x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

15:41

Mini: Backseat Driving

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/21

We all hate it. Yet, some of us do it. We talk about why people do it, how recipients perceive it, and how passenger commentary/critique/analysis affects driving behavior and safety.Join our member club for ad-free content and other bonus content: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

53:47

Jonestown pt. 1

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/16

One of the largest mass murders of American citizens in history took place in 1978 in Guyana at the hands of cult leader, Jim Jones. This discussion delves into the circumstances that gave rise to Jones' power and influence of hundreds of people that lead to a tragic mass death of hundreds of people young and old. This first episode chronicles Jones' life as he rose to prominence and eventually moved his congregation to South America. The next episode will unravel the tragedy that took place in

en

17:18

Mini: Nail Biting

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/14

Do you bite your fingernails or know someone who does? Why do we do this weird, self-destructive thing? What can we do to stop it? We quickly explore the conditions under which we bite our fingernails and some strategies for reducing the frequency of this habit. Tell us your experiences with nail biting (info@wwdwwdpodcast.com; ‪@wwdwwdpodcast.bsky.social‬)Join our supporter's club:

en

66:41

Tipping Point

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/09

Tipping is another oddly American tradition that we all pretty universally hate. Perhaps you did not know that the modern conception of tipping arose during reconstruction as a means to not have to pay black people for their labor. We explore the origins of this strange, uniquely American tradition, why it persists, and what is probably going to make this problem much, much worse. RecommendationsAbraham: Unconscious Mind

en

11:36

Mini: Learned Helplessness

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/07

Some people use this term incorretly, some don't know it at all. To help get everyone on the same page, we are going to review the history of research that first described this phenomenon. Then, we will give examples of what this might look like in real-life scenarios. Get ad-free and bonus content: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis, 3rd Ed. Pearson.Seligman, M. E., & Maier, S. F. (1967). Failure

en

87:52

Reframing: A Framework to Developing a Compassionate...

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/07/02

Special guests Jennifer Farris, Meg Solomon, and Dr. Mari Cerda join us to talk about their new book about developing a compassionate care model. They outline the critical elemtents of their discussion, and share personal stories to help illustrate their recommendations. At the end, they join us in giving their own recommendations for things that bring them joy. We could all use a little more joy. Find the Book

en

10:34

Mini: Skeptical All Day

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/30

Can you walk around being skeptical all day long? At what point do you need to let your guard down? We suggest that not only can you go about your day being skeptical, it is better if you do. We'll explain.Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks: https://www.theskepticsguide.org/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

en

60:45

Head Go Bonk: Bad

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/25

There is a unique type of brain trauma that destroys lives and cuts them short and we can't even tell that it has happened until after your death. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy occurs when there is repeated head trauma, even if it is mild. The result can manifest as forgetfulness, impulsivity, violence, and an early death. Mercifully, it is relatively preventable. Unfortunately, few people care to prevent it. Protect Your Brain!Recommendations:Abraham: Mickey 17

en

12:04

Mini: Why We Twitch

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/23

Sometimes we have some random twitches that develop out of nowhere. What is going on with these? Why do they happen? And, what can we do about it? We explore the uncomfortable world of twitches. Fun fact, these are technically different from spasms. Become a member: Patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

61:13

Replacement Theory

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/18

Replacement theory is essentially a propaganda campaign engineered to scare gullible people into giving power to autocrats. Versions of this have been around for a long time. We review the history of replacement theory, explain how it works to trick people into voting against their interests (and the interests of everyone else), and what we can do about it. RecommendationsAbraham: Wool (https://hughhowey.com/books/wool/)Shane: Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH

en

15:00

Mini: Placebo Controls for Vaccines

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/16

One of the most common strategies of current right-wing propaganda is to say something that sounds like reasonable words, but when you break it down it is misleading, misinformed, outright wrong, or even dangerous. One example of this is a recent suggestion that we start using placebo-controlled experimental arrangements for established vaccines. This is fairly simple to dismantle, so buckle in for a quick and dirty takedown of the placebo-controlled vaccine studies stupid nonsense. Support us on

en

51:42

Golden Goose Awards

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/11

Science is not perfect, because it is human. But it is strives for correction, unlike almost any other human institution or endeavor. Much of what science does at the basic level can feel absurd, esoteric, and pointless. Sometimes, it is. But funding basic scientific research is the reason we have made more progress in the last 150 years than the previous 3,000 years combined. Let's continue making strides forward with our values in mind: fund basic science research!RecommendationsAbraham: The

en

14:18

Mini: Scoville Scale

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/09

The Scoville scale is a method for measuring the heat of capsaicin-laden food. This is the amount of sugar water needed to entirely dilute the spice. But, we say it more elegantly than that. Let the spice flow!Join our supporter's club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

74:37

Makeup

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/04

Lots of people smear colored dyes into the skin of their face almost every day. It's so commonplace, we hardly give it a second thought. We explore the history of makeup, and the psychology of this cultural practice. There are different motives for wearing makeup. We enumerate some of them here. It's not so simple as a lot of peope might try to make it out to be. RecommendationsAbraham: Love, Death, and Robots (Season 4; https://www.netflix.com/title/80174608)Shane: Alien: Romulus

en

18:10

Mini: Science Cheat-Prevention

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/06/02

A trending strategy to bolster the interpretation of scientific results is to "pre-register" a study. This is publicly declaring your methods and data analysis procedures prior to beginning the research. Another advantage is that this means null results are more likely to be published. However, it may also inhibit attention to unexpected discovery. We'll briefly describe what pre-registering is, the pros and the cons. Join our membership group! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

67:05

The End is Nigh!

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/28

We are all gonna die! Some day :) Top 10, or 12 or something times that humans incorrectly predicted the end of the world! People have been doing this for a long, LONG time. Why do we love predicting the end of times? Is it money? Fame? Power? Mental Illness? A little of column A, a little of column B? We'll do our best to list some major would-be world-ending events that didn't end the world and why humans predicted them in the first place. RecommendationsAbraham: Sound of Metal (movie

en

25:01

Mini: Stuck in a Music Rut

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/26

Music is an important part of many people's childhood. Early, we start soaking up everything we hear and give equal opportunity to select the things we'll like. Later, we can't seem to move on from those early experiences. Why do we get stuck in a music rut and lose motivation to find new music... or do we?Support us on patreon! (www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast)Links and

en

82:01

Nostalgia: Masturbation (The Original DIY)

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/21

Years ago we talked about the science of masturbation (yes, ther's a science). Amazingly, there are some updates in the research on masturbation, so we decided it was time for an update. Fair WARNING: Episode contains expllcit, sexual descriptions. Listen in!support us: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastRecommendationsAbraham: Tokaido (https://stonemaiergames.com/games/tokaido/)Shane: Pet Symmetry - Big Symmetry (https://open.spotify.com/album/4Qt9subXSihAzylWq7dI8q?si=t5hlGJS2ScaCwE7tZGaakA)Holidays

en

20:20

Mini: SIDS

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/19

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) used to be escalating toward crisis. However, a public health campaign was able to effectively influence behaviors and significantly reduced instances of SIDS. So, what is going on with SIDS? Why does it happen? What can do to prevent it? We'll quickly explain what is known about this frightening condition. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

en

70:08

Autism Rising

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/14

There have been some wildly inaccurate claims in the news lately about autism and autistic people. There is a specific political agenda making the case that rates of autism are rising. Further, recent comments from RFK jr. have motivated us to respond and critique his asinine behavior. Autism is part of the human condition. Vaccines don't cause autism. We make an empassioned case against the misinformation ecosystem.RecommendationsAbraham: Deafheaven - “Lonely People With Power”

en

160 results

Similar Podcasts

X Minus 1 - Old Time Radio Show

Inception Point Ai

Science, Spoken

WIRED

This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiT

DarshanTalks Podcast

Darshan Kulkarni

The Best of Coast to Coast AM

iHeartPodcasts and Coast to Coast AM