Mixed Mental Arts

Bryan Callen and today's guest, Caroline Criado-Perez, have very different feeeeeeelings about the word feminism. For Bryan, feminism is a bit of a dirty word which he associates with well-meaning but misguided Social Justice Warriors on a crusade to remake the world in denial of the facts. For Caroline, feminism is a noble cause that aims to make the world fair and equal for all regardless of gender. And yet, in spite of their feelings about the word feminism, the case that Caroline makes in her latest book "Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men" is so compelling that Bryan and Caroline found themselves agreeing on the premise of her book. From medicine to the design of smartphones to bathroom allocation to the temperature of office spaces, the world is based on the assumption that an ordinary human is male. The result is that women die unnecessarily of heart attacks and car crashes. They wait longer in line for bathrooms. They are constantly cold in offices while men find the temperature perfectly comfortable. Many men wonder why the women in their lives are always cold, as if it is some defect of their body's ability to regulate its internal environment. Rather than a failure of homeostasis among 50% of the population, women and men simply have different mean body temperatures and men have simply been setting the thermostats for their own comfort without consulting women or considering that they might have different needs. In every way and in every field of life, the world was designed by men and for men and women have suffered as a result. There's a saying in Washington D.C. that if you're not at the table, then you're on the menu. In other words, if you're not there helping make the decisions, then you're going to get eaten alive. For most of recorded history, the people calling the shots and making the design decisions have been men and women have been on the menu. Bryan, Caroline and Hunter all want to live in a world based on fair play. So, why would we spend our time arguing about our feeeeeeelings about the word feminism when we can devote our time and energy to solving the problem? With Caroline's book, we not only have a persuasive case. We have a recipe for action for how we can make a world that works better for all of us. Fair play isn't just about marches, elections and new legislation. It's also about making little decisions like where we set the thermostat into discussions.

When Mark Manson wrote "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck," he couldn't have anticipated what a tremendous success it would be or that with that success there would be new challenges. Namely, now what? Mark had everything he'd ever wanted and had to face the pressure of a second act. Could he repeat that success? And what if nobody liked his second book? Fortunately, as an F-bomb philosopher, Mark was able to channel the power of his own advice and the life-changing perspective that comes from harnessing the English language's most potent four-letter word. In this interview, we discuss Mark's latest book "Everything is F*cked." To Mixed Mental Artists, many of the themes in the book will be familiar, notably the idea that everything is a religion. Given this, we need tools for managing and challenging our own belief systems and Mark's books nicely synthesize a diverse range of material in a fun, compelling package. In short, it's mixing the mental arts at its very best.

In an age of fake news and alternative facts, Cailin O'Connor's "The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread" could not be better timed. With fantastic historical examples and the latest science, this episode forces everyone to reflect on how we form our beliefs and how we can all play our role in creating a healthier information space. Cailin O'Connor is an Associate Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science and a member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science at the University of California, Irvine.

Although Bryan and Hunter talk about Jon Haidt all the time, this is actually only Jon's second appearance on the podcast. It was well worth the wait. Having read Jon's books many times and interviewed many of his peers, this podcast was a fantastic opportunity to get stuck in and re-examine the world through the lens of both ancient wisdom and modern science.

While Bryan has been busy filming his new spinoff Schooled, Hunter has been working hard to figure out how to take Mixed Mental Arts to the next level. We've had so much fun sharing the best ideas we've found in books. We can't wait to share them with an even wider audience. But in the meantime, we will be releasing new episodes every so often.

Stay tuned until the end for some information on the re-renaming of the show to the Bryan Callen Show.

Dambisa Moyo is from Zambia. She's studied the effect of foreign aid on the economies of developing nations. She finds it lacking in many respects. Her new book is Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth and How to Fix It. You can go to mixedmentalarts.online and click on our amazon link to get a hold of Dambisa Moyo's new book, and we'll get a cut of the money. Contribute to us on Patreon for early podcasts releases and other promises!

Howard Bloom developed chronic fatigue syndrome in 1988. That didn't stop him from writing a bunch of books. His most recent book is How I Accidentally Started the Sixties, which is a memoir. 

Allen Gannett is the author of The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time and he helps debunk genius myths. That's why Hunter likes him. That's why Bryan likes him. We hope you like him too. Also, Allen loves corgis. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Adam Hansen and Ken Gordon are innovation guys. They also like to sing songs and enjoy the finer things in life. Their beards make the world a better place.

Layne Norton is an expert in nutrition. He's also an elite powerlifter and a professional body builder. In the continuing journey of sorting the wheat from the chaff, Bryan and Hunter learn about how to eat for performance. 

Magdalena Edwards is Bryan Callen's neighbor. She's also a translator.  

Te Miri Rangi is a Maori from New Zealand who instituted a program known as Whakapapa Fridays as an outreach to young people to instill a connection with their roots. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!  

Cesar Hidalgo is the directer of the Collective Learning Group at the MIT media lab,. His book Why Information Grows combines physics and economics to give a new take on economic growth in the 21st century. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Coss Marte did 4 years in state prison for drug trafficking. While in prison, he became interested in physical training. Now he runs a fitness studio in New York where he hires former inmates and trains people on how to improve their fitness. He's literally turning lives around.  

From June, 2014 Bryan and Big Mike talked about everything from the History of Western Philosophy, to capital punishment in Saudi Arabia. Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our Patreon!

Lawrence Lessig is a law professor at Harvard, and a friend of the podcast. He ran for the Democratic party nomination in the 2016 presidential election, and was boxed out because he wasn't playing the money game required to compete for elections in the United States. That money problem is the key issue he tackles in his book Republic Lost. Bryan and Hunter get fired up when talking to Lawrence, and this was no exception. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Bryan Edward Hill is an entertainment industry consultant, author, screenwriter, musician, graphic novelist, and graphic designer. Bryan and Hunter tease out some of his writing skills and how this all connects to psychology, culture, morality, and the monsters within. Honorable Mention to Drake.  

Kyle Thiermann, born 1990, is a professional surfer, podcaster, and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, CA. His podcast is The Kyle Thiermann Show. In this podcast, Bryan and Hunter learn about conservation and oceanography, as well as surfer culture. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can get a focus group for podcast names, or something like that, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Aubrey Marcus is the purveyor of Onnit. He wrote a new book, Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex. In this interview, Bryan and Hunter delve deep into the concept of human optimization and continue the love fest that accompanies Aubrey, because everyone loves him. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Mark Blyth is a friend of the podcast and an economist at Brown University. Of note in this episode: a college professor pays a marginal tax rate higher than corporations. What matters is paying fair shares, so people like Bryan Callen don't have to pay extra.  Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Gary Noesner was a hostage negotiator. He was at Waco. His stories are great. In this episode of Mixed Mental Arts, Gary breaks down the psychology of hostage negotiation and interrogation. His book is Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

In this episode, Bryan and Hunter talk about Descartes Error and The Happiness Hypothesis. Humans are bound by their cognitive biases, their emotions, which color their reason. Knowing this aspect of human cognition is critical to better approaching life. From October, 2016. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media! https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts

Ed Solomon is a friend of the show and the writer behind Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Men in Black, and Mosaic. He brought along Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of Star Trek, Transformers, and People Like Us. Bryan Callen shares his desire to be a great writer, and gets lessons. Hunter Maats giggles and adds the glue to stick the threads of narrative together. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can buy books for orphans, or something like that, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Ken Gordon's company helped invent the Swiffer, portable insulin pumps, and much much more. In this episode of Mixed Mental Arts, he shares how his innovation process is based so much on literature and metaphor. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen invent better sex robots, or something like that, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

From Oct 28, 2013 Bryan and Hunter take this episode to reflect on and synthesize everything they've learned over the course of the last dozen or so episodes recording the show together. From the philosophy of Professor Dan Robinson to understanding human memory with Josh Foer, it's been a wild ride. This was a much needed opportunity to digest all they'd learned and pull out the big overarching lessons they've learned in talking to so many awesome guests. Go to our website, https://mixedmentalarts.online and support us through Patreon, Paypal, or our Amazon affiliate link! Money goes to support the people who work on the podcast, and Bryan Callen's cheese habit.

Kelly Brogan is a psychiatrist from New York and author of A Mind of Your Own. She began questioning the veracity of Western Medicine after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. Bryan and Hunter engage in heated debate over vaccines and science writ large, while remaining curious throughout. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Become a Patreon patron, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Tony Blauer pioneered a self-defense system called SPEAR. It's a realistic method through which one can defend themselves in real-world scenarios. It's right up Bryan's alley. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can become a real street-fighter, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Bryan Callen is a Mediterranean man from America. On this episode, he is joined by Dave Colan, Cate Fogarty, Akhmed Dakhil, Cara Haltiwanger, and James Fritz to talk about honor cultures and dignity cultures. Go on mixedmentalarts.online, click the Amazon affiliate link.We also work with audible, so if  you want to give the audiobook a try, go to http://www.audibletrial.com/mma We also have a Patreon! If you have a buck, please share with us! We’ll try and send you some swag.

Unstructured is a new podcast by a member of the Mixed Mental Arts community, Eric Hunley. This episode is an introduction to that podcast, hosted by Hunter himself. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can become a Spanish dancer, and use our Amazon affiliate links!  

Andy Galpin is a professor of human bioenergetics at Cal State Fullerton. That means he studies muscle. He's literally a meathead. Bryan and Hunter learn about how, when it comes to muscular development, "it depends." Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can maaaaaybe get jacked and tan, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Ganesh Sitaraman is a professor of law at Vanderbilt University. He published The Crisis of the Middle-class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic in 2017. Bryan and Hunter learn a lot about the history of the United States Constitution and the economic history of the United States. Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can become a British Lord, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Every mythology has a genesis myth, and this was the genesis of Mixed Mental Arts, long before the name was on the show. This was episode 25 of the Bryan Callen Show, before it was renamed Man Thoughts, then renamed the Bryan Callen Show, then The Bryan Callen Show (with Hunter Maats), and finally, Mixed Mental Arts.   Visit our website at https://mixedmentalarts.online Use our Amazon affiliate! Use our Audible affiliate! Give us money on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts Follow us on all the social media!

Antonio Damasio is a truly fascinating man. He teaches at neuroscience at USC and is considered the Marlon Brando of neuroscience. Bryan and Hunter inquire about feeeeelings, art, and philosophy. Support us on Patreon! 

Eldar Shafir is a behavioral economist/behavioral scientist at Princeton University. He co-wrote the book Scarcity with Sendhil Mullainathan. Hunter and Bryan draw out the depth of contrast between the reality of poverty and the assumptions of Homo Economicus as the keystone of human behavior. Go on mixedmentalarts.online, click the Amazon affiliate link! We also work with Audible, so if  you want to give the audio book a try, go to http://www.audibletrial.com/mma We also have a Patreon! If you have a buck, please share with us! We’ll try and send you some swag.

Martin Totland is a half-Swedish journalist and photographer from Norway. Cate Fogarty lived in Norway for three years. Under the careful moderation of Hunter ‘The Flying Dutchman’ Maats, they discuss the pros and cons of Scandinavian culture vs. the pros and cons of US culture, the Norwegian ‘Law of Jante,’ the Swedish mindset of ‘Lagom,’ the importance of dried cod in Norway’s 15th century economy, and the historical roots of the holistic, collectivist mindset often found in the frigid North. Don't forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online and check out the book list. Buy books through our amazon link, and use our Audible link to sign up! Go to our Patreon page, and if you've got some change, feel free to pitch in!

Raphael Minder is the Spain and Portugal correspondent for The New York Times. He schools Bryan and Hunter on the Catalonia situation, and other political tensions in the region. Of course, no discussion of Catalonia is complete without fútbol, either.Don’t forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we’re doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can become a Spanish dancer, and use our Amazon affiliate links!

Sometimes Bryan and Hunter like to get naked together...emotionally. It's time to bare all their thoughts and feelings!!! In this episode, they review everything they've learned and what the big take home lesson is. There's really only one! Tune in to find out what it is. Tweet Hunter, if there are any books or topics you'd like to see covered.  Maybe human nature is like hardware and software... Follow us on social media! Give us money on Patreon! Go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/ use our Amazon affiliate, use our Audible affiliate!

Roman Krznaric teaches philosophy at Oxford. He studies empathy and how it can be applied to everyday life. Sunzi says “Know the other and know yourself, and you will not see peril in any battle.” Bryan and Hunter draw the connections between markets, soldiers, and the power of Bryan Callen to save the world. Roman's new book is called Carpe Diem. Buy it through our Amazon affiliate! Visit our website at https://mixedmentalarts.online Use our Amazon affiliate! Use our Audible affiliate! Give us money on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts Follow us on all the social media!  

Chris Ryan talks with Bryan and Hunter to talk about his book Sex At Dawn, the academic sexlessness, human capabilities vs. human tendencies, swingers' clubs, and how to collectively build the human version of the San Diego Zoo. Also, how much Bryan Callen fuuuucks. Visit our website at https://mixedmentalarts.online Use our Amazon affiliate! Use our Audible affiliate! Give us money on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts Follow us on all the social media!

Bryan and Hunter talk about Life, Death, and Human Nature so that we can detribalize and realize our shared humanity. The Big Seven:   Birth Death Societies Sex (Touch) Food (Nutrition) Sleep (Security)   Play  And the rituals therein. Support us on Patreon, use our Amazon Affiliate, sign up for a free audiobook at audibletrial.com/mma and go to our website at mixedmentalarts.online for cools stuff!  

Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He also is in fantastic shape, with the physique of a Sardinian fisherman. Bryan, Hunter, and Michael talk about skepticism and Michael’s new book, Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia.Go on mixedmentalarts.online, click the Amazon affiliate link, and if you want, buy Michael’s book. We also work with audible, so if  you want to give the audiobook a try, go to http://www.audibletrial.com/mma We also have a Patreon! If you have a buck, please share with us! We’ll try and send you some swag.

Sharon Stone is one of the most brilliant people in Hollywood. She is currently working a project related to quantum physics, so Mixed Mental Arts facilitated a conversation with our resident quantum physicist, Spiros Michalakis. What resulted is one of the best podcasts ever. Subscribe to us on YouTube. There won't be video of this podcast, but we have many other great videos coming out regularly. Follow us on twitter, facebook, and instagram for the latest updates. Also use our Amazon affiliate link, become a patron on Patreon, use our Audible link, buy a t-shirt at our store, give us loads of dough. Whatever you can do to help, we'd appreciate it. https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts https://mixedmentalarts.online/ http://www.audibletrial.com/mma

Mark Blyth is a badass economist and a True Scotsman. He teaches at the Watson Institute at Brown University, and wrote a couple of books on economics. He's also hilarious. Check out Mark’s books, Austerity and Great Transformations.Mixed Mental Arts is now an Audible affiliate and an Amazon affiliate. We have a paypal button on our home page. We sell t-shirts through TeePublic. And we have a Patreon. Basically, if you have some spare change, help Bryan buy more propecia to keep his hair luscious. Also, Hunter needs a haircut.

From November, 2013. Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit out of his dorm room at the University of Virginia. As a leader of the grass-roots movement that overturned Congress's Stop Online Piracy Act and Senate IP Protection Act, he earned a spot in The Daily Dot's top ten most influential Internet Rights activists of 2012 and was dubbed the "Mayor of the Internet" by Forbes. Still, as you'll discover in this episode, Alexis is an incredibly down-to-earth guy with a great sense of humor. On today's show, Alexis, Bryan and Hunter talk about Alexis' book Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed. As more and more individuals use the internet to innovate and create better and better business opportunities, there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic. However, there are things we need to do to ensure those freedoms. Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed is available from all major booksellers. Alexis can be followed on twitter @alexisohanian.

Andrew Keen is wary of the growth of Google, and skeptical of the quality of user created content on the internet. He's been called an elitist because of his position. In this episode of Mixed Mental Arts, Bryan and Hunter tease out some of the logic behind his position. Check out Andrew's Books, How to Fix the Future, The Cult of the Amateur, and The Internet is Not the Answer.  Check out mixedmentalarts.online, use our Amazon affiliate, follow us on social media @mixedmentalarts everywhere, visit our reddit page, and if you have some spare change, hit us on Patreon. We feed starving veterans.

This is a dual release with Thaddeus Russell on the Unregistered Podcast. Thad has been on Mixed Mental Arts three times, and we can’t get enough of him. They talk about life, fathers, history, boxing, and what it means to be a man. Go to http://www.thaddeusrussell.com/ for more great podcasts, and give Renegade University a try. You won’t be disappointed (though you may be pissed off and confused.)