Two Guys on Your Head

By KUT & KUTX Studios, Dr. Art Markman & Dr. Bob Duke

Society & Culture Education Social Sciences

What's Two Guys on Your Head about?

Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain how our brain works.

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Two Guys on Your Head episodes:

04.19.2024
How To Crush Writer’s Block
In April, we celebrate National Poetry Month, and in honor of this beautiful commemoration, we wanted to revisit our show on writer’s block! That phrase might induce panic and a recollection of a familiar experience. It’s a widespread phenomenon. So...
04.12.2024
The Soup Study Revisited
A classic study found that individuals eat less soup when they have a visual cue of how much they have eaten, thus demonstrating the power of external cues about eating. However, this research, done by Brian Wansink and his colleagues...
04.05.2024
Remembering Daniel Kahneman
Nobel laureate and behavioral psychologist Daniel Kahneman passed away on March 27th, 2024, at the age of 90. Kahneman was not only a giant in the fields of psychology and economics, but as Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in...
03.29.2024
Hedges and Crutches
Building in hedges to a sentence is a natural thing most of us do without thinking too much about it, but when we can’t form a sentence without “really” or “like ya know” it might be time to take a...
03.22.2024
Bonus: Art’s XYZ Approach to Behavior Change
Dr. Art Markman explains how he advises organizational leaders about critiquing behavior.
03.22.2024
Change: The Fundamental Attribution Error
Many psychological elements go into the idea of changing or remaking oneself, so Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke decided to record a series on the psychology of change. Our third and final episode delves into the...
03.14.2024
Change: Belief Systems
Many psychological elements go into the idea of changing or remaking oneself, so Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke decided to record a series on the psychology of change. Our second episode in the series looks at...
03.08.2024
Change: Nature via Nurture
Many psychological elements go into the idea of changing or remaking oneself, so Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke decided to record a series on the psychology of change beginning with the different intellectual lines on the...
03.01.2024
Freebies
There is a lot of psychology that goes into how, when, and why we part with our money, and to be sure marketers know this very well. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk...
02.23.2024
A Case For Curiosity Part II
Have you ever wondered about something but didn’t ask about it because you thought it was something you should already know about? You may have worried someone might think less of you for not knowing. It turns out that that...
02.16.2024
A Case For Curiosity Part I
Being a curious person and finding out about things that interest us is a wonderful element of what it means to be human. In the first part of our look at the psychology of curiosity with Two Guys on Your...
02.13.2024
Risk Assessment
How we understand, assess, and determine what risks we are willing to take can change depending on many variables, but what we might not consider is that much of this is happening below our conscious awareness. In this episode of...
02.02.2024
Desire and Risk
How we understand, assess, and determine what risks we are willing to take can change depending on a variety of variables, but what we might not consider is that much of this is happening below our conscious awareness. In this...
01.26.2024
The Psychology of Risk
How we understand, assess, and determine what risks we are willing to take can change depending on a variety of variables, but what we might not consider is that much of this is happening below our conscious awareness. With this...
01.20.2024
Tipping
According to the According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of Americans say tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago. It seems everywhere you make a transaction the swiveling iPad is urging you to...
01.11.2024
How Our Brains Process Reading Vs. Listening (Rebroadcast)
Have you ever wanted to tell a friend about a book you just discovered by saying, “I’m reading…” then you have to qualify that by saying, “Actually I am listening to it.” Maybe you feel a bit like a cheat...
01.05.2024
Common Sense
A lot of times when we think of or refer to common sense it is because we think someone may be lacking it. However, for our society to function we need to have some consensus, but how do we learn...
12.29.2023
Teaching The Value of Learning
Grades serve as a proxy to measure if we’ve learned what we need to learn, but emphasizing the grade over the value of learning is done more often than not to our detriment. In this episode of Two Guys on Your...
12.22.2023
Teaching a Moral Code
Many times we think that if we set up the correct consequences for negative behavior children will learn to do the right thing, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about as we continue our series on the psychology of teaching...
12.15.2023
Teaching and Behavior
There are many elements of being in a classroom that are difficult to navigate. It’s not only tough to teach, it’s hard to be an attentive student in an environment where we are stuck in our chairs for most of...
12.07.2023
Sugar and The Brain (Rebroadcast)
Why is it hard to have just one of those delicious slices of pound cake over the holidays? Well, it turns out it has less to do with the creamy butter and more to do with the way our brains...
12.01.2023
The Psychology of Finger Counting
We may all count on our fingers, but we are not all counting on them the same way. In a 2012 issue of Cognition, German researchers Andrea Bender and Sieghard Beller argue that the extent of cultural diversity in finger-counting has been hugely underestimated. In...
11.24.2023
Creating Happy Holidays
It can be really stressful to try to make the holidays a happy time. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about what psychological ingredients can help ensure more...
11.17.2023
Nudge Theory
When it comes to theories about behavior change if it seems too good to be true it probably is. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the popular...
11.13.2023
Playoffs
There is playoff fever around the country and things are particularly hot here in Texas. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of why playoffs are...
11.03.2023
Charisma
Studies of charisma suggest that there are two key dimensions of a charismatic person that researchers have called “affability” and “influence.” Affability reflects how likable someone is and influence relates to people’s leadership ability and likelihood of motivating others to do...
10.27.2023
The Lying Brain
Some new research suggests that there is a lot more we consider when deciding to tell a fib or not. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about what’s...
10.19.2023
The Midlife Crisis
A midlife crisis is a time of transition when we might question what we’ve accomplished, done, or not done, and ask things like the Talking Heads do of our “Once in a Lifetime.” But what is a midlife crisis psychologically?...
10.13.2023
Are We Motivated By Deadlines?
The way we respond to deadlines varies quite a bit. Some people fall apart when they’re up against a deadline while for others deadlines help them focus, and then there are those for whom deadlines don’t seem to matter at...
10.05.2023
Test Anxiety
Feeling a bit nervous before an exam is normal and sometimes can even help to focus your attention. But as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, test...
09.29.2023
Speed and Test Taking
When it comes to taking tests, like college prep tests for example, why does how fast you complete the test matter? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about...
09.22.2023
Intrinsic & Extrinsic Reward
Recognition is important, but it can be a double-edged sword if it’s not thoughtful and honest. In fact, it might often be counterproductive when trying to cultivate self-motivation. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr....
09.15.2023
Recognition and Expectation
Recognition is a big deal. When we are not recognized for the things we do that are important to us we can feel invisible. However, there are many elements to recognition that we might not, well, recognize. In this edition...
09.09.2023
Why Do We Make Lists?
We have so many wonderful apps and gadgets that help us stay on track with our lives and goals so why would anyone still use a piece of paper and pen to make a list? It turns out there is...
09.01.2023
The Dark Triad (Rebroadcast)
In psychology, the “Dark Triad” refers to narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. How do we identify those who are “high in the Dark Triad” and why is it important? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman...
08.25.2023
Gaslighting (Rebroadcast)
We might feel like we’ve been duped when we believe a lie someone has told us, and we may want to crawl into a hole when we share “fake news” on Facebook. But in actuality, we have evolved to trust...
08.18.2023
Merit
Making judgments based on merit is a common practice in our society, but how do we determine what counts when it comes to merit, and is it the best way to judge skills and ability? In this episode of Two...
08.11.2023
Scarcity and Lying
Why don’t we lie to get what we want? We may think that if we are in a situation where we need something we don’t have we would do almost anything to get it, including lying, but as Dr. Art...
08.04.2023
Self-Determination Theory: Relatedness
Self-Determination Theory suggests that there are three fundamental psychological needs humans have in order to thrive: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. But what do those things mean in terms of our day-to-day lives? In the third and final installment of our...
07.28.2023
Self-Determination Theory: Competence
Self-Determination Theory suggests that there are three fundamental psychological needs humans have in order to thrive: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. But what do those things mean in terms of our day-to-day lives? In part II of our Two Guys on...
07.21.2023
Self-Determination Theory: Autonomy
Some people may feel constrained, unmotivated, or alienated, while others are curious, and feel vital and self-motivated. It turns out that these differences are not just biological but have a lot to do with social context. In this edition of...
07.14.2023
Risk and Prevention
When it comes to assessing risk and preventing calamity, as humans, we’re not so great. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, we talk about why it’s important to structure...
07.07.2023
Values-Alignment Interventions Part II
In part one of our exploration of values-alignment interventions Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke of Two Guys on Your Head discussed a recent study by Dr. David Yeager, Dr. Cintia Hinojosa, and Dr. Christopher Bryan that demonstrates how...
06.30.2023
Growth Mindset and Values-Alignment Interventions
Changing behavior and forming new habits can be difficult, however as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head a recent study by Dr. David Yeager, Dr. Cintia Hinojosa, and...
06.23.2023
We See With Our Brains (rebroadcast)
We may think that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, etc. but it turns out to be much more complicated. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke...
06.16.2023
Money, Happiness and Community
New research suggests that the link between money and happiness could be more cohesive than previously thought. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explore how more money can make you...
06.09.2023
Adversarial Collaboration
It takes a lot of confidence and humility to admit when we’re wrong, and that is especially true when it comes to science. So in the edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca...
06.02.2023
Why We Laugh
Laughter may be the best medician, but do we really understand why? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explore the psychology of laughter.
05.26.2023
How To Say “No” And Why It’s Important
We’ve done shows on the importance of being open to new opportunities; in short, saying yes. And while saying yes is very important, we might be too prone to saying yes to things when we should be saying no. Why...
05.19.2023
How To Disconnect
It’s summertime, and for some, that means it’s time for a vacation. But how do you get the most out of your time off and truly vacate? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and...

What's Two Guys on Your Head about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Two Guys on Your Head episodes:

How To Crush Writer’s Block

The Soup Study Revisited

Remembering Daniel Kahneman

Hedges and Crutches

Bonus: Art’s XYZ Approach to Behavior Change

Change: The Fundamental Attribution Error

Change: Belief Systems

Change: Nature via Nurture

Freebies

A Case For Curiosity Part II

A Case For Curiosity Part I

Risk Assessment

Desire and Risk

The Psychology of Risk

Tipping

How Our Brains Process Reading Vs. Listening (Rebroadcast)

Common Sense

Teaching The Value of Learning

Teaching a Moral Code

Teaching and Behavior

Sugar and The Brain (Rebroadcast)

The Psychology of Finger Counting

Creating Happy Holidays

Nudge Theory

Playoffs

Charisma

The Lying Brain

The Midlife Crisis

Are We Motivated By Deadlines?

Test Anxiety

Speed and Test Taking

Intrinsic & Extrinsic Reward

Recognition and Expectation

Why Do We Make Lists?

The Dark Triad (Rebroadcast)

Gaslighting (Rebroadcast)

Merit

Scarcity and Lying

Self-Determination Theory: Relatedness

Self-Determination Theory: Competence

Self-Determination Theory: Autonomy

Risk and Prevention

Values-Alignment Interventions Part II

Growth Mindset and Values-Alignment Interventions

We See With Our Brains (rebroadcast)

Money, Happiness and Community

Adversarial Collaboration

Why We Laugh

How To Say “No” And Why It’s Important

How To Disconnect