Student Podcast Release ON RE:PEAT [03.12.25]
Last semester, 23 master students worked on a podcast series.The topic: rituals and how they can help people change their behavior. In a total of eight weekly episodes, they take a scientific, critical, and casual look at topics such as professional sports, self-tracking, sleep, digital disconnection, and alcohol consumption.
The podcast is the result of the Behavior Change master's course, which takes a scientific approach to the topic of behavior change. In the summer semester of 2025, students at the Department of Media Psychology worked on a concept for communicating science in a practical and everyday-relevant way.
Now the first episodes of the science podcast ON RE:PEAT are online! More exciting episodes on the following topics will follow until the end of the year:
Episode 1 – Mini-rituals (November 3, 2025): Small changes, big impact! Mini-rituals bring structure to your hectic everyday life and help you take a breather. This episode brings lots of fresh ideas that you can implement right away!
Episode 2 – Rituals in professional sports (10/11/2025): Professional athletes use rituals to achieve peak performance. We reveal their secrets! The guests: basketball professional Bakary Dibba, national handball coach Markus Gaugisch, and sports psychologist Jan Bursik.
Episode 3 – Self-tracking (17.11.2025): Pedometers, fitness trackers, apps – how do they really help and when do people fall into the trap of self-optimization? Self-tracking pioneer Florian Schumacher shares his experiences from the German quantified self movement.
Episode 4 – 5am Club (November 24, 2025): Want to get up early like the stars? Together with expert Astrid Jansen, we explain who membership is for and why our genes are the main factor in determining whether we can get up easily in the morning. Spoiler: The 5am Club is more exclusive than you might think.
Episode 5 – Sleep Procrastination (released on December 1, 2025): Falling asleep is sometimes harder than getting up. How do smartphones influence our sleeping habits – and do they help us or keep us awake? We take a scientific look in the bedroom and our bedtime rituals.
Episode 6 – Digital Detox (released on December 8, 2025): Banning smartphones from everyday life sounds impossible, yet many find it desirable and necessary to take smartphone breaks. Which strategies really help to reduce screen time? Our hosts summarize the latest research findings and put them to the test.
Episode 7 – Alcohol consumption (released on February 15, 2025): Alcohol is a ritual for celebrating special moments, saying goodbye, and celebrating new phases of life. We look at its history and risks and ask: Is there such a thing as responsible drinking? Child and adolescent psychotherapist Ms. Wurster helps us put this into perspective.
Episode 8 – Journaling (released on December 22, 2025): Writing down your thoughts for self-reflection – does it really work? Yes! Luk and Lara share tips from their years of journaling experience, and positive psychologist Stefanie Modrack explains why journaling works and where its limitations lie.
Click here for the ON RE:PEAT podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MDftEC5ffGgJRcP9Ykqlq?si=bda0a4fffee3458f
