Why We Do What We Do

12:40

Mini: Centralia

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/10/05

We are kicking off this year's spooky seasons mini with a brief history of the town on fire. This is a real place in the United States that has become unlivable since the town accidentally set a gigantic, subterranean coal reserve. This inspired the video game and movie franchise, "Silent Hill." Have you been to Centralia? Support us on Patreon!Tell us your favorite memories of the show: info@wwdwwdpodcast.comLinks and

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63:44

Happiness

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/30

One of the most enduring values, mottos, or goals is the pursuit of happiness. We strive for it implicitly or explicitly for much of our lives. So, what is happiness? How do we achieve it? Why can't you just be happy? Because it depends :D RecommendationsAbraham: Fix My Frankenhouse (seasons 1-2; https://www.hgtv.com/shows/fix-my-frankenhouse)Shane: A Short Stay In Hell by Steven Peck Holidays (9/30/2026):My mom’s birthday! Happy birthday, P-Nut!Banned Websites Awareness DayBlasphemy DayChewing Gum

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16:20

Mini: This is the End-ish

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/28

An important announce and brief explanation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

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61:32

How to Lie With Math

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/23

The title maybe a little misleading. This is about how we delude ourselves into adopting information as factual becuase it is presented using real math. Math is extremely important and valuable and a necessity for most sciences. However, like any other tool, math can give the illusion of knowledge while actually tricking us into believing things that are not correct. We primarily focus on averages and how problematic this concept can be, but extrapolate this into other forms of math that can be used

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18:06

Mini: Do We Need Privacy?

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/21

We have many mechanisms in place to protect our privacy. Some people care less about this and some people have taken this to tremendous extremes. Of course, many want unambiguous rules about privacy, but there is a lot of room for nuance. So, we ask the question about whether or not we need privacy and share some of the reasons people have given. The short answer is: until we can trust each other, we need privacy. Click here to join our Patreon crew of cool peopleLinks and

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57:28

Writer's Block

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/16

Creating content can be very effortful. Particularly when that creating entails a lot of writing. And in pursuit of that endeavor, writers sometimes find themselves stuck and unable to produce ideas to further their writing task. What is going on behaviorally and psychologically? We'll discuss some of the research behind writer's block and what you can do to get over the block. Do you have any tricks to overcome writer's block? RecommendationsAbraham: A Short Stay in Hell (Steven Peck:

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15:03

Mini: Snake Oil

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/14

We use the term snake oil to refer any fradulant product, service, or claim that is not what it says it is and lies or misconstrues what it does. You might already know that this comes from a real product that had those exact qualities. You might not know what that product was actuallly based on. We discuss the history of snake oil and why that term stuck around. Click or tap to join our Patreon groupLinks and

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44:15

Diagnoses: More Harm Than Good? With Dr. Stu Law pt. 3

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/09

This is the final discussion in which we "break our silence" as the click-bait headlines like to call it, on our final thoughts about diagnoses and why we believe that they have caused more harm than good. Due to the nature of separating an entire discussion into two parts after the fact, this episode jumps into the discussion pretty quickly. Recommendations (Part 2)Abraham: Flip 7 (https://theop.games/products/flip-7?srsltid=AfmBOope-f-q_QElBRFFD56xiHxlsBbWULVkkXJHpef6OiYa02WlmfZW) Shane: Show Me

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13:03

Mini: Life Expectancy

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/07

How we understand, talk about, and think about life expectancy is sometimes misunderstood by some flukes of math. Understanding how numbers work can illuminate a clearer picture of history and mortality. Long story short, (or short story shorter, this is a mini afterall), there have been old people who lived to be old (very old) for most or all of human history. Support us on

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58:18

Diagnoses: More Harm Than Good? With Dr. Stu Law pt. 2

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/09/02

This continues our discussion with Dr. Stu Law. We further elaborate on the issues with a diagnostic system for mental health and what the pitfalls are, including faulty underlying assumptions. After recording, we had enough content in this discussion for two separate episodes. So, we awkwardly added a post-hoc conclusion in this discussion and a similar intro to the next episode. Recommendations Part 2Abraham: Rick & Morty Season 9

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13:19

Mini: Talking With Myself

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/31

You've probably noticed people talking to themselves and had some thought or comment about that. Perhaps something along the lines of: "That person might be crazy." Well, turns out it is much more normal than you might think. What do you talk to yourself about?Join our amazing fan clubLinks and

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71:18

Diagnoses: More Harm Than Good? With Dr. Stu Law pt. 1

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/26

Diagnosing mental health has dramatically shaped how we think about and appraoch our thinking and treatment of mental health conditions. In some ways, this effect has had a profoundly helpful impact for many people. However, in many ways, this system has had a profoundly adverse impact. This episode kicks of a three-part series arguing that diagnoses for mental health have ultimately caused more harm than good. Dr. Stu Law is a special guest helping us understand what we gain and lose in the current

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15:19

Mini: No Homework

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/24

There have been some advocates to reduce or eliminate homework altogether. It begs the question of what is the purpose of homework anyway? What would we lose by eliminating it? What do we gain by keeping it. We briefly explore the science and recommendations with respect to what is gained or lost by requiring homework. What are your thoughts?Join our super cool membership program on PatreonLinks and

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67:40

Functional Analysis pt. 4

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/19

In the fourth and final installment of our series on Functional Analyses, we finally discuss some of the controversies and disagreements among practitioners. We also offer our own hot takes and personal opinions to bring further nuance, critique, and skepticism to the conversation. Let us know if you agree or disagree!Recommendations pt. 4Abraham: Wingspan Pocket (https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/wingspan-pocket/)Shane: The Odyssey (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33764258/)Holidays

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14:29

Mini: The Weirdest Thing We Believe

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/17

In a totally unscripted, candid conversation, we ask one another: what is the weirdest thing you believe? It's a conversation bound to leave you a little surprised, confused, and maybe disappointed. Or maybe thinking about things a little differntly. What's the weirdest thing you believe?We did not use any references for this!Click Here to Support us on Patreon!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.Support our podcast:

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53:44

Functional Analysis pt. 3

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/12

This is the third installment in what will turn out to be a four-part series on the functional anlaysis technology employed by behavior analysts to identify casues and motivations for challenging behavior, particularly among those with disabilities who lack strategies to communicate their needs. That was a very long sentence. This discussion breaks down some of the innovations that were developed in Functional Analysis (FA) implementation strategies. Recommendations pt. 3Abraham: Spider-man: Brand

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15:35

Midlife Crisis

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/10

Are you already skeptical? Do you think you know? Are you a true believer? We take a scientific lens to the idea of the midlife crisis. Consider that this might be cultural, which would indicate that it is not inevitable or inherent. This further leads us to the conclusion that it is circumstantial... if it even exists at all. We'll explain the research and understanding behind the commonly accepted idea that many people experience a dramatic shift as they enter their middle years. Click Here to

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58:05

Functional Analysis pt. 2

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/05

In our ongoing discussion about the tool used to determine why we do what we do, the functional analysis, we explore more about the various research initiatives that pioneered ways to improve on the functionality of this tool. This discussion focuses on the methodological developments and refinements that evolved over a couple of decades of research. RecommendationsAbraham: Tzolk’in (board game; https://www.czechgames.com/games/tzolkin-the-mayan-calendar)Shane: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Books 1-4;

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14:06

Mini: One Hit Wonders

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/08/03

What are one-hit wonders? Why do one-hit wonders happen? Is this a real thing? What about no-hit wonders? We'll get into some of the reasons and misconceptions around one-hit wonders and answer some of those questions in this mini. What's your favoriate one-hit wonder?Join our Patreon group!Links and References: https://rocknheavy.net/the-history-of-the-one-hit-wonder-a126b2f86dc2Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.Support our

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58:05

Functional Analysis pt. 1

Why We Do What We Do ·

2026/07/29

Experimental Functional Analyses (FAs) are one of the most foundational practices in contemporary behavior analysis. It emerged as a more conceptual exercise, but has since come to specifically describe a practice for experimentally evaluating the conditions that give rise to and maintain the occurence of certaing (usually challenging) behavior patterns. Over the next few weeks, we'll unpack the history and science of FAs as well as some of the arguments, criticisms, and controversies therein. Tell

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