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PODCAST

Why We Do What We Do

Create an enjoyable listener experience about psychological concepts that anyone can easily consume.

science social sciences

All Episodes

00:30:02

131 | Lead Poisoning Our Brains | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/11/20

Lead has been used as cosmetics, sweetener, a contraceptive, and a host of other things. We even discovered it was detrimental to our health, but ramped up consumption of this dangerous metal anyway. Lead was used in paint because it made it better, and tasted sweet, so kids licked it. It was also used in gasoline because it prevented engines from knocking... and then was expelled into the air where we all breathed it in. Beyond the history, we described how lead is able to infiltrate our brains by

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01:23:01

130 | The Psychology of Humor (Our Funniest Episode...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/11/13

Special guest, Stu Law, has studied humor and comedy as a hobby and somewhat more directly in his career. He has evaluated what makes us laugh and come to the conclusion that... well, you can find out by listening! But in short, comedy is evolving, contextual, and cultural. We become funny by watching and practicing. Stu will recap some of his favorite moments in comedy and some of his favorite jokes. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the

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00:51:17

129 | Tapping Meridian Points | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/11/06

Serious psychologists have recommended using tapping meridian points as legitimate psychological therapy. So we decided to explore the history and science of meridian points. There is not scientific or epistemological rationale that makes any sense for meridian points. Instead, we have motivated reasoning and a placebo effect. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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00:30:38

128 | Zombie Bugs | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/10/30

Our final Halloween themed episode dives into real-life zombies. Besides being horrifyingly disturbing, these brainless parasites pose an interesting conundrum to understanding how a reanimated corpse can seemingly move with purpose. How does it know how to coordinate the legs? How does it know to position itself to re-infect another host? What is it like for the bug? Surprisingly, the fungus does not infect the brain, instead it controls the muscles directly. Hoes does it work?! We do our best to

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00:34:41

127 | Sleep Paralysis: Demons and Ghosts in the Night...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/10/23

The penultimate installment of our creepy psychology themed month of October is a breakdown of sleep paralysis. The experience we have when we begin to drift in or out of sleep and find ourselves immobilized, confused, and maybe even moderately hallucinating. But why do our brains conjure this nightmarish scenario? Find out more by listening in! Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or

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00:47:31

126 | Where Our Superstitions Come From | Why We Do...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/10/16

Our third installment of our creepy psychology themed month of October discusses what superstitions are and where they come from. Furthermore, even people who don't think they are superstitious often have some superstitions that they don't notice. Shane and Abraham explain how these superstitions come to be and reveal some of their own embarrassing behaviors. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via

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00:50:40

125 | Why People Like Horror Movies | Why We Do What...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/10/09

People watch scary movies around Halloween and other times of the year. Many horror films are produced every year. What is this strange fascination that people have with the macabre and feeling fear? There is an important element of social structures and possibly some gender expectations as well. There are many other hypotheses, but many of them suck. Find out why! Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via

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00:34:48

124 | Crying Wolf: Clinical Lycanthropy | Why We Do...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/10/02

Clinical Lycanthropy is the mental health condition in which people believe that they turn into an animal of some kind, commonly werewolves. The evidence and history of this as a diagnosis and possible treatments is very scarce and there are only a handful of cases throughout history. For the most part, this is likely a symptom of an overarching mental health condition that includes delusion. Nevertheless, an interesting topic to learn about! Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908,

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00:44:03

123 | Seizure Disorders | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/09/25

Our brains are a complex network of neurons that connect all of the parts of our body together. So if the electrochemical signals fire sporadically then there could be a wide range of various symptoms including convulsions, memory loss, and confusion. Listen in to learn more about what seizures do in the brain and what to do about them. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or

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00:45:12

122 | Brain Food | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/09/18

Many people make exaggerated claims about the neurological benefits of specific foods and then charge you for their consultation expertise, their dietary supplements, their recipes, or their other woo products. Some of their recommendations are perfectly legit, but their proposed outcomes are generally completely unsupported. Plus, we discuss antioxidants, supplements, and the real brain foods. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments

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00:41:00

121 | A Brief Introduction to Punishment | Why We Do...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/09/11

Punishment is neither good nor bad, but it can be positive or negative. Puzzle that one out! There is a technical use o of the term and concept of punishment and a lot of interesting research. This discussion primarily does a brief overview of what it is and theories of why we do it. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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00:53:23

120 | Sign Language With Primates | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/09/04

Many point to the uniqueness of humans in their language. Others suggest that we just haven't found a way to teach language to other species. This all changed with researchers reported teaching hundreds of signs to primates. But if they were successful, where are all the primates with language? Why aren't there robust or at least existing research programs to teach language to another species? This is a discussion of the controversial history of trying to break the species language

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00:43:31

119 | Twin Studies | Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/08/28

Twin studies have been a staple in psychological research for over a century. But many people don't know about the critical assumptions implicit in conducting these studies. Shane and Abraham break down the history of twin studies and the weaknesses that plague them. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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00:59:06

118 | Positive and Negative Reinforcement in Schools...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/08/21

Students experience positive and negative reinforcement throughout their school day. Some of this reinforcement is specifically delivered by teachers, and some of it just occurs as a part of a normal day. What is negative reinforcement and what does it look like in schools. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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00:44:19

117 | Who Still Uses Behavior Modification? | Why We...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/08/14

Recent pundits have voiced their alarm and concern over the use of behavior modification strategies to create "addictive" patterns of behavior. Who are the people still using this technique? It turns out it is much more common than you might think. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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00:59:15

116 | Why Are Some People Picky Eaters? | Why We Do...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/08/07

Why are some people picky eaters, while others are adventurous? Is it evolution? Parenting? Some combination of the two? This isn't a discussion on interventions for feeding disorders or food selectivity. However, it will summarize a slew of scientific articles on how picky eating develops and maintains across the lifetime and the implications of a restricted diet. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via

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00:37:20

115 | Leaning Over the Edge: The Call of the Void |...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/07/31

Many of us have had the experience of looking over the edge and wondering what it would be like to jump or fall. We don't actually want to, but we are curious. Edgar Allen Poe called this The Imp of the Perverse. Freud called it the "Death Drive." There are many theories as to why many people have this experience. Listen in to find out more! Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or

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01:09:31

114 | A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/07/24

People often have seemingly inexplicable taste in music. What is it that that drives us toward our music preferences? Have you ever felt persecuted for your taste in music? Learn about the psychology of why we like the music we like. Also, recommend music for the team to listen to! Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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0:47:32

113 | You Know Less Than You Think: The...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/07/17

A common cognitive bias we have is that we tend to think that we are better informed and experienced in things that we really are. The examples are practically endless and everyone does it. What are you worse at than you think? Listen in as Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) describe the study that started a tsunami of research on basic human fallibility. Also, find out what lemons have to do with a bank robbery in the late 1990's. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at

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1:01:36

112 | Expelled: Racial Inequality in School...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2019/07/10

Schools might be as segregated today as they have ever been. Learn more with Dr. Kent McIntosh as he lends his expertise on racial inequality (disproportionality) in school discipline. Remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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272 results

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