The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast

What draws people to history?  Niche interests?  Recognizing shared human experiences in different times and cultures?  We explore these ideas and more in this episode.  Starting by what interests people about history, moving through the cyclical nature of civilizational rise and decline, and history giving us examples of greatness (note: "great" is completely detached from morality; a person can...

In this episode, we discuss the evolution of ethics, its origins, and its functions.  We also explore professional ethical codes and how and why they offer boundaries for socially acceptable behaviors.  Enjoy! Kristy Bohan Edmunds is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 20...

What do High Priest Imhotep, Druidic Leader Diviciacus, Edward Alexander Crowley, Franz Anton Mesmer, and Grigori Rasputin all have in common?  Find out during this latest episode where we explore some key examples throughout history of the archetypal Mystic. Works Cited: Wildung, D. (1977). Egyptian Saints: Deification in pharaonic Egypt. New York University Press. p. 34. Fuhrmann, Joseph T. (201...

In this episode, we examine the spread of Christianity into Europe from the perspective of cultural transmission and state building in the void left by the collapse of the western Roman Empire.  How did those peoples wrestle with differing world views?  What does our understanding of those times tell us about who we are today? Works cited:  The Age of Faith, Will Durant, Fine Communications, 1997....

In this episode, we discuss Homo naledi, a recent hominid species discovered in southern Africa, their apparent ritualistic burials, and how interesting it is that they exhibit behaviors akin to Homo sapiens some 200,000 years earlier.  We also discuss creation myths and the underlying theme of ordering chaos and it's parallels with limiting infinite possibility space rendering that space useful a...

Forward: I apologize to our listeners for my audio in this episode.  Everything started off fine, but my microphone glitches out after the first 1/3 of the episode.  Switching to a back up allowed us to finish the episode at the cost of my audio quality.  Please remember that, while we strive to bring our listeners the best quality podcast that we can produce, we pay out-of-pocket for everything a...

Well, this was a unique episode.  We start of discussing the psychology of games, then we examine a bit of role clarity and role acquisition.  Afterwards, we explore a deep rabbit hole about the role of government, expectations for individuals, the nature of rights, and balancing policy between interventions and preservation of individual liberties.  I debated whether to publish this episode or st...

Welcome back to another exciting episode! In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell trace how embodiment of various social roles unlocks new genetic potential as our bodies respond to new environments by synthesizing proteins that we had been unable to before. Further, we explore how new environments stimulate neuroplasticity allowing us to reshape our cognitive structures and think about the world in...

What a wild ride of an episode! In this one, Kristy and I cover a very wide range of topics relating to social groups and their influence on individual psychology from prisons to military service to cults to social media mobbing. There's too much to type out, so you'll just have to listen! Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Ps...

New year, same old show! We decided to start the new year with a new multipart series on social psychology. Now, more than ever, social psychology matters in ways it never has before. With social media and a myriad of social pressures that we engage with and consume hour by hour and day by day, understanding social psychology can have a major impact on how we live our day to day lives. Kristy Boha...

Welcome back to another episode of the Cognitive Dissonance Podcast!  In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss the concept of an afterlife, how that concept might have originated, and why we think it might be integral to the human experience.  We also discuss the connected topics of object permanence, depressions, meaning, animal psychology, and even some metaphysics and the nature of reality....

Don't worry, we haven't quit yet! We are back with another riveting episode, this time a continuation of our discussion on Religion and Spirituality. We begin by discussing Roland Griffiths' research out of Johns Hopkins University regarding psychedelic chemicals and the mystical experiences they can produce. Then we shift to analyzing religion as a set of behavioral principles. In part 3 we will...

In our 10th episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss depression, its myriad causes, and different treatment techniques.  We approach depression from a pharmacological perspective, exploring the uses and effects of serotonin and SSRI medications on mood and personality.  We also flip our focus and examine depression from a cognitive and conceptual perspective, discussing how our narratives, thoughts, a...

Forward: I present incorrect information during this episode regarding jumping spiders and their vision.  I incorrectly state that jumping spiders move their brains to focus their vision, when in actuality they move telescopic-like tubes connected to their static lenses within what would be their brain cavity.  For an excellent video illustrating this incredible process, see: https://whyevolutioni...

Welcome back to another episode of The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast!  In this episode, Kristy and I discuss social media and its relation to social incentives, impulse control, and exposure therapy.  We also venture into the realm of ADHD and how it is entangled with social media.  Finally, we talk self-diagnoses and also the pernicious effect that most studies suggest social media use can have on...

Welcome back to TCD Podcast! In this episode Kristy and I explore social media and its effect on the brain. We touch on imposter syndrome, evolutionary traits of sociability, and being the hero in our own stories. We wrap up talking about suicidality and predictive analyses of mental health using social media algorithms. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podca...

In this episode, Kristy and I discuss the neurotransmitter Dopamine and its related systems, how those regulate behavior and reward-seeking, we lay out a claim for the biological origin of culture, we discuss how inherited traditions serve as starting points for navigating life, and the fine line between compassion and tough love. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Disson...

In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell lay the groundwork and explore some foundational ideas in part 1 of a 2 part mini-series on behavior, behavior modification, and the evolution of behavior. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on h...

In this episode of The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast, we discuss whether free will exists or not, the implications and consequences of either option, discussions of morality, agency, and even the nature of reality. We also discuss complex systems and Plato's theory of forms. It is a deep yet necessary dive into what it means to truly have a human experience. Enjoy. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and c...

In this episode, Mitchell and Kristy discuss the evolution of language, dual patterning, the fundamental substructure of reality, and the phenomenon of emergence, among other things. If you have not read Mitchell's SubStack post exploring language, you should check it out as a good primer for this discussion: https://mitchellcroot.substack.com/p/boundaries-and-descriptions?r=hhe57&utm_campaign=pos...

Welcome back! In this episode, Kristy and I discuss social circles, evolutionary psychology, heuristics, domestication of animals, and we even touch on consciousness. Internet connectivity was a bit sketchy during our recording, and I am still figuring out the mono rather than stereo of certain parts of our audio. I appreciate everyone's patience; it's been a steep learning curve, but keep pace wi...

In our very first episode, Kristy Bohan and I (Mitchell Croot) discuss a range of topics from Michel Foucault's death of the author to infrastructure and human rights to pandemics and the Black Death.  Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began wor...