Weird but Wonderful

Three advice seeking letters, one guest host. A man fakes a contest win to hide a PS5 from his wife. A woman wants to give herself a nickname before moving to a new town. And a mum keeps introducing her son’s girlfriend as “John’s friend”. Plus we learn the origin of David’s Raven era, and why everyone needs a Matt.

Special thanks to David for joining me on this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@ZeroIndent

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Topics: Your boyfriend is Joe Goldberg from You, video game lies, the saga of the PS5 in 2020, 90s is cool again, MSN usernames IRL, secret game consoles, gamer tags as nicknames, reinventing yourself, giving yourself a nickname, my mother-in-law is a boy mum, correcting your relationship label, finding your person, combative family solutions, the importance of the myspace top 8.

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

02:42 - David’s Joe Goldberg moment

03:58 - My Husband Faked Winning a PS5

14:18 - Giving Yourself a Nickname

30:14 - Future Mother-In-Law Introduces Me As Her Son’s Friend

36:17 - Dear Boomer

44:37 - Introducing Someone As Your ‘Their Name’

48:14 - Don’t Hate Me, Top 8 Me

52:36 - Outro

This week only three questions matter: can dropping an F-bomb actually make you physically stronger, are true crime fans secret geniuses or secret psychopaths, and has America genuinely decided that country music is cooler than weed?

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Topics: Swearing improves physical performance, physiological flow, self-confidence boosting, freedom from constraints, grunting and tennis racket power, sample size gripes, the 60-second cap is a limit on science, the crime of country music, swear word vs neutral word, salary negotiation tactics, placebo and Hawthorne effect, peak performance and courage, 3am intruders, peacocking, true crime podcast listeners, Journal of Psychology of Popular Media, information seeking and learning from victims' mistakes, physiological arousal and suspense, horror movies as safe thrills, James's childhood horror trauma, the dark triad again, narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, personality and media choices, America rates what's cool, YouGov coolness survey, marijuana coolness ranking, pluralistic ignorance, country music vs heavy metal, cigarettes making a comeback, and online survey bias.

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

00:28 - Intro

01:20 - Does swearing improve performance?

11:18 - Why do people really listen to true crime?

19:48 - America decides what's cool

26:48 - Outro

28:05 - What's coming next

What happens when science confirms what we already suspected about the people who are hitting on us? And does size REALLY matter? Turns out... yeah.

On this episode we're checking out a Chinese app charging lonely city dwellers a monthly fee just to confirm they're still alive. New research out of Alabama mapping exactly who is flirting for a relationship and who is flirting for personal gain. A study from the University of Western Australia letting us know once and for all, scientifically, does size matter? And somewhere in Louisiana, a mermaid is living her best life... right up until the taser.

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Topics: Are You Dead Yet app, loneliness epidemic, the psychology of flirting, relational vs instrumental flirting, the dark triad, narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy, the light triad, Kantian ethics, why size matters, the key male metrics, male rivalry, evolutionary biology, University of Western Australia (shouts out), dual purpose tools, the mermaid woman of Louisiana, and taser immunity.

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

00:44 - Intro + Are you dead yet?

02:18 - The dark psychology of flirting

11:31 - Why size matters: men, rivals, and evolutionary biology

27:12 - The Louisiana mermaid

33:12 - Outro

What happens when the human drive for self-improvement stops being healthy and starts getting strange?

Episode 99 is a descent into the strangest corners of the Internet. From a 47,000 strong online community convinced they can optimise one very specific part of human biology using supplement stacks and biblical food rules. But when optimisation fails to cure a “blah” life, the behaviour turns desperate. We explore why one man risked it all on the interstate just to feel a spark of excitement, and why a TikTok prankster faked his own passing just to see which family members would show up to his funeral.

And finally, we explore the psychology of ‘fragile monsters’. New research into serial killers suggests the most dangerous people aren’t cold masterminds at all, but fragile, easily bruised, and terrifyingly reactive. A single slight or a wounded ego can be the catalyst, revealing a chilling link between the need to be seen and the drive to destroy.

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Topics: The rise of nutmaxxing, the holy grail stack, biblical eating, tummy pancakes vs bun glazer, citizen scientists, frustrated ‘artists’, my blah life and the need to chase excitement, what happens when you achieve your goals too early in life, the ultimate fomo, pranks gone horribly right but also horribly wrong, the lengths tiktokers will go to for some clicks, vulnerable narcissism, the new research into serial killers.

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00:00 - It begins

01:03 - Nutmaxxing: The world of self optimisation in 2026

03:41 - Citizen scientists and the ‘holy grail’ supplement stack

15:00 - The self-optimisation factions have fractured

19:58 - The interstate flasher seeking excitement

24:00 - Belgian man’s ‘Life Lesson’ prank

33:00 - The psychology of a psychopath: Serial killers and fragile narcissism

39:51 - Outro

What if the stories that kept you up at night as a kid weren’t just stories? In this episode you'll learn what really happened on Lovers' Lane in 1946, why the "check your backseat" warning exists, and how many times hotel guests complained about a smell before someone finally looked under the bed. This is the truth behind the terror, and it's somehow worse than the stories you remember.

Lets pull back the curtain on 4 urban legends we all grew up hearing and the unsolved cases that started them all.

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Topics: The real stories behind the most popular urban legends, Urban Legend (1998), bodies under motel beds and inside the mattresses, the story of Rock-A-Dundee road, the killer in the backseat, lovers lane, the town that dreaded sundown, Texarkana Moonlight Murders, the hook man aka the hook handed killer, the bunny man, Bunny Man Bridge Virginia, Wendigoon’s the killer in the walls, freaking yourself telling scary stories, and life saving advice (you’re welcome).

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

04:35 - The Bunny Many Bridge

10:02 - The Body Under The Bed

25:18 - The Killer in the Back Seat

36:40 - Rock-A-Dundee Road (The Hook Man / Hook Handed Killer)

41:40 - The Texarkana Moonlight Murders

53:01 - Outro

54:30 - My Ghost Encounter?

Welcome back to Woodsboro, where everyone's trying to get famous!

Sidney Prescott is back in town for the anniversary of the original events, but this time Ghostface is killing for clout. In the new YouTube era, why wait for Hollywood when you can make your own movie?

To survive the fright this time you're going to need to log in, join the chat, and trust no one... not even family.

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Watch this episode on YouTube: Survive The Fright: Scream 4 (2011)

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

03:16 - What’d we think of Scream 4?

05:02 - The Summary

09:02 - 01 :: General Admission

09:49 - Breaking down the Intros & the Prequel

20:21 - Ranking the Scream intros so far (Movies 1-4)

22:39 - Getting into Scream 4

35:04 - Sydney’s dark secret that launches the scream universe into a Friday the 13th franchise fever dream

38:10 - The evolution of Gale

44:00 - The first kill

01:08:23 - The new rules

1:18:56 - Our love of Stabbathon

1:31:58 - The killer revealed

1:42:21 - 02 :: Survive The Fright

1:57:34 - 03 :: Nosferat-Who?

The killer is back... AGAIN!? But this time we're in Hollywood baby!

It's time to throw yourself into the final film of the original Scream trilogy, unpack the past, and figure out how YOU'RE going to survive the fright!

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Watch this episode on YouTube: Survive The Fright: Scream 3 (2000)

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

01:30 - What did we think of Scream 3?

05:13 - Film or Fake: Guess The Horror Film Title

20:31 - Scream 3 Summary

25:49 - 01 :: General Admission

01:08:43 - The difficult discussion of Scream 3 (skip this section)

01:12:30 - Back to General Admission

01:28:48 - All The Goofy Stuff in Scream 3

01:36:51 - 02 :: Survive The Fright

01:46:36 - 03 :: Nosferat-Who?

We're back with our friends from Woodsboro, but this time we have to escape the killer on campus!

Dive deep with us into Scream 2, question whether or not sequels are good, figure out who's the bad guy, and devise your ultimate plan to Survive The Fright!

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Watch this episode on YouTube: Survive The Fright: Scream 2 (1997)

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

00:56 - How’d we feel about Scream 2?

02:32 - Find the Fake Horror Film Game

21:34 - Scream 2: The Summary

26:51 - 01 :: General Admission

48:50 - How the Scream mask came to be

50:35 - Randy’s Rules for Sequels

01:00:29 - Cotton is awful and maybe the killer?

01:05:13 - Dewy & Gale’s Relationship

01:09:25 - The worst cops in cinema history

01:19:50 - The Untimely End of Derrick

01:24:45 - The twist ending

01:42:55 - 02 :: Survive The Fright

02:00:07 - 03 :: Nosferat-Who?

It’s the spooky season, so what better time to grab a friend who never watches scary movies and enjoy the horror meta-classic, Scream (1996).

David and I are diving into the Scream series and covering all the important topics like Gale’s murder blindness. Sid’s magic cupboard, and how hot Billy Loomis is.

After making our way through the eerie halls of Woodsboro high, we ultimately have to decide how we would survive the fright!

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Watch this episode on YouTube: Survive The Fright: Scream (1996)

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

00:33 - How James got into horror

03:31 - David’s haunted history

06:00 - The origins & cleaning up the Wiki

08:02 - Watching Scream for the first time

16:07 - The Summary of Scream (1996)

19:04 - 01 - General Admission: What’d we think / Can you make the original Scream today?

40:21 - Let’s talk about Billy Loomis

44:12 - Childhood fears unlocked & one of the best kills in horror

52:39 - The final kills

58:49 - 02 - Survive The Fright: How we’d survive Scream

1:14:14 - 03 - Nosforat-WHO: What is horror about Scream?

What if science could explain why some people radiate cool, why others tumble down conspiracy rabbit holes, and why inspiration always seems to strike out of nowhere?

This week we're digging into the psychology of influence, belief, and creativity. From the six universal traits that make someone truly “cool,” to the subtle ways conspiracy theories can compound like interest, to the brain patterns that predict an “aha” moment before it happens.

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Topics: Keanu Reeves is the epitomy of cool, The 6 traits of cool according to science, Cool is psychological profile, Ahead of the curvedness is max cool, Living with openness courage and authenticity, The hottest conspiracies of 2025, LA wild fires & the beams from the sky, Positive self talk - we’re working on it, Believing in one conspiracy theory leads to believing in others, The compouding interest of conspiracies, 28 Years Later is not cannon, Positive conspiracy theories, Aliens are real and helping us with tech, Secret societies guiding for good, Uncovering the multi-verse live in media res, Hiding ufos to keep us safe, Unlocking the ‘aha’ moment, Creativity’s micro dynamics and anticipating break throughs in real time.

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Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and if you have any weird but wonderful news / stories, email me at [email protected].

Listen to the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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00:00 - It begins

01:38 - New study uncovers what makes someone cool

12:15 - Conspiracy theory rabbit holes

13:17 - My personal experinece with conspiracy theorists

16:17 - New research supports rabbit hole model of conspiratorial thinking

19:35 - My apocalypse experience

24:51 - Positive conspiracies?

28:35 - Science finds the aha moment

32:06 - Outro