Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Psychologist and author Dr. Wolfgang Linden joins us to explore why so much of our stress comes not from events themselves, but from our attempts to control them. Drawing on 40+ years of research and clinical experience, he breaks down the “illusion of control” and argues that we only truly have power over two things: how we respond and where we direct our energy. We dive into his emotion–thought–behavior framework, the dangers of suppressing emotions, and how small shifts in attention and behavior can interrupt toxic cycles. From relationships to health to life goals, Wolfgang shows how letting go can actually give us more peace, more agency, and a clearer path forward—sometimes even by knowing when to quit.

[0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Dr. Wolfgang Linden

[6:08] Emotions: friend or foe?

[13:38] Behavior change and depression

[17:51] When to persist vs. when to quit

[26:23] Stress, values, and life priorities

[31:39] Saying yes to opportunities

[36:05] What to do when stuck in a rut

[43:37] Desert Island music

[48:36] Grooving session: attention, focus, and letting go

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

About Dr. Wolfgang Linden

The Illusion of Control: A Practical Guide to Avoid Futile Struggles by Wolfgang Linden

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Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath

Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)

This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

🎉 Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

And for our final throwback...

Annie Duke returns to discuss her book How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, a practical guide that helps readers apply decision-making strategies in everyday life. Annie walks us through concepts like the Archer’s Mindset, Free Rolls, and the surprising benefits of negative thinking, all designed to improve goal-setting and outcomes. Blending behavioral science with her signature clarity—and even a few musical shoutouts to Jack White—Annie offers listeners concrete tools to make smarter decisions and, ultimately, happier lives.

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

How to Decide by Annie Duke

Jack White - Archbishop Harold Holmes

We explore the hidden forces of status and anointment with Professor Toby Stuart, author of Anointed: How Status Shapes Our Lives. Status influences careers, relationships, and how we perceive art, yet as AI blurs traditional markers of merit, society is increasingly relying on shortcuts like pedigree and recognition. We examine the risks, opportunities, and compounding effects of status, revealing how small advantages snowball into lifelong impacts and challenging listeners to rethink how status shapes their world.

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

[0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Toby Stuart

[8:43] Status-based Bias

[13:49] Status in Art, Music, and Science

[26:34] The Power of Anointment and Status Transfer

[39:39] Status Hierarchies, Networks, and Social Groups

[43:23] The Cosmic Lottery

[48:06] The Future of Status in an AI World

[58:47] What is the Matthew Effect?

[1:01:50] Grooving Session - What Does Status Really Mean?

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

Behavioral Grooves Live in Minneapolis!

More About Toby

Anointed by Toby Stuart

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Duke Ellington - Take the “A” Train

Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

And now - our throwback of the week!

Bob McKinnon—host of the Attribution podcast and author of America’s Dreaming—joins us to unpack the stories we tell about success and failure. Bob challenges the “fundamental attribution error,” showing how luck, privilege, and social connections shape life outcomes far more than we often admit. Together, we explore the ethics of marketing, the hidden role of systemic barriers, and how reframing our narratives can foster empathy and bridge divides. With storytelling, history, and even music woven in, this conversation reveals how compassionate curiosity can help us see both ourselves and others more clearly.

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

America's Dreaming by Bob McKinnon

Neil Diamond - I am…I said

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

Don Kieffer, co-author of There’s Got to Be a Better Way, shares why “common sense” often misguides leaders and how dynamic work design helps organizations thrive. From calling meetings the worst form of organizational abuse to showing why managers can become their own obstacles, Don explains how making work visible and partnering with people closest to the work can unlock both adaptability and efficiency.

[0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Don Kieffer

[7:14] What Leaders Consistently Get Wrong

[10:29] Dynamic Work - What Is It?

[18:42] The Hot Stove Problem

[22:56] When the Boss Becomes the Problem

[28:18] The Power of Whiteboards

[36:01] Meetings: The Worst Form of Organizational Abuse

[42:46] Jazz, Improv, and Better Work Design

[45:44] Grooving Session - Handoffs, Huddles, and Making Work Work

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

About Don Kieffer

There’s Got to Be a Better Way by Nelson Repenning and Donald Kieffer

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

Pandora Jazz Station

This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

And now - this week's episode!

Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once, joins us for a lively and irreverent conversation on how facing our mortality can motivate us to live more fully. Together, we explore why life should be about more than routines and to-do lists, and how prioritizing joy, gratitude, and connection can help us make the most of the limited Mondays we have left. Blending humor with inspiration, Jodi challenges us to be more intentional with our time and to embrace the art of truly living.

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

You Only Die Once by Jodi Wellman

Dave Matthews Band - Satellite

The Cure - Friday I’m in Love

Richard Shotton joins us to reveal the behavioral science secrets behind 17 iconic brands — from Guinness and Snickers to Apple and Dyson. He explains how psychological biases like concreteness, trigger moments, and the illusion of effort drive real-world success, and why making things easy often beats motivation.

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

[0:00] Intro and speed round with Richard Shotton

[7:52] The single bias every marketer should know

[13:09] Guinness and the power of the pratfall effect

[19:32] Snickers, trigger moments, and habit formation

[26:51] Apple’s “1,000 songs in your pocket” and concreteness

[34:32] Dyson, the illusion of effort, and AI’s challenge

[43:25] Lessons on testing vs. relying on survey claims

[46:38] Desert island music

[49:41] Grooving session: key takeaways

[1:09:12] Event announcement

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis

About Richard

Hacking the Human Mind

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

The Wonder Stuff - The Size of a Cow

CMAT - When a Good Man Cries

This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

And now - this week's episode!

In this episode of Behavioral Grooves, psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris—creators of the famous Monkey Business Illusion and authors of Nobody’s Fool—unpack why we so often fall for fraud, scams, and flashy but misleading science. They explain how our biases and love of appealing stories make us vulnerable, and why blanket skepticism isn’t practical. Instead, they share tools for spotting deception, insights into fixing flawed research incentives, and a simple but powerful rule of thumb: trust the people who admit when they’re wrong.

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It by Daniel Simons & Chris Chabris

The Monkey Business Illusion

Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime”

Ani Difranco “Both Hands”

Wax Tailor “Come With Me”

Bjork “Human Behaviour”

Employee engagement scores have been stuck for decades—but belonging and wellbeing might be the missing pieces. We talk with Mark Crowley about why emotions drive behavior, how rituals create culture, and why leading with heart is actually the smartest path to performance.

[0:00] Intro and speed round with Mark Crowley

[9:05] Why leaders dismiss engagement scores

[11:28] The power of asking “How do you feel?”

[16:50] Reciprocity and authentic care

[20:08] Belonging as the greatest driver of wellbeing

[24:55] Why old leadership myths persist

[28:20] Positive emotions as “emotional currency”

[31:51] Balancing care with accountability

[35:05] Rituals that build culture (and candy stories)

[42:11] Advice for new managers

[46:24] Mark’s desert island music picks

[48:39] Grooving session takeaways

©2025 Behavioral Grooves

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

About Mark

The Power of Employee Well-Being by Mark Crowley

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

Van Morrison - Days Like This

George Harrison - Any Road

This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

Now, onto the episode!

Distinguished psychologist Arie Kruglanski joins us to unpack his groundbreaking research on motivation and the human quest for significance—the drive that fuels our thoughts, emotions, and actions. We explore how goals serve motivational needs, why intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are more connected than they seem, and how the universal desire for significance can be channeled in both positive and destructive ways. Arie also shares insights from his influential 3N Model of Radicalization, offering a hopeful perspective on how education and alternative pathways can redirect this powerful drive toward more constructive ends.

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

About Arie

Bach - Air on G String

Miles Davis - So What