This episode investigates our psychology of now through original lyrics with commentary from psychological science, social theories, and some of my own perspectives.

 This Psychology of Now EP contains four “tracks.” 

1. Blank Blues - lyrics about a modern melancholy that has a distinctive dissociative blankness to it

2. A Little Happily Ever After - lyrics about creating a life together during difficult times

3. Into My Head - lyrics about escaping into imaginary worlds

4. The Pendulum - lyrics about our oscillating meta modern minds

All the lyrics, details and the extensive 50+ item science and theory guide can be found at  ⁠hidukehouse.com/feelingnow⁠ 

I am a psychology researcher and designer, and I believe in the power of deeply understanding the ever-evolving psychology of now and in the unique power of lyrics to do so. 

My AI Statement |  “Real Lyrics, Artificial Music” : I use AI song drafts as a vehicle for sharing the ideas the original non-AI lyrics are meant to capture. I do not consider my AI-transformed song drafts to be full "real songs."  

Contact > ⁠[email protected]⁠

Website > ⁠hidukehouse.com⁠

Cover Art for the Psychology of Now EP by ⁠Brett Cuviello

No Points is an original story about how sometimes it can be valuable to just do something that doesn't have any point. 

It specifically explores this through the worlds of academia, activism, and intellectualism. 

The story tells the tale of an intellectual main character who has a revelation about having more happiness and he gets a painting commission to celebrate just enjoying happy things which he hangs the painting in his house. He then confidently decides to throw a casual party to encourage his intellectual friends to have the same happiness. Things do not go as planned.

Links

Read and Listen to More Stories About: www.hidukehouse.com/stories 

Storytelling Trainings and Services: www.hidukehouse.com/storytelling 

Storytelling Theory: www.hidukehouse.com/books 

Values to Action with OYF: https://www.oyf.com/values-to-action 

 Related Episode: Every Shade of Blue, Episode 03 of this Podcast 

Science Related to Commentary

Understanding Flourishing - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1458946/full 

Dangers of Rumination - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2832862/ 

The Positive of Being Outside - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26124129/ 

Benefits of Taking a Break - https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014212

Savoring the Moment - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8978832/ 

Notes

“No Points” is a story written and read by Troy Hiduke Campbell 

The conference, hotel, and characters describe in the story are all fictional.  

Stories About are ideas captured in original, short fiction. ​These stories are meant to be a bit whimsical and entertaining, but most importantly, they are meant to use the power of narrative to capture and share an idea.

This is a set of lyrics about cultural and mental prisons, and how they are everywhere. 

It stems a lot from my desire to show the universal cognitive and social psychology across what are largely considered very different places: rural and urban America. The lyrics describe both as places where they build prisons we need to escape from.

Links

Full lyrics, commentaries, EPs, and streamable Song Drafts: https://www.hidukehouse.com/lyrics

About Lyrics About + Song Exercises + Professional Services: https://www.hidukehouse.com/lyricsabout

Contact: [email protected] 

Referenced Links

System Justification Theory - ⁠https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-21802-017 

System Justification and Inescapability - https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-28626-004 

Passion Exploitation - https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-21488-001 

Lyrics About are ideas captured in original lyrics that are written for purposes beyond creating immediate polished art. I write original lyrics about ideas and share them in text, song drafts, pods, and talks, as well as work with artists, leaders, and everyone to use the power of the lyrics about approach.

Warm Phrases is an original story about phrases like “you can be anything you want to be.” 

These are the types of phrases that we cherish, that make us feel comfortable, happy, and metaphorically warm, but we don't always live by.

This story explores how these phrases can bring inspiration and comfort, motivation and fantasy, and action and satiation in ways that can lead to hypocrisy, happiness, joy, clarity, confusion, and much more.

Links

Read and Listen to More Stories About: https://www.hidukehouse.com/stories  

Storytelling Trainings and Services: https://www.hidukehouse.com/storytelling

Storytelling Theory: https://www.hidukehouse.com/books

Values to Action with OYF: https://www.oyf.com/values-to-action

 Recommendation: Listen to Every Shade of Blue, episode 03 of this podcast 

Science Referenced in Warm Phrases Commentary

Attitude Behavior Gap - https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Positive Emotions and Resiliency - https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218

Fantasy Psychology - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002210311100031X?via%3Dihub 

Zeal Appeal - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15324834basp2804_7

Diminishing Returns and Set Points (with some additional ideas) - https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0003-066X.61.4.305

Social Connections and Happiness - https://ccare.stanford.edu/press_posts/good-social-relationships-are-the-most-consistent-predictor-of-a-happy-life/

Notes

“Warm Phrases” is a story written and read by Troy Hiduke Campbell 

All characters and buildings in the story are fictional.

Stories About are ideas captured in original, short fiction. ​These stories are meant to be whimsical and entertaining, but most importantly, they are meant to use the power of narrative to capture and share an idea.

There’s this phrase many musical artists often say on stage, “I see some familiar faces,” and a deeper meaning behind that line, around what an audience can mean to a performer, especially a long-time performer. 

These are lyrics about that phrase and that relationship between a performer or artist or teacher, or leader and their audience, written as an indie rock song from the perspective of a veteran rocker.

Links

Full lyrics, commentaries, EPs, and streamable Song Drafts: https://www.hidukehouse.com/lyrics

About Lyrics About + Song Exercises + Professional Services: https://www.hidukehouse.com/lyricsabout

Contact: [email protected] 

Links

Referenced social psychology - ⁠https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-facilitation.html⁠ 

Referenced consumer psychology - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=412081 

Referenced artist Andrew McMahon talking about songwriting - https://somethinginthewilderness.libsyn.com/53-lying-on-the-hood-of-your-car-w-andrew-mcmahon

Lyrics About are ideas captured in original lyrics that are written for purposes beyond creating immediate polished art. I write original lyrics about ideas and share them in text, song drafts, pods, and talks, as well as work with artists, leaders, and everyone to use the power of the lyrics about approach.

Song For Another Time is a song or idea that can seem quite simple or useless to a person in one moment, and then can at “another time” can become very important and useful to that person.

These are lyrics about the power of those types of simple songs and ideas and people’s psychological biases against them, written by personifying a song that knows this pattern better than the listener.

Links

Full Lyrics + commentaries, EPs + and streamable Song Drafts: www.hidukehouse.com/lyrics 

About Lyrics About + Song Exercises + Professional Services: www.hidukehouse.com/lyricsabout

Contact: [email protected] 

Referenced Science

Classic “Hot Cold” Empathy Gap Theory - https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/gl20/GeorgeLoewenstein/Papers_files/pdf/hotColdEmpathyGaps.pdf 

Classic Affecting Forecasting Paper - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00355.x 

Paper by Troy Hiduke Campbell and colleagues - https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=fb49a68fa532633526b716a3f9dcb9f3f76262b2 

Lyrics About are ideas captured in original lyrics that are written for purposes beyond creating immediate polished art.

I write original lyrics about ideas and share them in text, song drafts, pods, and talks, as well as work with artists, leaders, and everyone to use the power of the lyrics about approach.

This episode tackles the question, “Why is everything new and modern so hard?” and answers: because we never mastered the fundamentals. 

We explore how this problem affects education, the workplace, politics, art, personal careers, inclusivity, technology, and almost all aspects of modern society.  

If we want to get things right today, we need to learn many brand new things, but just as much, we need to learn or re-learn the fundamentals we may have never been taught, never mastered, or may have just forgotten. 

After this episode, you’ll never look at modern problems the same again.

White Paper + Summary Slides > hidukehouse.com/books

Contact > [email protected]

Instagram > @hidukehouse.com

Website > hidukehouse.com

On Your Feet > oyf.com

This episode explores in how most great stories, characters change, but it is a special type of change: they change into who they were always meant to be. 

This Destiny Narrative structure may be the most powerful, persuasive, and timeless storyform across many domains of epic, leadership, personal, marketing, and social change storytelling.

Yet, despite its prevalence and power, its form has never been properly identified or theoretically analyzed with the sciences of narrative, coherence, identity, motivation, and authenticity.

IDEA 

In the most famous stories characters change, but it is a specific type of change; it is change with a strong hint of destiny, as the characters become more of something they always have been.

Much of the Destiny Narrative’s power comes from resolving the conflict between two major human motivations: the motives to change and stay the same. 

APPLICATIONS

+ Mythic Stories - where great heroes fulfill their destiny by transforming into an improved true self. 

+ Product Commercials - that tell people to let out their inner adventurous, nerdy, or party side by buying a product.

+ Personal Growth Narratives - that show people unleashing their deep potential. 

+ Makeup Ads - that tell people to reveal their true, natural beauty. 

+ Pop Songs - about being “meant for each other” or “born this way.” 

+ Pride Campaigns - that champion the idea of coming out to be one’s real self.

KEY POINTS

~ To persuade others to change their behavior, tell people they already are the people you want them to be.

~  The Destiny Narrative in its most cliche form may be a bit out of vogue in modern entertainment, but it is still the firm foundation through new forms such as Double Destiny.

LINKS

White Paper + Science > ⁠www.hidukehouse.com/books 

Contact > [email protected]

Website >⁠ www.hidukehouse.com⁠ 

Instagram > @hidukehouse 

This episode captures the idea of speaking about things logically – not emotionally, not morally, not even factually, but logically.

It does so through an Idea Pitch for a series called “The Logic Show" and additional Idea Pitches.

THE LOGIC SHOW 

The Logic Show would be a distinctly different from almost all shows that discuss political, moral, and social issues -- even the good ones.

Rather than fight over facts, the show would place facts, potential facts, morals, and other variables in logical structures, such as “if, then.” This would prioritize revealing the structure of arguments, their core premises, and assumptions. 

If done right, this show could improve how people converse about everything, by adding the missing component of pure logic. 

MORE APPLICATIONS

The episode then goes on to provide further Idea Pitches for improving logic in education, business, bias training, government, and everyday life. 

Along the way, there is a discussion about the science of bias and why the distinct quality of logic is often ignored. 

KEY POINTS

The episode makes the argument that logic is a fundamental human capability and that logic is overall much more creative, approachable, and useful than we tend to realize.

People tend to mix up facts, feelings, morals, and logic, but this episode captures the importance and hope of separating logic from everything else. 

LINKS

The Logic Show Pitch + Science Cites + Other Idea Pitches > www.hidukehouse.com/pitches 

Contact > [email protected]

Website > www.hidukehouse.com 

Instagram > @hidukehouse 

Dr.  Todd J. Pierce, a Disney Historian, author, and professor begins with the Disney Parks and moves beyond with an original and powerful idea for understanding why people love and return experiences. 

THE IDEA

Moral temperature is the set of norms and the feelings of a place.  A moral temperature is created by overlapping forces of what stories are shared and celebrated, the big and daily actions that are visible, and how the space is dressed and designed.

THE APPLICATIONS

+ The Disney Parks that value kindness and imagination 

+ The Nike campus that celebrates competition and teamwork

+ Counterculture coffee shops that value different ideas 

+ Music festivals and tours that embrace groups of outsiders

+ Sporting events that embraces aggressive behaviors

+ Schools that do (but often don’t) promote critical thinking 

KEY POINTS

~ People enjoy experiences that have a consistent moral temperature 

~ Places succeed when they create a set of norms that are distinct from the outside world 

LINKS

Contact > [email protected]

Instagram > @hidukehouse

Website > www.hidukehouse.com

Dr. Pierce’s Podcast > www.toddjamespierce.com/blog