In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Poppy Watson about compulsive reward-seeking behavior, commonly seen in drug or gambling addiction, but also in more subtle forms that influence our everyday actions and habits.

The research interests of Dr Poppy Watson lie at the intersection of motivation, attention and choice behaviour. A fundamental question in human psychology is whether we are totally in control of the choices we make and the extent to which we rely on environmental cues to guide our decisions. She is interested in the conflict that arises between our ‘good intentions’ (for example to eat healthily or avoid alcohol) and our innate tendency to be attracted by things that signal reward such as the McDonald’s golden M or the beer logo.

She uses methods such as eye tracking and neuroimaging to examine this interplay between biased cognitions and habits on the one hand and explicit motivation on the other. She tries to understand the mechanisms that contribute to unwanted patterns of behaviour in both healthy and clinical populations.

She is also involved in intervention projects (to improve treatment outcomes for patients and measuring the efficacy of these interventions) and is interested more generally in health psychology and behaviour change.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/poppy-watson

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Poppy Watson about compulsive reward-seeking behavior, commonly seen in drug or gambling addiction, but also in more subtle forms that influence our everyday actions and habits.
The research interests of Dr Poppy Watson lie at the intersection of motivation, attention and choice behaviour. A fundamental question in human psychology is whether we are totally in control of the choices we make and the extent to which we rely on environmental cues to guide our decisions. She is interested in the conflict that arises between our &lsquo;good intentions&rsquo; (for example to eat healthily or avoid alcohol) and our innate tendency to be attracted by things that signal reward such as the McDonald&rsquo;s golden M or the beer logo.
She uses methods such as eye tracking and neuroimaging to examine this interplay between biased cognitions and habits on the one hand and explicit motivation on the other. She tries to understand the mechanisms that contribute to unwanted patterns of behaviour in both healthy and clinical populations.
She is also involved in intervention projects (to improve treatment outcomes for patients and measuring the efficacy of these interventions) and is interested more generally in health psychology and behaviour change.
Episode link at <a href="https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/poppy-watson">https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/poppy-watson</a>

On every episode you will hear inspiring conversations with leading experts in the fields of psychology, sports, personal growth, nutrition and other fields in order to gain clarity and understanding on how to deal with life in these exciting, yet challenging times. Your host, Nesh Nikolic, is a Clinical Psychologist based in Canberra, Australia with over 15,000 hours of 1-on-1 therapy experience. He’s trained in a number of therapy modes including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy. Every week, Nesh will bring raw, down-to-earth and nonchalant talks right into your ears that are designed to make you think smarter and better so you can deal with life as it is - no sugar-coating or playing “happy.”

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