Mind Under Matter

The Thankful Boys of Comedy™ devote an episode to appreciating gratitude.

In the first half, we talk generally about gratitude.  We touch on some science of gratitude and positive psychology.  We explore using gratitude journals and accomplishment lists to alter our conscious experience.  Perhaps most importantly, we take time to appreciate the insane odds that any of us even find ourselves existing let alone having the great privilege of butchering some poorly remembered science abstracts for a fun podcast between two great friends.

In the second half, we start a gratitude scale to find out how we compare to the average person’s gratitude.  It proved to be a great way to discover where we might like to improve. Better yet, each survey question made for wonderful conversation starters and is easy for listeners to follow along and find out for themselves.

Normally this is the part where we insert calls to action and ask for things.  Instead, this week The TBC™ would just like to give thanks to you for all the interest and support we’ve gotten from all our incredible listeners.  Even if this just happens to be the very first thing of ours you’ve found, we are grateful that you were interested enough to read this.

Thank you!

Link to survey: https://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/short_grat_short_r.doc

The Universal Boys of Comedy™ explore consciousness.

In this episode, Shane and Ramin debate the idea of universal consciousness.  Is consciousness a product of the brain, a fundamental aspect of the universe, both, or somewhere in-between?

Every month we let Patreon suggest the subject for one of our public episodes. This month Patron

Stuart Brazewell’s suggested we get down to the bottom of one of the biggest philosophical questions in human history.  Challenge accepted!

The UBC™ explore how some of these views have changed over time.  Evolution and modern science have provided some new ways for humans to think about the conscious experience, but many traditional mystical views are alive and well.  What came first, the universe or the consciousness?

The Cordial Discourse Boys of Comedy™ continue the third part of the Political Compass survey.

What if instead of thinking about politics as two-sided, we considered where we might fall within four quadrants of a political compass?  Sometimes we might be surprised where we fall on a given issue when we actually talk through each one.  Even when people always vote one way, it is often the case that their views on a specific issue are less one-sided than we assume.

Although The CDBC™ generally avoid the usual political conversations and current events that dominate social media and cable news, we found it constructive to have some philosophical conversations about some of the broader topics that influence our sense of morality, laws, and government.

If you enjoy this third free episode and want to hear our results, you can watch/listen to the final part as our monthly bonus episode available on Patreon.

The Slightly Morbid and Extremely Curious Boys of Comedy™ new costumes for a second Halloween episode.

This week, we talk about the psychology of horror.

Most life on earth tends to avoid scary situations.  So why are so many humans drawn toward horror movies, haunted houses, and other situations where we intentionally confront fear, violence, death and disgust for recreation?

To find out, The SMECBC™ take horror researcher, Coltan Scrivner’s, ‘Morbid Curiosity Scale’.

Would you like to see a head transplant?  How about watching Gladiators?  Would you enjoy interviewing serial killers?  Are you into Voodoo? 

We find out how morbidity is categorized, where we rate in the 4 dimensions, and maybe gain a new appreciation for horror.

The Spooky Voids and Visionaries of Comedy™ release the first of two Halloween episodes.

This week Shane and Ramin get dressed up in their finest morph suits to discuss the origins and evolution of Halloween.

How did seasonal change influence the morbid themes of this centuries-old tradition?  How did the ancient practices of witchcraft go from being the respected, genderneutral medical care of the time to the demonization of women?  How much was the black plague a catalyst for the unimaginably horrifying witch trials of the Middle Ages?

It’s easy to understand the evolution of a fear of spiders, but what about many of the other things we associate with Halloween?  How were the ideas of ghosts and zombies influenced by grave robbing?  Where did trick or treating come from?  Why do we wear costumes?  Was bobbing for apples originally a mating ritual?

I hope all you MUMies enjoyed our costumes because as it turns out, spending hour in a morph suit made The SVVC™ feel like a very uncomfortable batman.  Special thanks to our Patreon follower Shauna Gardner for suggesting that we do a Halloween episode.  We had so much fun we will be doing another next week where we wear different costumes and take the Morbid Curiosity Scale!

If there is anything you should be scared of this Halloween season, it is the justified fear of missing out on these episodes.

The Mindful Boys of Comedy™ meditate on meditation.

Shane recently had a wonderful mushroom trip that he was trying to use as a reset before Sober October.  In the process he started getting back into meditation, so we thought it was the perfect time to explore the topic.

We discuss what meditation and mindfulness mean to us.  Hear how we got into mediation, what different apps and practices have we tried, what we have learned, and how often we practice.

Much like meditation, The MBC™ go off on plenty of tangents.  Are those distractions from the goal of the episode or much of The Mind Under Matter Podcast about the side quests along the way? 

The Mindful Boys of Comedy™ meditate on meditation.

Shane recently had a wonderful mushroom trip that he was trying to use as a reset before Sober October.  In the process he started getting back into meditation, so we thought it was the perfect time to explore the topic.

We discuss what meditation and mindfulness mean to us.  Hear how we got into mediation, what different apps and practices have we tried, what we have learned, and how often we practice.

Much like meditation, The MBC™ go off on plenty of tangents.  Are those distractions from the goal of the episode or much of The Mind Under Matter Podcast about the side quests along the way? 

The Self-Described Objective Boys of Comedy™ take a political attitudes test to see if they are truly as impartial as we like to think of ourselves as.

You can take the study yourself here to see where you fall on the scale. https://politicalcompass.org 

The Mind Under Matter Podcast typically isn’t overly interested in current events and therefore doesn’t devote much time to the usual political discussions.  Too many political conversations run in circles around the latest trending news stories that seems to monopolize watercooler talk and social media.  What makes this conversation different is that the evergreen topics in the survey are a terrific springboard for broader philosophical discussions.

The test is designed to determine where an individual falls on the two dimensions of a political spectrum, but you will get to hear how the SDOBC™ feel about each specific issue.  Rather than just lumping our identity into red or blue and subscribing to the default beliefs of that tribe, we tend to believe it’s more productive to have issue/context-dependent beliefs.

Tune in as we consider more shades.

The Scatterbrained Boys of Comedy™ attempt to focus on an ADHD test.

In a heroic display of attention, Shane and Ramin somehow made it through an extremely short survey with only going off on 14,000 tangents.

Tune in to find out a little history of when schools started focusing more on our lack of focus and started prescribing speed to children who (for some bizarre reason) weren’t interested in homework.

What is attention?  What is so great about it?  How do you make the most of your attention and get more of it? What is the relationship to creativity?

The SBC™ already know that you have a lot on your plate, so why not pile more on?  We're hoping this episode will provide one more distraction from the things you think you should be doing. 

The Broken Boys of Comedy™ compare non-war wounds.

Years ago Shane broke both of his feet while hiking. He made an entire comedy album about it called ‘My Big Break’. At the time Shane went on a bunch of podcasts to tell the story, but it’s been years since the incident and many new fans probably don’t know the full story.

These salient moments can sometimes change our life trajectory.  Upon reflection sometimes it can feel like something that helped one grow and learn, other times it’s just a pain in the foot.

Come have some laughs while The BBC™ chat about injuries, pain, mindfulness and regrettable decisions.