The Behavior Shift Show

Why does eating healthy seem so much harder when you're hungry at Costco? Why do your gym plans go out the window the moment you sit down on the couch? This week, we’re exploring the concepts of hot and cold states, highlighting that the version of you making plans isn’t always the same as the one executing them. We’ll discuss how emotions, stress, hunger, and fatigue can impact our decision-making, and we’ll debunk the myth of “willpower.” When hunger strikes, it’s important to have simple systems in place to help bridge the gap between rational intentions and realistic behavior. We’re here to guide you on that journey.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] Introducing hot and cold states

[2:10] The “hot state”

[4:43] The “cold state”

[6:51] Everyday examples

[9:41] Why most behavior change plans fail

[12:57] Using "when-then" plans

[14:06] Adding friction and removing friction

[16:11] It's not a discipline problem

[18:41] The key takeaway: manage your state, not just your intentions

AI has quickly become a powerful tool for productivity, efficiency, and generating emails we’re too burnt out to write, but what happens when we start relying on it too much? This week, we’re examining the hidden cost of AI and why cognitive offloading can lead to cognitive surrender and reduce long-term memory retention. This is a doom-and-gloom outlook on AI, however. Throughout the episode, we discuss the many ways AI can be used as an enhancement tool rather than a replacement, and how you can stay aware of its dangers and ahead of the game.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] The growing impact of AI - good or bad?

[2:52] Cognitive offloading: Why our brains love shortcuts

[5:13] From offloading to "cognitive surrender"

[7:54] Does AI weaken critical thinking?

[11:17] Why we remember less when AI does the work

[13:49] Research on AI, reasoning, and critical thinking

[15:29] Practical ways to use AI without losing your edge

Studies

Shaw, Steven D and Nave, Gideon, Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender (January 11, 2026). https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/yk25n_v1, The Wharton School Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6097646 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6097646

Gerlich, Michael, AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking (January 03, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5082524 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5082524

Ever feel like you don't have enough? Whether it's time, money, sleep, or even attention, the feeling of scarcity is enough to send your brain into overdrive. This week, we're exploring the psychology of scarcity and why having too little narrows our focus, drains our mental bandwidth, and makes it harder to make good decisions. We also share practical strategies for building more margin into your life so scarcity doesn't stay in the driver's seat—you do.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] The psychology of scarcity

[3:17] Tunnel vision: Why our brains fixate on what's missing

[6:22] Understanding the "bandwidth tax"

[9:22] Building buffers to protect your mental bandwidth

[11:19] Key takeaways: Creating more margin in your life

Ever feel like, over time, you’re more distracted, less focused, and oddly dissatisfied, even when things are going well? This week, we’re exploring the idea of “brain rot” and the toll a culture of constant consumption can take on our attention, motivation, and sense of meaning. We dig into why this happens and introduce a simple shift that can change the dynamic: creating more than you consume. You don’t need to be “good” at creating for this to matter; anything that sparks your creativity, like cooking, journaling, sketching, or building, engages your brain differently. Instead of chasing rewards, you start generating them, opening a practical path toward more focus, energy, and day-to-day fulfillment.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] What Is “Brain Rot”?

[2:04] The Core Idea: Create More Than You Consume

[5:00] Why Creation Fuels Intrinsic Motivation

[8:35] Everyday Forms of Creation: Writing, Cooking, Sketching

[11:55] Turning Consumption Into Creation

[14:06] Final Takeaway: Creating for Yourself vs. External Validation

Ever pick up your phone to check the time…then 30 minutes later you’re doomscrolling on Twitter? We’re unpacking the science behind our addiction to our phones - everything from binge-watching to bad attention spans, to help you reclaim your brain and break the cycle. Tech companies know what they’re doing by tapping into human psychology to keep you hooked on their platforms, but there is hope. By adding friction, redesigning your environment, and making attention intentional, you can make looking at your phone a choice, rather than a habit.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] Are You Really in Control of Your Attention?

[3:14] How Phones Hook Us

[6:04] The Power of Short-Form Content

[8:24] Frictionless Design and Autoplay

[10:45] Why the Odds Are Stacked Against You

[11:16] Strategy #1: Add Friction to Your Environment

[14:06] Strategy #2: Create Intentional Stopping Points

[15:43] Strategy #3: Replace the Habit, Don’t Just Remove It

[17:49] Take Back Control of Your Attention

Ever notice how one bad moment can ruin an otherwise great experience? This week, we’re walking you through the recency effect: a cognitive bias that causes us to give more weight to the most recent interactions when forming memories and judgments. It doesn’t matter if it was a bad end to a good meeting, or delayed flights at the end of a wonderful vacation; endings disproportionately shape how we feel, what we remember, and the decisions we make next. But we don’t want to end this episode on a bad note - we share actionable strategies so you can take control of your “endings” and help you avoid letting a single moment distort the bigger picture.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] Recency Effect: When One Bad Ending Ruins Everything

[6:18] When One Great (or Bad) Moment Changes Everything

[10:25] Why This Bias Can Be Dangerous

[13:48] Strategy #1: Design Your Endings with Purpose

[15:36] Strategy #2: Pause and Challenge Your Judgments

[17:07] Thinking in Data Points, Not Just Feelings

[19:10] A Warning for Leaders

[20:38] The Question That Changes Everything

Why are we so complicit staying in situations that are just…fine? This week, we’re examining the powerful pull of the status quo bias, aka our tendency to stick with what’s familiar, even when better options are right in front of us. You know those unused subscriptions you have? Even worse - you know that friend who hates their job but won’t leave? Loss aversion, effort, and regret avoidance often keep us locked into default choices and apathetic complacency, but you don’t have to stay stagnant. Tune in to this week’s episode for behavioral science-backed strategies and helpful tips to disrupt autopilot, rethink your defaults, and start making more intentional decisions today.

Chapter Markers:

[0:00] The “Why Do I Still Pay for This?” Problem

[5:37] Real-World Examples: Jobs, Subscriptions, and Systems

[9:11] The Role of Status Quo in Relationships

[12:24] Strategy #1: Flip the Default Question

[14:10] Strategy #2: Create Intentional Decision Moments

[16:24] Strategy #3: Lower the Cost of Change

[18:24] Strategy #4: Design Better Defaults

[20:45] A Final Question to Shift Your Life

We continue our conversation by introducing you to the lesser-known but influential concept of sure loss. Sure loss explains why we often become risk-seeking precisely when we should stop, whether it’s because we’re holding on to a losing investment, staying in an unhealthy situation, or doubling down on a clearly failing strategy. When loss isn’t yet admitted but seemingly imminent, our brains work overtime to avoid making it feel more real, even if that means taking bigger and riskier bets. By using everyday examples of money, work, and relationships, we use this episode to reveal how the fear of sure loss can distort our judgment and why awareness is key to making smart decisions about when we persist, and when we walk away.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 – What “Sure Loss” Means

2:05 – The Coin Flip Example and Pain Avoidance

4:15 – Unrealized vs. Real Losses

5:00 – Why We Double Down Instead of Cutting Losses

8:10 – How Sure Loss Shows Up Beyond Money

9:00 – The Core Insight: When We Take Risks

Loss aversion is one of the most well-known ideas in behavioral science, but that doesn’t mean it’s not misunderstood. This week, we’re unpacking why losses feel about twice as powerful as gains, and how that imbalance influences everything from investing and career choices to relationships and risk-taking. Loss aversion can protect us, but it also shrinks our world and keeps us in situations we need to outgrow. This episode offers practical ways to reveal loss aversion in your life, reframe what you think you’re losing, and redirect your energy to make better decisions.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 – What Loss Aversion Is and Where It Comes From

2:00 – How Loss Aversion Shows Up in Modern Life

3:10 – When Loss Aversion Makes Us Overly Cautious

4:25 – When Loss Aversion Becomes Invisible

6:55 – The Core Takeaway on Loss Aversion

The availability bias is one of the most convincing mental shortcuts we use, and that is exactly what makes it so dangerous. In this episode, we explore how our brains confuse ease of recall with actual likelihood, causing us to overestimate vivid, emotional, or recent events while overlooking quieter but far more common risks. From shark attacks to vending machines, we unpack how the availability bias shapes fear, judgment, and attention. We close with practical strategies for resisting this bias and making decisions grounded in data rather than headlines.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 – What the Availability Bias Is (and Why We Use It)

1:40 – Sharks, Vending Machines, and Misjudging Risk

4:10 – Availability Bias as a Cognitive Illusion

6:25 – Public Spending, Fear, and Misplaced Priorities

7:00 – How to Protect Yourself from Availability Bias

8:15 – The Core Takeaway: Memory Is Not Probability