What happens when you take the theories, research, and ideas of psychology and connect them to the things we experience every day?
For more than 15 years, Michael Britt has been doing exactly that through The Psych Files, a podcast that explores the science behind human behavior in an approachable, interesting, and often entertaining way.
Michael is a psychologist, educator, author, and the creator and host of The Psych Files. He started the podcast in 2007 with a simple goal: to make psychology interesting, accessible, and useful for anyone curious about why people think, feel, and behave the way they do.
Since then, The Psych Files has grown to more than 330 episodes and more than 22 million downloads.
This month, Blubrry is proud to recognize The Psych Files as our October Podcaster of the Month.
Making Psychology Part of Everyday Life
Psychology can sometimes feel like a subject reserved for classrooms, textbooks, and academic research.
Michael took a different approach.
The Psych Files looks at psychological concepts through the situations people encounter in everyday life. Instead of simply explaining a theory, Michael connects it to something listeners can recognize, whether that means understanding memory, learning, persuasion, personality, decision-making, or why people believe what they believe.
That approach has been at the heart of the podcast since its beginning.
Michael spent 10 years as a full-time psychology professor at Marist University, where he taught courses including introductory psychology, research methods and statistics, history of psychology, and industrial/organizational psychology.
Teaching gave him plenty of experience explaining complicated ideas to students.
Podcasting gave him a way to take those ideas beyond the classroom.
The result is a show that feels less like a traditional lecture and more like a conversation about the psychology hiding in plain sight.
From the Classroom to the Podcast
The Psych Files began in 2007, at a time when podcasting was still relatively new.
Michael saw an opportunity to use the medium to make psychology available to people outside a traditional classroom.
The idea was simple: take interesting psychological research and explain what it means in the real world.
That could mean exploring a research study, looking at a common question about human behavior, breaking down a psychological concept, or examining something people regularly encounter in their own lives.
The podcast eventually became one of the longest-running psychology podcasts on the internet.
And Michael’s background as an educator helped shape the way the show communicates.
The goal isn’t simply to give listeners information.
It’s to make them think differently about something they may have experienced themselves.
More Than 330 Episodes of Psychology
Over the years, The Psych Files has covered a wide range of topics within psychology.
Some episodes focus on memory and learning. Others explore social psychology, personality, persuasion, perception, critical thinking, and the science behind everyday behavior.
Memory and learning have been a particular focus for Michael throughout his work, including resources and videos designed to help students understand and remember psychological concepts.
The podcast’s website also includes resources for students and teachers, including psychology experiments, study materials, and other educational content.
That educational focus has helped The Psych Files reach more than just podcast listeners.
The show’s resources have been used by students, teachers, and lifelong learners who want to understand psychology beyond the classroom.
And after more than 330 episodes, there is plenty to explore.
Psychology Without the Textbook Feel
One of the strengths of The Psych Files is its ability to make complicated ideas approachable.
Psychology comes with plenty of terminology, theories, studies, and research findings that can be difficult to understand when presented in a textbook.
Michael’s approach is different.
He takes those ideas and puts them into context.
Instead of simply asking, “What is this psychological theory?”
The show often asks a more interesting question:
“How does this affect you?”
That connection between research and everyday life is what gives The Psych Files its distinctive identity.
It’s educational, but it doesn’t have to feel like studying.
It’s informative, but the goal isn’t to overwhelm listeners with academic language.
And because the topics often connect to experiences people already have, listeners can walk away with a better understanding of themselves and the people around them.
From Podcast to Books and Beyond
Michael’s work with The Psych Files has also expanded beyond podcasting.
He is the author of Psych Experiments, a book that turns some of psychology’s most fascinating studies into experiments that readers can explore for themselves.
He also wrote 200 Words to Help You Talk About Psychology, a guide to common psychology terms and concepts, covering everything from Gestalt theory and the placebo effect to prejudice and critical thinking.
These projects reflect the same idea behind the podcast: psychology doesn’t have to be intimidating or difficult to understand.
Sometimes, the best way to learn something is to connect it to something you already know.
A Podcast Built to Keep People Curious
The Psych Files has lasted because curiosity is built into the format.
Human behavior gives us an almost endless supply of questions.
Why do we remember some things and forget others?
Why do people make decisions that don’t always seem rational?
Why are we persuaded by certain messages?
Why do we believe things that aren’t necessarily supported by evidence?
And why do other people sometimes behave in ways that make absolutely no sense to us?
These are the kinds of questions that make psychology interesting in the first place.
The Psych Files takes those questions and uses research and psychological theory to explore the answers.
After more than 330 episodes and 22 million downloads, that approach has clearly given listeners plenty of reasons to keep asking questions.
The Impact of Making Psychology Accessible
The success of The Psych Files isn’t just about the number of episodes or downloads.
It’s also about making psychology available to people who may never take a psychology course.
Students can use the podcast as another way to understand concepts they’re learning in class.
Teachers can use episodes and resources to supplement their lessons.
And curious listeners can explore psychology simply because they want to understand themselves and the world around them a little better.
That’s an important part of what makes educational podcasts so valuable.
You don’t need to enroll in a class, buy a textbook, or sit in a lecture hall.
You can simply press play.
Blubrry’s Podcaster of the Month Spotlight
Blubrry Podcasting is proud to recognize Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files and Michael Britt as our October Podcaster of the Month.
Since 2007, Michael has taken psychology out of the classroom and brought it into everyday life.
With more than 330 episodes, more than 22 million downloads, books, educational resources, and years of experience as a psychology educator, The Psych Files has built a lasting resource for anyone interested in understanding human behavior.
The show is a good reminder that learning doesn’t always have to feel like studying.
Sometimes, it starts with a simple question about why we do the things we do.
🎧 Listen to Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files and discover how psychology can give you a little more insight into yourself and everyday life.