Shrink Tank Podcast

With video games like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Overwatch, Half-Life, Battlefront, Portal, Far Cry, Halo, Fortnite, and other violent first-person shooter games being continuously welcomed into households and absorbed by minds young and old across the country, you can't help but question whether these games and other video game violence are contributing to the media accused of normalizing and encouraging real-life acts of violence.

In an episode recorded live at Heroes Con 2018 in Charlotte, the Shrinks employ their personal and professional encounters with violent behavior to explain why media, and video games in particular, are not inherently prone to inciting acts of violence, as proven by psychological research.

They also discuss how the U.S. has a track record of jumping to censorship too soon when popular political interest demands it, the importance of knowing what media your child is mature enough to handle, and how there are far more influences than video games to consider when determining why a person would take up arms against fellow Americans.

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  "Violence among teens is the lowest it has ever been, but you're not hearing those stories, and it's primarily because of the way the human brain is wired or designed to look for danger."

– Dr. Frank Gaskill

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Speak your Mind!

Our Shrinks got to answer questions from the audience live at HeroesCon, but we'd like to get the rest of our listeners in on the conversation! Reply below or send us your thoughts at [email protected]. Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast!

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Following the opening of Incredibles 2, Ocean's 8, and other female-led films, we have noticed a wave of women in the entertainment industry. Could this be highlighting a true atmospheric change in Hollywood?

 In this episode, our panel of Shrinks is joined by special guest, Elise Howell, LCPA as they share their thoughts on current trends regarding leading ladies in pop culture.

Some of these trends observed include harsh male criticism amongst movie reviews, little to no tolerance for career development among women in film, as well as the pretense of faith in women-led projects. This is evident among films such as Ocean's 8, where an all-star cast is only given the opportunity to shine while riding the coat-tails of past franchises made successful by men.

When will the industry give women the autonomy and freedom to deliver original content without having reviews tainted with gender-based criticism?

"I think what we're seeing now is that women are creating content for women."

– Elise Howell, LCPA

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss some of the latest findings on psychology in the news.

The World Health Organization has made it official that digital games can be addictive and those addicted need help. WHO states that people whose jobs, educations, family or social lives have been upended by video games probably meet the criteria for a new form of addiction classified as "gaming disorder."

Our panel of Shrinks discusses the aftermath of this decision, including insurance billing, treatment options and what this means for diagnostic practice moving forward.

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Speak your Mind!

Questions or comments? Reply below or send us your thoughts at [email protected]. Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast!

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Celebrity suicides are not a new phenomenon in American culture by any means, but recent events have triggered an explosion of awareness and concern about mental health, depression, and suicide ideation among the famous, as well as the general population.

With Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain both having ended their lives this past month, fans around the world have been left both confused and deeply saddened by the loss of the wildly successful and beloved handbag designer and chef-turned-television personality. In this episode, our panel of Shrinks shares their reactions to the news examines the cultural impact of these celebrities' deaths and contemplates how we can begin to come together to move forward from these tragedies.

  "two people, from the general population's perspective, seemed to have it all, and it still wasn't enough. I think that's helped some people step back and say, 'really, what's driving our day-to-day lives... and what defines happiness and fulfillment?'"

– Jonathan Hetterly, LPC

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss some of the latest findings on psychology in the news.

From its coverage across many movies, articles, textbooks, and documentaries, most of us are familiar with Philip Zimbardo's infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, which led researchers to conclude that evil in people is brought out by circumstance, based on a simulation where paid participants were assigned roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison at Stanford University. A new exposé by Medium exploring previously unpublished recordings of Zimbardo and participant interviews suggest the guards in the experiment were coached to be cruel, while prisoners may have deliberately dramatized their reactive behaviors.

From Sherif's Robbers Cave studies on intergroup conflict to Milgrim's Shock Experiment on obedience and authority, to the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment on delayed gratification in children, numerous classic psychological experiments have lately come under scrutiny for being fraudulent or outdated, with psychologists expressing serious concern about the replicability of these results today.

Our panel of Shrinks wrestle with their thoughts on why we're just now second-guessing this research, and what the future of psychology may hold for us.

(You can find Zimbardo's response to accusations of fraudulence here.)

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Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, our Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

Therapy + SiriusXM App

Dr. Frank Gaskill's first suggestion for the week is to go seek therapy, having witnessed it produce effective results both in himself as well as countless clients over the years. He also reiterates his previous commendation for the SiriusXM app's Premium services, available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon, for exclusive access to a curated collection of hundreds of videos and interviews with his personal idol, Howard Stern.

Leon Bridges's Good Thing

Jonathan Hetterly, LPC recommends Leon Bridges's new album, Good Thing, for some soulful, groovy music listening. This is the American gospel and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and Texas native's third album to date.

Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story by Chris Nashawaty, who writes film criticism for Entertainment Weekly. This fun book details the story behind how the hilarious film managed to overcome initially poor critical and box office reception to grow into the iconic cult classic we know it as today.

Speak your Mind!

Join our panel of Shrinks for a special edition of the Shrink Tank Podcast, recorded live from Heroes Con 2018! In a special live panel event, our panel of Shrinks discuss the psychology of Westworld: the bicameral mind, what it means to be human, consciousness, as well as creator versus creation.

For all of our content on Westworld, click here.

Speak your Mind!

Questions or comments? Reply below or send us your thoughts at [email protected]. Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast!

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Amid today's tumultuous and polarizing political climate, our resident Shrinks delve into the psychology behind the trends of support among Christian and Evangelical demographics. Using their respective spiritual backgrounds to tease out the nuances of political beliefs intersectionally, our panelists examine the changes in religious and conservative ideology across time which brought us to the state of the Trump presidency in 2018.

For all of our content on President Trump, click here.

  "Progress is really about changing and making things better. When you think about a lot of religious faiths, the very definition of orthodoxy means to preserve the original creeds of a religion... Progress [for white male Evangelicals] really means losing their power and losing their status as the majority."

– Jonathan Hetterly, LPC

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss the latest findings of psychology in the news.

For most of us, the transition to independent living by moving out of our parents' house is a natural part of growing up. But what happens when someone refuses to go and strike out on their own?

In a real-life case of failure to launch, The New York Post reports how an upstate New York judge ordered a 30-year-old man to move out of his parents' house after they went to court to have him evicted. Michael Rotondo told the judge he knows his parents want him out of the split-level ranch they share, but he argued that as a family member, he's entitled to six months' more time. The state supreme court justice Donald Greenwood rejected that as outrageous. Mark and Christina Rotondo brought the court case after several eviction letters, offering money, and other help was ignored.

Join our panel of Shrinks as they discuss their thoughts on this topic.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

The Blue Notebooks (15 Years Edition) by Max Richter

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week the music album The Blue Notebooks (15 Years Edition) by producer/composer Max Richter. Released in 2004, this album is full of beautiful, haunting melodies such as "The Nature of Daylight," which has been featured in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010) and Denis Villenueve's Arrival (2016).

Howard Stern video series - SiriusXM App

Dr. Frank Gaskill recommends downloading the SirusXM app, available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon, for exclusive access to a series of interviews and other videos about American radio and television personality, producer, author, actor, and Frank's personal hero, Howard Stern, and a group of his fans known as the "Wack Pack".

American Ninja Warrior

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is American Ninja Warrior, a great television show for the whole family, where contestants tackle challenging obstacle courses in cities across the country.

Speak your Mind!

Questions or comments? Reply below or send us your thoughts at [email protected]. Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast!

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

13 Reasons Why is back for season two and our panel of Shrinks are discussing their thoughts. The beloved high school drama is still garnering a lot of media attention due to its controversial topics of teen suicide, sexual assault, drug use and bullying.

Today's podcast features our panel of Shrinks discussing the controversial high school drama.

For all of our content on 13 Reasons Why, click here.

"It feels like their stories are such outliers for me, in terms of a typical high school... I get concerned about the impressionability of teens."

– Dr. Frank Gaskill

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss the latest findings of psychology in the news.

Losing a beloved pet is often an emotionally devastating experience. Yet as a society, we do not recognize how painful pet loss can be. acute these symptoms can be.

Recently, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that a woman whose dog died exhibited traits of "Broken Heart Syndrome"— a condition in which a person’s response to grief and heartbreak is so severe, they exhibit symptoms that mimic a heart attack.

Listen in as our panel of Shrinks discuss their thoughts on this topic.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

NPR's podcast 'How I Built This'

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week the podcast How I Built This from NPR. This podcast is all about stories of innovators' and their separate journeys to success.

The Truman Show

Jonathan Hetterly recommends The Truman Show. This movie looks at our fixation of watching other people's lives for entertainment, long before the rise of YouTube's crop of influencers.

So You Think You Can Dance

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is So You Think You Can Dance.

Speak your Mind!

Let us hear you! Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast. Comment below or send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Shows like Rick & Morty, Big Mouth and Bob's Burgers have captured our hearts with hilarious comedy, scandalous jokes and outlandish plotlines. Adult cartoons have a way of pushing the limit on topics in pop culture, so why is that?

Today's podcast features our panel of Shrinks discussing shows like Rick & Morty, Bob's Burgers, South Park, Big Mouth and more.

"Maybe the medium of animation adds a healthy level of de-humanization."

– Jonathan Hetterly, LPC

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss the latest findings of psychology in the news.

Anxiety may be rooted in the American tradition of over-analyzing. The solution? It could possibly be doing nothing at all.

Mood disorders like depression and anxiety are on the rise. This study hypothesizes that our heightened anxiety is based on how Americans think: analytically, rule-bound and systems-oriented, with linear thinking.

Listen in as our panel of Shrinks discuss their thoughts on this topic. Read the study that inspired our discussion here.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

HBO'S Barry

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week is HBO's show, Barry.

A Quiet Place 

Jonathan Hetterly recommends John Krasinski's latest film, A Quiet Place. For his article on the film's parenting motifs, click here.

Wild, Wild Country on Netflix

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is Wild, Wild Country on Netflix.

 

Speak your Mind!

Let us hear you! Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast. Comment below or send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Fortnite has taken the gaming world by storm. If you haven't heard of it, Fortnite is a co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games.

Today's podcast features our panel of Shrinks discussing the psychology behind the craze of the game.

"I feel like the culture within the [Fortnite] community is a really positive environment."

– Dr. Emma Kate Wright

Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss the latest findings of psychology in the news.

Is Fortnite bad for children? According to Dr. Leonard Sax, yes.

American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that games where killing others is the central theme, similar to Fortnite, are not appropriate for children under 18 years of age. In their latest guidelines, The Academy advised that video games should not use humans or other living targets or reward points for killing people.

Our panel of Shrinks has a different take on the subject. Listen in to Dr. Frank Gaskill discuss the matter on this episode of Psych in 60, from our friends over at Psych Bytes.

Listen in as our panel of Shrinks discuss their thoughts on this topic. Read the study that inspired our discussion here.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

Netflix's show Aggretsuko

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week is the Netflix show, Aggretsuko. Watch it here.

HBO's Barry and Off-Camera with Sam Jones

Jonathan Hetterly has two recommendations for the week: HBO's Barry and podcast Off-Camera with Sam Jones. Sam Jones is a photographer and documentarian interviewing celebrities. Listen in here. 

Netflix's 'My Next Guest' with David Letterman

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is My Next Guest with David Letterman on Netflix. Stream it here.

Speak your Mind!

Let us hear you! Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast. Comment below or send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

The Royal Wedding is this weekend and it's safe to say that the whole world is tuning in. That said, why are we so captivated with the upcoming nuptials between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry?

Today's podcast features our panel of Shrinks discussing the psychology behind the world-wide obsession with the Royal Wedding.

"I think we're wired to be curious about other people. [The Royal Wedding] could easily be equated to a fantasy."

–Jonathan Hetterly, LPC

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Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss the latest findings of psychology in the news.

Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?

Clifford Noss, a professor of communication at Stanford University. While some people may have more of a positive outlook, almost everyone remembers negative things more strongly and in more detail. Noss claims the brain handles negative and positive information in different hemispheres. Negative emotions generally involve more thinking and processing than positive emotions.

Listen in as our panel of Shrinks discuss their thoughts on this topic. Read the study that inspired our discussion here.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

HBO's documentary 'Diana, Our Mother: Her Life & Legacy'

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week is the HBO documentary, Diana: Our Mother, Her Life & Legacy. Watch it here.

John Mulaney's 'Kid Gorgeous'

Jonathan Hetterly's recommendation for the week is John Mulaney's Netflix special, Kid Gorgeous. Stream it here. 

Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Dr. Dave Verhaagen's recommendation for the week is The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. Catch season two here. 

Speak your Mind!

Let us hear you! Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast. Comment below or send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.

Imagine: an unknown serial killer finally serving justice... with the click of a button.

While it may seem impossible, the recent findings of the Golden State Killer case prove the possibility. These findings inspired today's discussion on the power of genealogy websites. Genealogy websites such as 23 & Me and Ancestry.com have become a hot topic the last few years, with many people developing an interest in tracing back their lineage or DNA findings.

Today's podcast panelists discuss the importance of DNA, identity, as well as their personal experiences using genealogy websites.

"There's a part of me that feels that ignorance is bliss. If I just focus on normal, healthy living and I'm content letting life run its course. Maybe I do have some genetic risk, but I'm pretty happy not knowing that."

–Jonathan Hetterly, LPC

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Being Human

In our Being Human segment, the Shrink Tank Podcast panelists discuss everyone's favorite hobby: napping and teenage learning.

In a study funded by the Institute of Health, researchers are studying mid-day napping, nighttime sleep duration, and sleep quality. These studies are studying specifically how it may aid teens and learning. In China, time for napping is built into the post-lunch schedule for many adults in work settings but also students in school. Our panel of Shrinks unpack this study's results and discuss their thoughts.

Read the study that inspired our discussion here.

Doctor's Orders

In our Doctor's Orders segment, the Shrinks talk products and other things they are personally enjoying in pop culture.

The Chef's Table on Netflix

Dr. Emma Kate Wright's recommendation for the week is the Netflix show, The Chef's Table. Stream it here.

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Dr. Frank Gaskill's recommendation for the week is In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. The novel is the true accounting of the white bull-whale that attacked the Essex in the Pacific. Purchase your copy here.

Speak your Mind!

Let us hear you! Your input could even be featured on the next episode of the Shrink Tank Podcast. Comment below or send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Need a longer session with the Shrinks? Check out our last episode here.