Why do we follow advice we know is bad?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they explore a behaviour almost everyone recognises: following advice we suspect is bad, or even know is wrong. So why do we do it?

From medicine and wellness culture to friendships and everyday life, Chris and Xand unpack the psychology behind why bad advice can be so hard to resist. They explore how authority, confidence and social pressure shape our decisions, and why warning signs don’t always protect us from making choices we later regret. They also ask why questioning experts can feel so difficult, even when our wellbeing depends on it.

Along the way, they discuss how people can become more confident questioning advice, seeking second opinions, and making decisions that genuinely align with their own judgement and wellbeing.

To help them untangle it all, they’re joined by Professor Sunita Sah, Organisational psychologist at Cornell University.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Sunita Sah
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Ruth Rainey

At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4