Why We Do What We Do

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 you?

Recommendations

• Abraham: The Flash (https://www.dc.com/theflash)
• Shane: Bear vs. Shark - Right Now, You’re in the Best of Hands. And If Something Isn’t Quite Right, Your Doctor Will Know in a Hurry (https://open.spotify.com/album/0pGIIPdSojJ3t4yCIQWM78?si=2rpS3HPuSn2BQfe8dEnTyA)

Links and References

1. 1. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/860682#:~:text=The%20significance%20of%20Spielrein's%20'destruction,biological%20drives%3B%20that%20of%20self%2D
   2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1465-5922.1994.00155.x
   3. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095704767
   4. https://dictionary.apa.org/nirvana-principle
   5. https://exploringyourmind.com/freud-and-the-nirvana-principle/
   6. https://www.britannica.com/science/thanatos-psychology
   7. https://study.com/learn/lesson/freud-death-drive-thanatos.html
   8. https://www.verywellmind.com/life-and-death-instincts-2795847
   9. https://www.proquest.com/openview/8a178ef37297d93689a2480053ca4659/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818729
   10. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1516/6H94-P06N-8QEN-829B
   11. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s11231-022-09356-9
   12. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207578.2020.1815541
   13. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/spielrein-sabina#:~:text=Sabina%20Spielrein%20was%20born%20in,had%20an%20affair%20with%20Jung.
   14. https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/thanatos/#:~:text=In%20Roman%20mythology%2C%20Thanatos%20was,that%20he%20had%20no%20father.
   15. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/g33625689/best-books-black-authors/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_cos_md_pmx_us_urlx_18419138764&gclid=CjwKCAiAqY6tBhAtEiwAHeRopXnD4y2DzPa8FwR32r0JtvqWkMqhpVP2-YHNDnfkON3e8EoRYMmYFxoCW1kQAvD_BwE

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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 hard critical look.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Arborea (https://www.alleycatgames.com/arborea)
• Shane: The Silence of the Lambs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/)

Links and References:

1. Greer, B.D. and Shahan, T.A. (2019), Resurgence as Choice: Implications for promoting durable behavior change. Jnl of Applied Behav Analysis, 52: 816-846. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.573
2. Reed, D. D., & Kaplan, B. A. (2011). The matching law: a tutorial for practitioners. Behavior analysis in practice, 4(2), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391780
3. Skinner B. F. (1976). Farewell, My LOVELY!. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 25(2), 218. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1976.25-218
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve

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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 some skeptical and practice considerations for how AI may impact us moving forward.

Links and References:

1. https://nicholas.carlini.com/writing/llm-forecast/
2. https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762

Recommendations

• Abraham: Go on a hike
• Joey: Listen to your body and take a good stretch, be kind to yourself
• Shane: Scheduling time to write

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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 analyzing their handwriting? What does your handwriting say about you? If we consider how penmanship develops, and what personality is, it becomes fairly obvious.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Barbie (https://www.barbie-themovie.com/)
• Shane: Aladdin the Musical on Broadway (https://aladdinthemusical.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAv8SsBhC7ARIsALIkVT0KAKjaGfVwtFx1MzrgZJhyOJvi-KfKr4vN28RlyZBWpJbQAkl6bp4aAghaEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)

Links and References:

1. https://dekalbmiller.com/forensic-handwriting-analysis/
2. https://science.howstuffworks.com/handwriting-analysis.htm
3. https://www.job-law.com/applicant-asked-for-handwriting-sample/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHowever%2C%20if%20an%20employer%20can,reasons%2C%20it%20would%20be%20illegal.
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4676206/
5. https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/archives/?p=8753
6. https://parade.com/1195032/marynliles/handwriting-analysis/
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167865518301880
8. https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mdc3.12552
9. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5571472
10. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1363910

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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 by for our ancestors. We unpack the history of the three meals per day tradition.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Fargo (season 5; https://www.hulu.com/fx-on-hulu?&cmp=7958&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BM+Search+TV+Shows&utm_term=fargo%20full%20episodes&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnm4SACYGEiLMxagxy5AkRUi9n1uGYTRbingohbVN3pNazz-kB2m6zhoC9ygQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
• Shane: Angelina Bakery (https://angelinabakery.com/)

Links and References:

1. https://www.emetabolic.com/locations/centers/castle-rock/blog/healthy-living/why_do_we_eat_three_meals_a_day/#:~:text=The%20three%20meals%20per%20day,when%20you're%20not%20hungry.
2. https://daily.jstor.org/why-do-americans-eat-three-meals-a-day/
3. https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/trends/news/why-do-we-eat-three-times-a-day?refresh_ce=
4. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20243692
5. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/03/your-weird-pandemic-meals-are-probably-fine/618210/
6. https://www.medicaldaily.com/how-3-meals-day-became-rule-and-why-we-should-be-eating-whenever-we-get-hungry-324892
7. https://www.perspectivesmcgill.com/allposts/2023/5/2/decolonizing-diets-eating-three-meals-a-day-and-its-colonial-implications
8. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/is-3-meals-a-day-the-only-way
9. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220412-should-we-be-eating-three-meals-a-day
10. https://www.raptitude.com/2022/04/the-myth-of-three-meals-a-day/
11. https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/biological-reason-to-eat-three-meals-day.htm?srch_tag=dfxqw23a6dxyxcyzunlyo64x6fybh3fs
12. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/the-etymology-of-food-and-meal
13. https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stone-soup/meal-frequency-around-world-can-learn-cultures/

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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 us and tell us what it was!

Recommendations

• Abraham: A Knock at the Cabin (https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/knock-at-the-cabin/umc.cmc.7fetnok7ou3e2dhp9808fprnt)
• Shane: Kookie Now (https://kookienow.com/)

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

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

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 prompt us to label something as brainwashing. We also explore the idea that this effect isn't even really real. Of course, brainwashing has some not-so-subtle ties to racism and some nefarious activities of the US government in the past.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Loki (season 2: https://ondisneyplus.disney.com/show/loki-season-2)
• Shane: Polynesian Fire Luau (https://www.polynesianfire.com/)

Links:

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brainwashing
2. http://www7.bbk.ac.uk/hiddenpersuaders/blog/hunter-origins-of-brainwashing/#:~:text=Historians%20generally%20agree%20that%20the,American%20journalist%20and%20propaganda%20expert.
3. https://www.history.com/mkultra-operation-midnight-climax-cia-lsd-experiments
4. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/06760269
5. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/brainwashing-criminal-law-defence#:~:text=Brainwashing%20is%20used%20to%20describe,enforcement%20of%20routine%2C%20and%20hypnosis.
6. https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/probing-question-does-brainwashing-exist/
7. https://www.pdcnet.org/thought/content/thought_1986_0061_0002_0241_0257
8. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-05599-7_11
9. https://web.s.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=14639955&AN=163784402&h=DsT8Uz3APg6x484q7SKDmqSxEmB0htsKqFY7juEPzf9z8LvmH%2bch5APT49b03AfdAFz2SMmDYllqL6W6O7JhIw%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d14639955%26AN%3d163784402
10. https://e-journal.metrouniv.ac.id/index.php/akademika/article/view/1990
11. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-brainwashing-and-how-it-shaped-america-180963400/

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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 that we love to apply to the highest performing people of any skill. We define talent, give examples, and then deconstruct the concept until we think we understand it as well as we can. If you've thought about what talent is, who has it, and why, then this episode is for you!

Recommendations

• Abraham: Mercurial (Game, David Goh https://www.hyperlixir.com/games/mercurial)
• Shane: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/168642)

Links:

1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2021/05/23/simone-biles-gymnastics-officials-foolish-punishing-her-talent/5232267001/
   1. Pronko, N. H., (1988). From AI to Zeitgeist: A Philosophical Guide for the Skeptical Psychologist. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT.
   2. Schneider, S. M. (2012). The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World. Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY.
   3. Bijou, S. W. (1993). Behavior Analysis of Child Development. Context Press: Reno, NV.
   4. Kantor, J. R., & Smith, N. W. (1975). The Science of Psychology: An Interbehavioral Survey. Principa Press, Chicago, IL.
   5. Shenk, D. (2010). The Genius in All of Us: New Insights Into Genetics, Talent, and IQ. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

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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 is even real. We explore the various suggestions about what accounts for the uncanny valley, whether it is real, and what behaviorism might contribute to understanding it.

Recommendations

• Abraham: El Camino Christmas (https://www.netflix.com/title/80178974)
• Shane: Guardians of the Galaxy - Cosmic Rewind (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/guardians-of-the-galaxy-cosmic-rewind/)

Links:

1. https://theconversation.com/uncanny-valley-why-we-find-human-like-robots-and-dolls-so-creepy-50268
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027715300640
3. https://youtu.be/CNdAIPoh8a4
4. https://youtu.be/VmgS2JltwX4
5. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/uncanny-valley.htm
6. https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-uncanny-valley
7. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/ai-uncanny-valley?loggedin=true&rnd=1700967450205
8. https://gizmodo.com/is-the-uncanny-valley-pseudoscience-5454086

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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 fame and fortune for self-made hobbyists is irresistable to many. But this is a job that requires a lot more work than it might seem, and fame is a double-edged sword. From where did this new career suddenly emerge? What is it? And, why do so many people want to do it? We'll do our best to explain it all.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Uluk (https://hexy.studio/games/uluk/)
• Shane: The Marvels (https://www.marvel.com/movies/the-marvels)

Alllll the Links and References:

1. https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/publications/WCMS_865323/lang--en/index.htm
2. https://blog.workday.com/en-us/2023/future-media-entertainment-5-reasons-technology-changes-everything.html
3. https://knowledge.insead.edu/career/psychological-strategies-influencers
4. https://grin.co/blog/psychology-of-influence/
5. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/08/instagram-influencers-psychology-social-media-anxiety
6. https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/
7. https://neilpatel.com/blog/guide-to-influencer-targeting/
8. https://www.makeuseof.com/what-are-social-media-influencers/
9. https://medium.com/swlh/why-everybody-wants-to-be-an-influencer-and-nobody-wants-a-real-job-anymore-fc1a895a76b3
10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2022/10/20/young-people-want-to-be-influencers-even-as-older-americans-say-it-isnt-a-real-job/?sh=f0668af5f04b
11. https://www.adweek.com/media/everyones-an-influencer-now-what/
12. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/influencers-parents-posting-kids-online-privacy-security-concerns-rcna55318
13. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/influencer-parents-children-social-media-impact
14. https://www.kelleykronenberg.com/category/blog/technology-data-privacy-and-social-media/the-legal-risks-that-social-media-influencers-encounter/
15. https://contiguglia.com/blog/legal-concerns-for-influencers-on-social-media/
16. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/20/more-than-half-of-gen-zers-think-they-can-easily-make-a-career-in-influencing.html
17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5yXuHJX2Nk
18. https://grin.co/blog/the-history-of-influencer-marketing/#:~:text=Although%20influencer%20marketing%20has%20technically,prominence%20in%20the%20early%202010s.
19. https://affise.com/blog/influencers-mapped/#:~:text=Age%20of%20success%3A%20The%20Average,successful%20global%20influencers%20is%2027.
20. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/40k-post-within-three-months-100100301.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACJYI_G5bXmqGia5OeGDdwx9t1lJQQfLw_Pnj6hmbzUA2ALHnjQ5zLTuySR43KU1fVoG5TJM0nBbw2a792cvwRzh2GCd0I27apGiiuLwB0A6GJkAS0MAAW7qVHbDYuuyBHryp_mM8Wt_ECtFK8sDBC2lol__C9JI0N-QQ6d6Gmhj#:~:text=How%20long%20is%20an%20influencer,of%20reasons%2C%20the%20experts%20explained.&text=To%20some%20extent%20that's%20because,touch%20with%20their%20original%20viewers.
21. https://embedsocial.com/blog/how-much-do-instagram-influencers-make/#:~:text=An%20influencer%20with%201%20million,and%20%2415%2C000%20per%20sponsored%20post.
22. https://influencermarketinghub.com/instagram-highest-paid/

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Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast