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 super tasters! How does it work? Why do some people have it? How can you test yourself? Find out here.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-switch/)
• Shane: Kingsman: The Secret Service (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsman:_The_Secret_Service)

Links and Resources:

1. Hayes, J. E., & Keast, R. S. (2011). Two decades of supertasting: where do we stand?. Physiology & behavior, 104(5), 1072–1074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.003
2. Wooding S. (2006). Phenylthiocarbamide: a 75-year adventure in genetics and natural selection. Genetics, 172(4), 2015–2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/172.4.2015
3. Bartoshuk LM, et al. PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) supertasters and the saltiness of NaCl. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1998;855:793–6
4. Bartoshuk LM, et al. Supertasting, earaches and head injury: genetics and pathology alter our taste worlds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1996;20(1):79–87
5. https://www.thecut.com/article/picky-eater-you-might-be-a-supertaster.html
6. https://youtu.be/jExqPBLgf-o
7. https://youtu.be/3_TGrh-x5i4
8. https://youtu.be/W7Pzhvypg9A
9. https://youtu.be/aroNLSRzeno

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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 and references

1. htpss://axeligence.com/applicant-consultants-on-polygraph-test-accuracy/#:~:text=Some%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,98%25%20for%20each%20test%20taken.
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6654171/
3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1365712720983929
4. Kotsoglou, K. N. (2021). Zombie forensics: the use of the polygraph and the integrity of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The International Journal of Evidence & Proof, 25(1), 16–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365712720983929

Recommendations

• Abraham: BSI/BFSR SIG (https://bfsr.abainternational.org/)
• Shane: Old Man Gloom - Meditations in B (https://open.spotify.com/album/3AaVZrcmpub9g5FWuokOhE?si=sGRsKPhYR1KfFnRRSIfD2Q)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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 the fall right before the chaos of the holidays? If done correctly, an appraisal can identify help performance improve as well as highlight employee achievement and growth. Few are done correctly. Avoiding falling into familiar traps of ineffective feedback may be fundamental to success. Today’s episode will identify several strategies that can strengthen employee review systems to help both the employee and the company find the best outcomes possible.

Recommendations

Abraham: Antlers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7740510/)

Shane: Radical Candor by Kim Scott (https://www.radicalcandor.com/)

Links and References

-Carr et al. (2013) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680147/

-Friman (2021) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaba.816

-DiNovi & Gavoni (2021) https://www.amazon.com/5-Scientific-Laws-Life-Leadership/dp/1954759258/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1407096W1LT9I&keywords=dinovi+gavoni&qid=1647779916&sprefix=dinovi+gavoni%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-2

-https://hbr.org/2011/11/delivering-an-effective-perfor

-https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/giving-performance-feedback

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 apply to things beyond decision making? We'll replace one of your Psych 101 classes with this theory you should know.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Black Mirror (season 6; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/episodes/?mode=desktop&ref_=m_ft_dsk)
• Shane: The Martian (Book AND Movie; https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-martian)

Links:

1. https://youtu.be/sM91d5I36Po
2. https://time.com/6145596/2022-winter-olympics-bronze-silver-medals-happiness/
3. Medvec, V. H., Madey, S. F., & Gilovich, T. (1995). When less is more: counterfactual thinking and satisfaction among Olympic medalists. Journal of personality and social psychology, 69(4), 603–610. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.69.4.603
4. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18621/w18621.pdf
5. http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/psych466/articles/Tversky_Kahneman_JRU_92.pdf
6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.1779#:~:text=A%20major%20limitation%20of%20prospect,to%20adopt%20a%20single%20prospect.
7. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/capital-markets/prospect-theory/
8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014829631000189X

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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 house, mortgage takeover, and threats of jail time. Where did this sadistic practice horror come from? Racism, of course. Listen in to our deep dive into the dumpster fire that is HOAs.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Escape Rooms
• Shane: Stephen King short stories (Collections: Everything’s Eventual, Night Shift)

Links:

1. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/homeowners-association-fee-hoa.asp#:~:text=HOA%20fees%20tend%20to%20vary,amenities%2C%20the%20higher%20the%20fees.
2. https://www.realestatenews.com/2023/02/15/most-new-homes-for-sale-are-in-an-hoa-do-buyers-care
3. https://hoa-usa.com/about/#:~:text=There%20are%20over%20370%2C000%20homeowner,homeowner%20association%20boards%20and%20committees.
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/realestate/what-is-redlining.html
5. https://www.buzzfeed.com/meganeliscomb/annoying-hoa-stories
6. https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/homeowner-association-horror-stories/
7. https://www.buzzfeed.com/meganeliscomb/petty-hoa-stories
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrizmAo17Os

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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 dancing plagues!


Recommendations

• Abraham: Ted Lasso Season 3 (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy)
• Shane: Spider-Man - Across the Spiderverse (https://www.acrossthespiderverse.movie/)

Links:

1. https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(09)60386-X/fulltext
2. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-case-dancing-mania-struck-germany-six-centuries-ago-today-180959549/
3. https://familydoctor.org/condition/mass-psychogenic-illness/#:~:text=What%20is%20mass%20psychogenic%20illness,or%20a%20toxin%20(poison).
4. https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-groupthink-2671595
5. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0020764018766185
6. https://karger.com/sad/article/5/5/320/291347/Post-Finasteride-Syndrome-An-Induced-Delusional
7. https://www.historyhit.com/1374-dancing-mania-strikes-aachen/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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 crimes that people commit. Fortunately, there is a lot of research so we got to the bottom of this controversial idea.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Guardians of the Galaxy vol: 3 (https://movies.disney.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3)
• Shane: Zelda: A Link to the Past (https://www.ign.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past)

Links and References:

1. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-trump-suggests-video-games-blame-mass-shootings-n1039411
2. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/here-s-what-we-know-about-links-between-video-games-n852776
3. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.171474
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180116131317.htm
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/soej.12139
6. Markey, P. M., Markey, C. N., & French, J. E. (2015). Violent video games and real-world violence: Rhetoric versus data. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 4(4), 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000030
7. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stanford-researchers-scoured-every-reputable-163528766.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACJYI_G5bXmqGia5OeGDdwx9t1lJQQfLw_Pnj6hmbzUA2ALHnjQ5zLTuySR43KU1fVoG5TJM0nBbw2a792cvwRzh2GCd0I27apGiiuLwB0A6GJkAS0MAAW7qVHbDYuuyBHryp_mM8Wt_ECtFK8sDBC2lol__C9JI0N-QQ6d6Gmhj
8. https://www.chconline.org/resourcelibrary/study-confirms-link-between-violent-video-games-and-physical-aggression/?utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=dsa&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjw36GjBhAkEiwAKwIWyYgUBFVBG_2Zv0O8K3w__SChwAo9DfNczvG9pxfALDx3PWMjRccQJxoCWdwQAvD_BwE
9. David Zendle, Daniel Kudenko, Paul Cairns. Behavioural realism and the activation of aggressive concepts in violent video games. Entertainment Computing, 2018; 24: 21 DOI: 10.1016/j.entcom.2017.10.003
10. https://youtu.be/m2Jq7vPxYGg
11. https://youtu.be/qwv_wTUNwLs
12. https://youtu.be/-ixUGwk6IC8
13. https://youtu.be/wzaI3IsCuko

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"Tough on Crime" has been a popular rallying cry in the US for some time. However, what does this actually mean? Further, how does it impact the behavior of would-be criminals? We explore the "tough on crime" policies with a critical eye.

Recommendations:

• Abraham: Penn and Teller: Fool Us (https://www.facebook.com/PennandTellerFoolUs/) [bonus: fight wars using paintballs]
• Shane: Elvis by Baz Luhrman (https://elvis.warnerbros.com/)

Links and resources:

1. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/70411/307337-Did-Getting-Tough-on-Crime-Pay-.pdf
2. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/failure-get-tough-crime-policy
3. https://innocenceproject.org/news/tough-on-crime-policies-are-at-odds-with-the-presumption-of-innocence/
4. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/history-mass-incarceration
5. https://www.owu.edu/news-media/from-our-perspective/tough-questions-for-tough-on-crime-policies/
6. https://www.justicestrategies.org/sites/default/files/Judy/GettingToughOnCrime.pdf
7. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2021.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmN2iBhCrARIsAG_G2i5zd0_kGV7EMd4dp9GaypbmHnJ5zjx6k-iepScDj2Lt9u5Ct20dkd0aAmgREALw_wcB
8. https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/jail-inmates-2021-statistical-tables#:~:text=At%20midyear%202021%2C%20about%2049,of%20the%20total%20jail%20population.
9. https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_race.jsp
10. https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/principles-of-effective-state-sentencing-and-corrections-policy
11. https://www.sentencingproject.org/fact-sheet/top-trends-in-criminal-justice-reform-2022/
12. https://www.factretriever.com/prison-facts#:~:text=Just%2023%25%20of%20released%20prisoners%20stay%20out%20of%20prison.&text=African%20Americans%20are%20sent%20to,to%20be%20sent%20to%20prison.&text=The%20United%20States%20prison%20system%20costs%20an%20estimated%20%2480%20billion%20per%20year.
13. https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2020/oct/1/new-study-shows-tough-crime-generation-spent-more-time-prison-despite-falling-crime-rate/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Rats have been a source of much rage and fear for their various behaviors and disease-carrying proclivities. But they are an impressive evolutionary smelling machine and pretty easy to train. Researchers have trained rats to use their remarkable sense of smell for a variety of heroic deeds that are saving many human lives. These are their stories... dun dun.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Saosin (self-titled) https://music.apple.com/us/artist/saosin/28673579
• Shane: Heretics of Dune (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/303821/heretics-of-dune-by-frank-herbert/)

Links:

1. https://www.discovery.com/nature/rats-are-being-trained-to-rescue-earthquake-survivors-
2. La Londe, et al. (2014) - Training pouched rats to find people. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.181
3. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/giant-rats-trained-sniff-out-tuberculosis-africa/
4. Poling, A., Weetjens, B., Cox, C., Beyene, N., Durgin, A., & Mahoney, A. (2011). Tuberculosis detection by giant african pouched rats. The Behavior analyst, 34(1), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392234
5. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/23/rats-who-sniff-out-tubersulosis
6. Kanaan, R., Farkas, N., Hegyi, P., Soós, A., Hegyi, D., Németh, K., Horváth, O., Tenk, J., Mikó, A., Szentesi, A., Balaskó, M., Szakács, Z., Vasas, A., Csupor, D., & Gyöngyi, Z. (2021). Rats sniff out pulmonary tuberculosis from sputum: a diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1877. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81086-x

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Scientology is one of the newer religions in the world. And, although you have probably heard a lot about them, they are pretty small in number. Why did we choose to take on this litigious behemoth? Because they are staunchly anti-psychology while claiming to be science. Ripe for the plucking.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Bob’s Burgers (https://www.fox.com/bobs-burgers/)
• Shane: John Mulhaney “Baby J” (https://www.netflix.com/title/81619082)

Links and References:

1. Tom Cruise Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFgF1JPNR5E
2. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-cult
3. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/time-behar.html
4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/23/try-to-leave-church-scientology-lawrence-wright
5. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/it-cult-or-new-religious-movement
6. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/is-scientology-a-dangerous-cult-1.917839
7. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/leah-reminis-battle-with-scientology-through-the-years/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856510/
9. https://daily.jstor.org/scholars-on-scientology/
10. https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=relics
11. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/scientology-children-second-generation-846732/
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6291212/
13. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/214438.pdf
14. https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/how-jack-parsons-and-the-suicide-squad-created-a-new-paradigm-in-rocketry
15. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315598086-9/scientology-auditing-eric-roux
16. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/E-Meter/biophysics.html#:~:text=An%20E%2Dmeter%20is%20a,relative%20to%20a%20standard%20resistance.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.