Calvin Wayman was raised in a fundamentalist Mormon cult, with four mothers and 44 siblings. This world was everything he had known. At the age of 30, he left that world, and was effectively on his own, isolated from everything that had previously given his life meaning. We talk about that experience with a focus on the existential feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompanied it. Topics discussed include: how he began to question his world; factors he sees as present that made him someone willing to question things; Plato's allegory of the cave; The Matrix and our willingness to take the "red pill"; how his community and family reacted to his decision; the human desire for certainty; and more. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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I talk with Nadja Heym, a psychology researcher who specializes in dark traits, like psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism, and who has researched so-called "dark empaths": people with dark traits who have a good amount of empathy. We delve into some nuance in the area of psychopathy. Topics discussed include: How she defines psychopathic traits; The misuse of the term "psychopath" (and related misuse of other terms like "narcissist"); Can we say from a brain scan if a brain is "psychopathic"?; "Bad seed"-like concepts of how psychopaths arise; Can an environment (like a highly competitive job) make someone have more psychopathic traits?; What are "dark empaths"? 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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When trying to convince people of the problem of polarization and the necessity for depolarization endeavors, a common objection from politically passionate people goes, "But the other side is horrible, so polarization makes sense." In this episode, I talk about one of the main counterpoints to that objection: that us-vs-them anger, in a non-obvious way, helps create the very things we're angry about. For this reason, if one wants to defeat extreme views on the other side (or on both sides), the way to achieve that goal is to take a depolarizing, anger-reducing, de-escalating approach. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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A talk with racecar driver Andy Lally, who specializes in endurance GT (sportcar) racing. Topics we talk about include: What's the breakdown in skill versus chance in an average race? What are the considerations when trying to pass other drivers, or trying to prevent drivers from passing? Where’s the boundary between acceptable behavior versus behavior that people would consider too-aggressive and dangerous? What are some spots where Andy was proud of his decisions? What it’s like being a vegan in an industry where that’s pretty rare?

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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I talk with Herman Ilgen, who's been a negotiator for more than 30 years and who is the founder of the Institute for Nonverbal Strategy Analysis (INSA). Ilgen has researched how facial expression patterns may be connected to personality traits. His paper was titled "Personal Nonverbal Repertoires in facial displays and their relation to individual differences in social and emotional styles." Topics discussed include: what led him to do that work; what the findings were; how he makes practical use of those findings; and general thoughts on negotiation strategies. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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In the small town of Caroline in central New York state, there seems to be a war going on. A large sign in the town reads, "There’s a war in the valley, time to pick a side." The divide is over proposed zoning laws. Rebecca Schillenback is a resident who wrote a letter to the local paper objecting to the war-like us-vs-them rhetoric she sees her neighbors using. I talk to Rebecca about: the nature of this divide and the roots of the emotions; how it relates to our national us-vs-them divides; and her Quaker faith and its role in her attempt to reduce anger. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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A talk with psychologist Jessica Maxwell about her research on sexual relationships. We talk about "growth" versus "destiny" views on sex: in other words, whether someone sees sexual satisfaction as something one must work on, or if one sees it as largely an issue of destiny--something that’s either present or it’s not. Other topics include: the role of media in affecting our views on sex; how boredom and lack of novelty can hurt sexual satisfaction; performance-related anxiety; how porn might be affecting people’s ideas of sex; thoughts on scheduled date nights versus more spontaneous attempts at romance; sleeping in separate bedrooms. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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I talk with Philip Furley, who has done extensive research on behavior and psychology in sports. Topics discussed include: how an athlete's body language can influence teammates, opponents, and even judges; behaviors and strategies of penalty kickers and goalkeepers in soccer; some specific behaviors from the recent World Cup; collective displays of team unity (like the "Haka"); the difficulties of finding behavioral patterns in sports; thoughts on making practical use of Furley's research findings. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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A talk with Brian Dunning, who you might call a professional skeptic. He has been doing the Skeptoid podcast since 2006, and is the creator of multiple books and video projects aimed at promoting critical thinking and skepticism. We talk about the reasons why we're so often drawn to pseudoscience, bullshit, and no/low-evidence ideas in general. I also get his takes on assorted ideas, such as chiropractic work, acupuncture, UFOs, eye movement desensitization therapy, the placebo effect, and more. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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Wilfred Reilly is a political scientist, professor, and author of the 2019 book Hate Crime Hoax. Topics discussed include: how hate crimes are tracked; why it can be hard to get a clear picture of hate crime numbers; the logic of 'hate crime' as a legal designation; irresponsible media coverage of racism-related issues; the motivations of people who fake hate crimes; distorted perceptions of American hate crimes and racism; how distorted perceptions can amplify polarization; and what it's like working on these topics while teaching at a historically black college. 

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.   

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