Humans are born with the ability to laugh and smile. It is built into our nervous system. In this episode of Watching America, we hear from psychologist and Gelotologist (laughter expert) Steve Wilson. He’s the director of National Humor Month and president of The World Laughter Tour. Wilson also provides training in therapeutic laughter and developed “Good Hearted Living” practices. Host Alan Campbell talks to Wilson about the benefits of laughter, what it means to have a “sense of humor,” and what makes a joke funny—or offensive. https://www.worldlaughtertour.com

Do you hear voices ... inside your head? Well, we all do. The secret, according to Dr. Ethan Kross, is to manage the way we talk to ourselves. In this episode of Watching America, Kross discusses the research behind his bestselling book, "Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It." Kross is an experimental psychologist, neuroscientist, and founder of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. After listening to this enlightening conversation, your inner voice might learn to pause a moment before creating its next conversation. Learn more about Kross' work at ethankross.com. This episode first aired on May 14, 2021.

Dr. Reuben Miller says the American justice system does not aim to rehabilitate people who commit crime. Instead, he says programs like parole create instability and lifelong poverty. In this episode of Watching America, Miller talks about his latest book: “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration.”

Dr. Miller is Associate Professor at University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice.

“Don’t Burn This Book” by social commenter and comedian Dave Rubin is a New York Times Bestseller. He just released a follow-up: “Don’t Burn This Country: Surviving and Thriving in Our Woke Dystopia.” On this episode of Watching America, Dr. Alan Campbell talks to Rubin about issues addressed in the new publication, from hot-button topics like transgender athletics to mental health advice regarding the benefits of regular media fasts.

Dave Rubin is the host of “The Rubin Report” and recently moved to Florida with his husband, David, and dog, Clyde. daverubin.com

The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM) is referred to as the Bible of Psychiatry. Like any scripture, it has nonbelievers. Award-winning author Sarah Fay is one of them.

Fay combines investigative journalism and personal experience in her new book, “Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnosis.” Fay speaks candidly with Dr. Alan Campbell about the unintended impact mental illness labels had on her and what she learned through research into the field of psychiatry.

sarahfay.org

In this episode of Watching America, we hear from civil rights activist, Hollywood newscaster, educator, and public speaker Luis Alberto Rivera Colon. His father was a Puerto Rican migrant worker; his mother, an entrepreneur. He’s also an old friend of our host, Dr. Alan Campbell.

In this conversation, Colon tells stories from his new book, “Living Between Cultures: From Borinquen to Hollywood,” including how the death Freddie Prinze impacted his life.

Bestselling author Ken Coleman is called “America’s Career Coach.” He hosts a nationally syndicated radio program about meaningful work, but he’s in the guest seat on this episode of Watching America. Dr. Alan Campbell interviews Coleman about concepts from his latest book, “From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love.” Find more at ramseysolutions.com/ken-coleman

Wildlife is declining across the globe. But environmental historian Dr. Peter Alagona says a whole new ecosystem is developing as wild animals move into urban areas. In this episode of Watching America, Algona shares research from his new book, “The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities.” Is interspecies coexistence possible in the concrete jungle? Listen to hear a surprising and insightful perspective.

Peter Alagona is an environmental historian, conservation scientist, nature-culture geographer, and professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara.

Winsome Earle Sears has served in Virginia as a Delegate and on the state’s Board of Education. In January, 2022, she became the state’s Lieutenant Governor. Sears, a Republican, is the first woman to hold that office in Virginia, and the first Black woman and Jamaican-born American elected to a statewide position in the state. In this episode of Watching America, host Dr. Alan Campbell focuses more on Sears’ personality and values than her political outlook.

We also hear a segment of Dr. Campbell’s instructive conversation with Nobel Prize-winning economist, Dr. Paul Romer.

This is a surprising and sometimes difficult conversation about sex addiction with psychologist Nicole Prause; Erica Garza, author of "Getting Off: One Woman's Journey Through Sex and Porn Addiction"; and Charles (a pseudonym), who is heavily involved in Sex Addicts Anonymous.

This episode first aired in 2019, almost exactly 3 years ago. We bring this back to our listeners after the recent episode with Anna Lembke about her book, “Dopamine Nation.”