Podcasts about Psychological Science

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsBiblioBernardi, Luciano, Peter Sleight, Gabriele Bandinelli, Simone Cencetti, Luciano Fattorini, Johanna Wdowczyc-Szulc, and Alfonso Lagi. “Effect of Rosary Prayer and Yoga Mantras on Autonomic Cardiovascular Rhythms: Comparative Study.” BMJ 323, no. 7327 (2001): 1446–1449.Benson, Herbert, John W. Lehmann, Mark S. Malhotra, Ralph F. Goldman, Jeffrey Hopkins, and Mark D. Epstein. “Body Temperature Changes During the Practice of g Tum-mo Yoga.” Nature 295 (1982): 234–236.Benson, Herbert, Mark S. Malhotra, Ralph F. Goldman, Gregory D. Jacobs, and Jeffrey Hopkins. “Three Case Reports of the Metabolic and Electroencephalographic Changes During Advanced Buddhist Meditation Techniques.” Behavioral Medicine 16, no. 2 (1990): 90–95.Bremer, Brandon, Lorenzo Wu, Zoran Josipovic, and colleagues. “Mindfulness Meditation Increases Default Mode, Salience, and Central Executive Network Connectivity.” Scientific Reports 12 (2022).Brewer, Judson A., Patrick D. Worhunsky, Jeremy R. Gray, Yi-Yuan Tang, Jochen Weber, and Hedy Kober. “Meditation Experience Is Associated with Differences in Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, no. 50 (2011): 20254–20259.Britton, Willoughby B. and colleagues. Research associated with the “Varieties of Contemplative Experience” project on meditation-related challenges, adverse effects, and safety considerations in contemplative practice.Crowley, Aleister. Liber E vel Exercitiorum sub figura IX. In the A∴A∴ training corpus. Relevant sections include asana, pranayama, and dharana as foundational magical exercises.Dennison, Paul. “Insights From an EEG Study of Buddhist Jhāna Meditation.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 13 (2019).Fialoke, Shantala, Helen Weng, and colleagues. “Functional Connectivity Changes in Meditators and Novices During Yoga Nidra Practice.” Scientific Reports 14 (2024).Fox, Kieran C. R., Savannah Nijeboer, Matthew L. Dixon, James L. Floman, Melissa Ellamil, Samuel P. Rumak, Peter Sedlmeier, and Kalina Christoff. “Is Meditation Associated with Altered Brain Structure? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Morphometric Neuroimaging in Meditation Practitioners.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 43 (2014): 48–73.Hölzel, Britta K., James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, and Sara W. Lazar. “Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density.” Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 191, no. 1 (2011): 36–43.Kozhevnikov, Maria, Olesya Louchakova, Zoran Josipovic, and Michael A. Motes. “The Enhancement of Visuospatial Processing Efficiency Through Buddhist Deity Meditation.” Psychological Science 20, no. 5 (2009): 645–653.Kozhevnikov, Maria, John A. Elliott, Jennifer Shephard, and Klaus Gramann. “Neurocognitive and Somatic Components of Temperature Increases During g-Tummo Meditation: Legend and Reality.” PLOS ONE 8, no. 3 (2013): e58244.Laukkonen, Ruben E., and Heleen A. Slagter. “From Many to (N)one: Meditation and the Plasticity of the Predictive Mind.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 128 (2021): 199–217.Lomas, Tim, Juan Carlos Ivtzan, and Itai K. Fu. “A Systematic Review of the Neurophysiology of Mindfulness on EEG Oscillations.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015): 401–410.Lott, James P., Richard J. Davidson, John D. Dunne, Thupten Jinpa, Antoine Lutz, and colleagues. “No Detectable Electroencephalographic Activity After Clinical Declaration of Death Among Tibetan Buddhist Meditators in Apparent Tukdam.” Frontiers in Psychology 11 (2021): 599190.Lutz, Antoine, Lawrence L. Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings, Matthieu Ricard, and Richard J. Davidson. “Long-term Meditators Self-induce High-amplitude Gamma Synchrony During Mental Practice.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101, no. 46 (2004): 16369–16373.Lutz, Antoine, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, and Richard J. Davidson. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLoS ONE 3, no. 3 (2008): e1897.Matko, Karin, Peter Sedlmeier, and colleagues. “Adverse Effects of Meditation and Mindfulness in Clinical Practice.” 2025.Patanjali. Yoga Sutras. Especially Book III, traditionally describing dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.Riegner, Gretchen, Fadel Zeidan, and colleagues. “Disentangling Self from Pain: Mindfulness Meditation-Induced Pain Relief Is Driven by Thalamic-Default Mode Network Decoupling.” Pain 164, no. 2 (2023): 280–291.Tang, Yi-Yuan, Britta K. Hölzel, and Michael I. Posner. “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 16 (2015): 213–225.Vago, David R., and David A. Silbersweig. “Self-awareness, Self-regulation, and Self-transcendence: A Framework for Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Mindfulness.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 6 (2012): 296.Zeidan, Fadel, and colleagues. Research on mindfulness meditation, pain modulation, attention, and the neural mechanisms of pain relief.Slagter, Heleen A., Antoine Lutz, Lawrence L. Greischar, Andrew D. Francis, Sander Nieuwenhuis, James M. Davis, and Richard J. Davidson. “Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources.” PLOS Biology 5, no. 6 (2007): e138. Use for: Attentional blink, limited attention, and meditation changing how the brain allocates resources.Hölzel, Britta K., James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, and Sara W. Lazar. “Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density.” Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 191, no. 1 (2011): 36–43. Use for: Neuroplasticity, repeated practice leaving measurable marks on the brain, and the “practice writes itself into the practitioner” idea.Laukkonen, Ruben E., and Heleen A. Slagter. “From Many to (N)one: Meditation and the Plasticity of the Predictive Mind.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 128 (2021): 199–217. Use for: Predictive processing, the brain as a prediction machine, meditation loosening automatic models, and the “veil” argument.Lutz, Antoine, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, and Richard J. Davidson. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLOS ONE 3, no. 3 (2008): e1897. Use for: Compassion meditation, loving-kindness, emotional circuitry, and training compassion as a repeatable state rather than just a moral idea.Kok, Bethany E., Kimberly A. Coffey, Michael A. Cohn, Lahnna I. Catalino, Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, Sara B. Algoe, Marc A. Brantley, and Barbara L. Fredrickson. “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone.” Psychological Science 24, no. 7 (2013): 1123–1132. Use for: Loving-kindness, social connection, vagal tone, and the cautious “social nervous system” bridge.Black, David S., and George M. Slavich. “Mindfulness Meditation and the Immune System: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1373, no. 1 (2016): 13–24. Use for: Immune-system caution, inflammation markers, cell-mediated immunity, biological aging, and why this material should be framed as tentative rather than miracle healing.Burić, Ivana, Miguel Farias, Jonathan Jong, Christopher Mee, and Inti A. Brazil. “What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind–Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices.” Frontiers in Immunology 8 (2017): 670. Use for: Stress biology, inflammatory gene expression, NF-kB-related language, and the cautious claim that mind-body practices may affect biology below ordinary mood.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

What if one of the most powerful medicines for longevity, resilience, happiness, cognitive health, and disease prevention wasn't found in a supplement, a prescription, or a cutting-edge biohack—but in the people around you? In this powerful solo episode, Darin Olien dives into one of the most overlooked health crises of our time: loneliness. Drawing from the landmark 85-year Harvard Adult Development Study, the U.S. Surgeon General's loneliness epidemic report, Blue Zones research, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Darin reveals why meaningful human connection may be one of the strongest predictors of health and longevity ever discovered. From oxytocin, cortisol, inflammation, vagal tone, and nervous system regulation to suburban design, social media, and the collapse of community structures, Darin exposes the hidden biological costs of isolation—and offers a practical roadmap for rebuilding the human connections we were biologically designed to need.     What You'll Learn The stunning findings from Harvard's 85-year Adult Development Study Why relationships outperform wealth, genetics, diet, and exercise as predictors of well-being How loneliness increases the risk of premature death, dementia, heart disease, and stroke Why social isolation creates measurable biological stress responses The role of oxytocin in lowering inflammation and regulating stress How human connection affects the autonomic nervous system Why Blue Zone communities consistently prioritize social connection The biological difference between digital interaction and real human presence How modern architecture and technology contribute to loneliness Why community is a biological necessity—not a luxury Practical ways to rebuild meaningful relationships today How connection may be one of the most powerful health interventions available   Chapters 00:00:00 – Welcome to SuperLife 00:00:33 – Sponsor: Bite Toothpaste and reducing plastic waste 00:02:49 – The most powerful health study ever conducted 00:03:01 – Harvard follows 724 people for 85 years 00:03:40 – The surprising predictor of a long, healthy life 00:04:00 – Why relationships beat wealth, genetics, diet, and exercise 00:04:42 – The Surgeon General's loneliness epidemic warning 00:05:19 – Introducing the medicine you're not taking 00:05:53 – The health benefits of genuine community 00:06:21 – The fatal convenience of modern life 00:06:47 – Replacing human connection with digital connection 00:07:12 – Why modern convenience may be creating isolation 00:07:23 – Social isolation and premature mortality 00:08:02 – Loneliness and the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day 00:08:43 – Increased risks of heart disease, stroke, and dementia 00:09:10 – Why loneliness is a biological threat 00:09:52 – The science behind social isolation 00:10:11 – Sponsor: Manna Vitality 00:12:06 – Humans as the most socially dependent species 00:12:53 – Why connection regulates the nervous system 00:13:29 – The autonomic nervous system and social safety 00:13:56 – The brain's constant question: Am I safe? 00:14:03 – The biology of belonging 00:14:24 – The ventral vagal state explained 00:14:55 – Why connection creates measurable physiological changes 00:15:03 – What happens when isolation becomes chronic 00:15:52 – Oxytocin: far more than the "love hormone" 00:16:20 – Eye contact, touch, meals, and human bonding 00:16:42 – How oxytocin lowers stress and inflammation 00:17:04 – Why no supplement can replace connection 00:17:17 – The pharmacology of authentic human moments 00:18:06 – Free medicine hidden in plain sight 00:18:39 – Dan Buettner and the Blue Zones 00:19:29 – What the world's longest-lived populations have in common 00:19:36 – Okinawa's lifelong friendship circles 00:20:08 – Sardinia's active elders and social roles 00:20:40 – Greece's culture of connection and communal meals 00:21:03 – Why longevity wasn't hacked—it was lived 00:21:38 – Social connection as the foundation of daily life 00:22:01 – The shocking decline in face-to-face interaction 00:22:21 – Young people losing 70% of in-person social time 00:22:58 – How community was systematically dismantled 00:23:00 – Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone 00:23:49 – Doing life together versus doing life alone 00:24:05 – How suburban design creates isolation 00:24:49 – The built environment shapes human behavior 00:24:55 – Social media and the promise of connection 00:25:20 – Why digital connection fails biologically 00:25:33 – Social comparison, anxiety, and nervous system stress 00:25:49 – More connected online, more isolated in reality 00:26:03 – A call to action: treating relationships like health practices 00:27:00 – Practical ways to rebuild community 00:28:00 – Prioritizing people over convenience 00:29:00 – Deep conversations, presence, and intentional connection 00:30:00 – Reclaiming community in modern life 00:31:00 – Final thoughts on connection, belonging, and health 00:31:53 – Closing remarks and outro     Thank You to Our Sponsors Bite Toothpaste: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order Manna Vitality: Go to mannavitality.com/ and use code DARIN12 for 12% off your order.     Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien     Find More from Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness     Key Takeaway "The longest-running study in human history reached a conclusion that should fundamentally change how we think about health: the quality of our relationships predicts our happiness, resilience, and longevity more than almost anything else. Human connection isn't a luxury, a personality trait, or a nice bonus when life slows down. It is biology. It is medicine. And in a world increasingly designed for isolation, rebuilding community may be one of the most important health decisions we ever make."     Bibliography/Sources: Primary Research — Loneliness, Social Isolation & Health Associated Press. (2023, May 2). Surgeon general: Loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking. PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/surgeon-general-loneliness-poses-health-risks-as-deadly-as-smoking Cacioppo, J. T., & Hawkley, L. C. (2009). Perceived social isolation and cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(10), 447–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2009.06.005 Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 Office of the Surgeon General. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf Waldinger, R. J., & Schulz, M. S. (2010). What's love got to do with it? Social functioning, perceived health, and daily happiness in married octogenarians. Psychology and Aging, 25(2), 422–431. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019087 Neuroscience — Oxytocin, Polyvagal Theory & Community Biology Carter, C. S. (1998). Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 23(8), 779–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(98)00055-9 Eisenberger, N. I., & Lieberman, M. D. (2004). Why rejection hurts: A common neural alarm system for physical and social pain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(7), 294–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.05.010 Heinrichs, M., Baumgartner, T., Kirschbaum, C., & Ehlert, U. (2003). Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Biological Psychiatry, 54(12), 1389–1398. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(03)00465-7 Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393707007 Blue Zones Research Buettner, D., & Skemp, S. (2016). Blue Zones: Lessons from the world's longest lived. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 10(5), 318–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827616637066 Kreouzi, M., Theodorakis, N., & Constantinou, C. (2022). Lessons learned from Blue Zones, lifestyle medicine pillars and beyond. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276221118494 Suzuki, M., Willcox, B. J., & Willcox, D. C. (2001). Implications from and for food cultures for cardiovascular disease: Longevity. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10(2), 165–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6047.2001.00219.x The power of environment: A comprehensive review of the exposome's role in healthy aging. (2025). PubMed Central (PMC11858149). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11858149/ Social Capital & Community Decline Oldenburg, R. (1999). The great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community. Marlowe & Company. https://books.google.com/books?id=cK80BwAAQBAJ Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bowling-Alone/Robert-D-Putnam/9780743203043 Sbarra, D. A., Briskin, J. L., & Slatcher, R. B. (2019). Smartphones and close relationships: The case for an evolutionary mismatch. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(4), 596–618. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619826535 Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. J. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(1), 78–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.014 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). American time use survey. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/tus/ Pennebaker & Authentic Disclosure Brown, B. (2012). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Gotham Books. https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/ Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x

Seasonal Affective Disorder When you hear seasonal affective disorder, you probably think of the cold, dark days of winter. But for some people, seasonal depression arrives at the opposite time of year. As temperatures rise and daylight stretches into the evening, sadness, anxiety and irritability can emerge. Wednesday on the “Sound of Ideas,” we'll discuss how heat, light and seasonal changes can affect our mental health. Guest:- Alicia Roth, Ph.D., Behavioral Sleep Medicine Psychologist, Cleveland Clinic Understanding claims about antidepressants Later, we'll speak with mental health experts about antidepressants. A recent Gallup poll found 18% of adults reported having depression last year. And depression rates for Americans under 30 and lower income adults have risen dramatically over the last eight years. Antidepressant medications have been shown to help ease depressive symptoms. One common type of medication, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, were used by more than 11% of adults in 2023, according to CDC data. And adults in the Midwest take antidepressants more than any other region in the nation. U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has been outwardly skeptical about the use of SSRIs, and last month, announced a plan to address the "overuse of psychiatric medications, especially among children" in favor of what he calls a more holistic approach to mental health. But psychiatrists have warned that some of the claims about the side effects of antidepressants are misinformed, including that there's an increased link to mass violence. And there's concern that this move could limit access to treatment for millions who rely on it. Guests:- Jonathan Sadowsky, Ph.D., Professor, History of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University- Luis Felipe Amunategui, Ph.D., Child-Adolescent Psychologist, University Hospitals- Karin Coifman, Ph.D., Professor, Psychological Sciences, Kent State University

200: Self-love to za mało - czego naprawdę potrzebujesz, żeby się rozwijać i osiągać celeSelf-love to jeden z najczęściej pojawiających się tematów w świecie rozwoju osobistego - ale czy naprawdę wystarczy, żeby osiągać cele i się rozwijać? W tym odcinku przyglądamy się temu, co nauka faktycznie mówi o poczuciu własnej wartości i dlaczego samo pozytywne myślenie o sobie nie przekłada się na wyniki.Dowiesz się, jak być wobec siebie życzliwą bez rezygnowania ze standardów, dlaczego growth mindset jest niezbędnym uzupełnieniem self-love i czemu odpowiedzialność wobec siebie to jeden z najgłębszych wyrazów troski o siebie.Chcesz dowiedzieć się więcej na temat pracy z podświadomością, myślami i przekonaniami?Poznaj konkretne techniki, które pozwolą ci pozbyć się negatywnych przekonań, sabotujących schematów myślenia i stwórz MINDSET, KTÓRY DOPROWADZI CIĘ DO WSZELKICH MANIFESTACJI wraz z MINDSET PROGRAMEM!Aby dołączyć do programu napisz do mnie wiadomość na instagramie ,,MINDSET''!Cena całego programu - 64.99złSELF LOVE 2.0 to nowa udoskonalona edycja kultowego programu skupiającego się na pracy nad sobą poprzez praktykę SAMODOSKONALENIA, SAMOAKCEPTACJI, BUDOWANIA PEWNOŚCI SIEBIE I POCZUCIA WŁASNEJ WARTOŚCI na jeszcze bardziej dogłębnym i profesjonalnym poziomie!Dowiedz się więcej jak poprzez prace nad soba pozbyć się wszelkich negatywnych schematów myślenia i działania, tak aby samej decydować o własnym szczęściu i życiu poprzez dołączenie do SELF LOVE PROGRAMU!Całość programu kosztuje 79.99 - zakupując go dostajesz automatyczny dostęp do 4 modułów składających się na program!Jeśli jesteś zainteresowana napisz do mnie wiadomość prywatną ,,selflove 2/0'' na instagramie!Więcej treści dotyczących manifestacji i rozwoju znajdziesz na moim instagramie @guideangelbyolga oraz @guideangelplatform!Do usłyszenia w kolejnym odcinku za tydzień!ŹRÓDŁA1. Baumeister, R.F., Campbell, J.D., Krueger, J.I., Vohs, K.D. (2003). Does High Self-Esteem Cause Better Performance, Interpersonal Success, Happiness, or Healthier Lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44.2. Neff, K.D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85–102.3. Neff, K.D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow.4. Neff, K.D. (2023). Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 74, 193–218.5. Neff, K.D. & Vonk, R. (2009). Self-compassion versus global self-esteem: Two different ways of relating to oneself. Journal of Personality, 77(1), 23–50.6. Breines, J.G. & Chen, S. (2012). Self-Compassion Increases Self-Improvement Motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(9), 1133–1143.7. Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Message me!In Episode 1, we open the doors to the Asylum, explore what this space is really about, and begin with a grounding lesson on presence, breath, and learning to meet yourself exactly where you are.Message me!Read the Research Blog:https://carifavole.wordpress.com/2026/06/06/episode-1-welcome-to-the-asylum/EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:[ ▶︎ ] Heart Activation Breathing Method | ASMR Mindfulness Meditation:https://youtu.be/oAnWikPJLnY?si=FK7wAv67NOOoF1IF- American Psychological Association. (2020). Stress and coping. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress-Brown, B. (2006). Shame resilience theory: A grounded theory study on women and shame. Families in Society, 87(1), 43–52.-Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., et al. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology: Mechanisms of risk and resilience. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(2), 125–150.- Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66–78.-Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (2020). Video games and social competence. Routledge.-Mar, R. A., & Oatley, K. (2008). The function of fiction is the abstraction and simulation of social experience. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(3), 173–192.- Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. HarperCollins.- World Health Organization. (2014). Social determinants of mental health. https://www.who.int- World Health Organization. (2022). Guidance on community mental health services. https://www.who.int•☽────✧˖°˖☆

Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsPart 1: The Road of RhythmPart 1 focuses on the drum as an ancient technology of altered consciousness. The argument is not that every beat causes trance, or that neuroscience has proven spirits. The stronger argument is that rhythm enters the human organism through hearing, motor prediction, breath, movement, attention, emotion, expectation, culture, and social synchrony. The drum becomes powerful when sound, body, group, ritual frame, and meaning converge. These sources support the archaeology, neuroscience, EEG research, shamanic studies, possession studies, Indigenous and culturally specific drum traditions, ritual theory, placebo and meaning-response research, ceremonial magic, and modern witchcraft material used in the episode.Core Academic and Scientific SourcesHuels, Emma R., Hyoungkyu Kim, UnCheol Lee, Tirsa Bel-Bahar, Ana V. Colmenero, Alexandra Nelson, Stefanie Blain-Moraes, George A. Mashour, and Richard E. Harris. “Neural Correlates of the Shamanic State of Consciousness.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 15 (2021): 610466. Use for the strongest modern EEG anchor. This study used high-density EEG with shamanic practitioners and controls during rest, shamanic drumming, and classical music listening. It assessed altered-state reports alongside brain measures such as power, connectivity, signal diversity, and criticality. Use carefully: the study does not prove spirits or show that drumming mechanically causes trance in everyone. It supports the more careful claim that trained practitioners entering shamanic states with drumming show measurable brain-state differences.Gordon, Yoel, Golan Karvat, Noa Dagan, and Ayelet N. Landau. “Neural Tracking at Theta Predicts Drumming-Induced Altered States of Consciousness.” Scientific Reports 16, no. 1 (2026): Article 10204. Use for the strongest updated drumming/theta/neural-tracking source. This study tested drumming at theta, delta, and alpha-rate rhythms while recording EEG, and found that stronger rhythmic neural tracking at theta was linked to stronger altered-experience reports. Use carefully: this does not mean theta equals the spirit world or that one frequency opens a portal. The serious point is that altered experience may depend partly on how strongly the nervous system tracks rhythmic stimulation.Aparicio-Terrés, R., et al. “The Neurobiology of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by Drumming and Other Rhythmic Sound Patterns.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2025. Use for the newer review literature showing that rhythmic sound is now a serious altered-consciousness research topic. This supports the opening claim that modern academia is examining drumming, rhythmic sound, absorption, relaxation, cognition, and neural activity without reducing the subject to one simple “trance frequency.” The review is especially useful for framing the field as promising but still complex.Neher, Andrew. “Auditory Driving Observed with Scalp Electrodes in Normal Subjects.” Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology 13 (1961): 449–451. Use for the historical bridge between repetitive sound, EEG, auditory driving, and early scientific interest in rhythmic stimulation.Neher, Andrew. “A Physiological Explanation of Unusual Behavior in Ceremonies Involving Drums.” Human Biology 34, no. 2 (1962): 151–160. Use carefully. This is useful as an early attempt to connect ceremonial drumming and physiology, but it should be balanced with Rouget because the “drum simply causes trance” argument is too mechanical.Maurer, R., V. K. Kumar, L. Woodside, and R. J. Pekala. “Phenomenological Experience in Response to Monotonous Drumming and Hypnotizability.” American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 40, no. 2 (1997): 130–145. Use for monotonous drumming, subjective altered experience, imagery, absorption, and hypnotizability.Maxfield, Melinda C. “Effects of Rhythmic Drumming on EEG and Subjective Experience.” PhD diss., Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 1990. Use as older supporting context on drumming, EEG, imagery, body-image changes, and subjective altered experience. Do not make this the main scientific proof; use it as background.Nozaradan, Sylvie, Isabelle Peretz, and André Mouraux. “Tagging the Neuronal Entrainment to Beat and Meter.” The Journal of Neuroscience 31, no. 28 (2011): 10234–10240. Use for EEG evidence that the brain can track beat and meter. This supports the claim that the brain does not merely hear rhythm as background sound; it can represent rhythmic structure in measurable ways.Nozaradan, Sylvie. “Exploring How Musical Rhythm Entrains Brain Activity with Electroencephalogram Frequency-Tagging.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 369, no. 1658 (2014). Use as broader rhythm/EEG entrainment support. This helps explain frequency-tagging, beat tracking, meter, neural entrainment, and the measurable relationship between rhythmic structure and brain activity.Thaut, Michael H., Gerald C. McIntosh, and Volker Hoemberg. “Neurobiological Foundations of Neurologic Music Therapy: Rhythmic Entrainment and the Motor System.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2015). Use for rhythm as motor-system timing information. This supports the claim that a beat can become bodily instruction, not just sound for the ear. Especially useful when discussing rhythmic auditory stimulation, motor planning, gait, entrainment, and the auditory-motor bridge.Ross, Jessica M., John R. Iversen, and Ramesh Balasubramaniam. “Time Perception for Musical Rhythms: Sensorimotor Perspectives on Entrainment, Simulation, and Prediction.” 2022. Use for rhythm, timing, prediction, sensorimotor entrainment, and the way musical rhythm interacts with time perception.Hove, Michael J., and Jane L. Risen. “It's All in the Timing: Interpersonal Synchrony Increases Affiliation.” Social Cognition 27, no. 6 (2009): 949–960. Use for synchrony and social bonding. This helps support the group-body argument: moving or acting in time with others can increase affiliation.Wiltermuth, Scott S., and Chip Heath. “Synchrony and Cooperation.” Psychological Science 20, no. 1 (2009): 1–5. Use for the claim that synchronized movement can increase cooperation and attachment among participants.Tarr, Bronwyn, Jacques Launay, and Robin I. M. Dunbar. “Music and Social Bonding: ‘Self-Other' Merging and Neurohormonal Mechanisms.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014): 1096. Use for music, synchrony, bonding, endorphin/social mechanisms, and why group rhythm can feel like more than private listening.Fancourt, Daisy, Rosie Perkins, Sara Ascenso, Louise Atkins, Fatima Kilfeather, and Aaron Williamon. “Effects of Group Drumming Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Social Resilience and Inflammatory Immune Response among Mental Health Service Users.” PLOS ONE 11, no. 3 (2016): e0151136. Use for modern group-drumming research showing psychological and physiological effects, including anxiety, depression, social resilience, wellbeing, and inflammatory immune response. Use carefully: this does not make group drumming a cure-all. It supports the more grounded claim that embodied rhythm and group participation can affect mood, social connection, and body chemistry.Bittman, Barry B., et al. “Composite Effects of Group Drumming Music Therapy on Modulation of Neuroendocrine-Immune Parameters in Normal Subjects.” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 7, no. 1 (2001): 38–47. Use as older supporting material on group drumming and neuroendocrine-immune measures. Keep secondary. Fancourt is cleaner for the main script body.Archaeology and Deep History of DrumsLawergren, Bo. “Neolithic Drums in China.” In Music Archaeology in China. 2006. Use for clay drums in Neolithic China and the deep-history claim that drums are not just poetic symbols of antiquity. They appear in the archaeological record as instruments tied to early sound-making, ceremony, and social order.Both, Arnd Adje. “Music Archaeology: Some Methodological and Theoretical Considerations.” Use as general support for why ancient instruments should be treated as ritual and social evidence, not merely decorative objects.Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, Ritual, and TranceRouget, Gilbert. Music and Trance: A Theory of the Relations Between Music and Possession. Translated by Brunhilde Biebuyck. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Essential source. Use for the caution that music does not mechanically or universally cause trance. Rouget helps keep the argument academically serious by emphasizing culture, ritual frame, meaning, and expectation.Becker, Judith. Deep Listeners: MAlso want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

The human brain works very hard behind the scenes even in the most mundane aspects of daily life, like enjoying a nice day or determining the meaning of chit-chat with a friend. Ferreting out the basis and structures of our brain's labor is the domain of Daniel Yon, a psychologist and neuroscientists and director of the Uncertainty Lab at Birkbeck, University of London. In this Social Science Bites podcast, Yon - author of the 2025 book A Trick of the Mind: How the Brain Invents Your Reality -- details for interviewer David Edmonds why he feels that just as science itself represents a solid - but not "bullet-proof" way of interpreting the natural world, science also well describes how the brain itself does the same. "I think that at the heart of what I think science and the brain share is this preoccupation with building theories and models based on the data that you've gathered and using those theories to make sense of the world around you. That's a very powerful way to make sense of things," he explains, before adding the caveat, "but it also means that once you start to build your theories and paradigms, they can become the filter and the lens through which everything else gets seen." Yon's scholarship has earned him a number of honors, such as the Experimental Psychology Society's EPS Prize and the Janet Taylor Spence Award from the Association for Psychological Science. He has also been named a Rising Star by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and received a mid-career fellowship by the British Academy.  

Most diets fail because they never address what the food was doing for you emotionally. In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy explains the stress-craving loop behind emotional eating, why ultra-processed foods feel impossible to resist, and how shame actually reinforces the cycle. You'll learn: • Why cravings feel automatic • How stress drives food urges • The “cue → urge → reward” loop • A simple 9-minute method to interrupt cravings This isn't about perfection or willpower. It's about understanding the pattern so you can finally begin to change it.   Citations:  Boswell, Rebecca G., and Hedy Kober. “Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 17, no. 2, 2016, pp. 159–177. doi:10.1111/obr.12354. Use for: Food cues can trigger craving and eating even without true hunger. Berridge, Kent C., and Terry E. Robinson. “Liking, Wanting, and the Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction.” American Psychologist, vol. 71, no. 8, 2016, pp. 670–679. doi:10.1037/amp0000059. Use for: “Wanting” food is not the same as true pleasure. Schultz, Wolfram, Peter Dayan, and P. Read Montague. “A Neural Substrate of Prediction and Reward.” Science, vol. 275, no. 5306, 1997, pp. 1593–1599. doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1593. Use for: Dopamine helps encode reward prediction and learning. Wood, Wendy, and Dennis Rünger. “Psychology of Habit.” Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 67, 2016, pp. 289–314. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417. Use for: Habits form through repeated cue-context loops. Laborde, Sylvain, et al. “Effects of Voluntary Slow Breathing on Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 138, 2022, article 104711. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711. Use for: Slow breathing supports parasympathetic regulation and stress reduction. Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. “Putting Feelings into Words: Affect Labeling Disrupts Amygdala Activity in Response to Affective Stimuli.” Psychological Science, vol. 18, no. 5, 2007, pp. 421–428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x. Use for: Naming emotions can reduce emotional reactivity. Gollwitzer, Peter M. “Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans.” American Psychologist, vol. 54, no. 7, 1999, pp. 493–503. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493. Use for: “If-then” plans improve behavior change under stress. Forman, Evan M., et al. “A Comparison of Acceptance- and Control-Based Strategies for Coping with Food Cravings: An Analog Study.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 45, no. 10, 2007, pp. 2372–2386. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2007.04.004. Use for: Acceptance and urge-surfing strategies help cravings pass without acting on them. Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008. Use for: Ultra-processed foods increase intake and reinforce overeating patterns.   Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he's helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He's also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more. If you're ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Philip Newall, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, UK. The interview covers Philip's opinion and debate article on sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: a taxonomy of online gambling platforms' deceptive design features.The rationale behind Philip's article [01:16]A background on the policy landscape associated with online gambling platforms [06:40]The three features that online gambling platforms use [09:18]The implications of these features for policymakers [14:30]The implications of these features for the gambling industry [17:22]The implications of these features for the people using online gambling platforms [19:46]The end goal of Philip's research [21:24]About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK).About Philip Newall: Philip is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol's School of Psychological Science. Philip completed a PhD at the University of Stirling in 2016, before going on to postdoctoral research fellowships at Technical University of Munich, the University of Warwick, and Central Queensland University's Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory. Philip's research applies concepts and research methods from behavioural science to gambling. Philip was a member of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling from 2021 to 2025, which was an advisory group of the Gambling Commission in Great Britain. In the last three years, Philip has been a named researcher on projects funded by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling, Alberta Gambling Research Institute, Arts and Humanities Research Council, BA/Leverhulme, Canadian Institute for Health Research, Clean Up Gambling, Gambling Research Australia, and the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. Philip has received honoraria for reviewing from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling and the Belgium Ministry of Justice, travel and accommodation funding from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute and the Economic and Social Research Institute, and open access fee funding from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling and Greo Evidence Insights.Original article: Sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: A taxonomy of online gambling platforms' deceptive design features https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70085The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.Music provided by Jack Shakespeare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wenn Jette Leute im Job ungerecht behandelt, ist für sie klar: Eine Entschuldigung ist fällig. Dieser Schritt kostet sie jedoch viel Überwindung. Warum uns Entschuldigen manchmal schwerfällt – und wie wir es richtig machen, sodass es allen guttut. **********Ihr hört: Gesprächspartnerin: Jette, übt sich zu entschuldigen Gesprächspartnerin: Sabine Sczesny, Professorin für Sozialpsychologie in der Abteilung Soziale Neurowissenschaft und Sozialpsychologie am Institut für Psychologie der Universität Bern, forscht zu Geschlechterstereotypen Gesprächspartnerin: Denise Ginzburg-Marku, psychologische Psychotherapeutin Autor und Host: Przemek Żuk Redaktion: Friederike Seeger, Stefan Krombach, Mo Lorenz Produktion: Christiane Neumann**********Quellen:Bennett, C. (2022). What goes on when we apologize? Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 23(1), S. 115-135.Schumann, K. & Ross, M. (2010). Why Women Apologize More Than Men: Gender Differences in Thresholds for Perceiving Offensive Behavior. Psychological Science, 21(11).Walfisch, T., Van Dijk, D. and Kark, R. (2013), Impact of status and gender on apology effectiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, S. 1446-1458.Polin, B., Doyle, S. P., Kim, S., et al. (2024). Sorry to ask but … how is apology effectiveness dependent on apology content and gender? Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(3), S. 339–361.Lev-Ari, S. (2025). Sorries seem to have the harder words. British Journal of Psychology, 116, S. 757–769.Alle Quellen findet ihr hier.**********Mehr zum Thema bei Deutschlandfunk Nova:Verletzte Gefühle: Was brauchen wir, um zu verzeihen?Verhalten: Warum wir uns so oft entschuldigenSorry: Warum uns aufrichtige Entschuldigungen so wichtig sind**********Den Artikel zum Stück findet ihr hier.**********Ihr könnt uns auch auf diesen Kanälen folgen: TikTok und Instagram .**********Meldet euch!Ihr könnt das Team von Facts & Feelings über Whatsapp erreichen.Uns interessiert: Was beschäftigt euch? Habt ihr ein Thema, über das wir unbedingt in der Sendung und im Podcast sprechen sollen?Schickt uns eine Sprachnachricht oder schreibt uns per 0160-91360852 oder an factsundfeelings@deutschlandradio.de.Wichtig: Wenn ihr diese Nummer speichert und uns eine Nachricht schickt, akzeptiert ihr unsere Regeln zum Datenschutz und bei Whatsapp die Datenschutzrichtlinien von Whatsapp.

What if the anxiety, overthinking, people pleasing, emotional shutdown, hypervigilance, burnout, and relationship struggles you experience today… were never actually "you" to begin with? In this deeply personal and profoundly eye-opening solo episode, Darin Olien dives into the hidden nervous system programming formed between the ages of 0 and 8 that silently shapes our adult lives. Drawing from neuroscience, trauma research, attachment theory, epigenetics, somatic healing, and his own emotional breakthroughs, Darin explores how childhood experiences become subconscious operating systems that influence everything from relationships and stress responses to chronic disease and self-worth. This episode is a powerful roadmap toward healing. Darin breaks down the science behind trauma, the ACE study, nervous system dysregulation, emotional patterning, and neuroplasticity, while also sharing practical tools like somatic experiencing, expressive writing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems to help listeners begin rewiring their emotional lives from the inside out. What You'll Learn How childhood experiences program the nervous system Why most adult emotional reactions are subconscious survival patterns The connection between trauma, stress hormones, and chronic disease How the nervous system stores emotional experiences in the body Why people pleasing, hypervigilance, burnout, and emotional shutdown develop The science behind neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain What the ACE Study revealed about childhood trauma and adult health How trauma impacts the amygdala, hippocampus, and stress-response systems Why emotional patterns are adaptations, not character flaws How epigenetics can pass trauma responses across generations The role of somatic experiencing in trauma healing Practical tools for emotional regulation and nervous system repair Chapters 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife 00:00:32 – Sponsor: Bite Toothpaste and eliminating toxic plastic exposure 00:02:47 – Darin introduces emotional reactions and nervous system triggers 00:03:15 – A personal story about reacting vs responding in conflict 00:03:50 – Emotional shutdowns, rage, withdrawal, people pleasing, and overcorrection 00:04:19 – Darin's physical pain journey and emotional discoveries in 2025 00:04:42 – Birth trauma, childhood conditioning, and nervous system programming 00:05:04 – Why the ages of 0–8 are the most neurologically influential years 00:05:18 – Theta and delta brainwave states during childhood 00:05:55 – How children absorb emotional patterns without filters 00:06:22 – Childhood experiences becoming subconscious operating systems 00:06:44 – Adults unknowingly living through a 5-year-old nervous system 00:07:12 – Why this episode became deeply personal for Darin 00:07:35 – The neuroscience behind stress responses and emotional conditioning 00:08:17 – Brain development, neuroplasticity, and subconscious programming 00:09:13 – How the HPA axis, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are shaped early in life 00:09:45 – Core childhood questions that program the nervous system 00:10:29 – Why adult stress responses originate in childhood environments 00:11:05 – Research showing childhood adversity alters brain structure and chemistry 00:11:18 – The ACE Study explained 00:11:49 – Why patients losing weight became emotionally overwhelmed 00:12:18 – The ten categories of adverse childhood experiences 00:13:02 – "The health crisis of America begins in childhood" 00:13:36 – How adverse childhood experiences increase disease risk 00:14:03 – Suicide, alcoholism, autoimmune disease, depression, and trauma correlations 00:14:37 – Chronic disease as a nervous system issue 00:15:04 – Survival mode, inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and emotional scarcity 00:15:42 – Self-sabotage and emotional coping patterns explained 00:16:02 – Why your emotional patterns are not character flaws 00:16:22 – Childhood survival adaptations and nervous system intelligence 00:16:52 – Hypervigilance, people pleasing, rage, emotional shutdown, and fear 00:17:05 – Sponsor: Manna Vitality and frequency-based wellness 00:18:59 – Epigenetics and inherited trauma responses 00:19:22 – Cortisol regulation genes and hyperactive stress responses 00:19:51 – Holocaust survivors, inherited trauma, and generational nervous systems 00:20:19 – Why healing requires nervous system awareness—not just intellectual understanding 00:20:45 – "You were never supposed to get over it—you were supposed to heal from it" 00:21:01 – Real-life examples of subconscious nervous system programming 00:21:16 – Why receiving compliments can feel unsafe 00:21:30 – Darin's personal struggle with overachievement and scarcity programming 00:22:03 – Emotional neglect, chronic striving, and feeling "not enough" 00:22:16 – The nervous system roots of burnout and exhaustion 00:22:23 – Hair-trigger emotional reactions and hyperactive amygdala responses 00:22:38 – Chronic self-abandonment and losing personal boundaries 00:22:52 – Fear of intimacy, trust issues, and emotional safety 00:23:02 – "The body keeps the score" explained 00:23:22 – Trauma stored in posture, breath, digestion, immunity, and emotional regulation 00:23:43 – Harvard research on trauma-related brain changes 00:24:19 – The radical power of neuroplasticity and nervous system rewiring 00:24:48 – Why healing requires conscious participation 00:25:01 – Darin shares how healing changed decades of emotional pain 00:25:33 – Somatic Experiencing and Peter Levine's trauma work 00:25:57 – How animals discharge stress naturally 00:26:23 – Trauma as incomplete physiological responses frozen in the body 00:26:42 – Why humans suppress emotional discharge 00:27:16 – PTSD research and the effectiveness of somatic experiencing 00:27:41 – A step-by-step somatic grounding practice 00:28:14 – Why healing is more powerful with a regulated person beside you 00:28:38 – EMDR and reprocessing traumatic experiences 00:28:55 – Internal Family Systems and the "parts" inside the psyche 00:29:13 – Inner critics, overachievers, and nervous system adaptations 00:29:39 – Compassionately listening to emotional parts instead of suppressing them 00:29:51 – Expressive writing as a trauma healing practice 00:30:22 – The neuroscience behind emotional journaling 00:30:48 – A four-day expressive writing protocol for healing 00:31:05 – "You are not broken" 00:31:16 – Reprogramming the nervous system through love and safety 00:31:37 – Why deep healing happens in the presence of another regulated person 00:31:52 – Darin considers creating a future healing workshop 00:32:04 – Final reflections: "You are not what happened to you" 00:32:12 – Peace. Love. SuperLife. Thank You to Our Sponsors Bite Toothpaste: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order Manna Vitality: Go to mannavitality.com/ and use code DARIN12 for 12% off your order. Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien     Connect with Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "The emotional patterns, fears, reactions, and coping mechanisms that run your adult life are often survival adaptations created by your nervous system during childhood. They are not your identity. They are not permanent. And through awareness, somatic healing, emotional processing, nervous system regulation, and conscious repetition, those deeply rooted patterns can be rewritten into something healthier, freer, and more aligned with who you truly are." Bibliography/Sources Neuroscience & Early Programming Agorastos, A., Pervanidou, P., Chrousos, G. P., & Baker, D. G. (2019). Developmental trajectories of early life stress and trauma: A narrative review on neurobiological aspects beyond stress system dysregulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00118 Bolton, J. L., Short, A. K., Simeone, K. A., Daglian, J., & Baram, T. Z. (2019). Programming of stress-sensitive neurons and circuits by early-life experiences. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00030 Shonkoff, J. P., & Boyce, W. T. (2024). Toxic stress and developmental programming of the HPA axis. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology. https://www.annualreviews.org/journal/devpsych Teicher, M. H., & Ohashi, K. (2023). Childhood trauma and reduced hippocampal, anterior cingulate, and corpus callosum volumes. JAMA Psychiatry. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking / Penguin. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/ ACE Study & Adverse Childhood Experiences Felitti, V. J. (2002). The relation between adverse childhood experiences and adult health: Turning gold into lead. The Permanente Journal, 6(1), 44–47. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112216/ Felitti, V. J., & Anda, R. F. (2010). The relationship of adverse childhood experiences to adult health, well-being, social function, and healthcare. In R. Lanius, E. Vermetten, & C. Pain (Eds.), The impact of early life trauma on health and disease (pp. 77–87). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511777042 Hillis, S., Mercy, J., Amobi, A., & Kress, H. (2023). Economic burden of health conditions associated with adverse childhood experiences among U.S. adults. JAMA Network Open, 6(12). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen Liu, Y., Croft, J. B., Chapman, D. P., et al. (2013). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in adults aged 18–59 years. PLOS ONE, 8(3), e58625. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058625 Epigenetics & Trauma Baratta, M. V., et al. (2021). Epigenetics of childhood trauma: Long term sequelae and potential for treatment. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 132, 1049–1063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.043 Jiang, S., Postovit, L., Cattaneo, A., Binder, E. B., & Aitchison, K. J. (2019). Epigenetic modifications in stress response genes associated with childhood trauma. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00808 Provençal, N., & Binder, E. B. (2015). The effects of early life stress on the epigenome: From the womb to adulthood and even before. Experimental Neurology, 268, 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2014.12.001 Healing Modalities — Research Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., et al. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189 Fratarolli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 823–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823 Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life's challenges. New Harbinger Publications. https://www.newharbinger.com/9781572248403/the-compassionate-mind/ Justice Resource Institute. (2022). Evaluation of the efficacy of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy for trauma-related symptoms among complexly traumatized adults. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05155930. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05155930 Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing — effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), Article 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023 Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books. https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/in-an-unspoken-voice/ Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923 Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x Rodenburg, R., Benjamin, A., de Roos, C., Meijer, A. M., & Stams, G. J. (2009). Efficacy of EMDR in children: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(7), 599–606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.06.008 Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True. https://www.soundstrue.com/products/no-bad-parts Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. https://www.guilford.com/books/Eye-Movement-Desensitization-and-Reprocessing/Francine-Shapiro/9781462532766  

This episode draws on experimental and review literature on mirror-gazing, strange-face illusions, anomalous self-experience, dissociation, agency, face pareidolia, and face-distortion disorders, especially the work of Giovanni B. Caputo, Caputo/Lynn/Houran, Mash et al., Bregman-Hai and Soffer-Dudek, Derome et al., Palmer and Clifford, and Blom et al. Historical and occult context comes from research on catoptromancy, John Dee's angelic scrying records, the British Museum's “Dr Dee's Magical Mirror,” Campbell et al.'s Antiquity study on the mirror's Mexican/Aztec obsidian origin, and Mesoamerican material on Tezcatlipoca and the “Smoking Mirror.”Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Cash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsCore Scientific Sources: Mirror-Gazing, Strange Faces, and Altered Self-ExperienceCaputo, Giovanni B. “Strange-Face-in-the-Mirror Illusion.” Perception 39, no. 7, 2010, 1007–1008.Key use: This is the main science anchor for the episode. Caputo showed that prolonged mirror-gazing under low illumination can produce strange-face apparitions, including distortions, unknown faces, monstrous faces, animal-like faces, archetypal faces, and faces of relatives or deceased people.Caputo, Giovanni B., Steven Jay Lynn, and James Houran. “Mirror- and Eye-Gazing: An Integrative Review of Induced Altered and Anomalous Experiences.” Imagination, Cognition and Personality 40, no. 4, 2021, 418–457.Key use: This is one of the strongest overview sources. It reviews empirical studies on mirror-gazing, psychomanteum work, and eye-to-eye gazing, especially in relation to altered perception, anomalous experiences, bodily experience, and self-identity.Mash, Joanna, Paul M. Jenkinson, Charlotte E. Dean, and Keith R. Laws. “Strange Face Illusions: A Systematic Review and Quality Analysis.” Consciousness and Cognition 109, 2023, article 103480.Key use: Newer review source. Useful because it supports strange-face illusions as a reliable phenomenon in both mirror-gazing and interpersonal gazing, while also warning that stronger research is still needed on mechanisms and prevalence.Bregman-Hai, Noa, and Nirit Soffer-Dudek. “Mirror-Gazing-Induced Dissociation Impairs Self-Reported and Implicit Sense of Agency: A Causal Investigation of Dissociation and Agency Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions.” PLOS ONE 21, no. 2, 2026, e0341316.Key use: Excellent source for the agency section. This connects mirror-gazing-induced dissociation with weakened sense of agency, which pairs well with mediumship, possession, automatic writing, and the feeling that “something else” is present.Derome, Mélodie, Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, Giovanni Battista Caputo, and Martin Debbané. “A Developmental Study of Mirror-Gazing-Induced Anomalous Self-Experiences and Self-Reported Schizotypy from 7 to 28 Years of Age.” Psychopathology 55, no. 1, 2022, 49–61.Key use: Useful developmental source. It connects mirror-gazing-induced anomalous self-experiences with age, self-perception, and schizotypal traits.Caputo, Giovanni B. “Visual Perception During Mirror-Gazing at One's Own Face in Patients with Depression.” The Scientific World Journal, 2014.Key use: Useful for the emotion/self-face relationship section. Caputo found that strange-face apparitions were reduced in patients with depression compared with healthy controls, including shorter duration, fewer strange faces, weaker intensity, and lower emotional response.Tramacere, Antonella. “Face Yourself: The Social Neuroscience of Mirror Gazing.” Frontiers in Psychology 13, 2022, article 949211.Key use: Strong support for the idea that mirror-gazing is like seeing yourself as another. It connects self-face perception with social neuroscience and the overlap between how we perceive our own face and the faces of others.Chakraborty, Anya C., and Bhismadev Chakrabarti. “Looking at My Own Face: Visual Processing Strategies in Self–Other Face Recognition.” Frontiers in Psychology 9, 2018.Key use: Useful for the self-face recognition section. This study looks at how people process their own face compared with other faces.Conty, Laurence, Nathalie George, and Jari K. Hietanen. “Watching Eyes Effects: When Others Meet the Self.” Consciousness and Cognition 45, 2016, 184–197.Key use: Best support for the gaze/presence section. It argues that direct gaze captures attention and triggers self-referential processing, which helps explain why a mirror can make the viewer feel watched.Face Perception, Pareidolia, and Monstrous DistortionPalmer, Colin J., and Colin W. G. Clifford. “Face Pareidolia Recruits Mechanisms for Detecting Human Social Attention.” Psychological Science 31, no. 8, 2020, 1001–1012.Key use: Best source for the “face-making brain” section. It supports the idea that illusory faces are not treated as meaningless noise; they can recruit mechanisms involved in social attention.Blom, Jan Dirk, Bastiaan C. ter Meulen, Jitze Dool, and Dominic H. ffytche. “A Century of Prosopometamorphopsia Studies.” Cortex 139, 2021, 298–308.Key use: Use carefully as a comparison source, not as a direct explanation for all scrying. Prosopometamorphopsia is a rare condition where faces appear distorted, showing that face-processing systems can produce frightening facial distortions under certain conditions.Psychomanteum, Grief, and Seeing the DeadHastings, Arthur, Michael Hutton, William Braud, et al. “Psychomanteum Research: Experiences and Effects on Bereavement.” OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying 45, no. 3, 2002, 211–228.Key use: Main grief / dead-in-the-mirror source. Use carefully. It does not prove afterlife contact, but it supports the idea that mirror-gazing, darkness, memory, and grief can produce powerful experiences interpreted as contact.Moody, Raymond A. Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones. New York: Villard, 1993.Key use: Main modern popular source for the psychomanteum as a grief-contact chamber. Use as practitioner/popular context, not as the strongest academic evidence.Terhune, Devin B., and Matthew D. Smith. “The Induction of Anomalous Experiences in a Mirror-Gazing Facility: Suggestion, Cognitive Perceptual Personality Traits and Phenomenological State Effects.” The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 194, no. 6, 2006, 415–421.Key use: Good supporting source for anomalous experiences in a mirror-gazing facility. Pairs well with Hastings and the Caputo review.Kamp, K. S., Evgenia Steffen, Louis A. Kasket, and others. “Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review.” Schizophrenia Bulletin 46, no. 6, 2020, 1367–1381.Key use: Strong source for the grief section. It supports the point that bereaved people often report sensory or quasi-sensory experiences of the deceased, including feeling a presence, seeing, hearing, smelling, or sensing the dead.Hewson, Helen, and colleagues. “The Impact of Continuing Bonds Following Bereavement: A Systematic Review.” Death Studies, 2024.Key use: Useful for continuing bonds. It helps frame ongoing inner relationships with the dead as part of bereavement rather than automatically pathological.Historical, Religious, and Occult Mirror DivinationJohnston, Sarah Iles. Ancient Greek Divination. Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.Key use: Broad academic background for ancient divination systems. Not only mirror scrying, but very useful for framing divination as a serious religious and cultural practice.“Technical Divination and Mechanics of Sacred Space.” In Technologies of the Marvellous in Ancient Greek Religion. Cambridge University Press.Key use: Useful for ancient catoptromancy. This chapter discusses mirror divination as a technical mode of ancient divination involving reflective/catoptric knowledge and assumptions about divine intervention in human knowledge.Lee, Mireille M. “The Gendered Economics of Greek Bronze Mirrors.” Hesperia 86, no. 1, 2017.Key use: Useful for Greek bronze mirrors as social, gendered, material, and possibly magical/divinatory objects.Pitt Rivers Museum. “Mirrors.” Body Arts Collection Resource.Key use: Good museum-level source for folklore around mirrors and catoptromancy. Useful for basic show-note support on the traditional belief that mirrors could reveal the future.John Dee, Black Mirrors, and ObsidianBritish Museum. “Dr Dee's Magical Mirror / Dr Dee's Magical Speculum.” Collection object 1966,1001.1.Key use: Essential object source. The British Museum identifies the object as Dr. Dee's magical mirror or magical speculum, made of obsidian, catalogued as Aztec, and broadly dated to the 14th–16th century.Campbell, Stuart, Elizabeth Healey, Jago Cooper, Naomi Speakman, and others. “The Mirror, the Magus and More: Reflections on John Dee's Obsidian Mirror.” Antiquity 95, 2021.Key use: Essential academic source for Dee's mirror. The study uses geochemical analysis to show that the British Museum obsidian mirrors are Mexican in origin, with Dee's mirror matching the Pachuca obsidian source.Nature. “A ‘Spirit Mirror' Used in Elizabeth I's Court Had Aztec Roots.” 2021.Key use: Short science-news summary of the Antiquity findings. Useful for quickly explaining that Dee's mirror was traced to a source near Pachuca, Mexico.Smithsonian Magazine. “Obsidian ‘Spirit Mirror' Used by Elizabeth I's Court Astrologer Has Aztec Origins.” 2021.Key use: Useful public-facing summary of Dee's mirror, its Aztec/Mexican origin, and its connection to Elizabethan occult culture.Dee, John, and Meric Casaubon, ed. A True & Faithful Relation of What Passed for Many YeaAlso want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

Wie viel kann man helfen, ohne sich selbst zu überlasten? Wie schafft man es, das Verhalten der Person nicht persönlich zu nehmen? Und was, wenn es nie besser wird? In diesen Konflikten finden sich Angehörige von psychisch Erkrankten jeden Tag wieder. Leon und Atze suchen nach möglichen Lösungen. Es geht um das “Region-Beta-Paradox”, die "Partner als Kind”-Theorie und einen Weißbauchpapagei mit posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung. Fühlt euch gut betreut Leon & Atze Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonwindscheid/ https://www.instagram.com/atzeschroeder_offiziell/ Mehr zu unseren Werbepartnern findet ihr hier: https://linktr.ee/betreutesfuehlen Tickets: Atze: https://www.atzeschroeder.de/#termine Leon: https://leonwindscheid.de/tour/ Quellen: Was weiß ein Papagei über PTBS: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/magazine/what-does-a-parrot-know-about-ptsd.html Laut WHO sind weltweit eine Milliarde Menschen von psychischen Störungen betroffen: https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/31714489-1345-4439-8b37-6cbdc52e15ca/content Die “Partner als Kind”-Theorie stammt aus diesem Buch: The School of Life: An Emotional Education. (2019). The School of Life: An Emotional Education. The School of Life Publishing Das “Region Beta Paradox” ist hier nachzulesen: https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ideas-in-psychology Und hier: Gilbert, D. T., Lieberman, M. D., Morewedge, C. K., & Wilson, T. D. (2004). The peculiar longevity of things not so bad. Psychological Science, 15(1), 14-19. Tipps vom Bundesverband der Angehörigen psychisch Erkrankter: https://www.bapk.de/angebote/rat-fuer-familien/kommunikation.html Die Studie dazu, wie Menschen mit anderen über ihre eigene Psychotherapie reden: Khurgin-Bott, R., & Farber, B. A. (2011). Patients' disclosures about therapy: Discussing therapy with spouses, significant others, and best friends. Psychotherapy, 48(4), 330. Empfehlungen: Das Thema Angehörige von psychisch Erkrankten hatten wir schon mal bei Betreutes Fühlen: “Emotionale Seitenlage - Zusammen stark durch psychische Krisen” vom 24.10.2023 Hilfsangebote: Angebote von der Deutschen Depressionshilfe: https://www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de/hilfe/hilfe-fuer-angehoerige Online-Terminservice der 116 117: https://www.116117.de/de/psychotherapie.php Register für Psychotherapeuten im Umkreis: Suchmaschine der kassenärztlichen Bundesvereinigung: www.kbv.de/html/arztsuche.php Suchmaschine der Stiftung Gesundheit: www.arzt-auskunft.de Therapeutensuche bei der Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer: www.bptk.de/service/therapeutensuche.html Hier kann man nach freien Gruppentherapieplätzen in der Nähe suchen: https://gruppenplatz.healthycloud.de/HC_GP_Public_Pages/#umkreissuche Liste der anerkannten Ausbildungsinstitute für Psychotherapie, sortiert nach Bundesländern: https://www.bdp-verband.de/profession/studium-und-weiterbildung/ausbildung-in-psychotherapie/ausbildungsinstitute “Kassenwatch” erklärt den Weg zur Kostenerstattung: https://kassenwatch.de/hinweise-fuer-patientinnen Du bist belastet durch Krisen oder schwere Zeiten (deines Umfelds)? Du kannst dich 24 Stunden an 365 Tagen im Jahr bei der Telefonseelsorge melden: Per Telefon 0800 / 111 0 11, 0800 / 111 0 222 oder 116 123 oder Chat unter online.telefonseelsorge.de Redaktion: Mia Mertens & Leon Windscheid Produktion: Murmel Productions

What is the most important thing I've done to support healing after breast cancer? Mindset work. Not positive thinking. Not pretending things are fine when they're not. Not forcing affirmations I didn't believe. I'm talking about the work of examining what I believed was possible for my body and my future and learning how to update those beliefs. In this episode, I share why mindset work became the foundation of my healing journey after a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and how neuroscience shows that our brains constantly predict what's possible based on past experiences, conditioning, fear, and environment. We talk about: • Why belief systems impact behavior and healing • The brain as a predictive machine • How fear and conditioning shape health decisions • The connection between self-compassion and consistency • Why changing habits starts with changing beliefs • How small actions help create new evidence for the brain This conversation is about learning to believe that healing, peace, health, and change may actually be available to you.   References Barrett, L.F. & Simmons, W.K. (2015). Interoceptive predictions in the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(7), 419-429. Hutchinson, J.B. & Barrett, L.F. (2019). The power of predictions: An emerging paradigm for psychological research. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(3), 280-291. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman. Neff, K.D. (2023). Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 74, 193-218.   Resources Mentioned: Work with Laura: https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/health  Download for iPhone:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kajabi/id1485646310 Download for Android:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kajabi.kajabiapp&hl=en_US   Let's Connect! If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Every share helps spread this message of hope, healing, and whole-person wellness.

In this special episode, created by one of our student podcast fellows, NYU student Avani Advani, interviews Joshua Lewis, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business. Avani speaks to Joshua about the human side of decision-making, how “loss aversion” influences what we value, and why some people chase risk while others avoid it entirely.Professor Lewis researches consumer behavior, managerial decision-making, and global risk management. His research addresses wide-ranging themes such as when people will invest to improve outcomes they care about, how to optimally set targets, whether people neglect low probability risks, and much more. His work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Consumer Research, Management Science, Psychological Science, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.In 2019, Professor Lewis received the Society for Judgment and Decision Making's Hillel Einhorn Award for the best paper by a new investigator, and in 2020, he received ACR's Best Paper award. He received his BS in Economics from the University of Warwick. He holds a PhD in Decision Processes from the University of Pennsylvania.For a full transcript of this episode, please email career.communications@nyu.edu. 

What if the smallest act of vulnerability… could completely change someone's life? In this deeply heartfelt solo episode, Darin explores a simple but radically transformative idea: go first. In a world where people are more digitally connected yet emotionally isolated than ever before, Darin breaks down the neuroscience, psychology, and human power behind making eye contact, giving genuine compliments, expressing appreciation, and risking authentic connection. From oxytocin and nervous system regulation to loneliness research and real-life stories of spontaneous connection with strangers, this episode is a reminder that healing doesn't always begin in a therapist's office—it can begin in a coffee shop, a grocery line, or a brief moment where one human being chooses to truly see another.     What You'll Learn Why modern society is experiencing a crisis of disconnection and loneliness The hidden psychological cost of avoiding vulnerability Why brief positive interactions with strangers improve mental health The neuroscience behind social rejection and fear of connection How oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin are activated through authentic interaction Why vulnerability is a trainable "muscle" that rewires your nervous system The power of eye contact, compliments, and acknowledgment Why meaningful human interaction lowers stress and inflammation How small moments of courage create ripple effects for others Practical ways to "go first" and create more connection every day Chapters 00:00:32 – Sponsor: Fatty15 and the science of cellular health 00:01:03 – C15:0, mitochondrial function, and healthy aging 00:02:12 – Why many people may be deficient in C15 00:03:19 – "Celebrate science": discovering new essential fatty acids 00:04:13 – Opening reflection: noticing strangers in everyday life 00:04:52 – The moment we stop ourselves from speaking 00:05:10 – How many genuine moments do we suppress every day? 00:05:33 – Why these "tiny swallowed moments" matter deeply 00:06:02 – Humanity starving for real human connection 00:06:23 – "I see you. You are real to me." 00:06:51 – Vulnerability begins in ordinary daily moments 00:07:18 – The central thesis: "Go first" 00:07:37 – More surrounded and more isolated than ever before 00:07:57 – Research: meaningful interactions with strangers rarely happen 00:08:07 – Loneliness and lack of belonging in modern society 00:08:27 – Gen Z and Millennials: digitally connected yet emotionally isolated 00:08:47 – The silent routines of everyday life 00:09:16 – Why engaging with strangers feels risky or intrusive 00:09:47 – The cost of avoiding connection 00:10:12 – University of British Columbia study on strangers and belonging 00:10:48 – Positive interactions reducing loneliness and increasing happiness 00:11:03 – People predict interactions will be awkward—and are wrong 00:11:15 – Darin's recent experiments talking to strangers 00:11:38 – "Everyone wants connection" 00:12:00 – The emotional lives strangers are carrying invisibly 00:12:22 – One sentence can remind someone they matter 00:12:38 – Why vulnerability feels biologically terrifying 00:13:05 – Social rejection activating the same pathways as physical pain 00:13:20 – Ancient survival wiring and fear of exclusion 00:13:49 – "Your brain is firing a lion alert" 00:14:05 – What happens biologically when you push through fear 00:14:17 – Dopamine and meaningful social interaction 00:14:53 – Why real connection feels different from notifications 00:14:59 – Oxytocin as an anti-inflammatory bonding hormone 00:15:26 – Genuine interactions changing biology in seconds 00:15:43 – Polyvagal theory and nervous system safety states 00:16:17 – Vulnerability as a practice and a muscle 00:16:37 – Darin's valet story: "Bring the cash back!" 00:17:10 – How small interactions can shift someone's entire day 00:17:20 – Going deeper with loved ones and emotional openness 00:17:53 – Vulnerability rewiring the nervous system 00:18:07 – "If you want love, be love" 00:18:24 – Small acts of kindness shifting your heart and brain 00:18:53 – Sponsor: Shakeology and nutrient density 00:20:40 – Six practical ways to practice vulnerability 00:21:05 – Action #1: make eye contact and say hello 00:21:25 – Stop swallowing genuine compliments 00:21:46 – Asking deeper, more meaningful questions 00:22:05 – Giving honest answers instead of autopilot responses 00:22:28 – Seeing and acknowledging "invisible" people 00:22:50 – Gratitude toward workers, attendants, and strangers 00:23:04 – Reaching out to someone who changed your life 00:23:30 – "Going first" is about willingness, not fearlessness 00:23:59 – Stop hiding behind your phone and look around 00:24:16 – Human connection as medicine and nervous system healing 00:24:35 – Tell someone they made you smile today 00:24:50 – Calling loved ones and expressing appreciation 00:24:59 – "Don't let another moment go by without fully engaging in your life" 00:25:07 – Closing reflections: "This is SuperLife"     Thank You to Our Sponsors Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/DARIN and using code DARIN at checkout. Shakeology: Get 15% off with code DARINO1BODI at Shakeology.com.     Join the SuperLife Community Get Darin's deeper wellness breakdowns — beyond social media restrictions: Weekly voice notes Ingredient deep dives Wellness challenges Energy + consciousness tools Community accountability Extended episodes Join for $7.49/month → https://patreon.com/darinolien     Find More from Darin Olien: Instagram: @darinolien Podcast: SuperLife Podcast Website: superlife.com Book: Fatal Conveniences New Show: Roadmap to Happiness      Key Takeaway "Vulnerability isn't weakness, it's willingness. The willingness to go first. To smile first. To speak first. To love first. Because every time you choose connection over fear, you're not only changing someone else's day… you're rewiring your own biology, your nervous system, and your relationship to the world around you."     Bibliography/Sources: Public Health & Loneliness Data American Psychological Association. (2023). Stress in America 2023: A nation in crisis. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress British Red Cross. (2022). Tackling loneliness: From awareness to action. https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/action-on-loneliness Cigna. (2023). Cigna U.S. loneliness index. Evernorth Health Services. https://newsroom.cigna.com/loneliness-epidemic-continues-to-rise-cigna-study The Science of Micro-Connections & Strangers Barlow, J., & Møller, C. (1996). A complaint is a gift: Recovering customer loyalty when things go wrong. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. https://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/A-Complaint-Is-a-Gift Epley, N., & Schroeder, J. (2014). Mistakenly seeking solitude. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(5), 1980–1999. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037323 Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014a). Is efficiency overrated? Minimal social interactions lead to belonging and positive affect. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 437–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613502990 Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014b). Social interactions and well-being: The surprising power of weak ties. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(7), 910–922. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214529799 Neuroscience of Social Rejection & Vulnerability Eisenberger, N. I. (2012). The neural bases of social pain: Evidence for shared representations with physical pain. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(2), 126–135. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182464dd1 Eisenberger, N. I., & Lieberman, M. D. (2004). Why rejection hurts: A common neural alarm system for physical and social pain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(7), 294–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.05.010 Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1997). Hiding feelings: The acute effects of inhibiting negative and positive emotion. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106(1), 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.106.1.95 Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393707007 Gratitude, Disclosure & Emotional Expression Algoe, S. B. (2012). Find, remind, and bind: The functions of gratitude in everyday relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6(6), 455–469. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2012.00439.x Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8(3), 425–429. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.8.3.425 Frattaroli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 823–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823 Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410 Relationship Building, Oxytocin & Health Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E. N., Vallone, R. D., & Bator, R. J. (1997). The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 363–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297234003 Brown, B. (2012). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Gotham Books / Penguin. https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/ Canevello, A., & Crocker, J. (2010). Creating good relationships: Responsiveness, relationship quality, and interpersonal goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(1), 78–106. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018186 Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Turner, R. B., Alper, C. M., & Skoner, D. P. (2003). Sociability and susceptibility to the common cold. Psychological Science, 14(5), 389–395. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.01452 Szeto, A., Sun-Suslow, N., Mendez, A. J., Hernandez, R. I., Wagner, K. V., & McCabe, P. M. (2017). Regulation of the macrophage oxytocin receptor in response to inflammation. American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism, 312(2), E183–E189. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00424.2016 Uvnas-Moberg, K. (2003). The oxytocin factor: Tapping the hormone of calm, love, and healing. Da Capo Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=b-aKjQoB_nQC

Everyone's talking about the male loneliness epidemic. But after six years of hosting this show and seven years of coaching women through their friendship issues, Danielle has noticed something that doesn't get nearly enough attention: men's friendship struggles don't stay contained. They spill over: into your energy, your guilt, your decisions about who you spend time with, and how much of yourself you actually have left to give your own friends.When men are disconnected from one another, women bear the burden. In this episode, Danielle walks through three specific ways she's seen this play out, both in the research and across hundreds of coaching sessions. You'll also hear directly from 4 different listeners who submitted voice notes about what they're experiencing. She also shares clips from her conversation with researcher Sherrie Xue, whose study on men avoiding "date-like" activities with their male friends went viral for a reason.

Professor Richard Wiseman searched for the world's funniest joke.  He found it.  But it wasn't what he expected.  --- Richard's book Quirkology: https://amzn.to/4shYOJ6  Richard's book 59 Seconds: https://amzn.to/3Pf9pWI  Richard's SubStack: https://richardwiseman.substack.com/  Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today's sources:  Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193(5), 31–35. Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18, 165–171. Wiseman, R. (2009). 59 seconds: Think a little, change a lot. Knopf. Wolff, H. A., Smith, C. E., & Murray, H. A. (1934). The psychology of humor: I. A study of responses to race-disparagement jokes. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28, 345–365.

Les psychédéliques nous rendent-ils plus libres ou mieux adaptés au système ? Dans cet épisode solo, je passe en revue certains articles scientifiques sur les risques de dépolitisation liés aux usages psychédéliques, dans les rituels, la clinique et la culture. Parce que ce n'est pas la molécule qui détermine l'expérience, c'est le monde dans lequel elle circule.BiblioDavies, J., Pace, B. A., & Devenot, N. (2023). Beyond the psychedelic hype: Exploring the persistence of the neoliberal paradigm. *Journal of Psychedelic Studies*, *7*, 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2023.00273Dupuis, D. (2021). Psychedelics as tools for belief transmission. Set, setting, suggestibility, and persuasion in the ritual use of hallucinogens. *Frontiers in Psychology*, *12*, 730031. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.730031Gearin, A. K., & Devenot, N. (2021). Psychedelic medicalization, public discourse, and the morality of ego dissolution. *International Journal of Cultural Studies*, *24*(6), 917–935. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779211019424Hartogsohn, I. (2022). Modalities of the psychedelic experience: Microclimates of set and setting in hallucinogen research and culture. *Transcultural Psychiatry*, *59*(5), 579–591. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615221100385Nour, M. M., Evans, L., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2017). Psychedelics, personality and political perspectives. *Journal of Psychoactive Drugs*, *49*(3), 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2017.1312643Pace, B. A., & Devenot, N. (2021). Right-wing psychedelia: Case studies in cultural plasticity and political pluripotency. *Frontiers in Psychology*, *12*, 733185. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733185Purser, R. (2019). *McMindfulness: How mindfulness became the new capitalist spirituality*. Repeater.Roseman, L., & Karkabi, N. (2021). On revelations and revolutions: Drinking ayahuasca among Palestinians under Israeli occupation. *Frontiers in Psychology*, *12*, 718934. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718934Saguy, T., Tausch, N., Dovidio, J. F., & Pratto, F. (2009). The irony of harmony: Intergroup contact can produce false expectations for equality. *Psychological Science*, *20*(1), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02261.xSanchez Petrement, M. (2023). Historicizing psychedelics: counterculture, renaissance, and the neoliberal matrix. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, 1114523Tempone-Wiltshire, J., & Matthews, F. (2023). Evaluating the role of psychedelic psychotherapy in addressing societal alienation: Imaginaries of liberation. *Journal of Psychedelic Studies*, *7*(3), 238–252. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2023.00275Cliquez ici pour découvrir mon livre "Qu'est-ce que vous croyez ?"

What if loneliness isn't just an emotion… but one of the most dangerous biological threats to your health? In this deeply personal and scientifically explosive solo episode, Darin opens up about something he recently realized in his own life: despite being surrounded by people, he was lonely. But what began as an emotional realization quickly became a deep dive into some of the most shocking research he's ever uncovered, showing that chronic loneliness may increase the risk of heart disease, dementia, cancer, autoimmune dysfunction, accelerated aging, and early death. From inflammatory gene expression and cortisol dysregulation to oxytocin, vulnerability, and the collapse of real human connection in the digital age, this episode reveals why loneliness may be the most overlooked "fatal convenience" of modern life, and how vulnerability may be the medicine. What You'll Learn Why loneliness is a biological crisis, not just an emotional feeling The shocking link between loneliness and heart disease, dementia, and early death Why the quality of your relationships is the #1 predictor of long-term health How loneliness activates inflammatory genes inside your body The role of cortisol, sleep disruption, and chronic stress in social isolation Why social media and "surface-level connection" are replacing real intimacy The connection between loneliness and Alzheimer's disease How oxytocin and genuine connection reduce inflammation Why vulnerability is the gateway to meaningful relationships Practical ways to create deeper connection starting today Chapters 00:00:33 – Sponsor: the truth about the exploding NAD supplement market 00:01:04 – Why supplement verification and transparency matter 00:02:17 – Opening: Darin admits something deeply personal 00:02:30 – "I realized recently… I'm lonely" 00:02:37 – The difference between being surrounded by people vs being truly known 00:03:06 – Loneliness as a biological experience, not just an emotional one 00:03:27 – The hidden risks: heart disease, dementia, cancer, early death 00:03:45 – Why this is not fringe science 00:04:13 – The most important predictor of long-term health 00:04:34 – Why relationship QUALITY matters more than quantity 00:05:06 – The global loneliness epidemic 00:05:11 – U.S. Surgeon General advisory on loneliness 00:05:39 – Loneliness declared a public health crisis 00:06:02 – 50% of Americans report measurable loneliness 00:06:22 – "A generational collapse of connection" 00:06:30 – 29% of adults have no close friends 00:06:40 – Face-to-face interactions dramatically declining 00:07:01 – The UK, Japan, and Australia loneliness crisis initiatives 00:07:32 – The paradox: hyperconnected but deeply isolated 00:08:04 – Loneliness as a biological alarm signal 00:08:31 – What loneliness actually looks like in modern life 00:08:42 – The lonely CEO, the unseen mother, the isolated social media addict 00:09:31 – "Perceived social isolation" and why the brain can't tell the difference 00:10:21 – Meta-analysis of 3.4 million people 00:10:55 – Loneliness vs obesity and smoking risk comparisons 00:11:18 – The biology of loneliness begins 00:11:50 – NF-kB: inflammatory gene activation explained 00:12:33 – How loneliness changes gene expression 00:13:02 – Chronic inflammation and disease pathways 00:13:21 – Cortisol, sleep disruption, and immune dysfunction 00:14:00 – How loneliness affects brain repair and amyloid plaque clearing 00:14:21 – Sponsor: Fatty15 and cellular health 00:18:02 – The Alzheimer's and dementia connection 00:18:25 – Loneliness as a major modifiable dementia risk factor 00:18:57 – Cortisol, neuroinflammation, and brain degeneration 00:19:16 – The hippocampus physically shrinking in lonely people 00:19:27 – Social media as a "fatal convenience" 00:19:57 – The oxytocin economy: connection as medicine 00:20:15 – Oxytocin as one of the body's strongest anti-inflammatory molecules 00:20:30 – HeartMath research: emotional synchronization between people 00:20:48 – "You regulate each other's biology" 00:21:07 – The real barrier: vulnerability 00:21:32 – Darin's recent experiences with radical vulnerability 00:21:54 – Conversations with family, ex-partners, and loved ones 00:22:35 – Brené Brown's research on connection and worthiness 00:23:14 – The "depth audit" exercise 00:23:42 – Reaching out, expressing appreciation, and owning your emotions 00:24:01 – Sacred hours: spending time without phones 00:24:13 – Questions that create real intimacy 00:24:30 – Darin's emotional conversation with his brother 00:25:03 – Protecting yourself from social media disconnection 00:25:20 – Becoming a source of joy and connection in everyday life 00:25:25 – Darin reflects on seven years of subtle loneliness 00:25:48 – The shift from surface conversations to meaningful connection 00:26:01 – "If you want love, give love" 00:26:19 – Final message: generate the connection you want to receive 00:26:22 – Closing thoughts and outro Thank You to Our Sponsors Truniagen: Go to www.truniagen.com and use code DARIN20 at checkout for 20% off Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/DARIN and using code DARIN at checkout. Join the SuperLife Community Get Darin's deeper wellness breakdowns — beyond social media restrictions: Weekly voice notes Ingredient deep dives Wellness challenges Energy + consciousness tools Community accountability Extended episodes Join for $7.49/month → https://patreon.com/darinolien Connect with Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "Loneliness isn't weakness. It isn't failure. It's a biological signal telling you that something essential is missing. And in a world addicted to surface-level connection, the real medicine may simply be this: vulnerability, presence, eye contact, honesty, and the courage to let yourself truly be seen." Bibliography/Sources The Loneliness Epidemic & Public Health Data Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). American time use survey. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/tus/ Cigna. (2023). Cigna U.S. loneliness index. Evernorth Health Services. https://newsroom.cigna.com/loneliness-epidemic-continues-to-rise-cigna-study Murthy, V. H. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf Survey Center on American Life. (2021). The state of American friendship: Change, challenges, and loss. American Enterprise Institute. https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/ Mortality & Systemic Health Risk Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, D. P., Rabin, B. S., & Gwaltney, J. M. (1997). Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. JAMA, 277(24), 1940–1944. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9200634/ Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40(2), 218–227. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20396846/ Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352 Valtorta, N. K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., & Hanratty, B. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke. Heart, 102(13), 1009–1016. https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/13/1009 Genetics, Inflammation & The Immune System Cole, S. W. (2013). Social regulation of human gene expression: Mechanisms and implications for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 103(S1), S84–S92. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3786756/ Cole, S. W., Hawkley, L. C., Arevalo, J. M. G., Sung, C. Y., Rose, R. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes. Genome Biology, 8(9), Article R189. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2375027/ Sleep & Cognitive Decline Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., Berntson, G. G., Ernst, J. M., Gibbs, A. C., Stickgold, R., & Hobson, J. A. (2002). Do lonely days invade the nights? Potential social modulation of sleep efficiency. Psychological Science, 13(4), 384–387. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12137144/ Holwerda, T. J., Deeg, D. J. H., Beekman, A. T. F., et al. (2014). Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 85(2), 135–142. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/85/2/135 Oxytocin & The Biology of Connection Szeto, A., Sun-Suslow, N., Mendez, A. J., Hernandez, R. I., Wagner, K. V., & McCabe, P. M. (2017). Regulation of the macrophage oxytocin receptor in response to inflammation. American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism, 312(2), E183–E189. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00424.2016 Uvnas-Moberg, K. (2003). The oxytocin factor: Tapping the hormone of calm, love, and healing. Da Capo Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=b-aKjQoB_nQC Psychology, Vulnerability & Relationship Science Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E. N., Vallone, R. D., & Bator, R. J. (1997). The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 363–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297234003 Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are. Hazelden Publishing. https://brenebrown.com/book/the-gifts-of-imperfection/ Cacioppo, J. T., & Patrick, W. (2008). Loneliness: Human nature and the need for social connection. W. W. Norton & Company. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393335286 Dunbar, R. I. M. (2012). Bridging evolutionary approaches to the social brain and social bonding. In F. B. M. de Waal & P. F. Ferrari (Eds.), The primate mind. Harvard University Press. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674063104 Dunbar, R. I. M. (2021). Friends: Understanding the power of our most important relationships. Little, Brown and Company. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/robin-dunbar/friends/9781408711736/ Waldinger, R., & Schulz, M. (2023). The good life: Lessons from the world's longest scientific study on happiness. Simon & Schuster. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Good-Life/Robert-Waldinger/9781982166694

In this powerful solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider — former high-performance coach working with Olympic and national-level teams — reveals the three silent ways you are communicating every single day… and what it's costing you if you ignore them. Drawing from over 30 years in elite performance environments, Kari shares how culture, trust, and engagement are shaped long before words are spoken. Whether you're leading a business team, coaching athletes, or building a strong family culture, these nonverbal communication skills are foundational. In This Episode, We Cover: Why people judge your trustworthiness in 100 milliseconds (Psychological Science research) How facial expressions and eye contact instantly signal engagement — or disconnection The science behind power poses and body language (Amy Cuddy's research) Why posture, shoulders, and even phone-checking silently erode culture The truth about tone vs. words (Albert Mehrabian's emotional communication research) How leaders unintentionally trigger their own stress response when they lose engagement Why setting clear “showing up” standards is not babysitting — it's elite practice Standout Story: Kari contrasts elite national team environments — where athletes are trained to show up with presence and respect — with volunteering in youth sports, where she quickly realized: most people are never taught how to engage nonverbally. Key Takeaway: Trust, credibility, and culture are built through three silent channels: Eyes & Face Body Voice If you don't define and model these standards early, you will pay for it later in disengagement, misunderstandings, and lost momentum. Challenge: Pick one channel this week and practice it intentionally. Master it in yourself before expecting it from your team. If you want stronger team chemistry, deeper trust, and more influential leadership — this episode is your starting point.

Read the full transcript here. What should count as trauma, and what gets lost when the word expands to cover ordinary distress? Why do some frightening events leave lasting psychological injury while others fade into ordinary memory? Is trauma best understood as the event itself, or as the enduring failure of the mind to recover from it? What is the difference between being influenced by the past and being imprisoned by it? Can a society acknowledge real harm without teaching people that damage is inevitable? Does the body keep the score, or is the body better understood as a scorecard for what the brain is tracking? Why are metaphors about hidden trauma so compelling even when they may obscure how memory actually works? If severe trauma is usually remembered rather than repressed, why do myths of buried memories remain so powerful? What is the difference between avoiding a painful memory and being unable to recall it? How do fragmented memories help the brain preserve threat relevant details while losing the clean story of what happened? What would change if we saw resilience not as denial of harm, but as flexible, imperfect, learnable adaptation? Links: George's Latest Book: [The End of Trauma](The End of Trauma (book): https://www.amazon.com/End-Trauma-Science-Resilience-Changing/dp/B09CZJ2X38) George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College and internationally recognized for his pioneering research on human resilience in the face of loss and potential trauma. He is recognized by the Web of Science as among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world, and has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Psychological Science, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Staff Spencer Greenberg — Host + Director Ryan Kessler — Producer + Technical Lead WeAmplify — Transcriptionists Igor Scaldini — Marketing Consultant Music Broke for Free Josh Woodward Lee Rosevere Quiet Music for Tiny Robots wowamusic zapsplat.com Affiliates Clearer Thinking GuidedTrack Mind Ease Positly UpLift [Read more]

What if the clothes you're putting on your body, or your child's body, every single day… were quietly poisoning you? In this explosive solo episode, Darin exposes a shocking and largely ignored reality: fast fashion clothing, especially brightly colored, cheap garments, may be loaded with toxic heavy metals like lead. Backed by a 2026 study from the American Chemical Society, this conversation reveals how these chemicals don't just sit on fabric, they leach into your skin, enter your bloodstream, and accumulate over time. From the hidden chemistry behind synthetic dyes to the devastating neurological effects of lead exposure in children, this episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most overlooked "fatal conveniences" in modern life—and gives you the tools to make safer, smarter choices starting today.     What You'll Learn The shocking discovery: children's clothing exceeding federal lead limits Why bright, cheap fast fashion items are the most toxic How heavy metals like lead are used to fix dyes into fabrics Why your skin is not a barrier, but a direct absorption pathway The connection between clothing, sweat, and chemical absorption The devastating effects of lead exposure on children's brains and development Why there is no safe level of lead exposure The hidden chemical load in fast fashion: PFAS, phthalates, formaldehyde How the fast fashion industry cuts costs at the expense of health Practical steps to protect yourself and your family     Chapters 00:00:00 – Opening: introducing the fast fashion heavy metal crisis 00:00:17 – The "cheap t-shirt" scenario and hidden danger 00:00:46 – Speaking directly to parents and caregivers 00:01:30 – The shocking claim: clothing may contain neurotoxins 00:02:45 – 2026 study: children's clothing tested for lead 00:03:14 – Every sample exceeded federal safety limits 00:04:20 – Lead exposure happening through daily wear 00:05:33 – Fast fashion industry scale: $150B+ and growing 00:06:20 – 1,000 new styles per day: the system behind overproduction 00:07:09 – How cheap clothing is actually manufactured 00:07:49 – Chemical dyes and fixatives explained 00:08:20 – Why lead is used in fabric dyeing 00:08:49 – Study details: methodology and testing process 00:09:21 – Research team and origin of investigation 00:10:52 – Advanced testing: spectroscopy and EPA protocols 00:11:40 – Results: every shirt failed safety standards 00:12:10 – Bright colors = higher toxicity 00:13:05 – Secondary experiment: ingestion and mouthing behavior 00:14:00 – Children chewing clothing: real-world exposure 00:14:49 – Skin is not a barrier—it's a delivery system 00:15:30 – Sweat and heat increase chemical absorption 00:16:28 – Microplastics and chemical leaching through skin 00:17:13 – Exercise increases toxin absorption 00:18:00 – Flame retardants and systemic circulation 00:18:50 – Long-term exposure: accumulation over time 00:19:36 – No safe level of lead exposure—global consensus 00:20:15 – Effects on children: brain damage and development issues 00:21:14 – Behavioral, cognitive, and neurological consequences 00:22:00 – Broader chemical exposure: 8,000+ compounds in clothing 00:23:01 – Solutions begin: awareness and behavior change 00:23:40 – Immediate action: always wash new clothes 00:24:10 – Choosing safer fabrics: organic and natural materials 00:24:50 – Avoiding synthetic blends and bright dyes 00:25:20 – Buy less, buy better philosophy 00:26:01 – Supporting ethical and non-toxic brands 00:26:40 – Using your consumer voice to create change 00:27:10 – Educating others and spreading awareness 00:27:40 – Final message: protecting your body and your children 00:28:00 – Closing: reclaiming control and living a SuperLife     Thank You to Our Sponsors: Our Place – Non-toxic cookware that keeps harmful chemicals out of your food. Get 10% off at fromourplace.com with code DARIN. Tru Niagen – Boost NAD+ levels for cellular health and longevity. Get 20% off with code DARIN20 at truniagen.com.     Find More From Darin: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences     Key Takeaway "Your skin is not a shield—it's a gateway. And when you start to realize that the things you wear every day can carry toxic chemicals directly into your body, everything changes. Because this isn't about fear—it's about awareness. And once you're aware, you have the power to choose differently, protect your family, and stop participating in a system that was never designed with your health in mind."     Bibliography/Sources The Primary Study American Chemical Society. (2026, March 23). Initial tests find lead in children's fast-fashion clothing [Press release]. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2026/march/initial-tests-find-lead-in-childrens-fast-fashion-clothing.html Deavers, K., Avello, C., & Espinoza, P. (2026, March 22–26). Lead contamination in fast fashion children's clothing [Paper presentation]. ACS Spring 2026 Meeting, Atlanta, GA, United States. HealthDay. (2026, March 24). Cheap children's clothing tainted with lead, study says. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2026-03-24/cheap-childrens-clothing-tainted-with-lead-study-says Marian University. (2026, March 23). Marian University students warn of lead in children's fast-fashion clothing. Marian University Newsroom. https://www.marian.edu/newsroom/2026/03/marian-university-students-warn-of-lead-in-childrens-fast-fashion-clothing ScienceDaily. (2026, April 2). Initial tests find lead in children's fast-fashion clothing. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260402042737.htm Texfash. (n.d.). Lead found in fast-fashion children's clothing as preliminary tests exceed federal safety limits. Texfash Update. https://texfash.com/update/lead-found-in-fast-fashion-children-s-clothing-as-preliminary-tests-exceed-federal-safety-limits Lead Toxicity & Children's Health Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (n.d.). Lead toxicity: What are possible health effects from lead exposure? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_atsdr_cdc_gov/csem/leadtoxicity/physiological_effects.html American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (n.d.). Lead exposure in children affects brain and behavior. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Lead-Exposure-In-Children-Affects-Brain-And-Behavior-045.aspx Brain Injury Association of America. (2021). Chronic lead exposure: A non-traumatic brain injury. https://biausa.org/public-affairs/public-awareness/news/chronic-lead-exposure-a-non-traumatic-brain-injury Canfield, R. L., et al. (2004). Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 μg per deciliter. New England Journal of Medicine, 348, 1517–1526. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Risk factors and children. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/risk-factors/children.html Hubbs-Tait, L., et al. (2005). Neurotoxicants, micronutrients, and social environments: Individual and combined effects on children's development. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 6(3), 57–121. Lanphear, B. P., et al. (2005). Environmental lead exposure and children's cognitive function. Environmental Health Perspectives. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4675165/ Liu, J., et al. (2013). A clinical study of the effects of lead poisoning on the intelligence and neurobehavioral abilities of children. BMC Pediatrics. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598508/ Needleman, H. L., & Bellinger, D. (2001). Recent developments in low-level lead exposure and intellectual impairment in children. Environmental Health Perspectives. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1247191/ Skin Absorption & Transdermal Chemical Exposure Abafe, O., et al. (2024). Flame retardants leach from microplastics into human sweat; absorption through skin demonstrated. Environment International. Corinti, D., et al. (2018). Chemicals from textiles to skin: An in vitro permeation study of benzothiazole. PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6133113/ EveryRep. (2025). Non-toxic activewear: The BPA, PFAS and polyester risk. https://everyrep.com/synthetic-toxins-endocrine-safety/ University of Birmingham. (2024, April). Toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2024/toxic-chemicals-from-microplastics-can-be-absorbed-through-skin Fast Fashion: Industry Scale, Chemicals & Health Impacts Cobbing, M., Wohlgemuth, A., & Panhuber, T. (2022). Greenpeace investigation: Hazardous chemicals in SHEIN garments. Greenpeace International. Earth Day Network. (n.d.). Hazardous hems: How fashion wreaks havoc on health. https://www.earthday.org/hazardous-hems-how-fashion-wreaks-havoc-on-health/ Earth Day Network. (n.d.). Toxic textiles: The chemicals in our clothing. https://www.earthday.org/toxic-textiles-the-chemicals-in-our-clothing/ Enhesa. (2026). Toxic chemicals in fast fashion supply chains: Risks, impacts, and regulation. https://www.enhesa.com/resources/article/toxic-chemicals-in-fast-fashion-supply-chains-risks-impacts-and-regulation/ Giró-Palau, A., et al. (2025). The health impact of fast fashion: Exploring toxic chemicals in clothing and textiles. MDPI Encyclopedia, 5(2), 84. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8392/5/2/84 Green America. (n.d.). Unpacking toxic textiles. https://greenamerica.org/unraveling-fashion-industry/unpacking-toxic-textiles Million Marker. (2024). Fast fashion: A toxic trend and the path to sustainable change. https://millionmarker.com/blogs/blog/fast-fashion-is-toxic OsloMet Clothing Research. (2025). From clothes to skin: Chemical safety in ultra-fast fashion and luxury brands' clothes. https://clothingresearch.oslomet.no/2025/06/03/from-clothes-to-skin-chemical-safety-in-ultra-fast-fashion-and-luxury-brands-clothes/ Fast Fashion Industry Statistics & Environmental Scope Center for Biological Diversity. (n.d.). At what cost? Unravelling the harms of the fast fashion industry. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/fast_fashion Earth.org. (2026). Fast fashion and its environmental impact. https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/ Niinimäki, K., et al. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0039-9 The Sustainable Agency. (2026). Environmental & human impact of fast fashion: 2026 facts. https://thesustainableagency.com/blog/impact-of-fast-fashion-stats-and-facts/ Uniform Market. (2025). Environmental impact of fast fashion statistics. https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/fast-fashion-statistics Certifications & Resources for Cleaner Clothing bluesign. (n.d.). bluesign standard. https://www.bluesign.com Global Organic Textile Standard. (n.d.). GOTS. https://global-standard.org Oeko-Tex. (n.d.). Oeko-Tex Standard 100. https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-standard-100 Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals. (n.d.). Roadmap to zero. https://www.roadmaptozero.com

Kimberly and Dr. Sarah Hill explore the intricate science of women's menstrual cycles, hormonal changes, and how lifestyle choices impact fertility and well-being. Sarah Hill shares insights from her book 'The Period Brain' to empower women with knowledge about their bodies.Chapters00:00 Introduction to The Period Brain03:02 Understanding the Menstrual Cycle06:00 The Role of Hormones in Attraction and Reproduction09:11 Infertility and Sperm Quality11:59 Ovulation and Its Indicators15:11 Emotional Changes and PMS17:48 Managing Hormonal Sensitivity21:21 Understanding Women's Health Through Hormonal Phases24:14 Listening to Your Body: The Key to Wellness26:21 The Impact of Research on Women's Health28:40 Tracking Hormones: Tools and Techniques32:09 The Journey to Understanding Women's Bodies37:40 Promoting Awareness and Support for Women's HealthSponsors: LMNTOFFER: Right now, for my listeners LMNT is offering a free sample pack with any LMNT drink mix purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/FEELGOOD. That's 8 single serving packets FREE with any LMNT any LMNT drink mix purchase. This deal is only available through my link so. Also try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.USE LINK: DrinkLMNT.com/FEELGOODFATTY15 OFFER: Fatty15 is on a mission to replenish your C15 levels and restore your long-term health. You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/KIMBERLY and using code KIMBERLY at checkout.USE LINK: fatty15.com/KIMBERLYDr. Sarah Hill Resources: Book: THE PERIOD BRAIN: The New Science of Why We PMS and How to Fix It: A Manifesto for Women Website: www.sarahehill.comInstagram: @sarahehillphd Bio: Sarah E. Hill, Ph.D., is the author of This is Your Brain on Birth Control and an award-winning researcher who has spent most of her 20+ year career studying women, relationships, and health. In addition to having established an award-winning health and relationships lab at TCU, she has published nearly 100 academic research articles, is a sought-after public speaker, and sits on the scientific advisory boards for women's health companies such as Flo and 28 Wellness. Her research is regularly covered by national media, such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others, and is regularly published in highly prestigious journals, including Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Psychological Science, and Health Psychology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're thrilled to welcome back Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway, Professor of Psychology and Management at Saint Mary's University, to The Safety Guru for a powerful conversation on the critical role of work readiness and the simple yet impactful REDI framework for creating safer workplaces. In this insightful episode, Dr. Kelloway introduces the REDI model, a practical, human-centered approach to assessing work readiness through four key factors: Rested, Emotionally Calm, Distracted, and Impatient/In a hurry. When people are not fully ready for the task at hand, the risk of errors and incidents can rise, especially in high-risk environments. Dr. Kelloway explains how each element of the model influences safety outcomes and decision-making. Through real-world examples, he shares how leaders and teams can apply this framework in practice to spark meaningful conversations before risk is introduced. Tune in to explore how organizations can use this straightforward framework to strengthen safety culture, increase awareness, and create safer workplaces by ensuring every team member is truly REDI for the work ahead. About the Guest: Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway is the University Research Professor and Professor of Psychology and Management at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. A prolific researcher, he has authored over 200 articles and chapters and has authored/edited 15 books to date. His research focuses on occupational health psychology and, in particular, how leaders affect health and safety within organizations. Kevin has been elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Association for Applied Psychology, and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In 2016, he served as President of the Canadian Psychological Association. Kevin works with both private and public sector clients on issues related to leadership, safety, and HR management, and is a popular speaker at conferences and corporate events. For more information: https://www.smu.ca/psychology/faculty-and-staff.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “Better Than Fine,” the award-winning podcast hosted by wellbeing expert and wellness coach Darlene Marshall! In this inspiring episode, Darlene dives deep into NASA's Artemis II mission and unpacks the powerful human response known as the Overview Effect—the profound sense of awe experienced by astronauts when seeing Earth from space. Episode Highlights: ·      Journey of Artemis II: Relive the record-breaking 252,756-mile lunar orbit with Commander Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover Jr., Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. ·      What is the Overview Effect? Discover how this mind-bending phenomenon rewires our sense of self, connects us to humanity, and sparks a desire to protect our “lifeboat” Earth. ·      Science of Awe & Positive Psychology: Learn how awe changes our mental models, triggers self-transcendence, and enhances meaning, purpose, and connection. ·      Collective Awe—Why It Matters: Explore how sharing awe-inspiring experiences strengthens community, reduces loneliness, and fuels hope—especially in challenging times. ·      From Inspiration to Action: Uncover research-backed ways to channel awe into positive action, forward motion, and pragmatic optimism. ·      Listener Takeaways: Practical tips for bringing more awe and connection into your everyday life. Why Watch? ⭐️ Get Inspired: Feel the chills as real astronaut quotes reveal how space travel transforms our understanding of life and purpose. ⭐️ Level Up Your Mindset: Darlene shares powerful evidence-based tools to recalibrate your thinking and boost resilience. ⭐️ Strengthen Your Wellbeing: Find out how to harness the science of awe for greater happiness, deeper connection, and meaningful action. Show References: Keltner, D. & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17, 297–314. The foundational paper that defined awe scientifically — introducing the two core features of vastness and need for accommodation that underpin all subsequent awe research.https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930302297  Rudd, M., Vohs, K.D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people's perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23, 1130–1136. Demonstrated that awe — unlike happiness — makes people feel they have more time available, reduces impatience, and increases life satisfaction.https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612438731  Yaden, D.B., Iwry, J., Slack, K.J., Eichstaedt, J.C., Zhao, Y., Vaillant, G.E., & Newberg, A.B. (2016). The overview effect: Awe and self-transcendent experience in space flight. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 1–11.The primary academic framework for the Overview Effect — identifying awe, self-transcendence, and schema changes as the three psychological mechanisms behind what astronauts experience viewing Earth from space.https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000086  Bai, Y., Maruskin, L.A., Chen, S., Gordon, A.M., Stellar, J.E., McNeil, G.D., Piff, P.K., & Keltner, D. (2017). Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement: Universality and cultural variation in the small self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(2), 185–209.Found that awe reliably shrinks self-referential thinking across cultures — people literally drew themselves smaller after experiencing awe — and increases feelings of connection to something larger.https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000087  Piff, P.K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D.M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899.Showed that awe reliably increases prosocial behavior — generosity, ethical decision-making, and concern for others — by reducing preoccupation with the individual self.https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000018  White, F. (2021). The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution (4th ed.). Multiverse Publishing.The original book that named and documented the Overview Effect through interviews with astronauts — still the definitive primary source on the phenomenon.https://www.amazon.com/Overview-Effect-Exploration-Human-Evolution/dp/1951480007 The content shared in this podcast is solely for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek out the guidance of your healthcare provider or other qualified professional. Any opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASM.  The most trusted name in fitness is now expanding into the wellness world. Become an NASM Certified Wellness Coach and you'll be able to guide and motivate clients to make lasting changes through mental and emotional well-being, recovery, and more. https://bit.ly/464tK4b

Drew Perkins talks with David Geary, a cognitive developmental and evolutionary psychologist and Curator's Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. They dive into the foundations of evolutionary educational psychology, exploring how our evolutionary history shapes the way we learn today and why certain types of knowledge are fundamentally more difficult to acquire than others. Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode Have some feedback you'd like to share? You can email me at drew@thoughtstretchers.org. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it and leave a review wherever you're listening. The core of the conversation centers on Geary's groundbreaking distinction between biologically primary and biologically secondary knowledge. Primary knowledge includes skills like spoken language, social navigation, and basic folk physics, which humans have evolved to acquire effortlessly and instinctively. In contrast, secondary knowledge—such as reading, writing, and advanced mathematics—is a recent cultural invention that requires explicit instruction and sustained effort because our brains are not "wired" for it by default. Drew and David discuss the implications of this framework for modern classrooms, particularly why "discovery-based" learning models often struggle with secondary knowledge. Geary explains that while children naturally "play" to develop primary skills, the acquisition of secondary knowledge necessitates a different instructional architecture that respects the limits of working memory and the necessity of direct guidance. Finally, they explore the role of motivation and interest in learning. Geary highlights that while students are naturally motivated to learn primary skills, teachers must often "engineer" interest for secondary knowledge. The episode concludes with reflections on the "curse of knowledge" for experts and how an evolutionary lens can help educators better understand the struggle their students face when encountering abstract, non-intuitive academic content. Timestamped Episode Timeline [00:04:12] Introduction to David Geary – Exploring his background in developmental and evolutionary psychology. [00:08:45] Defining Biologically Primary Knowledge – The skills we are born to learn, from language to social intuition. [00:12:30] Defining Biologically Secondary Knowledge – Why reading, writing, and math are "unnatural" and require schools. [00:18:15] The Role of Play – Distinguishing between play as a primary learning mechanism and its limitations for academic subjects. [00:25:50] Working Memory and Cognitive Load – How secondary knowledge strains our evolved cognitive architecture. [00:33:10] The Problem with Discovery Learning – Why students cannot simply "instinctively" find their way to complex secondary truths. [00:41:45] Engineering Interest – Strategies for motivating students to engage with content they aren't evolutionarily predisposed to care about. [00:52:20] The "Curse of Knowledge" – Why experts struggle to remember what it's like to be a novice learner. [01:05:30] Evolutionary Perspectives on Sex Differences – A brief look at Geary's research on developmental variations. [01:14:15] Closing Remarks – Where to find more of David Geary's work and upcoming publications.

I get a lot of questions about pricing.  Should I start with our most expensive item first? Should I use precise prices instead of rounded ones when negotiating? Should I name competitors when comparing prices? Today, with pricing expert Dr Markus Husemann-Kopetzky we work through eight different psychological pricing tips in just 24 minutes. ---  Listen to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/a737588e58  Markus' book: https://amzn.to/46Hetcg  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Join 10,634 readers of my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today's sources: Bertini, M., & Wathieu, L. (2008). Research note—Attention arousal through price partitioning. Marketing Science, 27(2), 236–246. Bolton, L. E., Warlop, L., & Alba, J. W. (2003). Consumer perceptions of price (un)fairness. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(4), 474–491. Janiszewski, C., & Uy, D. (2008). Precision of the anchor influences the amount of adjustment. Psychological Science, 19(2), 121–127. Kim, H. M., & Kramer, T. (2006). The moderating effects of need for cognition and cognitive effort on responses to multi‐dimensional prices. Journal of Marketing Research. Krishnan, B. C., Biswas, A., & Netemeyer, R. G. (2006). Semantic cues in reference price advertisements: The moderating role of cue concreteness. Journal of Retailing, 82(2), 95–104. Suk, K., Lee, J., & Lichtenstein, D. R. (2012). The influence of price presentation order on consumer choice. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(5), 708–717. Thomas, M., Simon, D. H., & Kadiyali, V. (2010). The price precision effect: Evidence from laboratory and market data. Marketing Science, 29(1), 175–190. Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131. Wansink, B., Kent, R. J., & Hoch, S. J. (1998). An anchoring and adjustment model of purchase quantity decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 35(1), 71–81.

In this episode, the guys start off with some Michigan Regional Quirkisms.  They then review a 2024 paper titled "The effects of cognitive bias, examiner expertise, and stimulus material on forensic evidence analysis" by Michelle Pena, Stephanie Stoiloff, Maria Sparacino, and Nadja Schreiber Compo, from the Journal of Forensic Sciences (2024; 69:1740-1757).   The research paper provided lay participants (students) and fingerprint expert participants  with images of ground truth, matching and non-matching fingerprint pairs.  The researchers controlled the exposure of the participant to contextual case information.  Lay participants made a number of errors and seemed to be more impacted by case information compared to experts in these trials.  Glenn and Eric discuss why that might be and discuss and compare other studies that might be relevant on this topic. Article: Pena MM, Stoiloff S, Sparacino M, Schreiber Compo N. The effects of cognitive bias, examiner expertise, and stimulus material on forensic evidence analysis. J Forensic Sci. 2024 Sep;69(5):1740-1757. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15565. Other Articles Discussed: Tangen, J. M., Thompson, M. B., & McCarthy, D. J. (2011). Identifying fingerprint expertise. Psychological Science, 22(8), 995–997. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611414729 Langenburg, G., Bochet, F., & Ford, S. (2014). A Report of Statistics from Latent Print Casework. Forensic Science Policy & Management: An International Journal, 5(1–2), 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/19409044.2014.929759

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/Dr. Paul Thagard is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Cognitive Science Society, and the Association for Psychological Science. The Canada Council awarded him a Molson Prize (2007) and a Killam Prize (2013). He is a philosopher, cognitive scientist, and author of many interdisciplinary books, the latest one being Dreams, Jokes, and Songs: How Brains Build Consciousness. In this episode, we focus on Dreams, Jokes, and Songs. We start by talking about how to approach consciousness philosophically and scientifically. We discuss several theories of consciousness, and why we need a new one. We explore Dr. Thagard's NBC (Neural representation, Binding, Coherence, and Competition) theory of consciousness. We talk about how social factors influence consciousness. We discuss explanations for dreams and jokes. We talk about consciousness in non-human animals. We discuss whether machines or AI systems can become conscious. Finally, we talk about the mind-body problem, and how to solve the hard problem of consciousness.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, RHYS, ALEX MACLEOD, HAIDAR, JULIEN PORCHER, ROBERT SUNDSTRÖM, AND JON STEWART!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, PER KRAULIS, ADAM HUNT, AND ANTHONY DI LORENZO!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER,SERGIU CODREANU, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Most restaurants have a major problem.  Paying the bill.  Give the bill too early, and the customer feels rushed. Too late, and they feel ignored.  To solve this problem (and many more), Will Guidara turned to behavioural science.  And his solution helped his restaurant become the world's best. ---  Listen to the bonus episode: ⁠https://nudge.kit.com/aeea58886f⁠  Will's book Unreasonable Hospitality: ⁠https://amzn.to/4tPrMl8⁠  Will's new book The Field Guide: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Orq1u0⁠  Will's newsletter, Pre-Meal: ⁠https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/premeal⁠ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults⁠ Join 10,728 readers of my newsletter: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list ⁠ Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/⁠ --- Today's sources: Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B. L., Schreiber, C. A., & Redelmeier, D. A. (1993). When more pain is preferred to less: Adding a better end. Psychological Science, 4(6), 401–405.  Shotton, R. (2023). The illusion of choice: 16½ psychological biases that influence what we buy. Harriman House. Strohmetz, D. B., Rind, B., Fisher, R., & Lynn, M. (2002). Sweetening the till: The use of candy to increase restaurant tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(2), 300–309.

From placebo surgeries to reverse aging, Dr. Langer shows how perception, belief, and mindful awareness create measurable physiological change. #PlaceboEffect #MindOverMatter #AgingInReverse #HealthTalks

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Steven Sloman is Professor of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. He studies how people think: how we reason, make decisions, and form attitudes and beliefs. Most of the work in his lab involves experiments asking adults to think about events and report their conclusions and preferences. His perspective has been shaped by observing how people respond to political events, by philosophy, and by computational models of how people process information. He is the author of The Cost of Conviction: How Our Deepest Values Lead Us Astray. In this episode, we focus on The Cost of Conviction. We discuss what sacred values are, consequentialism, and the differences between decision-making based on sacred values and on consequences. We talk about causal reasoning, and how important it is for consequentialism. We discuss situations where consequentialism might fail us, as well as how to deal with the subconscious aspects of decision-making. Finally, we talk about whether it is possible to “cure” a sacred value.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航 豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, AND RHYS!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, AND PER KRAULIS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER,SERGIU CODREANU, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Send a textWhat If the Hardest Parts of Life Are Actually the Beginning of Something Beautiful? Life isn't only the beautiful bloom — sometimes it's the mud beneath it. In this conversation, we explore resilience, mindfulness, and how struggle can shape personal growth.Some conversations stay with you long after they happen. In this episode, I sit down with someone who knows my story deeply—my sister. Together we reflect on the reality that life is never only the beautiful bloom or only the struggle beneath it. It's both. She gives us a bit of insight in to France's Plum Village.We talk about how challenges shape us, how perspective changes everything, and how sometimes what feels like the hardest moment may quietly be preparing something meaningful. If you've ever wondered how to move through uncertainty, loss, or change without losing hope, this conversation may resonate with you. Stay with us as we explore the powerful idea that sometimes the very mud we wish away may be the place where something beautiful begins to grow.Citations1.    No Mud, No Lotus – Thích Nhất Hạnh, 2015. No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering. Parallax Press.2.    Martha Beck – Beck, M. (Various years). Life coaching and mindfulness teachings referenced on The Oprah Winfrey Show.3.    Peer-reviewed research on mindfulness & resilience:o   Garland, E. L., Hanley, A. W., Farb, N. A., & Froeliger, B. (2015). Mindfulness training and resilience to stress: Effects on cognitive, emotional, and physiological outcomes. Psychological Science, 26(7), 1041–1053. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615570361Let's go, let's get it done. Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

The best decision-makers aren't better at deciding. They're better at controlling when, where, and how they decide. It took me twenty years to figure that out. Most people spend that time trying harder: more discipline, more willpower, more resolve to think clearly under pressure. It doesn't work. That's when mindjacking wins. Not through force. Through the door you left unguarded. The answer isn't trying harder. It's building systems that protect your thinking before the pressure hits. By the end of this episode, you'll have four concrete strategies for doing exactly that, and a one-page system you'll build before we're done. And I have something else to share at the end. Something I've been working toward for twenty years. Let's get into it. Why Willpower Fails and Design Works Ulysses knew his ship would pass the island of the Sirens. He also knew the song was irresistible. Sailors who heard it became incapacitated and drove straight into the rocks. He didn't try to be stronger than it. He had his crew fill their ears with wax and tie him to the mast, with strict orders not to release him, no matter what he said when the music reached him. His calm self setting rules for his compromised self. That's the core of everything in this episode. These are called commitment devices. The decision gets made early, when your thinking is clear, before you're tempted to take the wrong path. Studies tracking self-imposed contracts found that when people added meaningful stakes to their commitments, their follow-through nearly doubled. Not because they became more virtuous, but because they'd taken the choice off the table at the moment they were most likely to get it wrong. Stop asking "How do I resist?" Start asking, "What can I decide now, so I don't have to decide under pressure?" Before you can build the right commitments, you need to know exactly where your thinking breaks down. Not decision-making in general. Yours. Finding Your Personal Vulnerability Think back across the last few months. Where did your thinking most clearly cost you? Some people stall. They keep researching past the point of useful information, using "I need more data" as cover for avoiding a commitment they know they need to make. Others make their worst calls at the end of long days. Saying yes when they mean no, because no requires energy they've already spent. Some get caught by urgency. A deadline appears, the pressure closes off their thinking, and they move fast. Only later do they discover the deadline was manufactured to do exactly that. Others walk into a room with a clear position and walk out agreeing with the loudest voice, unable to explain exactly when they shifted. And some defend decisions past the point where the evidence says stop, because stopping would mean admitting something about themselves they're not ready to face. Identify yours. Write it down before we go further. Your primary vulnerability is a design target, not a character flaw. You can't build around something you haven't named. Four Strategies for Protecting Your Judgment Strategy 1: Control When You Decide Every morning I put on the same thing: a black golf shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. Same brands, same routine, no decisions. My wife tolerates it. I've stopped apologizing for it. It's not a fashion choice. It's a cognitive load choice. Your brain has a finite amount of decision-making capacity each day. Every trivial choice draws from the same reserve you need for the decisions that actually matter. What to wear, what to eat, which route to take. Eliminating those choices doesn't just save time. It protects the mental fuel you'll need later. Decision-making capacity isn't flat across the day. It peaks early, when you're rested and fresh. It degrades, measurably, as conditions erode. The same call made at 8 a.m. and at the end of your seventh consecutive meeting aren't equivalent. Same person, different machine. Pull up your calendar from the last two weeks. Look at when your biggest decisions actually happened. For most people, it's not in a calm moment with a clear head. It's in the hallway, on a rushed call, in the last fifteen minutes of a meeting that ran over. That's not bad luck. That's the default you haven't changed yet. Write a standing rule: no significant, hard-to-reverse commitments after a certain hour or after a certain number of back-to-back meetings without a mandatory pause. Hold it like a policy, not a preference. Because preferences are exactly what disappear under the conditions where you need them most. Strategy 2: Build Your Kitchen Cabinet One of the things I credit most for whatever success I've had in my career isn't a framework or a methodology. It's four people. I call them my kitchen cabinet. They've seen my best decisions and my worst ones. They know when I'm rationalizing. They know when I'm avoiding. And they are not afraid to call me out when I'm off the tracks. Here's what surprises people when I describe them. They're not senior executives. They're not peers from inside my industry. They don't work in any organization I've ever worked for. They're a deliberate mix: different backgrounds, different areas of expertise, different ways of seeing the world. One of them has been in my cabinet for nearly thirty years. I trust them completely, and everything we discuss stays between us. That independence is the whole point. The people inside your organization have something at stake in your decisions. Your peers have their own agendas, even when they don't mean to. Your boss has a preferred outcome. None of that makes them bad advisors. It just means they can't give you the one thing you need most when a decision gets hard: a perspective with no skin in the game. Your kitchen cabinet can. Because they have nothing to gain or lose from what you decide, they can ask the question everyone else in the room is avoiding. They can tell you what you don't want to hear. And they'll do it before you've committed, when it still matters, not after the fact, when all they can do is watch. Build yours deliberately. Four to six people is enough. Prioritize independence over seniority. Look for people who will push back, not people who will reassure. And make the relationship reciprocal. You show up for their decisions too. The cabinet only works if the trust runs both ways and the conversations stay private. You don't need them for every decision. You need them for the ones where you're most at risk of fooling yourself. Strategy 3: Write Your Position Before the Room Fills Up I've sat in enough rooms where I walked in with a clear position and walked out having said almost none of it. Not because I was wrong. Because by the time the senior voice spoke and the heads started nodding, my own analysis felt less certain than it did twenty minutes earlier. The brain doesn't just nudge your answer when social pressure arrives. It rewrites your perception. What you saw before entering the room changes to match what the room already believes, before you've consciously registered the pressure. Before any consequential group decision, write down where you stand. Three sentences. What you believe. What evidence supports it. What would genuinely change your mind. A note on your phone is enough. It doesn't need to be formal. It needs to be external, because your memory will quietly revise itself once the social pressure arrives. Those three sentences are a record of what you actually concluded before the room had a chance to work on you. When the discussion moves toward a position, you can then distinguish between "I'm updating because I heard something new" and "I'm caving because the silence is uncomfortable." Without that record, those two experiences feel identical in the moment, and one of them will reliably win. Strategy 4: Assume the Failure Before You Commit In August 2016, Delta Air Lines ran a routine scheduled test of the backup generator at their Atlanta data center. A transformer caught fire. Three hundred of Delta's 7,000 servers, improperly connected to a single power source, went dark. They couldn't fail over to backups. The servers that stayed online couldn't communicate with the ones that hadn't. The entire system collapsed: passenger check-in, baggage, websites, kiosks, and airport displays. Gone. Delta cancelled 2,100 flights over three days. $150 million in losses. Thousands of passengers slept on airport floors. The system had redundancy designed in. The backup had been tested. The specific failure mode, servers with no alternate power connection, was a known vulnerability that nobody had ever stopped to question. A year before the fire, cognitive psychologist Gary Klein, the researcher who developed the pre-mortem, had written a thought experiment describing almost this exact scenario. Imagine, he wrote, that an airline CEO gathered top management and asked: "Every one of our flights around the world has been cancelled for two straight days. Why?" People would think terrorism first. The real progress, Klein said, would come from mundane answers: a reservation system down, a backup that didn't activate, a cascade nobody had traced in advance. Delta built what Klein described. Without running the question that would have found it. The pre-mortem is that question. Before you commit to a significant decision, assume it's six months later, and the decision failed. Not possibly, but definitely. Then ask: What went wrong? What did you know but not say? What did someone sense but find too awkward to raise in the room? "What could go wrong?" produces hedged answers. People soften concerns to preserve harmony. "It failed. What happened?" changes the psychology entirely. You're not being negative. You're being forensic. The things that surface, the concerns that felt impolitic, the risks that seemed too small to mention, are frequently the ones that end up mattering most. Each of these four strategies is a designed defense against the same thing: the systematic capture of your judgment before you notice it happening. That's mindjacking. And now you have four ways to make it harder. But strategies only work if you remember to use them. And you won't remember. Not when you're depleted at 7pm, not when the room is staring at you, not when your identity is on the line. That's not a character flaw. That's just how it works. So we're going to take everything you just learned and put it on one page. A page you'll sign. A page you'll keep somewhere you'll actually see it. Your calm self, right now, is building the system your future self will thank you for. The people who shape outcomes consistently aren't necessarily the sharpest thinkers in the room. They're the ones whose judgment is still intact when everyone else's has degraded. That's a practice, not a talent. The full video and written deep-dive on mindjacking are linked below at philmckinney.com/mindjacking. Your Decision Constitution Remember the Ulysses insight from the beginning of this episode. Your calm self setting rules for your compromised self. That's exactly what this is. A Decision Constitution is one page. Five commitments. Written when your thinking is clear, so the version of you under pressure has something to stand on. Not a to-do list. Not a productivity hack. A contract with yourself. Here's what goes in it. Your Timing Rule. You already know that your judgment degrades as the day runs long. So name it. What are the specific conditions (time of day, number of back-to-back meetings, hours of sleep) that disqualify you from making a high-stakes, hard-to-reverse call without a mandatory pause first? Write that line. Hold it like a policy. Your Pre-Decision List. Think of the situations where you consistently make choices you later regret. The late-day request you said yes to when you meant no. The urgency that overrode your better judgment. Pick three. Write a standing rule for each, specific enough that you can invoke it without having to think. "I don't make new commitments without sleeping on it." That's a rule. "I'll try to be more careful" is not. Your Pre-Meeting Anchor. Before any meeting where a significant decision will be made, you write down where you stand. Three sentences. What you believe, what evidence supports it, and what would genuinely change your mind. Not in the car on the way. Before. That record is what protects your thinking from the room. Your Pre-Mortem Trigger. Name the threshold that makes a decision significant enough to require a pre-mortem. A dollar amount. An impact on more than a certain number of people. A commitment lasting longer than six months. Whatever your threshold is, write it down. Once a decision crosses it, the pre-mortem is non-negotiable. Your Kitchen Cabinet Trigger. Your cabinet is only useful if you engage them before you've decided, not after. So name the conditions that require you to bring a decision to them first. A decision that's hard to reverse. A situation where you have significant personal stakes in the outcome. A moment where you notice everyone around you wants you to decide a certain way. A decision you find yourself avoiding thinking about clearly. Any one of those is enough. Two or more is non-negotiable. Now print out your decision constitution. Sign it. Put it somewhere you'll actually see it before the moments that count. This is your Ulysses contract. Your clear-headed self, right now, is setting the terms your compromised self will have to honor when the pressure is real, and the easy path is pointing the wrong way. Closing That's Part 2 of the Thinking 101 series. Fifteen episodes. If you've been here from the beginning, you've built something real. The series has been running for 21 weeks. The show behind it has been running for 20 years. And how we got here traces back to a single conversation. Twenty years ago, a mentor of mine, Bob Davis, gave me a challenge I couldn't shake. I'd asked him how I could ever repay him for what he'd done for my career. He laughed and said I couldn't. The only option, he said, was to pay it forward. That's why this show exists. That's why it has always existed. The show was called Killer Innovations because that's what felt right in 2005. Bold, a little provocative, built for a moment when podcasting was brand new, and nobody knew what it was supposed to be. Tens of millions of downloads later, we're still here. We have regular listeners in more than 50 countries. Some of you are younger than the podcast itself. But somewhere along the way, the show became something more specific. It stopped being about innovation tips and started being about the innovation decisions that actually shape outcomes. About the patterns underneath the decisions. About the skills that matter most when the pressure is real. On March 23rd, the show's 20th anniversary, we're making major changes. The podcast. The YouTube channel. All of it. And if you have thoughts about where we've been or where we're going, I want to hear them. There's a contact form at philmckinney.com. Send me a note. I'll see you on the 23rd.   Endnotes  "their follow-through nearly doubled": Gharad Bryan, Dean S. Karlan, and Scott Nelson, "Commitment Contracts," Yale Economics Department Working Paper No. 73 / Yale University Economic Growth Center Discussion Paper No. 980 (October 23, 2009). https://ssrn.com/abstract=1493378. The research draws on Karlan and co-founders' development of StickK.com, a commitment contract platform launched in 2008 at Yale. Platform data consistently shows that users who add meaningful stakes — financial or reputational — to their commitments achieve their goals at roughly double the rate of those who don't. The underlying mechanism was established in Karlan's earlier field research in the Philippines: Nava Ashraf, Dean Karlan, and Wesley Yin, "Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence From a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines," Quarterly Journal of Economics 121, no. 2 (May 2006): 635–672. doi:10.1162/qjec.2006.121.2.635. https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/121/2/635/1884028. Pre-commitment works not by increasing virtue but by removing the decision from the moment of temptation. For accessible application, see Ian Ayres, Carrots and Sticks: Unlock the Power of Incentives to Get Things Done (New York: Bantam, 2010), ISBN 978-0-553-80763-9. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/6794/carrots-and-sticks-by-ian-ayres/.   "a finite amount of decision-making capacity each day": Roy F. Baumeister, Ellen Bratslavsky, Mark Muraven, and Dianne M. Tice, "Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74, no. 5 (1998): 1252–1265. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252. https://roybaumeister.com/1998/03/16/ego-depletion-is-the-active-self-a-limited-resource/. Also see Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (New York: Penguin, 2011). Baumeister's strength model of self-control proposes that willpower, decision-making, and self-regulation all draw from a single, depletable resource — what he termed "ego depletion." Subsequent work has debated the precise mechanism, with some researchers arguing the effect is motivational rather than metabolic. The practical implication, however, is consistent across studies: decision quality degrades as the day progresses, and the effect is most pronounced for complex, high-stakes choices. For a summary of the current scientific debate on the mechanism, see Michael Inzlicht and Brandon J. Schmeichel, "What Is Ego Depletion? Toward a Mechanistic Revision of the Resource Model of Self-Control," Perspectives on Psychological Science 7, no. 5 (2012): 450–463. doi:10.1177/1745691612454134. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168503/.   "It rewrites your perception": Gregory S. Berns, Jonathan Chappelow, Caroline F. Zink, Giuseppe Pagnoni, Megan E. Martin-Skurski, and Jim Richards, "Neurobiological Correlates of Social Conformity and Independence During Mental Rotation," Biological Psychiatry 58, no. 3 (August 1, 2005): 245–253. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15978553/.  This fMRI study at Emory University extended Solomon Asch's classic conformity experiments by imaging participants' brains as they conformed to or resisted incorrect group answers. The key finding: when participants went along with the group, the activity appeared not in the prefrontal cortex — the seat of conscious decision-making — but in the occipital-parietal network responsible for visual and spatial perception. In other words, participants who conformed weren't consciously deciding to lie; the group had altered what they actually perceived. Standing alone, by contrast, activated the amygdala, a region associated with emotional distress — consistent with the experience of social dissent as genuinely uncomfortable rather than merely inconvenient.   "Three hundred of Delta's 7,000 servers": Yevgeniy Sverdlik, "Delta: Data Center Outage Cost Us $150M," Data Center Knowledge, September 8, 2016. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/outages/delta-data-center-outage-cost-us-150m.  Also see W. H. Highleyman, "Delta Air Lines Cancels 2,100 Flights Due to Power Outage," Availability Digest (September 2016). https://availabilitydigest.com/public_articles/1109/delta.pdf. On the morning of August 8, 2016, a fire triggered during a routine backup generator test at Delta's Atlanta data center caused a transformer failure. Approximately 300 of Delta's 7,000 servers were improperly connected to a single power source with no alternate feed, and when that feed failed, those servers went dark. Because those servers couldn't communicate with the rest of the system, the entire network collapsed. Delta cancelled roughly 2,100 flights over three days, leaving an estimated 250,000 passengers stranded. Total losses reached $150 million.   "cognitive psychologist Gary Klein, the researcher who developed the pre-mortem": Gary Klein, "Performing a Project Premortem," Harvard Business Review 85, no. 9 (September 2007): 18–19. https://hbr.org/2007/09/performing-a-project-premortem.  Klein developed the pre-mortem method over several decades of applied research in naturalistic decision-making. The technique asks teams to assume, before committing to a plan, that the plan has already failed — definitively, not possibly — and then work backward to identify causes. Klein's research found that this reframing dramatically increases the willingness of team members to surface concerns they would otherwise suppress to preserve group harmony. The method has since been endorsed by Nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler as a practical tool for reducing overconfidence in planning. For Klein's broader framework of naturalistic decision-making, see Gary Klein, Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1998). https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262343251/sources-of-power/. 

The wound between women is not just interpersonal. It is neurobiological, historical, and deeply rooted in systems that were designed to divide us. In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by Dr. Lovey Bradley, Msc.D., NSI certified practitioner, BrainBased facilitator, and facilitator of the NSI BIPOC Affinity Group, whose work sits at the intersection of female hormone health, nervous system regulation, and somatic approaches to trauma. Together, they go deep on one of the most underexplored dimensions of collective healing: the feminine wound, and specifically the racial fracture at its root. Lovey shares her own experience of dissociation in a predominantly white healing space during her NCAI certification, and what that revealed about epigenetic nervous system patterns that have nothing to do with individual will and everything to do with what our bodies have inherited and learned to expect. Jennifer and Elisabeth reflect honestly on their own experiences, including what it takes for white bodied women to pause, stop fixing, and actually listen without collapsing into shame or urgency. The conversation also traces the science behind why relational stress hits the female nervous system so hard, why oxytocin can amplify threat as much as it buffers it when relationships are unsafe, and how chronic cortisol dysregulation suppresses progesterone and drives the health outcomes so many women are navigating. Topic Include: Why the feminine wound cannot be fully healed without naming its racial roots How the nervous system adapts to chronic relational threat in female coded spaces What social baseline theory tells us about why disconnection between women is a physiological load, not just an emotional one How early experiences of exclusion, relational aggression, and peer victimization become nervous system prediction patterns in adulthood Why oxytocin amplifies relational stress when social environments are unsafe How high cortisol suppresses progesterone and drives inflammation, infertility, and hormonal dysregulation What it looks like for white bodied women to stay present without defaulting to shame, urgency, or over-repair Why healing within cultures must precede healing across them What a real path forward looks like, starting at the individual level Chapters 0:00 - Why Racial Trauma Is the Root We Are Not Talking About 1:05 - Welcome: The Feminine Wound Through a Nervous System Lens 3:48 - Introducing Dr. Lovey Bradley and Why This Conversation Matters 7:00 - How the Sister Wound Shows Up in Friendships, Workplaces, and Healing Spaces 10:21 - Dr. Lovey's Personal Story: Dissociating in a Predominantly White Healing Space 17:11 - Social Baseline Theory and the Neurobiology of Relational Disconnection 24:54 - The Historical Root: White Women, Racial Hierarchy, and the Fractured Sisterhood 27:26 - What It Takes for White Bodied Women to Listen Without Collapsing 34:14 - Colorism, Division Within Cultures, and Where Trust Has to Begin 43:08 - Early Developmental Roots: How Relational Threat Shapes the Nervous System 46:52 - Oxytocin, Cortisol, Progesterone, and the Female Hormone Connection 49:56 - A Path Forward: Building Trust One Relationship at a Time Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics: Neurosomatic Intelligence is now enrolling : https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/nsi-certification Join us for a two week trial of neurosomatic practices at rewiretrial.com Free BrainBased neurosomatic workshop for entrepreneurs at rewirecapacity.com Sacred Synapse: an educational YouTube channel founded by Jennifer Wallace that explores nervous system regulation, applied neuroscience, consciousness, and psychedelic preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence.  Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence. Learn to work with Boundaries at the level of the body and nervous system at https://www.boundaryrewire.com   Resources that inform this episode: Coan, James A., Hillary S. Schaefer, and Richard J. Davidson. "Lending a Hand: Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat." Psychological Science, vol. 17, no. 12, 2006, pp. 1032–1039. Crick, Nicki R., and Jennifer K. Grotpeter. "Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-Psychological Adjustment." Child Development, vol. 66, no. 3, 1995, pp. 710–722. Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton. "Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review." PLOS Medicine, vol. 7, no. 7, 2010, e1000316. Miller, Jean Baker. Toward a New Psychology of Women. Beacon Press, 1976. Wellesley Centers for Women ed., 2012. Prinstein, Mitchell J., et al. "Peer Victimization, Friendship, and the Stress Response." Development and Psychopathology, vol. 17, no. 4, 2005, pp. 1017–1038. Rimé, Bernard. "Emotion Elicits the Social Sharing of Emotion: Theory and Empirical Review." Emotion Review, vol. 1, no. 1, 2009, pp. 60–85. Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G., and Ahmad Abu-Akel. "The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin." Biological Psychiatry, vol. 79, no. 3, 2016, pp. 194–202. Taylor, Shelley E., et al. "Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, Not Fight-or-Flight." Psychological Review, vol. 107, no. 3, 2000, pp. 411–429. Taylor, Shelley E. "Tend and Befriend: Biobehavioral Bases of Affiliation under Stress." Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 15, no. 6, 2006, pp. 273–277. Tedeschi, Richard G., and Lawrence G. Calhoun. "Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence." Psychological Inquiry, vol. 15, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1–18. Uchino, Bert N. "Social Support and Health: A Review of Physiological Processes Potentially Underlying Links to Disease Outcomes." Journal of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 29, no. 4, 2006, pp. 377–387. Disclaimer: Trauma Rewired podcast is intended to educate and inform but does not constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice or services. Always consult a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances before making any decisions based on what you hear. We share our experiences, explore trauma, physical reactions, mental health and disease. If you become distressed by our content, please stop listening and seek professional support when needed. Do not continue to listen if the conversations are having a negative impact on your health and well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or in mental health crisis and you are in the United States you can 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If someone's life is in danger, immediately call 911. We do our best to stay current in research, but older episodes are always available. We don't warrant or guarantee that this podcast contains complete, accurate or up-to-date information. It's very important to talk to a medical professional about your individual needs, as we aren't responsible for any actions you take based on the information you hear in this podcast. We invite guests onto the podcast. Please note that we don't verify the accuracy of their statements. Our organization does not endorse third-party content and the views of our guests do not necessarily represent the views of our organization. We talk about general neuro-science and nervous system health, but you are unique. These are conversations for a wide audience. They are general recommendations and you are always advised to seek personal care for your unique outputs, trauma and needs. We are not doctors or licensed medical professionals. We are certified neuro-somatic practitioners and nervous system health/embodiment coaches. We are not your doctor or medical professional and do not know you and your unique nervous system. This podcast is not a replacement for working with a professional. The BrainBased.com site and RewireTrial.com is a membership site for general nervous system health, somatic processing and stress processing. It is not a substitute for medical care or the appropriate solution for anyone in mental health crisis. Any examples mentioned in this podcast are for illustration purposes only. If they are based on real events, names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved. We've done our best to ensure our podcast respects the intellectual property rights of others, however if you have an issue with our content, please let us know by emailing us at traumarewired@gmail.com. All rights in our content are reserved.  

Do nine-ending prices really work?  Will £9.99 sell more than £10.00? Can it be used for high-quality products? What about hedonic products? Can it be used on speed limits?  For years this debate has raged on. But today on Nudge, I speak with pricing expert Dr Markus Husemann-Kopetzky to settle the argument. ---  Markus' book: https://amzn.to/46Hetcg  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Join 10,534 readers of my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today's sources:  Gendall, P. (1998). Estimating the effect of odd pricing. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 7(5), 421–432. Husemann-Kopetzky, M. (2018). Handbook on the psychology of pricing: 100+ effects on persuasion and influence every entrepreneur, marketer and pricing manager needs to know. Independently published. ITN Archive. (2022, November 28). “I will not accept that it's a highly dangerous road” (1988) [Video]. YouTube. Kim, J., Novemsky, N., & Dhar, R. (2013). Adding small differences can increase similarity and choice. Psychological Science, 24(2), 176–182. Nunes, J. C., & Park, C. W. (2003). Incommensurate resources: Not just more of the same. Journal of Marketing Research, 40(1), 26–38. Rubinstein, A., & Yee, V. (2020). The left-digit bias: When and why are consumers penny wise and pound foolish? Journal of Marketing Research, 57(3), 467–485. Schindler, R. M., & Kibarian, T. M. (1996). Increased consumer sales response through use of 99-ending prices. Journal of Retailing, 72(2), 187–199. Shotton, R. (2018). The choice factory: 25 behavioural biases that influence what we buy. Harriman House. Suwelack, T., Hogreve, J., & Hoyer, W. D. (2011). Understanding money-back guarantees: Cognitive, affective, and behavioral effects. Journal of Retailing, 87(4), 462–478. Wadhwa, M., & Zhang, K. (2015). This number just feels right: The impact of roundedness of price numbers on product evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 41

Scripture Referenced2 Corinthians 1:3-7Galatians 6:22 Peter 1:3-9Psalm 103:1-82 Corinthians 4:16-18Philippians 2:14-15Psalm 55:221 Peter 5:6, 7 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17Sources ReferencedStanford Research on Complaining and the Brain https://x.com/shiningscience/status/2013113758386987099?s=61&t=tlwkbxDptbUski5ck2qYEASophie L. Kjærvik and Brad J. Bushman, “A Meta-Analytic Review of Anger Management Activities That Increase or Decrease Arousal: What Fuels or Douses Rage?” Clinical Psychology Review 109 (2024): 102414.Lauren C. Michl et al., “Rumination as a Mechanism Linking Stressful Life Events to Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: Longitudinal Evidence in Early Adolescents and Adults,” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, volume 122, no. 2 (2013), pages 339–352.Catherine B. Stroud et al., “Rumination, Excessive Reassurance Seeking, and Stress Generation among Early Adolescent Girls,” The Journal of Early Adolescence, vol. 38, no. 2 (2018), pages 139–163Yvette I. Sheline et al., “The Default Mode Network and Self-Referential Processes in Depression,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106, no. 6 (2009): 1942-1947Matthew D. Lieberman et al., “Putting Feelings into Words: Affect Labeling Disrupts Amygdala Activity in Response to Affective Stimuli,” Psychological Science 18, no. 5 (2007): 421–22.

In this episode of the Hormone Genius Podcast, Teresa Kenney and Jamie Rathjen sit down with Isabelle Adams, Education Coordinator for Natural Womanhood, to talk about a powerful and growing movement in women's health education: Cycle Mindfulness Clubs.

In this episode, Ryan and Mike discuss how screen time impacts the executive functioning skills already delayed in kids with ADHD — things like impulse control, attention shifting, and cognitive flexibility. They challenge the popular online messaging that frames screens as "social" or "regulating" for neurodivergent kids, arguing that these messages make parents feel better but don't actually build skills in children. They also cover practical advice for managing school-issued devices, why parents don't need their child's buy-in to set screen limits, and why short-term calm from screens comes at the cost of long-term development.Find Mike @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.grownowadhd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find Ryan @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.adhddude.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:00:34] Screen Time Realities for Working Parents[00:03:44] The 2025 Longitudinal Brain Study[00:04:28] How Screens Alter Executive Function Development[00:05:45] Why In-Person Interaction Builds Skills[00:08:05] The Myth That Screens Are Social[00:10:19] Why "Screens Are Regulating" Appeals to Parents[00:11:30] Your Child Is Not Your Co-Parent[00:14:13] Addressing Screen Use on School Devices[00:16:20] Best Predictors of Future Success[00:17:51] Key Takeaways and Closing ThoughtsCITATIONS:Shou, Q., Yamashita, M., & Mizuno, Y. (2025). Association of screen time with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and their development: The mediating role of brain structure. Translational Psychiatry, 15, Article 447.Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168.Diamond, A., & Ling, D. S. (2016). Conclusions about interventions, programs, and approaches for improving executive functions that appear justified and those that do not. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 18, 34–48.Doebel, S. (2020). Rethinking executive function and its development. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(4), 942–956.Nigg, J. T. (2017). Annual research review: On the relations among self-regulation, self-control, executive functioning, effortful control, cognitive control, impulsivity, risk-taking, and inhibition for developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(4), 361–383.

16 years ago a chain of Chinese restaurants wanted to increase sales without changing the price.  They didn't change the product.  The service.  The chef.  The food.  Instead, they changed two words on their menu and increased sales by 18%.  The restaurants used the advice of today's guest on Nudge, Robert Cialdini.  Today, Cialdini explains the social proof principle, sharing how changing just two words could increase your sales. ---  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Read Cialdini's bestseller Influence: https://amzn.to/4prHb7Y Read the new and expanded Influence: https://amzn.to/43TY0jI Read Pre-Suasion: https://amzn.to/48hA6Qr  Read Yes! (Containing 60 Psyc-Marketing Tips): https://amzn.to/48ddNNf  Join 10,428 readers of my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  ---  Today's sources:  Aune, R. K., & Basil, M. D. (1994). A relational-obligations approach to fund-raising: The effects of guilt and credibility appeals on compliance. Communication Research, 21(4), 486–498. Binning, K. R., Kaufmann, N., McGreevy, E. M., Fotuhi, O., Chen, S., Marshman, E., Kalender, Z. Y., Limeri, L. B., Betancur, L., & Singh, C. (2020). Changing social contexts to foster equity in college science courses: An ecological-belonging intervention. Psychological Science, 31(9), 1059–1070. Boh, W. F., & Wong, S.-S. (2015). Managers versus co-workers as referents: Comparing social influence effects on within- and outside-subsidiary knowledge sharing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 126, 1–17. Borman, G. D., Rozek, C. S., Hanselman, P., & Destin, M. (2019). Reappraising academic and social adversity improves middle school students' academic achievement, behavior, and well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(33), 16286–16291. Cai, H., Chen, Y., & Fang, H. (2009). Observational learning: Evidence from a randomized natural field experiment. American Economic Review, 99(3), 864–882. Frank, R. H. (2020). Under the influence: Putting peer pressure to work. Princeton University Press. Goldstein, N. J., Cialdini, R. B., & Griskevicius, V. (2008). A room with a viewpoint: Using social norms to motivate environmental conservation in hotels. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(3), 472–482. Hallsworth, M., List, J. A., Metcalfe, R. D., & Vlaev, I. (2017). The behavioralist as tax collector: Using natural field experiments to enhance tax compliance. Journal of Public Economics, 148, 14–31. Jung, J., Busching, R., & Krahé, B. (2019). Catching aggression from one's peers: A longitudinal and multilevel analysis. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(4), e12440. Linder, J. A., Meeker, D., Fox, C. R., Friedberg, M. W., Persell, S. D., Goldstein, N. J., Knight, T. K., Hay, J. W., & Doctor, J. N. (2017). Durability of benefits of behavioral interventions on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care: Follow-up from a cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 318(14), 1391–1392. Meeker, D., Linder, J. A., Fox, C. R., Friedberg, M. W., Persell, S. D., Goldstein, N. J., Knight, T. K., Hay, J. W., & Doctor, J. N. (2016). Effect of behavioral interventions on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing among primary care practices: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 315(6), 562–570. Murrar, S., Campbell, M. R., & Brauer, M. (2020). Exposure to peers' pro-diversity attitudes increases inclusion and reduces the achievement gap. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(9), 889–897. Nolan, J. M. (2021). Social norm interventions as a tool for pro-climate change. Current Opinion in Psychology, 42, 120–125. Peterson, R. A., Kim, Y., & Jeong, J. (2020). Out-of-stock, sold out, or unavailable? Framing a product outage in online retailing. Psychology & Marketing, 37(4), 535–547.

Slovakia consistently ranks among countries with high levels of belief in conspiracy theories. But what drives this phenomenon? In this episode, we look beyond misinformation and focus on feelings. Based on new research conducted by a team of researchers from the Institute of Experimental Psychology of the Center for Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, we discuss with researcher of this project Magdalena Adamus how conspiracy narratives teach people to perceive the world as hostile and unstable — and why this matters for public trust and democracy.

Haribo, c'est beau la vie, pour les grands et les petits. Efficace et pas chère, c'est la MAAF que j'préfère Bien sûr, la rime facilite la mémorisation. Une phrase rythmée est plus facile à retenir, à répéter et à transmettre. Notre cerveau est particulièrement sensible aux régularités sonores : elles demandent moins d'effort cognitif pour être traitées. Mais cet avantage mnésique n'est qu'une partie de l'explication.Les slogans rimés tirent surtout parti d'un biais cognitif bien documenté : l'effet de rime, aussi appelé rhyme-as-reason effect.Ce biais a été mis en évidence en 2000 par les psychologues Matthew McGlone et Jessica Tofighbakhsh, dans une étude devenue classique publiée dans la revue Psychological Science. Leur expérience est simple : ils présentent à des participants des affirmations exprimant la même idée, mais sous deux formes différentes. L'une rime, l'autre non.Résultat : les participants jugent systématiquement la version rimée plus vraie, plus convaincante et plus fiable, alors même que le sens est strictement identique.Pourquoi ? Parce que notre cerveau confond fluidité cognitive et validité. Une phrase qui rime est plus facile à traiter mentalement. Cette facilité est ressentie comme un signal positif : inconsciemment, nous interprétons ce confort cognitif comme un indice de vérité. Autrement dit, si une phrase « sonne juste », elle nous paraît… juste.Ce mécanisme est automatique et largement inconscient. Même lorsqu'on sait que la rime n'a aucune valeur logique, l'effet persiste. D'autres travaux ont confirmé ce biais dans des contextes variés : jugements moraux, messages de prévention, slogans politiques ou publicitaires.Les publicitaires exploitent donc un raccourci mental très puissant. Une phrase rimée donne l'impression d'être plus ancienne, plus partagée, presque proverbiale. Elle évoque la sagesse populaire, l'évidence collective. C'est exactement pour cette raison que de nombreux dictons traditionnels utilisent la rime : elle confère une autorité implicite.En résumé, les slogans publicitaires ne riment pas seulement pour être jolis ou mémorables. Ils utilisent une faille subtile de notre raisonnement : notre tendance à confondre forme agréable et fond crédible. Une démonstration élégante de la manière dont le cerveau peut être convaincu… sans jamais s'en rendre compte. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

In this conversation, we explore the psychology of conviction with Steve Sloman, Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University and advisor to the Artificiality Institute. Returning to the podcast for a third time, Steve discusses his new book "The Cost of Conviction," which examines a fundamental tension in how humans make decisions—between carefully weighing consequences versus following deeply held sacred values that demand certain actions regardless of outcomes.Steve's work challenges the dominant assumption in decision research that people primarily act as consequentialists, calculating costs and benefits to maximize utility. Instead, he reveals how many of our most important decisions bypass consequence entirely, guided by sacred values—rules about appropriate action handed down through families and communities that define who we are and signal membership in our social groups. These aren't carefully derived from first principles like philosophical deontology suggests, but rather adopted beliefs about right and wrong that make us members in good standing of our communities.Key themes we explore:Sacred Values as Uber Heuristics: Why treating certain actions as absolutely right or wrong, independent of consequences, represents perhaps the most powerful shortcut for decision-making—simpler even than most heuristics because it allows us to ignore outcomes entirelyConviction Without Compromise: How framing issues through sacred values makes them feel less tractable, generates more outrage when violated, and increases willingness to take action—producing the absolutist convictions that drive both heroic stands and intractable conflictsDynamic Sacred Values: How values that define communities aren't fixed but emerge and shift based on what distinguishes groups from each other—explaining why tariffs or transgender rights suddenly become hotly contested "sacred" issues that weren't previously centralAI's Polarization Problem: The observation that attitudes toward AI have taken on sacred value characteristics, with absolutist believers that it will save the world racing against those convinced it represents fundamental evil—both positions simpler than engaging with genuine complexity and uncertaintyThe conversation reveals Steve's core thesis: we rely on sacred values too much when we should be more consequentialist. Sacred values simplify decisions in ways that produce conviction and community cohesion, but at the cost of making us intransigent, uncompromising, and absolutist. When we shift to genuinely considering consequences, we become more humble about our knowledge limitations and hopefully more open to alternative perspectives.Yet the discussion also surfaces important nuances. Sacred values serve crucial functions—they may have consequentialist origins in cultural experience even if individuals apply them without consequence calculation. They provide the kind of universal moral stance that makes someone trustworthy in ways that preferences over specific outcomes cannot. And expressing certainty about complex issues where genuine experts admit uncertainty often signals ignorance rather than knowledge.About Steve Sloman: Steve Sloman is Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University, where his research examines reasoning, decision-making, and the cognitive foundations of community. Author of "The Knowledge Illusion" (with Philip Fernbach) and now "The Cost of Conviction," Steve's work explores how our reliance on others' knowledge shapes everything from individual decisions to political polarization. As an advisor to the Artificiality Institute, he helps bridge cognitive science insights with questions about human-AI collaboration and co-evolution.

A nurse in Pennsylvania had been on her feet for twelve hours. She was supposed to go home, but the unit was short-staffed, so she stayed. During that overtime, a patient was diagnosed with cancer and needed two chemotherapy doses. She administered the first, placed the second in a drawer, and headed home. She forgot about the second dose. It wasn't discovered until the next day. The patient was fine; they got the treatment in time. But think about what happened. This wasn't a careless nurse. This was a dedicated professional who stayed late to help her team. Her skills didn't fail. Her knowledge didn't fail. Her energy failed, and her judgment went with it. That's the trap. We assume our thinking stays constant, that the brain in hour fourteen is the same brain that showed up in hour one. It's not. Last episode, we tackled deciding under uncertainty. But fatigue does something different. Uncertainty makes you hesitate. Fatigue makes you stop caring. Why Your Brain Makes Worse Decisions by Evening You've probably heard the popular saying: "Making too many decisions wears you out, so by evening your judgment is shot." That idea dominated psychology for twenty years. Researchers believed decision-making drained from a limited mental reserve, like a battery running down. Then, independent labs tried to reproduce those results at scale, and the effect vanished. One study, 23 labs, over 2,000 people, found nothing. A second, 36 labs, 3,500 people, same result. The experience is real, though. People do make worse decisions after a long day of mental effort. What was wrong was the explanation. Your brain doesn't drain like a battery. After sustained effort, it shifts priorities. It starts favoring speed and ease over accuracy. Not because it can't think carefully, but because it decides careful thinking isn't worth the effort. Decision fatigue isn't your brain shutting down. It's your brain quietly lowering its standards without telling you. Decision Fatigue in the Real World That science isn't abstract. It plays out every day. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital tracked over 21,000 patient visits. Doctors prescribed unnecessary antibiotics more frequently as the day went on. Not because afternoon patients were sicker. Because saying "here's a prescription" is easier than explaining why you don't need one. Five percent more patients received antibiotics they didn't need, purely because of timing. The same pattern shows up everywhere. Surgeons make more conservative calls later in the day. Hand hygiene compliance drops across a twelve-hour shift. Financial analysts grow less accurate with each additional stock prediction they make in a single day. The drift always goes in the same direction: toward whatever requires the least effort. That drift explains something we've been exploring across this series. When you're exhausted, someone else's conclusion isn't just tempting, it's a relief. The algorithm's recommendation saves you from having to evaluate. The expert's opinion saves you from forming your own. That's mindjacking, finding the open door. Fatigue doesn't just degrade your thinking. It makes you grateful to hand it over. Your Four Warning Signals Knowing the science is useful. But what matters more is catching fatigue in yourself before it costs you. Here are four signals that your judgment is compromised. Signal 1: The Default Drift. Someone proposes a plan that sounds... fine. Not great, not terrible. Two hours ago, you'd have pushed back, asked harder questions. Now you just nod. You're not agreeing because you're convinced. You're agreeing because disagreeing takes energy you no longer have. Signal 2: The Irritability Spike. A colleague asks a reasonable question, and it feels like an interruption. When your emotional response is out of proportion to the situation, it's not the situation. Your reserves are low. Signal 3: The Shortcut Reflex. A decision that should take twenty minutes takes thirty seconds. You skip the analysis, go with your gut. There's a version of this that sounds like confidence. "I trust my instincts." But late in the day, that phrase is often code for "I'm too tired to think this through." Signal 4: The Surrender. You stop forming conclusions and start borrowing them. Someone says, "I think we should go with Option B" and you feel a wave of relief. Not because Option B is right, but because you no longer have to figure it out. That relief is the signal. When outsourcing, your judgment feels like a gift instead of a loss, you're running on empty. If two or more of these show up at the same time, stop. Your judgment isn't reliable right now. Don't trust it with anything that matters. Four Moves to Protect Your Judgment Those signals tell you something's wrong. Here's what to do about it. Move 1: Postpone it. Move the decision to a high-energy window. For most people, that's morning. Think of those hours like premium real estate. Stop filling them with trivial meetings. Move 2: Shrink it. Instead of "Should we pursue this entire strategy?" ask "What's the one thing I need to decide tonight?" Tired minds handle focused questions better than open-ended ones. Move 3: Add a checkpoint. Make the call, but build in a mandatory review: "Here's my decision. We revisit on Thursday morning." Not indecisiveness. A safety net. Move 4: Pre-commit. Before you're ever exhausted, set rules for your future tired self. "I don't approve expenditures over $10,000 after 6 PM." "I don't respond to emotionally charged emails the same day." "I don't make personnel decisions on Fridays." This is the most powerful move because you're making the decision when you're strong so you don't have to make it when you're weak. Pre-commitment also means structuring the order of your decisions. Researchers studying car buyers found that customers who faced the most complex choices first were significantly more likely to accept defaults on everything that followed. The decisions wore them down. The fix was simple: put simple choices first. Front-load your high-stakes choices the same way. Design your day so that by the time your energy fades, the remaining decisions matter least. Recovery as a Decision-Making Strategy Everything I've just described helps you manage fatigue in the moment. But there's a deeper question: what are you doing to actually replenish? We treat fatigue like it's inevitable. It's not. It's a sign you're spending more than you're recovering. The fix isn't another productivity hack. It's genuine rest. Real time away. Disconnected. Off. I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I was a workaholic, just like my father. It took years to see the connection between rest and judgment. When I became a CEO, I made recovery a priority. We offer unlimited PTO, but offering it isn't enough. I take it visibly, because if the person at the top doesn't step away, nobody believes they're allowed to. A team that never replenishes is permanently operating in a degraded state. That's slow-motion failure. The triage framework buys you time. Recovery is what actually refills the tank. Your Pre-Commitment Challenge Every framework in this series assumes you'll use it when it counts. But mental fatigue is the silent killer of good frameworks. You can know everything about logical reasoning and second-order effects, and still make a terrible call at 10 PM because your mind decided careful thinking wasn't worth the effort. That's why this isn't just another episode. This is the one that determines whether everything else actually works in your real life. So, before this episode ends, pick one pre-commitment. One rule your strong self creates for your tired self. "I don't approve budgets after 7 PM." "I don't reply to conflict emails the same day." Whatever yours is, write it where you'll see it when you're exhausted. Then tell one person. Not for accountability theater. Because saying it out loud makes it real in a way that thinking it never does. Remember that nurse? She had the knowledge, skills, and dedication to stay late for her team. What she lacked was a system to protect her judgment when her energy failed. Your worst decisions don't happen because you're not smart enough. They happen because you're too tired to use the intelligence you already have. That nurse had all night to realize what she'd missed. But what if she hadn't? What if someone had needed that decision in the next five minutes? That's a different kind of danger. Not fatigue alone, but fatigue with a ticking clock. "We need an answer by the end of the day." "This offer expires at midnight." "The board meets tomorrow." Sometimes those deadlines are real. Sometimes they're manufactured to make you decide before you can think. How do you tell the difference? That's next time. Subscribe so you don't miss it. Before You Go If you haven't written down your pre-commitment yet, do it now. Sticky note, phone, back of your hand — I don't care where. Then tell someone. If mindjacking is a new concept for you, I've got a full episode that breaks down how to spot when your thinking has been hijacked, whether by outside forces or by yourself. Link's below. For those who want to support the work and the team behind these episodes, you can become a paid subscriber on Substack.  One question for the comments: What's your pre-commitment? Drop it below. Make it public. Make it real. The best decision you make today might be the one you don't let your exhausted self make tonight. Sources: Berxi/NCSBN case studies: Pennsylvania nurse fatigue incident (chemotherapy administration error) https://www.berxi.com/resources/articles/medication-errors-in-nursing/ Linder, J.A., et al. (2014). Time of Day and the Decision to Prescribe Antibiotics. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(12), 2029-2031. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1910546 Hagger, M.S., et al. (2016). A Multilab Preregistered Replication of the Ego-Depletion Effect. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(4), 546-573. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691616652873 Vohs, K.D., et al. (2021). A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect. Psychological Science, 32(10), 1566-1581. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797621989733 Levav, J., et al. (2010). Order in Product Customization Decisions: Evidence from Field Experiments. Journal of Political Economy, 118(2), 274-299. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/652463 Dai, H., et al. (2015). The Impact of Time at Work and Time Off From Work on Rule Compliance: The Case of Hand Hygiene in Health Care. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 846-862. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25365728/

For many people with a history of chronic stress, attachment wounds, or complex trauma, boundaries don't land as neutral information — they register in the nervous system as abandonment, threat, or loss of connection. In this episode of Trauma Rewired, we explore why that happens and what it actually takes to rewire those responses at the level that matters most: the body. This conversation reframes boundaries not as walls, ultimatums, or communication strategies, but as a nervous system skill that emerges from regulation, capacity, and internal coherence. Together with our guest, we unpack why setting boundaries from anger can feel easier than setting them from truth, why receiving boundaries can activate shame or collapse, and how post-traumatic growth allows boundaries to become a source of safety rather than disconnection. If you've ever understood boundaries intellectually but struggled to live them relationally, this episode offers a deeper, more compassionate lens — one rooted in neuroscience, somatics, and the lived process of healing. In this episode of Trauma Rewired, co-hosts Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by Margy Feldhuhn, co-owner of Brain-Based Wellness, for a grounded, practical conversation about boundaries. The conversation addresses why boundaries can feel threatening for people with relational or developmental trauma, how control dynamics get confused with protection, and what it looks like to set limits without shame, punishment, or power struggles. Whether you struggle to set boundaries, feel triggered by others' boundaries, or worry about being "too much," this episode offers language and perspective that supports safety rather than disconnection. Chapters 00:00 – Intro/Why boundaries often get mislabeled as control 07:42 – Trauma, power, and the nervous system's role in boundaries 15:30 – The difference between protective limits and coercion 24:10 – Why boundaries can feel unsafe or activating 33:45 – Common boundary mistakes rooted in trauma responses 44:20 – What healthy, non-controlling boundaries actually look like Calls to Action

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We're breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how emotions, even ones unrelated to purchasing decisions, shape what people are willing to spend. They reveal that disgust suppresses value across the board, while sadness increases openness to new products by motivating a desire for change. Topics covered:   [01:00] "Heart Strings and Purse Strings: Carryover Effects of Emotions on Economic Decisions"[02:00] How disgust, sadness, and neutrality shift buying behavior[03:00] The endowment effect and emotional influence[05:00] Why specificity matters more than positive or negative[06:00] Disgust in advertising: effective or repellent?[08:00] Can annoyance drive brand recall?  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Lerner, J. S., Small, D. A., & Loewenstein, G. (2004). Heart strings and purse strings: Carryover effects of emotions on economic decisions. Psychological Science, 15(5), 337–341.  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

In a rare departure from our usual diet of online weirdos, this episode features an academic who is very much not a guru. We're joined by Julia Rohrer, a psychologist at Leipzig University whose work straddles the disciplinary boundaries of open science, research transparency, and causal inference. Julia is also an editor at Psychological Science and has spent much of the last decade politely pointing out that psychologists often don't quite know what they're estimating, why, or under which assumptions.We talk about the state of psychology after the replication crisis, whether open science reforms have genuinely improved research practice (or just added new boxes to tick), and why causal thinking is unavoidable even when researchers insist they are “only describing associations.” Julia explains why the standard dance of imply causality → deny causality → add boilerplate disclaimer is unhelpful, and argues instead for being explicit about the causal questions researchers actually care about and the assumptions required to answer them.Along the way we discuss images of scientists in the public and amongst the gurus, how post-treatment bias sneaks into even well-intentioned experimental designs, why specifying the estimand matters more than running ever-fancier models, and how psychology's current norms can potentially punish honesty about uncertainty. We also touch on her work on birth-order effects and offer some possible reasons for optimism.With all the guru talk, people sometimes ask us to recommend things that we like, and Julia's work is one such example!LinksJulia Rohrer's websiteThe 100% CI blogRohrer, J. M. (2024). Causal inference for psychologists who think that causal inference is not for them. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(3), e12948.Rohrer, J. M., Tierney, W., Uhlmann, E. L., DeBruine, L. M., Heyman, T., Jones, B., ... & Yarkoni, T. (2021). Putting the self in self-correction: Findings from the loss-of-confidence project. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(6), 1255-1269.Rohrer, J. M., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2015). Examining the effects of birth order on personality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(46), 14224-14229.BEMC MAY 2024 - Julia Rohrer - "Causal confusions correlate with casual conclusions"Dr. Tobias Dienlin - Less casual causal inference for experiments and longitudinal data: Research talk by Julia Rohrer

In this solo episode, Darin breaks down one of the most misunderstood drivers of behavior change: environment. We've been taught that success comes down to discipline, motivation, and willpower, but neuroscience tells a very different story. Darin explains how modern environments hijack the brain's reward system, override conscious choice, and quietly shape habits before we even realize it. This episode is a practical, science-backed roadmap for redesigning your surroundings so healthy behaviors become automatic and self-sabotaging patterns lose their grip.     What You'll Learn Why willpower is a weak and unreliable backup system How your environment shapes behavior before conscious choice The neuroscience behind cues, habits, and automatic behavior Why modern food and tech are engineered to hijack dopamine How stress amplifies cravings and impulsive behavior The link between cortisol, dopamine, and habit formation Why changing your environment works better than "trying harder" How visual cues influence food choices and cravings Why phones, notifications, and color overstimulate the brain Simple ways to design a SuperLife environment that supports your goals     Chapters 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife and the mission of sovereignty 00:00:33 – Sponsor: TruNiagen NAD⁺ supplements and why verification matters 00:02:18 – Introducing today's topic: environment vs willpower 00:02:42 – Why willpower has been misunderstood 00:03:18 – Willpower as a weak backup system 00:03:32 – How surroundings shape habits automatically 00:03:53 – The neuroscience of behavior change 00:04:01 – Dopamine hijacking in modern life 00:04:14 – Designing environments that make good habits automatic 00:05:06 – Why this topic matters more than ever 00:05:46 – External cues and automatic brain responses 00:06:18 – Hippocampus, basal ganglia, and habit loops 00:06:55 – Nudge theory and environmental design 00:07:31 – Why willpower shouldn't lead behavior change 00:07:55 – Food cues, stress, and cravings 00:08:20 – Phones, notifications, and dopamine overload 00:09:05 – Reward prediction and cue-driven behavior 00:10:02 – Redesigning environments to reduce addiction 00:10:34 – Stress hormones and habit reinforcement 00:11:30 – Sponsor: Our Place non-toxic cookware 00:13:34 – Stress, scrolling, and lost time 00:14:26 – Junk food, stress, and compulsive eating 00:15:12 – How environmental cues shift food desire 00:15:28 – Engineered foods and reward circuits 00:16:09 – Tech cues, stress, and attention hijacking 00:17:06 – Practical solutions: designing a SuperLife environment 00:17:48 – Kitchen setup and visual food cues 00:18:41 – Workspace design and single-purpose zones 00:19:08 – Reducing digital dopamine triggers 00:19:32 – Using grayscale mode on your phone 00:20:32 – Social environment and behavior modeling 00:21:21 – Community, support, and the SuperLife Patreon 00:22:18 – Bringing nature into your home 00:23:19 – Environment influences habits more than willpower 00:23:52 – Why inaction keeps you stuck 00:24:13 – Changing your environment to change your life 00:24:26 – Closing thoughts and call to action     Thank You to Our Sponsors: Our Place: Non-toxic cookware that keeps harmful chemicals out of your food. Get 10% off at fromourplace.com with code DARIN. Tru Niagen: Boost NAD+ levels for cellular health and longevity. Get 20% off with code DARIN20 at truniagen.com.     Find More From Darin: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences     Key Takeaway If you don't change your environment, something else will keep making choices for you.     Bibliography/Sources Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery. (Reference for Environment > Willpower). https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits Laran, J., & Salerno, A. (2013). Life-history strategy, food choice, and caloric consumption. Psychological Science, 24(2), 167–173. (Reference for harsh environment cues increasing desire for energy-dense foods). https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612450031 Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2013). Scarcity: Why having so little means so much. Times Books. (Reference for scarcity/environment hijacking cognitive bandwidth). https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780805092646 Schwabe, L., & Wolf, O. T. (2011). Stress-induced modulation of instrumental behavior: From goal-directed to habitual control of action. Behavioral Neuroscience, 125(5), 664–673. (Reference for stress hormones amplifying habit/cue-reward learning). https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024732 Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., Robinson-O'Brien, R., & Glanz, K. (2008). Creating healthy food and eating environments: Policy and environmental approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 253–272. (Reference for the "ecological framework" of eating behavior). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.020907.090926 Subramaniam, A. (2025). How your environment shapes your habits. Psychology Today. (Reference for the specific Psychology Today article on external cues). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-from-a-neuroscience-perspective/202503/how-your-environment-shapes-your-habits Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press. (Reference for Nudge Theory). https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300122237/nudge Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201–230. (Reference for nature exposure reducing stress markers). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80184-7 Wansink, B. (2004). Environmental factors that increase the food intake and consumption volume of unknowing consumers. Annual Review of Nutrition, 24, 455–479. (Reference for visual cues and food environment engineering). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.nutr.24.010403.103025  

What if small changes to how you eat in 2026 could help you feel more energetic, less hungry, and more in control of your health? In this episode, we ask Professor Tim Spector and Professor Sarah Berry a simple question: which everyday food habits make the biggest difference to how we feel? Tim and Sarah outline the eight key principles that inform their approach to eating well and share clear, practical science in a way that's easy to follow. You'll hear simple tips you can try at home, like how to build a balanced breakfast, add more plants to your meals, and choose small habits that are easier to stick to over time. What is one easy change you could try in 2026 to feel a little better? Unwrap the truth about your food