires the HPA axis (and can even stop physical growth), the history of the 60s Scoop, and whether a loving environment is enough to reverse the biological damage of neglect.
psychology, adoption, neurobiology, HPA axis, trauma, child development, nature vs nurture, 60s Scoop, indigenous history, transracial adoption, open adoption, brain plasticity, cortisol, epigenetics, social work.

A deep dive into the "methodology war" of same-sex parenting research—contrasting the old "no difference" consensus with big-data findings that reveal a shocking paradox: why sons of gay dads might outperform everyone, while daughters struggle, and what it means for the nature vs. nurture debate.
psychology, same-sex parenting, LGBTQ families, research methodology, Douglas Allen study, 2006 Canadian Census, sociology, family structure, gender roles, nature vs nurture, evolutionary psychology, child development, graduation rates, quantitative vs qualitative research.