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PODCAST

Why We Do What We Do

We explain popular and weird, little-known ideas in psychology. Whether you are a little curious about psychology, or a student, or even a professional, we have something for everyone.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

science social sciences

All Episodes

47:56

Disability and Ability

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/17

Conditions that differ from "normal," sometimes called disability, don't preclude people with those conditions from being able to do regular vocational activities, and may even give them an advantage. Many employers have found financial and cultural benefits to hiring people with disabilities, people with disabilities have demonstrated their ability to thrive an be unique and meaningful contributions, and some activities are performed more economically. efficiently, or competenty by people with

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11:44

Mini: 6-7

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/15

Because this was selected the "word of the year," we decided we may as well discuss it. If you've been lucky enough to miss this trend, sorry to end your lucky streak. If you've been hearing this and don't understand what it means, we'll explain the history and what it means (spoiler, you're not missing anything). If you are a big fan of the "six seveeeen" craze, then maybe there's something here for you to learn as well. We hope you enjoy! Get extra content by joining our membership club:

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64:35

Private Equity in Disability

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/10

Sometimes investment groups will purchase and then unify individually-owned, small businesses that provide care for people with disabilities. Once they've acquired enough businesses, they'll turn around and sell the conglomerated entity to the highest bidder. There are some advantages... kind of... if you're being generous. But ther are a lot of disadvantages. We do our best to be fair while also explaining the reality of the situation. RecommendationsAbraham: Wicked: For Good

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15:07

Mini: Perfect Pitch Perfect

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/08

This is not about the movie(s). Amazingly, that didn't even occur to us before, during, or even immediately after recording this... This is about the ability some people have to identify or possibly produce exact notes, called perfect pitch, or natural pitch, or absolute pitch. Is it genetic? Is it learned? Are those nonsensical questions? We'll explain a bit of the research on perfect pitch (and relative pitch, which is technically different). Give the gift of supporting us as a one time donation,

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63:26

Sexuality in Disabilities

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/03

A touchy topic that some people don't want to touch is sexuality as it relates to disability. There is some "moral" prudishness that borders on (if not explicitly crosses into) eugenics for those who think sex is not a topic for diability. People with disabilities are people, and people have sexual motivations. We mostly dispell some myths people may have sex and disability as well as share some fun things you may not know.RecommendationsAbraham: Origin Story (board game;

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12:16

Mini: Adaptive Sex Industry

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/12/01

The industry around sex equipment has been leading the charge in the development of equipment for different bodies and impairments. This mini describes some of the advances and innovations that have developed for various body types and impairments to engage in safe, sexual activities. Join our supporters club:

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50:27

Terms in Disability

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/26

The vernacular treadmill is ever running and we often find we are behind on the currently accepted terms. While some struggle to accept change, many of us prefer to treat our fellow humans with respect by adopting the terms that are more compassionate. We briefly touch on the history of some terms as well as the current "best practices," including the controvery around person-first or identity-first language. What are some you didn't know? Did we miss any?RecommendationsAbraham: Hens (board game:

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14:57

Mini: No Nut November

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/24

Do you believe in the magic of sperm? The longer you hold onto it, the mightier you become. Except, not. The idea of sperm retention does almost nothing that it claims to, even to the point of being counter productive for some goals. But, if that's your thing. You do you. Become a supporter! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

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56:56

Accessibility for All

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/19

Brilliant people have worked to create accessibility so comprehensively baked into our lives that we often don't even recognize that it is there. However, there are still more places without accessible design than places with it. This discussion enumerates the Universal Design Principles that have improved everyone's quality of life and made the world a more inclusive place for people with disabilities. We'll talk about what they are, how they work, and along the way, impart guidelines for how you

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12:32

Mini: Making Things More Accessible

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/17

This is a quick tutorial for making things more accessible and checking for accessibility when creating documents mostly in MS Office and Adobe. So, this will be a how-to with recommendations and a little commentary. Let us know about your accessibility strategies.Join our supporter's club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

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55:22

Autism Subtypes

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/12

Continuing on with our suite on disability and accessibility, this episode explores new research exploring autism subtypes and their links to genetic markers. There are implications for people with disabilities and politics. Tell us what you think!RecommendationsAbraham: Visit Savannah, GA! https://visitsavannah.com/ Shane: ONTABA (https://ontaba.org/)Holidays (11/12/2025):Chicken Soup for the Soul DayGIS DayHappy Hour DayInternational Pathology DayNational French Dip DayNational Pizza With

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15:52

Mini: Signs That Don't Mean You Have ADHD

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/11

Do you wake up after sleeping? Do you eat food when you are hungry? You might have ADHD! Not because of those things... those just mean you are human and alive. But, people are constantly posting about symptoms of ADHD that are not symptoms of ADHD. We'll break down a few examples. Support us on

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70:51

Models of Disability

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/05

How do we start talking about disabiliity? First, we need to understand how people thinking about and appraoch disability. This episode kicks off a suite of episodes in which we will be discussing various issues in disability and accessibility. The models of disability are the different ways people have approached and treated disability and people with disabilities. We have a favorite.RecommendationsAbraham: Acacia Strain: You are Safe From God Here (https://youaresafefromgodhere.com/)Shane: Writing

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18:44

Mini: Thin Blue Line

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/11/03

The "Thin Blue Line" has a probable origin in military history. It has been employed as a symbol of law enforcement, but commoly applied in contrast to other social causes. We discuss the history of the Thin Blue Line, the origin of the modern flag with a blue stripe interpretation of this idea, criticisms of the Thin Blue Line, and enumerate the controvertial uses of this iconography... all within the scope of a single mini! Join our ad-free subscription: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

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63:30

Ritual Sacrifice

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/29

Our final Halloween episode tackles a grizzly topic: Ritual Sacrifices. We explore some of the practices and reasons for sacfrifice throughout history. Note that there are somewhat graphic descriptions of some violent acts toward humans and animals. If you're going to sacrifice something, make it an inanimate effigy or other symbolic object. Happy Halloween 2025!RecommendationsAbraham: Novocaine: https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/novocaineShane: Nine Inch Nails - Tron:Ares OST

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16:05

Mini: Houska Castle

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/27

There is a mysterious castle in Czechia with defensive structures pointed inward toward the caste. There are also stories of a hole in the ground of unknown depth with horror stories about attempts to explore it. We'll discuss the truth of Houska Castle. Get ad free episodes: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastSource: https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-real-truth-behind-houska-castle/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.Support

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56:06

How Do Halloween Masks Affect Our Behavior?

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/22

Wearing a mask changes the way our social word interacts with us. This might mean access to rewards that we might not otherwise try to access, but the anonymity of a mask means doing so may be less likely to be met with punishment. Furthermore, our social environment affects our behavior. So, to answer the title: Yes kind of, but maybe not in the way you might think. Do you notice a difference in your behavior when you wear a mask? Let us know!RecommendationsAbraham: Is it Cake: Halloween

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14:38

Mini: Creepy Pasta

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/20

Creepy pasta is/was a democratized way ot telling scary stories that are just on the edge of believability. They seem to have dissipated into various other formats over time. Yet, the brief story of creepy pastas is an interesting one and appropriate for the spooky season. What's your favorite creepy pasta?Join our member's club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.creepypasta.com/https://medium.com/@lukewhenderson/what-makes-a-creepypasta-4e5ac00897bf Become a supporter

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63:09

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/15

One of the most iconic and well-established horror stories in the world, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a masterpiece of literature. The talented director Guillermo del Toro will soon be releasing his vision of this story. So, in advance of his film, we discuss the author, how the story came to be, a brief synopsis of the plot, and some of the science behind the potential reality of such a thing. Tell us your favorite horror stories!RecommendationsAbraham: Warbreaker (book by Brandon Sanderson;

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16:06

Mini: 666

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/10/13

We have a fascination with assigning meaning to various numbers. Actually, many cultures enjoy assigning meaning to numbers as well. In western traditions, we have a particularly special number that is the most evil: 666. We explore how this number came to be associated with the Devil and the why its not. But hey, I guess it is now. Get ad-free episodes and help us be a show: Patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

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