On the sofa with TV therapist Sally Baker

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The Love Island producers are always trying to mix it up and make each season fresh but the public choosing who couples up with whom has repercussions on how the boys and girls feel about each other plus controversy is never far away in Love Island. Find out more about the psychology behind the 'feels' and the vibe of the first week of Series 8.

Two episodes into the new series and the initially lukewarm couples are getting to know each other. In true Love Island tradition disruption arrives this time in the shape of twins Eve and Jess who can cherry-pick any boy they like much to the frustration and annoyance of their new girlfriends. 

Just hours away from the first winter series of Love Island Sally Baker senior therapist and expert in human behaviour explores how the contestants will be trying to make the public fall in love with them even if their fellow contestants don't.  

People let their guard down at different rates. There isn't a right or a wrong time scale to fall for someone.  Ideally the speed of falling for a new person happens at the right pace for you.  And if you do let yourself be more vulnerable there's nothing as painful as feeling betrayed by someone else's actions. You can make this into a painful drama for yourself or an opportunity to se the real them. Hear my reply here.  (This podcast is a fictional interaction and does not presume a professional relationship with any real person). Not affiliated with ITV2 Love Island 

In my mail bag today I look at a letter from a girl who is feeling confused and sad about her boyfriend's possessive behaviour towards her. He's made her doubt herself and it's not the first time she's been left feeling stressed out and crying.  Find out what I suggest she does to time out for herself and to see if he really is her soul mate.  ( This is a fictionalised letter and does not imply direct contact between myself and anyone on Love Island. Not affiliated with Love Island or ITV2)

With the boys out of the way for the day how did it go for the girls around the pool? The dynamics were certainly different  and although some truths were told most were said direct to camera in the confessional beach hut.  Everything is still up in the air for Tommy between him, Molly-Mae and Maura. I'm glad I'm not a betting girl. It's close.

Maura and Elma have shaken up the villa by declaring their intention to find love and making it clear that no boy is off limits. Love Island's hot-house atmosphere magnifies and turns up the heat on every emotion blowing everything out of proportion.  The resident girls bravado and silliness are masks for their anxiety. It's only a game but it's proving to be a bloody one.

Two new girls arriving in the villa created an 'us' and 'them' division between the resident girls and the newcomers.  Maura and Elma were enthusiastic about choosing the boys they wanted to get to know better over dinner. and certainly made an impression on the boys.  Romances that looked as if they were going well could be shakey or even history in the very near future and even though its the new girls who get to choose who to couple up with the power seems to have shifted firmly to the boys.  Let's just everyone hope everyone protects themselves at all times; that there's no comments below the belt and that they have a clean contest.  Until then it's time to touch gloves and go back to their corners until the bell goes!

Just over a week in and Sherif has been 'disappeared' with no-one so far commenting on him leaving the villa. The producers are defiantly keeping the pressure on the contestants with two new girls arriving in the next episode just as boys and girls were beginning to settle down into coupledom. This podcast also looks at why the producers may have chosen contestants who are already social media influencers or related to famous people and how that could affect their performance on Love Island.

Love Island 2019 Episode 1: The first programme of a long hot summer.  Great to finally hear the contestants talk for themselves and share some personal details.  Knowing a little more about them immediately changes how we think and feel about them. They're no longer just pretty or handsome but people with personalities, hopes and dreams.  Already some are more likeable than others and a lot of how we relate to the contestants will depend on if they align with our own values or not so as we find out more about them it will be interesting to see who triggers the audience to love them or loath them.

Richard Cowles, Love Island's creative director has been getting flack in the press due to the lack of body diversity in the LI Series 5 contestants but I think it makes sense. Find out why in this short podcast.

Rumours about who will be taking part in Love Island Series 5 are breaking in the press every day. As are what ITV plans to do with Casa Mor, the lie detector episode and the one where the contestants get to hear what the trolls have been saying about them.  This season is going to be a tough one for ITV to get right with the challenge of making 8 weeks of exciting reality TV while the mental health of none of the contestants suffer.  OFCOM will be watching their every move while we viewers will be eagerly making our own judgments about this year's cohort. One thing for sure though is that the rumoured contestants are going to be the most media savvy ever selected. It will be interesting to see if  a more knowing bunch of contestants behave differently on the Island than previous contestants.  Will they be hyper aware of how they behave knowing their every move will be judged from the comfort of our sofas?