A Bit More Complicated

In this episode we were joined by Dr. Amy Muise to discuss sex: how couples navigate different sexual desires in relationships, how cuddling improves sexual satisfaction, how much sex is enough sex, and sex in consensual nonmonogamy relationships. We also discuss Amy's recent debunk of "love languages." Resources: Webpage: https://www.amymuise.com/   Lab instagram: https://www.instag...

This is a first episode about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Our guest, Dr. Steven David is a scholar of international relations and security studies, and he discussed the conflict with us. This conversation largely explores the conflict from an Israeli (specifically a progressive Zionist) perspective. There are many issues we did not discuss, but we will likely explore in future episodes. Note: T...

In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. Daniel Yudkin, a social psychologist and researcher at the organization More In Common. We talk about how and why people fundamentally misunderstand Americans’ political viewpoints, and what we can do about this problem.  (So sorry about Manny's audio quality! There was a mic issue and we had to use his webcam mic for the episode.) Daniel’s Substa...

In this episode Dylan interviews Manny about his first first-author paper! The paper investigates how people’s socioeconomic status relates to health (it’s a bit more complicated!). Manny’s paper (not pay walled!): ⁠https://academic.oup.com/abm/article/57/11/929/7281567⁠ Kraus episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/29DVydMRzGb Muscatell episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/p6g2VKPR...

Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. David Karp, Professor in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. We talk about the concept of "restorative justice" and how it can be applied specifically to the ongoing problem of sexual misconduct in colleges and universities. We also talk about some of the challenges to scaling up restorative justice, and address so...

As Manny mentioned at the top of our previous episode (#30) featuring Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, we continued the conversation a bit to discuss some topics related to gender dysphoric youth, as well as societal attitudes/prejudice towards transgender individuals. Manny and Dylan discuss how we can interpret polling data and what schools should do to support gender diverse students (and their parent...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, a pioneer in our understanding of youth gender transition. Dr. Edwards-Leeper is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in gender and Professor Emerita of the School of Graduate Psychology at Pacific University in Oregon. She works with gender diverse and transgender children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Edwards-Leeper was a member...

We're back! We're kicking off a new season of episodes with an interview with Dr. Paul Bloom to discuss his new book Psych. We discuss science communication, the limits and value of psychology, whether researchers should be siloed in academia, the problem with empathy, if kids are little bigots, and if social psychology isn't paying enough attention to policy. Psych : The Story of The...

In this episode we talk about Dylan’s newly published study about romantic infidelity in Ashley Madison users. We talk about the ethics of cheating and dishonesty, and whether someone can truly “love” their spouse while having sex with another person. We also talk about what it was like to survey Ashley Madison users about their affairs, and whether we can truly trust them.  This will be our last...

In this episode we spoke with 2 experts on the topics of mental health, mindful self-compassion, and leadership. These are topics that are not only important for people’s general well-being, but also for how people function in their workplaces, and in other areas of life. On the research side, we have Dr. Remy Jennings and on the practitioner side, we have Janine Johnston. Dr. Jennings is an Assis...

In this episode we have a discussion with Dr. Erica Anderson about the consensus (and lack thereof) within the trans healthcare community. Topics include: conservative anti-trans legislation, ROGD, desistence, affirmative care vs explorative therapy, trans healthcare in Europe, and the ethics of debating trans healthcare in the popular press. Sources: WPATH statement opposing discussion in the lay...

Dylan and Manny chat with Dr. Chris Ferguson about the “social media hypothesis” of mental health. Dr. Ferguson is a clinical psychologist and professor at Stetson University. His research speciality is in media technology, and has co-written Moral Combat : Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong . We talk about social comparison, suicide, moral panics, the “nocebo effect,” and more. The three...

In this episode, we interview Stanford psychology professor, Dr. Greg Walton. We discuss: The successful ways that Greg has used "wise interventions" to address social problems like educational inequalities. The importance of social belonging and how feelings of belonging uncertainty can create a downward spiral. Most importantly: Greg's new paper in Science! We focus on what the soc...

In this episode of the podcast we take a crash course on transgender identity and terminology, statistics on transition and stigma (and associated mental health issues) within the trans community, transition in adults and kids, gender-affirming care, and the difficulties faced by trans individuals who engage with the medical system to get care. Dr. McLamore is bursting at the seams with knowledge...

In this episode, we are joined by Andrew Devendorf to discuss mental health stigma and how--even among mental health professionals--people often have to hide their mental health conditions or receive social backlash for them. We discuss how this effects research, clinical work, youtube videos, and the broader culture. Suicidal ideation in non-depressed individuals: The effects of a chronic, misund...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Beth Livingston to take a critical look at a recent paper that criticized "woke" DEI efforts. Waldman & Sparr - Rethinking Diversity Strategies : An Application of Paradox and Positive Organization Behavior Theories Thomason, Opie, Livingston & Sitzmann: “Woke” Diversity Strategies : Science or Sensationalism? Woke (Dictionary.com) Stop WOKE...

In this episode, we interview Dr. Adam Mastroianni. We discuss misperceptions about social progress and political hatred. We also have an extended discussion about the problems with the scientific system of peer review and what we can do to fix those problems. Adam's Blog: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/ Adam's article on misperceptions about society: https://experimentalhistory.substack...

In this episode, we discuss the high profile case of Steven Robert's mistreatment at Perspective on Psychological Science (PoPS). We recorded an interesting and productive discussion with Steven, but he decided against publication of our conversation with him. We thought this topic was too important to not do an episode on, so we recorded our thoughts on the subject without Steven.  The episo...

In this episode, Manny and Dylan talk with Dr. Jennifer Harman, Associate Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University. The discussion focuses on the topic of parental alienation, or when one parent turns their children against the other parent. When and why does this happen? What can it do to kids and what can we do about it?  Show notes: https://theconversation.com/parental-alienati...

In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. Kalynda Smith about her work on body image and health. Dr. Smith presents a nuanced view on this topic. We acknowledge that while obesity is a significant factor in physical health, at the same time we cannot judge people’s health just by looking at their bodies. Dr. Smith also advocates for focusing on behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exerc...

In this episode, we dive into a discussion of anti-racism with Dr. Erec Smith. Dr. Smith is a Professor of English Language, Literacy and Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books, is a Writing Fellow for Heterodox Academy, and is a co-founder of Free Black Thought . Dr. Smith is an ardent critic of certain ideas relevant to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)...

We discuss Dr. Higginbotham's interesting approach to psychological research: using history as a guide. Specifically we discuss his paper which found that racially resentful White Americans were less supportive of gun rights when Black (vs. White) Americans showed greater use of their gun rights. The studies results harken back to how gun control legislation (Mulford Act of 1967) was used to under...

This is an episode we've been looking forward to since the inception of the podcast. We sat down and talked with Scott Barry Kaufman, one of the more famous living psychologists, about his work on self-actualization, coaching, education and intelligence, scientific controversies, and more. Check out Scott's new book! Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt Center fo...

In the beginning of the episode we discuss the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP): https://spsp.org/events/demonstrating-our-commitment-anti-racism-through-programming-and-events We reference a statement written by Jonathan Haidt and Lee Jussim complaining about this policy: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/mandatory-diversity-...

Dr. Enders joined us to talk about his recent paper published in the journal Political Behavior which is called, Are Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories? It seems like your answer to that question is no. We discuss this paper and explore how political beliefs and conspiracy beliefs relate to each other.  Dr. Enders’s paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...