Why We Do What We Do

A useful, informal template for beginning to understand human behavior is consider a couple of features of the consequences for behavior: the longterm and short term consequences, positive and negative consequences, and the relatively likelihood of those consequences. This is not a comprehensive analysis, but a great starting place. We'll teach you all about it in this discussion. Join the clerb:...

What are ghosts? Why are ghosts? How are ghosts? Pretend, for fun, and they aren't, in that order. Ghosts exist in the space of low resolution and little information. We ask the hard questions about the plausibility of ghosts as well as explore Haunted Person Syndrome (HPS). Are you haunted by a ghost? Tell us all about it! Recommendations Abraham:  Till Death ( https://www.netflix.com/title/81075...

Our last and least mini of the Halloween season: The fear of small things! We'll cap off our series of minis with our smallest episode. We'll talk about the diagnostic criteria and features of this as well as recommendations for treatment.  Join the club! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References:  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22427-microphobia https://www.dovemed.com/di...

What makes people prone to believing in cryptids and why do some cryptids seem more plausible than others? We explore the various culture, language, and characteritics of cryptid lore and why some cryptids seem plausible. Behind every good lie is a nugget of truth, and we find the nuggets here.  Recommendations Abraham: John Wick: Chapter 4 ( https://johnwick.movie/ ) Shane: Blood Incantation - Ab...

The fear of long words has 36 letters, making it one of the longest words in the English language: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Also called simply sesquippedaliophobia. Who has this and how prevalent is this fear? Not very many and not very. Also, it is unofficial. Let's listen to two guys struggle to talk through this.  Pronounciation guide: hi·puh·paa·tuh·muhn·strow·suh·skwipt·a·lee·ow·...

Is it possible to die of fright? Turns out, yes, sort of. How this works is interesting in its own right, but the "why" invites a fascinating inquiry. We explain the biological science behind how this might work and the psychology of why it would work that way. Hopefully we don't scare you too much! Recommendations Abraham: Rolling Realms ( https://stonemaiergames.com/games/rolling-realms/ ) Shane...

Phobophobia is fear of fear. This is so esoteric, it has to be an episode that we'd cover! This is not unlike generalized anxiety disorder. Also, we manage to fit in a reference to the Green Lantern... somewhow. Join our group of supporters! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References : https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22520-phobophobia-fear-of-fear https://www.healthline.com/...

Halloween-month 2024 continues! Sort of a misinterpretation of Navajo traditions, Skinwalkers are similar to the cocept of werewolves or other animal-transformation mythologies. We will celebrate the fantastical and spooky elements of this lesser known tradition in honor of the month of creepy stuff.  Recommendations Abraham: Lahaina Fire Recovery Donation ( https://lahaina.givingcircles.io/ ) Sha...

For Halloween month this year we are focusing on specific phobias for our minis. This week's selection is on the fear of clowns. What is it? Why is it? We will dig into the this in a quick 15-minute format, enjoy! Join the WWDWWD club at patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References:  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21835-coulrophobia-fear-of-clowns https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc...

Happy Halloween month! It's October, the time we spend celebrating the spookier side of psychological topics. What we haven't done thorughly, yet, is the most foundational emotion related to Halloween: fear! This discussion reviews common fears, philosophy of fear, the physiology of fear, and treatments for excessively fearful behavior. Enjoy a textbook unpacking of this emotional behavior. Recomm...

A common refrain in acknowledging, justifying, or explaining behavior is "that's just how my brain works." For some people, this is the case. For others, it is a mischaracterization of our development and a commitment to a lack of change. This episode is a quick exploration of that way of thinking. A yam... what a yam! Become a supporter! Patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links:  https://read.dukeupress.e...

It is easy to dismiss some behaviors as "just" imitation. However, this is a crucial developmental skill that we rely on throughout our lifetimes. We explore the philosophy of what imitation is, how it develops, and when people struggle with it.  Recommendations Abraham: Sagrada: Artisans ( https://floodgate.games/products/sagrada-artisans?srsltid=AfmBOooELu9aa2H_Wc60JxmxQF2GqyRECy328sy1Kkkp3qbrLZ...

Neoliberalism is a a name that might be misleading. It is not "liberal" as in left-wing politics. We will describe what neoliberalism is and offer our own ideas about its proposal. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References :  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neoliberalism/ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/neoliberalism.asp https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

Why did humans to raise some people or allow them to raise themselves above even the highest "classes" of society? We trace the history of royalty, the privilege of royalty, and the features of royalty. It was a strange practice that both has and hasn't stood the test of time. Learn all about how monarchy governments work. Recommendations Abraham: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (https://www.furiosaamadma...

This is less of a "why" or the inner workings of the industry and more of a definition unpacking. This is largely in response to the "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it" type answer that is often given. Sometimes, we have to define things more functionally than formally, as we will attempt to do here. Although there is some description of the content of porn, it is more procedural than...

We revisit this classic episode in a discussion about how lack of experience leads to a false-sense of competence, or maybe there is something else going on? The Dunning-Kruger effect famously relates data that demonstrates a lack of skill associated with a high rate of confidence and a lack of confidence associated with a high level of skill. Some people question how robust this effect may be. We...

Another exploration of the weird things we say. The word "duh" is an interesting one with more recent roots than you might think. Enjoy our quick dive into more word discussions in which we talk about words, duh. Support us on Patreon! : www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References:  https://wgntv.com/morning-news/66-the-origin-of-duh/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Oxford%20English,or%20fei...

Critical thinking is the vaccine against misinformation. If you learn nothing else, learn to question your own beliefs. We discuss the importance of criical thinking and some exercises to build your critical thinking muscle. Don't be hoodwinked by logical fallacies and rhetorical tricks.  Recommendations Abraham: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning pt 1 ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9603212/review...

One defense that lawyers have successfuly used is the supposition that people can become temporarily unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. What does it mean to be temporarily insane? We discuss the implications of the use and idea behind temporary insanity and even briefly touch on the legal system in general. Join the club! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References:  htt...

This discussion expands on the first episode, which covered the history of the electoral college, by explaining the arguments for and against this system. Further, we briefly touch on some alternative strategies that have been proposed. This system, as it exists, is you uniquely American and most people don't want it. We'll give our final thoughts at the closing of this discussion.  Recommendation...

Did you ever notice those stickers on commercial vehicles that ask "How is my driving?" with a corresponding phone number? We were curious, what is the purpose of this sticker? Is it for the driver? For other drivers on the road? For praise? For cricitism? We do a quick investigation into this sticker, where it came from and how it works.  Join the club! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and Ref...

The electoral college is a strange system in the United States by which the president is "chosen" by a slate of people who represent the will of the voters, except when it doesn't. In this first episode, we explore the history of the electoral college and some of the unique instances in which a president achieved office without the majority of votes from the people because this system allows it. N...

In the small field of Behavior Analysis, there is a smaller subset of practitioners who champion the use of a particular data graphing display called the "Standard Celeration Chart." We explain what is going on with this weird blue chart. Support us at Patreon: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Learn more about the Standard Celeration Chart: www.celeration.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https...

This discussion concludes by exploring how empathy develops. This can result in people with extremely high empathy and extremely low empathy. Where do you fall on the spectrum of empathy? Consider that wherever you, you can be somehwere else on this spectrum.  Recommendations: Abraham: Deadpool & Wolverine ( https://www.marvel.com/movies/deadpool-and-wolverine ) Shane: Try a nutritionist Links...

These are the things we cut our teeth on... Did you know what a "trick cyclist" was? We didn't. Some sayings stick around in the lexicon, some seem to fade into obscurity. We have a lot of fun exploring the history of weird things English speakers have said that we likely wouldn't recognize today.  Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and references : https://promova.com/blo...