What you repeatedly watch, scroll through, listen to, and discuss does more than fill your time. It can shape what feels normal, likely, threatening, and true.

In this episode of Hard Truths, Aimee explores how algorithms, repetition, online communities, shared pain, and divisive content can train our attention and influence the stories we tell about dating, relationships, other people, and the world.

This is not a call to ignore real danger or dismiss cautionary stories. Risks are real, and the way people meet, date, and relate has changed. The challenge is to keep caution connected to evidence, so discernment doesn’t harden into cynicism, contempt, or universal suspicion.

Aimee also examines the difference between remaining open to synchronicity, God, or the mysteries of life, and treating a man-made algorithm as unquestionable spiritual confirmation.

The episode concludes with a practical 10-day Attention Calibration Experiment to help you establish a baseline, identify what your content habits are reinforcing, and test whether a deliberate change moves you closer to the person and life you say you want.

Download the free companion workbook at https://www.momentumlrc.com/ht-podcast-companion-documents.

Episode sources

1. Hassan, A., & Barber, S. J. (2021). “The Effects of Repetition Frequency on the Illusory Truth Effect.” Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6, Article 38. (Springer)
2. Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1973). “Availability: A Heuristic for Judging Frequency and Probability.” Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), 207–232. (ScienceDirect)
3. Rose, A. J. (2002). “Co-Rumination in the Friendships of Girls and Boys.” Child Development, 73(6), 1830–1843. (OUP Academic)
4. Pew Research Center (2023). “The Experiences of U.S. Online Daters.” (Pew Research Center)
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief. (CDC)
6. TikTok Newsroom. “How TikTok Recommends Videos #ForYou.” (TikTok Newsroom)
7. Meta Newsroom. “Reshape Your Instagram With a Recommendations Reset.” (Facebook About)
8. James, William. (1890). The Principles of Psychology, Chapter XI: “Attention.” (Psych Classics)
9. Brady, W. J., McLoughlin, K., Doan, T. N., & Crockett, M. J. (2021). “How Social Learning Amplifies Moral Outrage Expression in Online Social Networks.” Science Advances, 7(33). This is not discussed at length in the final script but supports the broader point that socially rewarded expressions can become more likely to recur. (Science)