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

14:23

Mini: Catch 'em Being Good

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/12

Facilitating prosocial behavior is something humans have struggled with for a long time. We unfortunately discovered that coercion was effective at directing some behaviors to some degree. This lead to a pervasive tendency to focus on punishment to try to influence behavior, as opposed to reinforcement and encouragement. This is a guide for shifting emphasis back toward acknowledging what's working as a more effective behavior management strategy.Join our patreon club

en

79:29

Privatize This!

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/07

A lot of engenuity has come out of various human endeavors over time. One system by which invention is motivated is the competition of capitalism. Thus, many people laud capitalism and private enterprise as the solution to most or all problems. We wanted to explore the motivations and science behind the management of a system that is government operated compared to a system that is privately operated to look for effects on human behavior and society. Turns out, the answers are

en

19:52

Mini: Airplane Boarding

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/05/05

Airlines have tried various methods to herd people onto a plane efficiently. Governing a lot of moving people is tricky. Which methods work to get people boarded? Did you know there is no standard way to do this? We'll break down the issues with boarding. Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References:https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/by_the_numbershttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-are-quicker-ways-to-board-a-plane-so-why-dont-airlines-use-them/Become a

en

55:48

Teaching Literacy pt 2

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/30

Last episode we spent a lot of time discussing some history about text-based communication in general, so we barely touched on the concepts you would need to get started teaching reading. This episode, we describe most of the remaining phonetic rules to teach reading in the bizare code that is the English language. Recommendations: Abraham: Sinners (https://slate.com/culture/2025/04/sinners-movie-michael-b-jordan-horror-how-scary.html) Shane: Spaceships over Glasgow by Stuart Braithwaite

en

16:46

Mini: Middle Names

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/28

How many names do you have? In America, it is very common to have three names, with the second name, called the "middle name," being a way to honor family, or just sound cool. We explain the history and uses of middle names. Listen in and support us if you can: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

55:42

Teaching Literacy pt 1

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/23

We are giving away the secret sauce. This is how to teach reading in Enlighs and how to do it efficiently. It's the rare trifecta of quick, cheap, and good. This first discussion needs to first carefully explain what reading is so that it is clear how teaching it works. Come back for part two to hear the builk of the sequence of curriculum. RecommendationsMetal Lords: https://www.netflix.com/title/81207588Shane: Bon Iver - SABLE,fABLE

en

13:58

Mini: Release the Hostage

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/21

The idea of holding someone hostage had to start somewhere. Actually, it started much more peacefully than what it evolved into. This episode is an exploration of the history of a word by reviewing Norse mythology. It is a blast, if we do say so ourselves. You're welcome.Join our membership group:

en

66:07

Journalism vs. the World

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/16

Special guest, journalist Ben Miller, joins us to talk about journalism compared to other forms of "news" and the importance of journalism to a functioning democracy. What do we do to combat the slew of misinformation propogated by real and false "journalists?" Ben has some ideas. Listen in and share your thoughts with us. RecommendationsA Complete Unknown (https://www.searchlightpictures.com/a-complete-unknown)Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (https://stephenking.com/works/novel/doctor-sleep.html) Join

en

15:09

Mini: Stress Balls

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/14

Everyone knows these squishly, novelty door prizes. Stress balls are touted as being able to help reduce your stress via the mechanical action of squeezing. Do they work to this end? Maybe! We'll explain in this brief, Monday mini. Join our membership: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks: Yüksel & Güneş (2024). The Effect of Stress Ball on Anxiety and Pain Levels in Angiography: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

en

64:22

The Benefits of Massage

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/09

A lot is made of the potential benefits of massage. Unfortunately, the camp has established firm roots to a lot of other pseudoscience. There seems to be legitimate benefits to getting massage, even beyond the fact that they make us feel good. Let's do the good science to see how we can leverage massage to help the people who would benefit from it the most. And booooo pseudoscience.RecommendationsAbraham: My Old Ass (https://www.mgm.com/movies/my-old-ass)Shane: Whiplash

en

16:07

Mini: Author Book-Signings

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/07

A signed copy of a first edition book might fetch you a high price down the road. But why? How does a signature increase the resale value of a book when it doesn't even increase the MSRP of a book? Is it even worth it for authors to spend dozens or even hundreds of hours signing books? We talk about the effect of authors signatures on books and why it increases the value and desirability. Join our supporter group!www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

57:12

Unhoused pt. 2

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/04/02

Our second discussion regarding houselessness we finish our review of some of the myths of houselessness as well as some potential solutions. It is a complicated issue, but this means that it will require nuanced, and idiosyncratic solutions. Let's remember our humanity and compassion when considering the people who have the least, and use our best tool, science, to help us resolve the issue. Recommendations:Abraham: Finspan

en

14:32

Mini: Fake News

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/31

Fake news is a triple threat for manipulating an audience. Boiled down, it is essentially a propaganda technique. We quickly expoore fake news, how it works, and the dangers it poses. Support us on Patreonwww.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/fakenewshttps://www.webwise.ie/teachers/what-is-fake-news/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

en

65:56

Unhoused pt. 1

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/26

There are a lot of ideas, hypothesis, opinions, and judgements about the issue of houselessness (formerly known as homelessness, sorry RV dwellers). However, there is logic, understanding, and science in this space. We'll explore the turbulent world of the unhoused, what people get wrong, and in the next episode, what we can do about it. Check out the first part of this two-part series. RecommendationsAbraham: Heat: Pedal to the Metal (https://www.daysofwonder.com/game/heat/)Shane: The Boys (Comic

en

16:41

Mini: Predictor of Future Behavior

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/24

Conventional wisdom is often wrong One maxim in particular asserts that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Given that every opportunity to do anything is a learning opportunity, the implication of this saying is that no one ever learns anything. We'll tackle this saying, why people believe it, and what is really going on. Become a supporter on Patreon:

en

63:49

Daylight Saving Time

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/19

We all just endured slogging through yet another ritual of the mysterious tradition of "daylight saving time." This unloved, uniquely bitartisan practice has been excused as energy savings or just fun. You might be surprised at how recent this actually is to be so firmly established throughout all of our society's systems and even across continents. Learn about where daylight saving time comes from and how it affects us psychologically. RecommendationsAbraham: What We Do In The Shadows

en

14:04

Mini: Brain Freeze

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/17

Do you impulsively consume smoothies, slushies, or ice cream at a speed that gives you a cold headache? We do. We were wondering what is going on with sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (brain freeze). We explain why this happens and what you can do about it. Go forth and eat cold stuff to your heart's content!Get ad-free content and bonus materials when you support us on patreon! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and

en

69:03

Nostalgia: Imposter Syndrome

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/12

We originally published this episode February 26, 2020. Today we revisit with some updated research. Listen in to brush up on your imposter syndrome knowledge with some fresh insights into what we have learned in the last five years. RecommendationsAbraham: Meati (https://www.meati.com/)Shane: Grave Conversations with Dave Dastmalchian (https://www.instagram.com/graveconversationsshow/?hl=en)Holidays (3/12/2025):Aztec New YearGirl Scouts DayNational Alfred Hitchcock DayNational Baked Scallops

en

13:31

Mini: Amuse-Bouche

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/10

A mini episode seems like th perfect venue for this mini food. This is a very elite/priviliged way to think about food as it is supposed to relate to food themes and presentation styles. We'll talk a little about its history, what it is, and why we do it. Support us on Patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/kitchen-language-what-is-amuse-bouche#:~:text=The%20Science%20Behind%20It,nuggets%20packed%20with%20umami%20goodness.Become a supporter

en

58:01

The Paradox of Tolerance

Why We Do What We Do ·

2025/03/05

The paradox of tolerance is a philosphical thought experiment inspired in part by a curiosity about what gave rise to Hitler. The inquiry extrapolates what happens when allowing in ideas includes allowing in ideas that demand shutting out ideas. More directly, when you tolerate intolerance, you end up with no tolerance, but you must be intolerant to allow tolerance... paradoxically. Be prepared to hear the word "toleranace." Despite being an argument from logic, it may offer some pragmatic future

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