While there have been great strides for women in recent decades, there's been a downward trend for men. An outgrowth of that is something called the Red Pill movement that feels like the world has been set up for them to fail. In order to "win," you have to game the system and "outsmart" women. This is done using the Dark Triad of psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism.

In Dr. Zapcic' study, "An Alpha Wouldn't Spare an Emotion on a Woman": A directed qualitative analysis of dark triad outcomes in women's relationship with Red Pill men," he looks closer at what causes these triats and what can be done about it.

We chat about how these tendencies are leaking out from online and entering in the real world, with real world effects, like incel-related mass casualty events.

Ian Zapcic, Ph.D., is a social worker who studies how the identities and worldviews formed in online-mediated communication spaces, and how those identities interact with other spaces or the offline world. Ian grew up in New Jersey where he received his bachelor's in Contemporary Arts from Ramapo College and his masters of social work from Rutgers University. Ian received his PhD from The Ohio State University College of Social Work in 2023, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the MSW program at Stockton University in Atlantic City New Jersey.

Being rejected romantically can really suck!  But does it affect men and women the same?  And how can it affect our politics?

Dr. Francesca Luberti has done a number of fascinating studies on lots of aspects of relationships.  Today we wanted to focus on her study, "Changes in positive affect due to popularity in an experimental dating context influence some of men's but not women's socio-political attitudes."  Why, when turned down, do men want to limit minimum wage and healthcare?

Francesca Luberti Ph.D., is a psychologist who studies how mating, hormones, and socio-cultural contexts can shape and influence social attitudes. Born and raised in Italy, Luberti became passionate about the study of human behavior when she moved to the U.S., where she completed a B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology at UCLA, and then an M.A. in Climate and Society at Columbia University. She then completed her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Psychology at UNSW in Sydney, Australia. Luberti's Ph.D. work investigated the effects of mating and mating-related factors on socio-political orientation. Dr. Luberti is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Social Neuroendocrinology Lab at Nipissing University in North Bay, Canada. In this role, she examines how changes in testosterone concentrations can also affect social attitudes.

Is all the media surrounding college "hookup culture" accurate?  Do people mostly meet online or IRL?  Is there any difference with international students?

With a wealth of knowledge under her belt, Dr. Paul and I sit down to see if we can figure out what's really going on out there and what, if anything, we can all do to help.  Join us for a fun conversation to see if we can help unlock love! 

Dr. Paul has published many studies including:

- Is Online Better Than Offline for Meeting Partners? Depends: Are You Looking to Marry or to Date?

- Swiping for Sex: Identifying Factors that Predict US-based College Students’ Likelihood of Using Location-based Mobile Dating Applications for Hook-ups

- Does Online Dating Promotion Vary Across Cultures? A Cross-cultural Analysis of Homepage Advertisements of Online Dating Services in 51 Countries

After looking at all the data, she compiled her thoughts into her latest book, "The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture: Dating Apps, Hookup Scripts, and Sexual Outcomes." - Find her book here.

Aditi Paul is a researcher, author, and former professor with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of technology, psychology, and human communication.  Dr. Paul is also committed to helping Indian international students and professionals navigate their immigration journeys.  Having gone through the arduous process of being an international student to finally becoming a permanent resident, Dr. Paul knows firsthand how challenging immigration can be.  Her goal is to help the next generation of immigrants navigate their journey with confidence and ease.

Does meeting online work the same way as meeting in real life?  Does it go through the same patterns and progressions?  And how do we maximize our benefits?

Knowing online dating is one of the prime ways people meet now, it's important to understand the rhythms and reasons for doing what we do.  Like any tool, if we use it right it can benefit us, if we use it wrong, it could hurt us.

Dr. Liesel Sharabi studies how communication technologies are used to initiate, maintain, and dissolve interpersonal relationships. Her work uses advanced quantitative methods (e.g., multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, machine learning) to understand the ways technology reveals and transforms basic principles of interpersonal communication. A primary goal of her research program is to better understand how people relate to each other through technology and what it means for their offline relationships.

She is especially interested in technology’s role in modern romance. Much of her research in this area is on the topic of online dating. She has written about matchmaking in online dating and studied the trajectories of online dating relationships from meeting through marriage. She regularly advises, consults, and collaborates with dating app startups and has given expert testimony in legal cases involving online dating platforms. She is also interested in where dating could be headed in the future. This has led to research on multimodal relationships, the role of algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) in facilitating relationships, and interpersonal relationships in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). As part of her work on the latter, she is an invited scholar on Dreamscape Learn and is currently conducting research on relational applications of AR/VR.

She sits on multiple editorial boards, and her research has been published in dozens of edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Research, Communication Monographs, New Media & Society, and the Harvard Data Science Review. She also blogs about "Dating in the Digital Age" for Psychology Today and has appeared in media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, Time Magazine, the BBC, WIRED, and NPR. She is the recipient of the 2022 Early Career Award from the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association.

Dr. Sharabi directs the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University. More information can be found on her website.

Study - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363038906_The_Enduring_Effect_of_Internet_Dating_Meeting_Online_and_the_Road_To_Marriage

In 1986, 373 couples began a study at the University of Michigan called the Early Years of Marriage.  Today those same 373 couples (and their various divorces and remarriages) are still being followed, making it one of largest and longest studies running in the US on the state of relationship.

My good friend Dr. Terri Orbuch has been following these couples for decades and has written 3 books on the subject.  "5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great," "Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps to a New and Happy Relationship," and "Secrets to Surviving Your Children's Love Relationships: A Guide for Parents."

We sit down and pull apart some of the vast amounts of data she's collected and what it means for all of us.  

Dr. Terri Orbuch (PhD), also known as The Love Doctor®, is America’s most trusted relationship expert. She is an author, speaker, therapist, distinguished professor at Oakland University, and research professor at University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research. She brings her simple, straightforward, science-based relationship advice to REAL people everywhere!

Dr. Orbuch has published 1,000's of articles and authored six books, including, “5 Simple Steps To Take Your Marriage From Good To Great” (Random House) and “Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps To a New and Happy Relationship” (Sourcebooks). She is also the director of a landmark study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she has been following the same 373 couples for almost 3 decades.

Dr. Orbuch has been featured in such national publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest and TIME magazine. She has also appeared on The Today Show, The Katie Couric Show, ESPN and CNN. Her relationship segments are aired on Fox-TV Detroit. Her PBS TV program titled, “Secrets From The Love Doctor” has been airing since 2013 and is available as a DVD on Amazon.com.

We all want to connect with people!  Humans are wired to be connected.  But nowadays there are so many different ways to connect.  People meet in person, online, over Zoom, in VR, in forums.

But not all connections and interactions are equal.  Some satisfy the need to belong, an intrinsic part of humanity, and some can actively make us sadder.

I get a chance to sit down with Dr. Jeffery Hall and discuss his study, "Which mediated social interactions satisfy the need to belong?" 2022

Jeffrey A. Hall (PhD University of Southern California) is a Professor of Communication Studies, Associate Chair, and Director of the Relationships and Technology Lab. He is a past Chair of the Human Communication and Technology Division of the National Communication Association, and the founder and editor of the journal Human Communication & Technology. Dr. Hall is the current Chair of the Interpersonal Communication Division of the International Communication Association. He was awarded the Early Career Award from the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association in 2015. His award-winning book Relating Through Technology was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has written for the Wall Street Journal and been interviewed by the New York Times, National Public Radio, Washington Post, Financial Times, USA Today, The Atlantic, US News and World Report, and CNN, and has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show and It’s Personal with Amy Hoggart.

Fedor Galking works on the Deep Longevity project whose mission is to extend lifespan and healthspan.  They succinctly state, "Aging is a disease and should be tracked and managed as one."

Much work has been done on the toll physical actions can take, aging a body.  More research now is coming out on the toll our emotional well-being exacts on our bodies.  Poor emotional management can reduce your lifespan more that being a smoker would.  I'm happy more work is being done on this important topic!

We discuss his study, "Psychological factors substantially contribute to biological aging: evidence from the aging rate in Chinese older adults" (Galkin, '22)

Fedor Galkin is the Research Director at Deep Longevity. He leads and oversees multiple research projects exploring the advances of AI and machine learning in the context of aging, aging diagnosis, and anti-aging solutions. As a graduate of the Lomonosov State University, Fёdor has received a master's degree in Bioengineering and Bioinformatics. He has co-authored multiple research papers and patents.

Fedor’s previous research on the effects of different biological and psychological factors on human aging has led to the development of various aging clocks, including Blood Age, which is one of the core technologies offered by SenoClock. An expert in Python and data analysis, Fёdor is deeply-integrated with the research on human aging. Currently residing in Dubai, Fedor is often speaking at anti-aging conventions.

Dr. Oliffe has authored several studies around men's mental health.  We discuss two of his most recent ones, "Mapping Men's Mental Health Help-Seeking After an Intimate Partner Relationship Break-Up" (Oliffe, '22) and "Masculinity and mental illness in and after men's intimate partner relationships" (Oliffe, '22).

I am a huge proponent of mental health and in fact got into this industry because my therapist strongly suggested it!  There's a lot going on with men right now and we try to get at some of the issues that crop up for men in and after breaking up with a partner.

Dr. John Oliffe is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Men’s Health Promotion at the School of Nursing, University of British Columbia. Founder and lead investigator of UBC’s Men’s Health Research program, his work focuses on masculinities as it influences men’s health behaviours and illness management, and its impact on partners, families and overall life quality. Findings drawn from his research offer guidance to clinicians and researchers to advance men’s health promotion in the areas of psychosocial prostate cancer care, smoking cessation and male suicide prevention.