Shows / Sketches of the Mind
Sketches of the Mind
Welcome to Sketches of the Mind — where psychology meets the strange. I'm Niomi, and every week we sketch out why people believe what they do, fear what they can't explain, and keep repeating the same patterns, generation after generation. Smart. Curious. A little eerie. New episodes every Thursday. Until next time, stay curious, Overthinkers.
Episodes
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 38 The Birth Order Myth, Fact-Checked
Today on Sketches of the Mind, Niomi is diving into whether birth order personality theory is real. We're going to go over a 2024 study on birth order…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 37.5 Practical Magic: The Folklore and Psychology of Why We Love the Owens Sisters | Halloween Bonus Episode
Why does Practical Magic feel like coming home? Cunning folk, the Weird Sisters, sisterhood, and the psychology of rewatching, plus my own story. A Halloween…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 37 The Perfectionism Trap
Why is it so hard to say something is going well? This week: perfectionism research meets a century-old baseball superstition, and they turn out to be running…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 36 Why Unanimity Beats Accuracy Every Time
Today on Sketches of the Mind, traces a single mechanism — the pressure of an apparently unanimous group — from a 1951 psychology lab back through a 1518…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 35 The Spotlight Effect
This episode traces the specific feeling that everyone's watching you back to a real, measurable overestimation bias — and pairs it with mirror folklore from…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 34 Attachment Styles: The Blueprint You Didn't Know You Were Given
This episode traces your closest relationships back to a blueprint installed before you had language — Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment research, the four…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 33 Imposter Syndrome: When Competence and Confidence Don't Match
One bad meeting from being exposed as a fraud? European folklore had a name for this exact dread centuries early — the changeling. This week: the real…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 32 The Highlight Reel
Why does everyone else's highlight reel sting so specifically? This week Niomi covers Festinger's social comparison theory, the real psychology of benign and…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 31 Why We Cringe at Our Former Selves
Old photos. Old posts. That one opinion you had with total confidence in 2019. Why does looking back at past-you feel almost physically unbearable? This…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 30 Do We Actually Know Ourselves?
How sure are you that you actually know yourself? This week: the real research on why self-awareness is a lot rarer, and a lot more "in progress," than it…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 29 Cancel Culture + Shame
Public shaming didn't start with the internet — it's ancient, evolutionary, and genuinely primal. This episode covers why shame exists at all (and what it's…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 28 Fate, Luck, and Why Your Brain Refuses to Believe in Coincidence
In episode 28, we ask "How sure are you that you actually know yourself?" We're doing a fact-checked deep dive into why real self-awareness is rarer than you'd…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 27 Same Show, New Sketchbook + Inner Child
Two things happen in this episode: Sketches of the Mind opens its doors for the first time (formerly Curio Cabinet — same show, new name), and we break down…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 26 Why Time Speeds Up As We Age
Why does time feel slower when we are young and impossibly fast as adults? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore the psychology of time perception…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 25 The Bystander Effect: Why People Stay Silent
You would think more people means more help. More witnesses. More awareness. More chances that someone will step in. But psychology says something much…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 24 Highly Sensitive or Easily Overwhelmed? Where Temperament Meets Environment
Are some people naturally more sensitive to the world around them? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore the psychology of sensory-processing…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 23 Identity Shifts: Why Reinvention Feels Like Death
Why does reinvention feel like grief? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore identity shifts through developmental psychology, personality theory, and…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 22 - False Memories: When Your Brain Swears It Happened
Have you ever been certain something happened — only to learn it didn’t? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore false memories through cognitive…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 21 Moral Panics
Why does society periodically panic — loudly, emotionally, and together? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore moral panics through social psychology…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 20 Why Do Some People Obsess?
Why do some people replay thoughts on a loop — while others seem able to let things go? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore obsession through the lens…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 19 The Mystery of the Missing Socks
The Missing Sock Mystery: Chaos, Memory, and the Human Need for Order You put two socks into the wash. You take one sock out. It’s a small inconvenience — but…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 18 Lucky Charms & Broken Rules
Lucky Charms & Broken Rules: The Psychology of Childhood Superstition Most of us learned superstition before we learned logic. In this episode of Curio…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 17 Why We Love a Good Conspiracy (Even When We Know It’s Ridiculous)
Why do conspiracies feel so tempting — even when we know they’re unlikely to be true? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore the psychology behind…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 15 Dream Logic
Dreams don’t follow logic — they follow emotion. In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore why our dreams feel strange, symbolic, and sometimes more real…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep 14 Through The Mirror Darkly
Why do mirrors both comfort and unsettle us? In this episode, Niomi explores how reflections shape our sense of self — from Lacan’s mirror stage to the uncanny…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 13 Photographs That Hold Energy
We’ve all felt it — that chill when an old photograph seems to remember you back. In this episode, Niomi explores the psychology behind why photos feel alive —…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 12 The Broken Clock Theory
A stopped clock, a repeating number, a frozen moment — is it superstition, or something deeper? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, Niomi explores why humans…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 11 The Art That Stares Back: Why Faces in Paintings Creep Us Out
Why do certain portraits feel like they’re watching you? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore the psychology of faces — from pareidolia to the uncanny…
- Sketches of the Mind
10. Haunted Heirlooms & Family Psychology: Why Some Objects Feel Alive
Why do some family heirlooms feel… haunted? In this episode, we unpack how objects carry emotional memory, how grief and attachment get stored in things, and…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 9 The Unlucky Charm: How Beliefs Survive Logic
We all have that one thing — a lucky charm, a quiet ritual, a habit we swear doesn’t matter (but secretly does). This week on Curio Cabinet, we explore why our…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 8 Cursed Objects: Why We Project Evil onto Things
That mirror giving you weird vibes? 👀 Before you sage the whole house, let’s talk psychology. From haunted dolls to cursed jewelry, humans have always believed…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 7 Dreams That Warn
Do our dreams really warn us — or do they just reveal what we already know? From ancient prophecy to modern psychology, this episode of Curio Cabinet explores…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 6 When the Forest Watches: The Psychology of Being Observed by the Unknown
Why do we feel like someone’s watching us — especially when we’re alone? In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore the psychology behind the “feeling of…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 5: Don’t Look in the Mirror After Midnight: What Reflections Reveal About the Self
Why do mirrors feel alive? From ancient superstitions to modern psychology, this episode of Curio Cabinet explores why humans have always feared reflections —…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 4 The Door Was Knocked Thrice: Why We Fear Invitations from the Unknown
Three knocks. No one outside. Just that ancient chill that says you’ve been noticed. In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore why cultures around the world…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 3 The Midnight Whistle: Why Folklore Warns Us at Night
Every culture has a rule about the dark — don’t go outside, don’t look in mirrors, and for some reason… don’t whistle. From Japan to Turkey to the Appalachian…
- Sketches of the Mind
Ep. 2 When Secrets Shape History
From palace whispers to social media scandals, rumor has always been human nature’s favorite pastime. 👑 In this episode of Curio Cabinet, we explore how…
Sketches of the MindWhy We Gossip: The Psychology of Secrets
We all pretend we don’t like gossip — but we can’t stop doing it. In this first episode of Curio Cabinet, Niomi unpacks the psychology of secrets: why we…