Why Do We Do That?

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with psychologist Dr. Sue Jackson about flow states and her new book, Experiencing Flow: Life Beyond Boredom & Anxiety

They discuss the characteristics of flow, common activities that can produce flow states, the arousal sweet spot that leads to flow, what elite athletes can teach us about flow, and some practical ways to experience more flow in your life.

For more on Sue, visit her website.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

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In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with clinical psychologist Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

They discuss how OCD is different from "ordinary" obsessions, different categories of obsessive thoughts, whether or not traumatic events cause OCD, and how exposure helps to treat OCD symptoms.

For more on Jon, visit http://www.jabramowitz.com or https://iocdf.org

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with educational psychology scholar Dr. Russell Warne about intelligence and his book, In the Know: Debunking 35 Myths about Human Intelligence.

They discuss the key components of intelligence, the myth of multiple intelligences, what life outcomes are improved by having higher intelligence, to what degree intelligence is determined by your genes, and how IQ scores could be used to improve education.

For more on Russell, visit his website or RIOTIQ.com

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with emotion researcher Dr. June Tangney about shame & guilt. They discuss the difference between guilt & shame, why some people feel more shame than others, whether or not shame can be a good thing, cultural differences in experiencing shame, and how to effectively cope with feelings of guilt & shame.

For more on June, visit her faculty page at George Mason University.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with behavioral scientist Dr. Coltan Scrivner about morbid curiosity. They discuss the different domains of morbid curiosity, if morbidly curious people are less empathetic, what attracts us to horror & true crime content, and potential benefits of being curious about danger.

For more on Coltan, visit www.coltanscrivner.com or subscribe to his Substack, Morbidly Curious Thoughts.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with professor of psychology and co-author of "Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong", Dr. Chris Ferguson, about the relationship between video games and mental health.

They discuss whether or not violent video games cause violent behavior, the challenges in measuring the impacts of gaming, why violent video games are so enjoyable, if gaming is any different from other forms of escapism, and the benefits of online gaming.

For more on Chris, follow him on X at https://twitter.com/CJFerguson1111

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with play expert, Dr. Peter Gray about his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students For Life.

They discuss the characteristics of an activity that allow it to be considered play, the developmental skills learned during play, why play has declined since the 1950's, and how parents & schools can create environments to foster play.

For more on Peter, visit his Substack at petergray.substack.com.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with social psychologist Dr. Kate Sweeny about the psychology of uncertainty.

They discuss the upside of worrying, how uncertainty compares to other life stressors, what types of people are better at worrying, and effective vs. ineffective coping strategies.

For more on Kate, visit www.katesweeny.com.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with professor of psychology Dr. Ellen Langer about mindfulness and her new book, The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health.

They discuss the difference between mindfulness and mindlessness, how our thoughts & mindsets can limit our potential, why the mind should not be thought of as separate from the body, and how thinking differently can improve our physical health.

For more on Ellen, visit www.ellenlanger.me.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with ADHD expert, Dr. Stephen Faraone. They discuss the primary symptoms of ADHD, the difference between normal inattentiveness and ADHD, genetic vs. environmental factors, and effective ADHD treatments.

For more on Stephen, visit www.adhdevidence.org.

Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work.

Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |