Real Life Money
The Debt Monster
Video player coming at launch
About this episode
What it's about
You're not bad at maths. Your brain's CEO has been escorted out of the building. David and Emme go inside the neurology of debt — why the "dread" of opening your bank app physically takes your decision-making centre offline, and why every "just budget better" piece of advice fails to land for people in a shame spiral.
Ostrich EffectFinancial shame spiralAmygdala hijack
In this episode
What we cover
- The "Ostrich Effect" — why your brain chooses blindness as a survival strategy
- The Financial Shame Spiral and how it compounds
- The biological lock: cortisol, the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex
- Why action is impossible until regulation happens first
- One small thing you can do today that doesn't require willpower
- If you need immediate help with debt, contact the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
Where to start
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