Why We Do What We Do

By Abraham

Society & Culture Education Philosophy Social Sciences

What's Why We Do What We Do about?

We explain popular and weird, little-known ideas in psychology. Whether you are a little curious about psychology, or a student, or even a professional, we have something for everyone.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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Why We Do What We Do episodes:

04.24.2024
Harm Reduction
Humans have been engineering strategies to reduce the risks of life for as long as humans have been engineering everything. As it relates to addiction, harm reduction is a stragegy that emerged to help prevent the spread of disease and...
04.22.2024
Mini: Why We Lottery
Welcome to our new episode format, the mini! Although this is our second one, we are still excited to be exploring this new way of doing episodes. This discusion explores how lotteries came to be and why we pursue them...
04.17.2024
War on Drugs
The saga continues as we explore the historical policy blunder that was the "War on Drugs." What lead to the development of this idea? We review the distinction between what was stated and what actually happened, and, of course, who...
04.15.2024
Mini: Clapping
Welcome to our first ever new episode format that we are trying out. These miniature episodes will be supplemental, additional episodes that we release every week alongside our normal full-length episodes. This first installment is exploring the weird tradition of...
04.10.2024
The Disease Model of Addiction
The disease model of addiction is a popular philosophical approach to dependency. The idea is to remove fault and blame from the addicted individual. Further, there are a lot of parallels between addiction and illness. However, there are some drawbacks...
04.03.2024
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcohol dependency is a complicated condition that has killed a staggering number of people. Fortinuately, many people have banded together to support one another through behavior changes to reinvent their life without this dependency. One such program truly dominates the...
03.27.2024
Addiction: The Beginning
Most people are only one or two nodes away from someone who has struggled with some sort of addiction, or may struggle themselves. But what is this phenomenon? The definition has been tricky to pin down because addiction can span...
03.20.2024
In the Event of The Apocalypse
Have you thought about what you'll do if a significant disaster destroys most of humankind? Perhaps you've prepared for the zombie apocalypse or a nuclear winter. What will humans do if we are faced with end times? We look through...
03.13.2024
Nostalgia: Aphantasia (Thinking Without Pictures)
This re-run updates a previous episode on our musings about what aphantasia is, and the purpose of diagnoses. This condition describes people who can't see with their mind's eye. But, what does that mean? How would you know? Do we...
03.06.2024
Mind-Body, Problem?
Psychologists and philosophers speculated for centuries trying to understand how the conscious experience of the mind relates to the physical substrate of the body. Is the mind just the process of our gooey brains, or something more? It's our brains....
02.28.2024
Speaking Behaviorese
Technical and professional jargon can be furstratingly opaque and many professionals lament the frequent use of technical speak. However, there is a benefit to technical jargon and neologisms and times that are appropriate for employing this type of communication. We...
02.21.2024
Generational Characteristics
Kids these days...but what does that mean? Have kids changed over time? Many people believe that there is something to say about the different "generations." Indeed, each generation experiences similar world events during the impressionable years of youth. What then...
02.14.2024
24 and Me
Down Syndrome is a genetic condition with some characteristic features and complications. We explain how this condition occurs, the history, features of the diagnosis, and treatment. Do you know someone with Down Syndrome? Join us in our celebration of a...
02.07.2024
Right to Work Laws
Unions are grouops of employees who band together to form an allied unit that works to support its members in a work environment. This usually results in bargaining for higher wages for union members. Companies have long despised unions for...
01.31.2024
Life and Death Drive
What do we do what we do? Because we do! That's the thesis of the life and death drive. We explain and dismantal this little known hypothesis of behavior championed by the psychoanalysts of the early 20th century. What drives...
01.24.2024
Why I'm Not Doing Something Else Right Now
Science and quantitiative model nerds, this is for you! Or maybe not... We explain the mathematical model that purports to explain choice-making. We enumerate the benefits this model has had on behavior science in general, as well as take a...
01.17.2024
Artificial Intelligence with Joseph Dailey
Engineering student and behaviorist Joseph Dailey joins us to talk about artificial intelligence: where it came from, where it is going, and what it can tell us about human psychology. We reflect on the current state of AI and consider...
01.10.2024
Handwriting Analysis
Humans have long been interested with shortcuts for peering into the enigma of the mind. Further, we search desperately for any clues that can help us identify persons of interest, particularly in crimes. What can we learn about people by...
01.03.2024
Three Meals Per Day
Three meals per day has been so ingrained in western (and other cultures) for so long that it seems like it might be a biological requirement for humans. But we also know that food was not so easy to come...
12.27.2023
2023 That's a Wrap
Happy New Year! This is a re-cap of the year we just completed. What we talked about in the various episodes this year, what we read and watched, in memorium, and other fluff. Did you have a favorite moment? Message...
12.20.2023
Brainwashed
Give that cerebrum a good scrubbing. There are two conditions under which we can get a handle on the phenomenon of brainwashing: What conditions produce the effect we might call brainwashing, and the what kind of behaviors or conditions would...
12.13.2023
Talented Genius
Think of the most talented person you have ever known or known about. Now think about what it means to say that that person is talented. In this discussion, we try to bring a skeptical, behavioral view of the description...
12.06.2023
Uncanny
The uncanny valley started as a futurists fear about the future of robotics. But we have seen multiple instances of unsettling imagery in CGI that has us employing the uncanny hypothesis. There is also some skepticism about whether this phenomenon...
11.29.2023
Social Media Influencers
Everybody wants to influence the world (to the tune of Tears for Fears). Being an influencer is one of the most enticing jobs out there for many people right now. Old, mostly young, and in between, the draw of a...
11.22.2023
Nostalgia: Bystander Effect
Let's take a trip back in time to our discussion on the bystander effect, as well as an update on what has happened in research since. What other variables can account for the bystander effect? What about when there is...
11.15.2023
The TSA in the USA pt. 2
Most people report feeling that the TSA is successfully protecting against threats. Are they right? Some argue that not flying pushes people toward driving which is exponentially more fatal. What can we do about it? Many have some radical ideas....
11.08.2023
The TSA in the USA pt. 1
Transportation is an enormous part of any economy. Airplanes are one of the more recent inventions that have changed the landscape of security around the world. In addition, the consequences of a plane failing accidentally or through the intentional destruction...
11.01.2023
Internet Trolls
What makes someone a troll? We are all a little bit troll-y sometimes. We dive into how and why it works, when it is good and bad, and a brief history of trolls. Join us for the psychology of troll...
10.25.2023
Evil Shenanigans
Why are some people evil? What is evil anyway? Is evil even real? We discuss the philosophy of what evil is and why it occurs... if it occurs.RecommendationsAbraham: No One Will Save You (https://www.hulu.com/movie/no-one-will-save-you-9e96f51e-6806-4306-9773-e96b68d25305)Shane: Electric Shark Tattoo Studio (https://www.instagram.com/electricsharktattoo/)Links and...
10.18.2023
Satanic Panic
In the 1970s in the US and other parts of the world, a great fear was blossoming in the hearts of normal, every day people. The very real threat of the conspiracy of the satanic cults! Dun Dun DUN! Except......
10.11.2023
Psatanism
Spooky season 2023 continues with this dive in to actual Satanism. It is a lot newer than you might think. Also, there are different kinds of satanism broadly categorized as "theistic" and "atheistic." Are you a stanist? You might become...
10.04.2023
Left-Hand Path Magic
Welcome to our spooky, Halloween-themed kick-off! We went even more specific than usual and will be talking about Satan the whole month of October. Have you heard of left-hand path magic? Probably in one form or another. We unpack the...
09.27.2023
Color "Blind"
What does the world look like when you are color deficient? Why are more men color deficient than women? Can glasses really help color deficient people see? Why is it color "deficient" and not color "blind?" These are all of...
09.20.2023
Professional Wrestling
Sorry for Abraham's poor mic quality this episode! It'll be back to normal next time. Why do people become pro wrestlers? Why do people watch professional wrestling? This semi-ancient/semi-recent theatre is underrated for the real risk and exploitation of the...
09.13.2023
Breaux
David Henry Breaux was a kind, beloved person with a tragic story. In a rare instance of profiling a single individual, we use this inspiring story to talk about what compassion is. RecommendationsAbraham: Bros (https://www.uphe.com/movies/bros)Shane: The Fisherman by John Langan...
09.06.2023
Veganitarianism
Plant-based food and hygeine products are gaining in popularity. What is behind this trend in vegan leaning? We explain the history of veganism, the names that almost took the place of veganism, critique Peta, and talk about why people do...
08.30.2023
History of Slavery pt 2
The conditions of slavery, the current state of modern slavery, and other things we need to talk about. Check out our conclusion to this dicussion. RecommendationsAbraham: Schindler’s List (https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/schindlers-list)Shane: W.E.B. Du Bois’s work (https://www.britannica.com/biography/W-E-B-Du-Bois)Links: https://youtu.be/Ajn9g5Gsv98https://restavekfreedom.org/2018/09/11/the-history-of-slavery/https://www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/more/media-centre/news/2020/sailors-were-appalled-by-conditions-on-slave-ships#:~:text=The%20terrible%20conditions%20for%20those,and%20poor%20ventilation%20below%20deck.https://freetheslaves.net/slavery-today-2/slavery-in-history/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/19/magazine/history-slavery-smithsonian.htmlhttps://www.ushistory.org/us/22b.asphttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/how-american-racism-influenced-hitlerhttps://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slaveryhttps://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/slavery-in-history/Become a supporter of this podcast:...
08.23.2023
History of Slavery pt 1
As new policies are attempting to revise history by rebranding slavery in a more flattering manner, we decided to review the history of slavery to get a retrospective analysis of this practice. We pull no punches in our discussion about...
08.16.2023
Nostalgia: What Happened to Asperger Syndrome?
From the archive, we have dusted off this old discussion in which we explain how Asperger Syndrome came and went. Further, we provide a few updates on things that have happened since this episode published, including a serious revelation about...
08.09.2023
Speaking in Tongues
Divine gift? Neurological breakdown? Sims? No matter what you think is the attributible variable, speaking in tongues involves humans doing things, and therefore falls into the realm of psychology and into our diabolically skeptical hands. We explore the facts and...
08.02.2023
Excited Delirium
Have you heard of the mental diagnosis that literally causes death? Or, at least that is what some would like you to believe. We uncover the conspiracy of neurobabble pseudoscience used to justify thousands of murders every year. Join on...
07.26.2023
Naked
There are a few things we all have in common as humans, and one of those is that we all have a naked body at some point. Some people make that "some point" most of the time. We explore nudism,...
07.19.2023
Orca Party
Killer whales have been making the news lately for attcking boats. This is particularly notable because they seem to have spread this trend to other orcas. But orcas have been demonstrating a few interesting difficult-to-explain trends since people have started...
07.12.2023
Super Tasters
Your tongue is special. It might taste a lot or a very little. Some people have extra super-sensitive tongues packed with many taste receptor cells and they can taste flavors that other people can't detect at all. These are the...
07.05.2023
Nostalgia: The Polygraph Test
This is a rerun and update of our episode on the polygraph. Originally recorded in 2017, we wanted to see what new research has happened since our original publication. Spoiler: They still don't work, Listen in to learn more. ]Links...
07.03.2023
Rating Performance Evaluations
Most people sat through a painful routine performance appraisal, likely an annual one. How many of these are effectively designed to be productive? How many people actually remember what they were supposed to work on from that last review in...
06.28.2023
Take the Good With the Bad
One of the most enduring theories of choice-making is the behavioral economics model called "Prospect Theory." People tend to avoid risk twice as much as work for reward. Unless you were raised somewhere other than Western culture. How does this...
06.21.2023
Homeowner Associations
Homeowner Associations (HOAs) are (mostly) involuntary paid memberships into systems that can regulate nearly everything about your home and life around your home. Any deviation from those regulations, real or perceived, can be met with fines, a lien on your...
06.14.2023
Dancing Until You Drop
A few times through history a large crowd of people stopped everything they were doing and just started dancing... Sometimes until the dancing resulted in serious injury. Why did they do this? We explore the known and unknown about the...
06.07.2023
Video Game Violence
Video games often depict graphic violence, gore, and other behaviors that would be considered extremely inappropriate, immoral, and illegal. What effect does this have on the players who control these actions? Politicians point to these games as influencing the violent...

What's Why We Do What We Do about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Why We Do What We Do episodes:

Harm Reduction

Mini: Why We Lottery

War on Drugs

Mini: Clapping

The Disease Model of Addiction

Alcoholics Anonymous

Addiction: The Beginning

In the Event of The Apocalypse

Nostalgia: Aphantasia (Thinking Without Pictures)

Mind-Body, Problem?

Speaking Behaviorese

Generational Characteristics

24 and Me

Right to Work Laws

Life and Death Drive

Why I'm Not Doing Something Else Right Now

Artificial Intelligence with Joseph Dailey

Handwriting Analysis

Three Meals Per Day

2023 That's a Wrap

Brainwashed

Talented Genius

Uncanny

Social Media Influencers

Nostalgia: Bystander Effect

The TSA in the USA pt. 2

The TSA in the USA pt. 1

Internet Trolls

Evil Shenanigans

Satanic Panic

Psatanism

Left-Hand Path Magic

Color "Blind"

Professional Wrestling

Breaux

Veganitarianism

History of Slavery pt 2

History of Slavery pt 1

Nostalgia: What Happened to Asperger Syndrome?

Speaking in Tongues

Excited Delirium

Naked

Orca Party

Super Tasters

Nostalgia: The Polygraph Test

Rating Performance Evaluations

Take the Good With the Bad

Homeowner Associations

Dancing Until You Drop

Video Game Violence