Why We Do What We Do
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Why We Do What We Do episodes

  • 229 | Low-Grade Mania
    This rare disease has been described as "the one you would want to get if you had to have a disorder." Nevertheless, the long-term effects are deleterious. One of the hosts disclosed having this diagnosis. Hypomania is somewhat convoluted and highly associated with more familiar disorders such as bipolar. Find out more in this episode!

    Links:
    1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t9/
    2.https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-hypomania-how-is-it-diagnosed-380313
    3.https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/hypomania/hypomania-statistics/#:~:text=About%2060%25%20of%20people%20with,and%20a%20substance%20use%20disorder
    4.https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/hypomania-mania-symptoms
    5.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955
    6.https://www.healthline.com/health/mania-vs-hypomania
    7.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010440X14000510
    8.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032710000303
    9.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/208953
    10.https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0514404w

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Wheel of Time Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fus4Xb_TLg)

    Shane: The Mist (the book https://stephenking.com/works/novella/mist.html AND the moviehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884328/)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    48 min
  • 228 | Psychology's Checkered Bible
    Did you know the first attempt to catalog mental health diversity occurred as part of the US Census? Although people had been imprisoning people for "mental health" issues for a century beforehand, the first attempts to categorize neuro-diverse individuals did not begin until the mid 1800s. Once the DSM was established it went through several iterations and conceptual and technological shifts. Learn all about our weird plot-less book!

    Links:

    https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/history-of-the-dsm (A brief but relatively comprehensive history of the DSM, omitting any specific diagnoses, also written in reverse chronological order)

    https://youtu.be/UiY6wr--0dE (Crash Course video on the history of DSM; how the US was a supervillain about mental health in the beginning)

    https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/dsm-diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-mental-disorders.htm (What the DSM is and how it came to be)

    https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/diseases/early.html (Timeline of mental hospitals in the US)

    https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.53.3.288 (Objectives of DSM revisions)

    Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of general psychiatry, 62(6), 617–627. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.617 (Rates of Comorbidity in the DSM IV)

    Surís, A., Holliday, R., & North, C. S. (2016). The Evolution of the Classification of Psychiatric Disorders. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 6(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs6010005 (in depth history of the DSM)

    https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/apa/72736https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/apa/72736 (Description of the DSM as a “Living Document”

    Kawa, S., & Giordano, J. (2012). A brief historicity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: issues and implications for the future of psychiatric canon and practice. Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM, 7, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-5341-7-2 (Comprehensive History of the DSM)

    Past Episodes Referenced:

    Episode 88 on lobotomies as therapy

    Episode 109 on Deinstitutionalizing mental health patients

    Episode 206 on Ivan Pavlov

    Episode 110 on diagnosing mental health conditions

    Episode 24 on what happened to Asperger syndrome

    Episode 196 on why we name things

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Bad Samaritan (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3203528/)
    Shane: Nectarines

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    59 min
  • 227 | Guardians
    Conservatorship didn't begin with Britney Spears. Shane and Abraham discuss her case and the general principle behind conservatorship. This is meant to be a good thing, and often is a good thing, but there is the potential for abuse. We discuss some considerations for this.

    Links for Today:

    https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-conservatorship.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en#link=%7B%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22href%22:%22https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-conservatorship.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en%22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22,%22linkText%22:%22court%20system.%22%7D#link=%7B%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22href%22:%22https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-conservatorship.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en#link=%7B%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22href%22:%22https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-conservatorship.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en%22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22,%22linkText%22:%22court%20system.%22%7D%22,%22target%22:%22%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22,%22linkText%22:%22court%20system.%22

    https://www.salvolaw.com/blog/2017/02/do-you-want-to-risk-a-court-appointed-conservatorship/

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2015/05/15/beware-the-con-game-of-conservatorships/?sh=615be6d4a89b

    https://www.vulture.com/2021/06/conservatorships-freebritney-kanye-west.html#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Superior%20Court%2Cmanage%20them%20on%20their%20own

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/explained-what-is-conservatorship-and-why-is-britney-spears-under-one-101625504376740.html

    https://www.aclu.org/news/disability-rights/how-conservatorship-threatens-britney-spears-civil-rights/

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/britney-spears-conservatorship-updates/

    https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/conservatorships-freebritney-85229635/

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Wrong Turn (film, 2021; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9110170/)

    Shane: Bill and Ted Face the Music (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1086064/)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    1 hr 8 min
  • 226 | Jet Lag
    The ability to travel far enough fast enough to feel the effects of a dramatically different day/night cycle is very new to the human experience. Only in the last century or century and a half has the concept of time zones even come to exist, let alone the idea that crossing them could mess with our biology. Now we are in the thick of it and the "treatments" are mostly bunk. Jet Lag is one of those things that is best treated with a change in behavior.

    Links:

    1. https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/11/when-did-people-start-moving-fast-enough-to-experience-jet-lag.html (History of Travel as it relates to Jet Lag)
    2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165339#:~:text=Jet%20lag%20is%20a%20circadian,individual%20to%20feel%20generally%20unwell (Jet lag: What it is and How to Beat it)
    3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/jet-lag/symptoms-causes/syc-20374027 (description of jet lag and recommendations)
    4. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/romantically-attached/201708/jet-lagged-heres-what-do-about-it (Psychological effects of jet lag)
    5. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=psychology+of+jet+lag (The Science of Jet Lag and how to prevent it)
    6. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/jet-lag.htm (Overview of what jet lag is and how to treat it)
    7. https://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/when-did-the-term-jet-lag-come-into-use-71638/#:~:text=It's%20hard%20to%20say%20with,article%20on%20February%2013%2C%201966.&text=Jet%20Lag%20derives%20from%20the,leave%20your%20body%20rhythms%20behind.%22 (Where the term “jet lag” comes from)
    8. http://www.jvsmedicscorner.com/Medicine_files/Jet%20lag%20Review.pdf (New England Journal of Medicine article summarizing research and recommendations for dealing with jet lag)
    9. https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/jet-lag-treatment-market-size-2021-research-report-with-latest-opportunities-and-strategies-to-boost-growth-share-revenue-trends-covid-19-impact-and-recovery-regional-analysis-key-findings-future-prospects-2027-2021-08-20 (Jet Lag Industry Market Size Report)
    10. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB955063272457193413 (Marketed “Cures” for jet lag)
    11. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500491_2.html (Review of treatments for jet lag)

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    - Abraham: My Octopus Teacher (Netflix Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/81045007) Buzz Market Netflix
    - Shane: The Bronx - VI (https://thebronx.bandcamp.com/album/bronx-vi)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    59 min
  • 225 | Sleepless in Insomnia
    There are different types of insomnia characterized by the causes and nature of the issue. For instance, insomnia caused by external factors such as drugs or kids, is not the primary kind of insomnia. To treat insomnia, one of the most powerful interventions is simply modifying sleep hygiene routines.

    Links for Today:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167

    https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-symptoms-and-causes

    https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Kick-Ass Graphic Novels (https://www.amazon.com/Kick-Ass-Mark-Millar/dp/0785132619)

    Shane: Rise Against - Nowhere Generation (https://www.riseagainst.com/)

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Rick and Morty Season 5 (https://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty)

    Shane: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24.In_a_Sunburned_Country)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    48 min
  • 224 | Speed Reading: Read Anything in Normal Minutes
    It is not hard to find websites and gurus offering the promise of reading at extreme speeds while maintaining high comprehension. So, what doesn't everyone do this? Because there are physical limits to what humans can do. Speed reading is an empty promise without evidence.

    Links for Today:

    https://qz.com/597995/there-really-is-no-such-thing-as-speed-reading/

    https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/speed-reading-successfully-a-starting-point.html

    https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/speed-reading-promises-are-too-good-to-be-true-scientists-find.html

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Colors II - Between The Buried and Me (https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/)

    Shane: Foxing - Draw Down the Moon (https://foxingtheband.bandcamp.com/album/draw-down-the-moon)

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Rick and Morty Season 5 (https://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty)

    Shane: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24.In_a_Sunburned_Country)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    40 min
  • 223 | What is the Point of Music Videos?
    From “Thriller” to “Gangnam Style,” and everything in between, music videos have captured our hearts for several decades. This episode explores the early iterations that existed before the advent of MTV brought music videos into the mainstream and revolutionized it as an art form. With a unique combination of audio and visual stimuli, music videos continue to challenge the norm and launch new performers into stardom.

    Links for Today:

    https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/history-music-video-beyonce-queen-missy-elliott-madonna/

    https://yellowbrickstudiousa.com/soul-sessions-usa/the-music-video-industry/a-brief-history-of-music-videos/

    https://medium.com/@pulsefilms/why-music-videos-are-still-so-important-views-from-inside-the-industry-ebaa7d4758d2

    https://vue.ai/blog/retail-trends/evolution-of-music-videos-how-has-the-storytelling-changed/

    https://www.history.com/news/the-music-video-before-music-television

    https://www.redbrick.me/the-importance-of-music-videos/

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Tool: Schism; Dance Gavin Dance: Robot Series (https://youtu.be/Vl2Rmw5hsao); Taking Back Sunday: Cute Without the E, Cut from the Team; Thrice: Image of the Invisible; Polyphia: GOAT; Protest The Hero: Heretics and Killers; Periphery: Marigold

    Shane: David Lee Roth - Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody; Strike Anywhere - Instinct; Rancid - Ruby Soho; Green Day - Basket Case; Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings, Slipknot - Duality; Beastie Boys - Sabatoge (https://youtu.be/z5rRZdiu1UE), Literally any OK Go video

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Rick and Morty Season 5 (https://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty)

    Shane: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24.In_a_Sunburned_Country)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    54 min
  • 222 | Kleptomania
    Kleptomania is an accepted mental condition listed under a category of disorders related to impulse control. It involves an individual’s ability to resist “urges” that arise under unique circumstance that vary across each person, and often involve stealing small meaningless items from stores, loved ones, etc. While it’s more common in younger women, it exists across many types of people and often starts during adolescence. Given the low magnitude of early instances, individuals have a tendency to get away with it early on, but this behavior has the potential to get out of control very quickly. As the severity of the crime increases, so do the consequences. Catching this behavior before a court demands treatment along with fines or jail time is key in preventing a bigger problem. Treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy have been successful in teaching replacement behavior and thoughts for more nefarious responses to common antecedents.

    Links for Today:

    https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/kleptomania/related/kleptomania-statistics/

    https://www.medicinenet.com/what_causes_kleptomania/article.htm#what_are_the_treatment_options_for_kleptomania

    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9878-kleptomania

    https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ804061.pdf

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/kleptomania

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kleptomania/symptoms-causes/syc-20364732

    https://www.verywellmind.com/what-you-should-know-about-kleptomania-4137660

    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11065-019-09404-9

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: Rick and Morty Season 5 (https://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty)

    Shane: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24.In_a_Sunburned_Country)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    55 min
  • 221 | Impulsivity and the Marshmallow
    There are several quintessential psychology experiments whose notoriety transcend beyond college Intro Psych Courses. Walter Mischel’s “Marshmallow Test,” as it became popularized as, was no exception. The seminal study gave kids a chance to wait for preferred items or demonstrate limited self-control by selecting a less-preferred option earlier. Mischel and his colleagues, as well as several follow-up studies, sought to determine the longitudinal value of their results on predicting academic and behavioral success. While initially there seemed to be a positive correlation, later examinations of the data and sample population have criticized its lack of representation to that of other factors in America such as socioeconomic status, education level, ethnicity, etc. More recent evaluations have scrutinized the same data alongside more potent environmental factors, suggesting that there might be far more to the story than simply being patient for a marshmallow in preschool.

    Links for Today:

    https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/the-marshmallow-test-revisited

    https://www.simplypsychology.org/marshmallow-test.html

    https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/6/17413000/marshmallow-test-replication-mischel-psychology

    https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/marshmallow-test/561779/

    https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/marshmallow-test-revisited

    https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/new-study-disavows-marshmallow-tests-predictive-powers/

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations

    Abraham: The Hunt (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8244784/)

    Shane: Fables (https://www.comixology.com/The-Complete-Fables/bundle/1052)

    You can reach us directly at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    1 hr
  • 220 | Gross Sounds
    Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) explore the not-a-disorder, but still very real experience that many people have. Misophonia (not the sound of musical miso, although that's what the name seems like it should imply) is a relatively common experience of an extreme aversion to certain sounds. For Abraham it is heavy machinery, for Shane, Avril Lavigne (jk!). Shane and Abraham have fun unpacking the science behind how misophonia develops and what you can do to change it you want to.

    Links for Today:


    1. https://www.differentbrains.org/resources/misophonia/
    2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/misophonia-sounds-really-make-crazy-2017042111534#:~:text=Nonetheless%2C%20misophonia%20is%20a%20real,more%20people%20than%20we%20realize.
    3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534650114566924
    4. https://www.soundrelief.com/treatments-for-misophonia/
    5. https://www.healthline.com/health/misophonia

    We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

    Recommendations
    - Abraham: Have a game night!
    - Shane: A Quiet Place (Movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/)

    You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

    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
    13 min

About Why We Do What We Do

From the publisher's feed

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…

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