Has anyone ever told you, “You are your own worst enemy?” Even the smartest people can make incredibly bad decisions, often sabotaging their own goals and even bringing harm to others. Drs. Rob Barrett and Louis Francescutti have taken this basic idea and applied their respective expertise to look at why we often make decisions that are bad for our overall health, despite having volumes of information at our finger tips. In this interview you will discover how the most primitive part of our brain interacts with the abundance of the digital age; how to avoid the one place in every community that can be more dangerous for your health than a war zone; how to deal with the unexpected social problem that’s worse for you than smoking; what the single most important day-to-day requirement is for sound decision making; how to tell a good story and why storytelling is important in the information age; what the simplest and most effective way is to increase your happiness, instantly; how these current dark times can (and probably will) lead to an amazing cultural renaissance; and last but not least, where to find Canada’s tastiest chocolate milk. Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they interview the authors of the book, Hardwired: How Our Instincts to be Healthy are Making Us Sick.

In November of 2012 Chris Watts married Shanann Rzucek, two years after a chance meeting on Facebook. For the next six years, it seemed that Shanann and Chris had everything they dreamed of, including a large house in Colorado, blossoming careers, and two lovely daughters. In June of 2018, Shanann surprised Chris with news that they would be having a third child. In August of the same year, Chris would brutally murder the pregnant Shanann and his young daughters, Celeste and Bella, after Shanann discovered that Chris was having an affair with another woman. What can drive someone to kill the people that love them the most? What is the nature of so-called “family annihilators” and how are they viewed by law enforcement? Can we ever understand the dark psychology of their motives? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss the case of the Watts family murders.

On November 13, 1974, Ronald Defeo Jr. burst into a local bar pleading for help. When bar patrons arrived at his house they found six of his relatives dead, each shot at point-blank range. The grisly murders then led to a theatrical trial where Defeo claimed he was mentally insane due to numerous voices in his head that commanded him to kill his family. After Defeo’s conviction for the murders, the Lutz family, believing that they were getting a bargain, quickly bought the house the Defeo’s were murdered in, including much of the Defeo’s old furniture. 28 days later, the Lutz family fled the house claiming that 112 Ocean Ave. was haunted by malevolent forces. The Lutz family claim was backed up by renowned paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren, who stated that 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville New York was the most evil they had ever encountered in one place. What is the nature of pure evil? Does evil manifest in people and places through supernatural means or are there other explanations at work? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss the legend of the Amityville Haunting.

In the anti-communist furor of the 1950s, the newly formed Central Intelligence
Agency or CIA began a clandestine program dedicated to the interrogation of
foreign agents. It was believed that if techniques could be perfected to
control someone’s mind, spies could be caught and turned, thereby giving up
useful intelligence information in what would soon become known as “The Cold
War.” In the pursuit of this objective, countless experiments were conducted,
many without the participant’s knowledge or consent, involving psychoactive
substances such as LSD and methamphetamine, high-pressure tactics such as
“psychic driving,” and even seduction through the use of fake prostitutes. Many
citizens of the United States and Canada unwittingly became study subjects as the
CIA relentlessly pursued its dark agenda. What is the nature of mind control?
Can certain psychoactive substances make someone susceptible to being
controlled by another? Can we be driven by others to do things we would
normally find morally reprehensible? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the MK Ultra mind control experiments.

On the morning of February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
arrived with close to 100 agents to serve a warrant for illegal firearms in
what they called Operation Trojan Horse. What followed was one of the worst
firefights in law enforcement history, as agents of the ATF faced off with a
heavily armed group known as the Branch Davidians. Two hours later, four ATF
agents and six Branch Davidians would lay dead. The FBI soon assumed control of
the confrontation, engaging the Branch Davidians in 51-day standoff. Three
sides quickly emerged in the chaos. On one side were the Branch Davidians who
claimed they were being unfairly persecuted for their beliefs. Directly opposed
were the FBI HRT tactical teams who believed that they were facing off with a
cult of cop killers and child molesters. Somewhere in between, a team of FBI
negotiators were pleading with both sides, desperately trying to avoid what
would become a tragic ending. What is the psychological effect of an increasingly
militarized police force on citizens? Can a tremendous show of force ever lead
to a peaceful resolution? What lessons did the FBI and ATF learn from this
tragedy? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos explore the siege at Waco Part 2:
The “Good” Guys.

On February 28th, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to serve a warrant on a religious group at their compound outside of Waco, Texas. Known as the Branch Davidians, the group was an offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists who had left the organization and banded together under the leadership of a Bulgarian immigrant named Victor Houteff in 1930. Through a series of intrigues and internal battles, control of the group landed with Vernon Howell, the young man who would become known to the world as David Koresh. When the ATF raided the compound looking for illegal weapons, it kicked off a 51 day standoff that would leave four ATF agents and 76 Branch Davidians dead. Where is the line that separates a group of religious believers and a cult? How do cult leaders persuade people to believe in them in the face of immoral and even illegal behavior? Does labeling a group as a cult serve to stigmatize people with beliefs outside of the religious mainstream? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos they discuss the siege at Waco, Part 1: The “Bad” Guys.

In December of 2019, medical officials began noticing several mysterious cases of pneumonia in residents of Wuhan, China. As they began to investigate, patterns started to emerge. On January 11th, 2020, China reported its first death associated with a novel coronavirus. By January 30th, just one month after the disease was first reported in China, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency. The virus continued to spread quickly, ferociously infecting countries like Italy, Iran, and Spain. On March 11th, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In the midst of the chaos and panic, several conspiracy theories started to emerge as people around the globe struggled to make sense of the events. Why do we believe in conspiracy theories? Can a conspiracy theory help us to feel in control during times of panic, or does it simply serve to make our collective anxiety worse? What can current conspiracy theories about COVID-19 teach us about our own psychology? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss our fascination with conspiracy theories.

At the age of 10, Dr. Micono had a nightmare that she clung to the Colossus of Rhodes while the island was shaken by a terrifying earthquake. The images and feelings from this dream would go on to influence her for the rest of her life. Most of us can remember at least one dream or nightmare that haunts us. As we continue to wrestle with the effects of the pandemic, many of us have been experiencing unusually intense and profound dreams. What is the nature of dreaming? Do our dreams and nightmares have significant meaning? Are we being given information about ourselves through these experiences that can be useful to us or is this just the business of the brain trying to process day-to-day information? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they explore the stuff of nightmares (and dreams)!!!  

On October 30th, 1938, a young actor by the name of Orson Welles, in collaboration with a number of other radio actors, presented a dramatization of H.G. Wells’ famous novel, War of the Worlds. According to legend, many people, believing that the show was a genuine news broadcast, began to panic. As the story of the mass panic grew, it developed into a much larger and darker narrative. What is the nature of mass hysteria? What can trigger our sense of self-preservation so deeply that we turn on each other? How does mass media and the way we receive information play into what we fear the most? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos explore the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast and the concept of mass panic.

On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed Nancy Lanza, Rachel D’Avino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Leigh Soto, Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Marquez-Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, and Allison Wyatt in one of the worst mass shootings in US history. What drives someone to target their rage on our most vulnerable population? How does mental illness tie into this kind of violence? Why do tragedies like Sandy Hook appear to be an increasing occurrence in the US? This week Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss Adam Lanza and the Sandy Hook shooting with mass shooter expert, Dr. Heather Morris.