People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast
Episodes
Democracy is difficult and contains the seeds of its destruction | A talk with Robert Talisse
10 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with political theorist Robert Talisse, author of "Sustaining Democracy: What We Owe To The Other Side," which is one of the best book about Am...
Analyzing behavior in aviation security and other risk-assessment scenarios
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aviation security professional Philip Baum talks about analyzing behavior for aviation security and risk assessment purposes, and for security purpose...
Poker tells in a World Series of Poker Ladies Event hand, with Lara Eisenberg
13 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with poker player Lara Eisenberg, who won the 2021 World Series of Poker Ladies Event, and who cashed in a 2022 World Poker Tour event for $481...
The illusions and deceptions in our memory and sense of self
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with social psychologist Anne Wilson about memory and how we define who we are. Topics discussed include: the nature of self; the nature of mem...
My book Defusing American Anger, about U.S. polarization, is published
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some updates about: the release of my Defusing American Anger book (available at www.american-anger.com); some depolarization-aimed videos I put on Yo...
The stress and social isolation of leaving one's cult, with Calvin Wayman
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Calvin Wayman was raised in a fundamentalist Mormon cult, with four mothers and 44 siblings. This world was everything he had known. At the age of 30,...
On psychopathy, dark traits, and "dark empaths," with Nadja Heym
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Nadja Heym, a psychology researcher who specializes in dark traits, like psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism, and who has researched so-ca...
Can our contempt and rage help create the very things we're upset about?
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When trying to convince people of the problem of polarization and the necessity for depolarization endeavors, a common objection from politically pass...
Psychological tactics and opponent-reading in GT racecar driving, with Andy Lally
11 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with racecar driver Andy Lally, who specializes in endurance GT (sportcar) racing. Topics we talk about include: What's the breakdown in skill ...
Do some common facial expressions reveal personality traits?, with Herman Ilgen
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Herman Ilgen, who's been a negotiator for more than 30 years and who is the founder of the Institute for Nonverbal Strategy Analysis (INSA...
An angry divide over zoning in Caroline, New York: a talk with Quaker Rebecca Schillenback
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the small town of Caroline in central New York state, there seems to be a war going on. A large sign in the town reads, "There’s a war in the val...
Improving sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships, with Jessica Maxwell
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with psychologist Jessica Maxwell about her research on sexual relationships. We talk about "growth" versus "destiny" views on sex: in other wo...
How body language can influence teammates and competitors in sports
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Philip Furley, who has done extensive research on behavior and psychology in sports. Topics discussed include: how an athlete's body langu...
Why are humans so gullible?, with Brian Dunning, host of the Skeptoid podcast
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Brian Dunning, who you might call a professional skeptic. He has been doing the Skeptoid podcast since 2006, and is the creator of multipl...
Are hate crimes exaggerated in the U.S.?, with Wilfred Reilly
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wilfred Reilly is a political scientist, professor, and author of the 2019 book Hate Crime Hoax. Topics discussed include: how hate crimes are tracked...
About this podcast: why I do it and why I think it's important
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about the People Who Read People podcast. Topics discussed: the origins and goals of this podcast; my approach to deciding on who ...
Perceptions of antisemitism on the American right and left, with James Kirchick
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with journalist James Kirchick about the origins of and perceptions of various types of American antisemitism. Topics discussed include: views ...
Is liberal bias an obstacle to American depolarization efforts?, with Guy Burgess
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with conflict resolution specialist Guy Burgess, who, along with his wife Heidi Burgess, run the project BeyondIntractability.org. Guy and Heid...
Psychological aspects of job recruiting, with Blake Mobley
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Blake Mobley about the business of recruiting: matching job seekers with companies that are hiring. Blake is the co-founder and managing d...
My experience dropping out of college due to a psychological breakdown
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I was interviewed on Mahima Samraik's podcast Breaking The Facts about my struggles with anxiety and mental issues as a young man, which led to me dro...
The psychological and experiential roots of madness, with Richard Bentall
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with psychologist Richard Bentall, author of the well known book Madness Explained, which examines the psychological causes of the symptoms ass...
Reading behavioral "tells" in football, with Larry Hart
29 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Larry Hart, a football coach at the University of Houston, and the author of the book The Recruit's Playbook. Topics discussed include: co...
The joys and challenges of studying nonverbal behavior, with Alan Crawley
15 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with nonverbal behavior expert Alan Crawley, also known by his online handle Sin Verba (www.sinverba.com). Topics discussed include: why he bec...
How we react when our sense of meaning is threatened, with Steven Heine
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Steven Heine about how we react to our sense of meaning being threatened. What happens when our mental frameworks of how the world works d...
Is the whole world growing more polarized?, with Andrew O'Donohue
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Andrew O'Donohue, co-author of "Democracies Divided: The Global Challenge of Political Polarization." Andrew has studied how societal conf...
Are eye movement patterns associated with personality traits?, with Sabrina Hoppe
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Sabrina Hoppe about a 2018 study that showed how eye movements are correlated with personality. That paper was named 'Eye movements during...
Can body language actually be used to detect deception?, with Tim Levine
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with communication researcher Tim Levine about nonverbal behavior and deception detection. Tim's stance is that there's no evidence that nonver...
Reading "drug-seeking" patient behavior, with Dr. Casey Grover
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dr. Casey Grover, addiction specialist and host of the podcast Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care, about how doctors attempt t...
Predicting psychosis and schizophrenia by what words people use, with Neguine Rezaii
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a reshare of a 2020 talk with psychology researcher Neguine Rezaii. She and her research team used machine learning to find language patterns ...
Reading and predicting jury behavior, with Christina Marinakis
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A 2018 talk with jury specialist Christina Marinakis about how she makes use of human psychology and human behavior in her jury consultancy work. Topi...
How to spot fake online reviews, with Olu Popoola
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A 2019 talk I had with forensic linguistic researcher Olu Popoola where we discuss indicators that online reviews are fake or genuine. We talk about h...
Persuasion and influence in group-conflict scenarios, with Matthew Hornsey
11 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with psychology researcher Matthew Hornsey about political polarization and the psychology behind it. Topics discussed include: why people can ...
Analyzing statements in crime and interrogation for hidden meaning, with Mark McClish
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A reshare of one of my most popular episodes: a 2018 talk with Mark McClish, who's an expert in analyzing spoken and written statements for hidden mea...
Reading relationship "tells": Behavioral indicators of strong or unhealthy couples
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A 2019 talk with psychologist and relationship researcher Dr. Brandi Fink. Topics discussed include: some common physical and verbal behaviors (like e...
Pros and cons of different social media content moderation policies, with Bill Ottman
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Bill Ottman, co-founder and CEO of the social media platform Minds, which is known for its minimal content moderation approach. Ottman and...
Are a majority of Americans actually racist? Or is "new racism" overstated?
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with political scientist Leonie Huddy on the topic of research on American racism and prejudice. I was interested in discussing framings like...
Cryptocurrency, problem gambling, and addiction, with Paul Delfabbro
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with psychology and addiction behavior researcher Paul Delfabbro about cryptocurrency, problem gambling, and addiction. Delfabbro has worked on...
A talk with a Trump voter who thinks the 2020 election was stolen
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An examination of the reasons why people believe the 2020 election was "rigged," stolen, or otherwise illegitimate. This includes a talk with Peter Wo...
Detecting lies via facial muscles and machine learning, with Dino Levy
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dino Levy about his research team's research, which used monitoring of facial muscles and machine learning to detect lies at an impressive...
How many Americans actually support political violence?, with Thomas Zeitzoff
05 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with political scientist Thomas Zeitzoff, who has studied political conflicts. We talk about survey results that show an increase in Americans'...
The challenges of studying poker tells scientifically, with Brandon Sheils
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brandon Sheils is a professional poker player who recently did a scientific study of poker tells as part of getting a Masters degree in Psychology. To...
On how distance can make it easier to kill (and do other harsh things), with psych researcher Abe Rutchick
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Psychological researcher Abe Rutchick talks about his work showing that killing is easier at a distance. He talks about how the experiment was designe...
On American polarization and experiences as a black conservative, with John Wood Jr.
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Wood Jr. is a leader and ambassador of the depolarization group Braver Angels. He ran for Congress in 2014 as a Republican against Maxine Waters....
Existential psychology, and the awe and mystery of existence, with Kirk Schneider
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Kirk Schneider, an existential-humanistic psychologist and therapist, and the author of many books, including "Existential-Humanistic Ther...
The science of conversation analysis can make you more persuasive, with Elizabeth Stokoe
15 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Liz Stokoe, a conversation analysis (CA) researcher and the author of "Talk: The Science of Conversation." This is my second episode focus...
How many Trump supporters really believe the election was rigged?, with Tom Pepinsky
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with political scientist Thomas Pepinsky, who has studied, amongst other things, American distrust in elections. Topics discussed include: How ...
The psychology behind how social media is deranging and dividing us
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a piece that I, Zach Elwood, wrote about the ways in which social media (and internet communication more broadly) may be amplifying us-versus-...
How might artificial intelligence produce real consciousness?, with Hod Lipson
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with roboticist and artificial intelligence researcher and roboticist Hod Lipson. Topics include: how close he thinks we are to genuinely self-...
Does video surveillance decrease crime?, with Eric Piza
04 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with criminologist Eric Piza about how video has affected crime rates. Topics discussed include: what the research shows about video surveillan...
Liberal-side reactions to the Rittenhouse verdict through the lens of political polarization
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host Zachary Elwood examines liberal reactions about the Rittenhouse verdict and how some of the more extreme and pessimistic reactions may be seen as...
What is conversation analysis and ethnomethodology?, with Saul Albert
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with social scientist Saul Albert (saulalbert.net) about conversation analysis — the scientific analysis of talking — and the wider field o...
Tracking people over land, aka "sign cutting," with Rob Speiden
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Rob Speiden, an expert in sign cutting, which is the tracking of humans or animals over the ground using clues of physical disturbance. To...
What research finds about social media effects on polarization, with Emily Kubin
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Emily Kubin, who recently, with her co-researcher Christian Von Sikorski, did a comprehensive review of 121 studies on social media effect...
How a pro musician uses psychology and reads behavior, with Ben Tyler
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Ben Tyler, a professional musician and musical educator based in Portland, Oregon, about reading and understanding people in the musical w...
The psychology of nostalgia and the allure of the past, with Jannine Lasaleta
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Jannine Lasaleta, who has researched the psychological effects of nostalgia, including how nostalgic feelings make people more loose and u...
Is it okay to ignore politics? Is it okay to not vote? | a talk with Chris Freiman
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you're someone who pays a lot of attention to politics, but feels that doing so makes you miserable, this may be an important listen. What if someo...
Why Democrats should care about election integrity, with Jennifer Cohn
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Cohn is an attorney and election integrity advocate. Since 2016 she has been drawing attention to problems with U.S. election security and wa...
"The media" isn't some strange external force: it's just people | with Elizaveta Friesem
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Elizaveta Friesem thinks and writes about media and how we relate to it. Her recent book is called "Media Is Us" and it examines the idea that media i...
How a poker pro thinks about poker tells, with Dara O'Kearney
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with professional poker player Dara O'Kearney about poker tells (behavioral patterns in poker). We talk about how useful tells are compar...
A politically liberal cop talks George Floyd and police violence issues (part 2)
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The second of two interviews with James Mitchell, a recently retired police captain who worked in Prince George's County, Maryland. We attempt to unde...
Do some people just want to watch the world burn?, with Kevin Arceneaux
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Kevin Arceneaux, a researcher on the “need for chaos” research project, which found that a surprising number of people, around 4...
What is football quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's tell?, with Jon Hoefling
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with sports analyst and broadcaster Jon Michael Hoefling, who writes for Deadspin. We discuss a recent story about Steelers quarterback Roethli...
Is gender identity theory creating gender dysphoria?, with Carey Callahan
17 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Carey Callahan, a therapist who writes about gender dysphoria and transgender issues, with a focus on medical and healthcare aspects...
How might we better connect with people?, with Ted Brodkin and Ashley Pallathra
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How might we connect better with each other? An interview with Ashley Pallathra and Edward Brodkin, co-authors of "Missing Each Other: How to Cultivat...
Reading tells in the video game Apex Legends, with Brandon Singer, aka Nocturnal
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with professional gamer Nocturnal (OhNocturnal on Twitch), about reading opponent behavior in Apex Legends and other video games. We also...
Psychology and behavioral "tells" in professional tennis, with tennis coach Carlos Goffi
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview about the role of psychology and understanding behavior in tennis, with experienced tennis player and coach Carlos Goffi. Goffi has coach...
A politically liberal police captain talks George Floyd and police violence (part 1)
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
First of two interviews with James Mitchell, a retired police captain who worked in Prince George's County, Maryland. We talk about the U.S. problem o...
Living with anxiety, with Scott Stossel, national editor of The Atlantic
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I interview Scott Stossel, who is the national editor of the magazine The Atlantic, and the author of the book My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, a...
Psychological and environmental factors in so-called schizophrenia, with Nathan Filer
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Nathan Filer, author of the non-fiction book 'The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia' and the fiction book 'The Shock of th...
An 8-year-old kid talks about magical creatures, games she likes, and reading adults
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview an 8-year-old. We talk about such topics as: how she knows other kids want to be her friend, how she knows adults are ups...
Gina Assaf, who has "long haul" covid, discusses her research on it
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Gina Assaf about her patient-led research on "long haul" Covid, which refers to long term Covid-19 effects. Assaf is not a professio...
Why hasn't crowdsourcing of medical data from public disrupted healthcare?, with Jamie Heywood
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Jamie Heywood, who got into the medical research field when his brother was diagnosed with ALS and Jamie wanted to do everything he ...
Reading online dating profiles (part 2), with Scott
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Second of two episodes about online dating. This is a conversation about online dating with Scott, a straight man in his 30s who lives in Portland, Or...
Reading online dating profiles (part 1), with Celia
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
First of two episodes about online dating. This is a conversation about online dating with Celia, a straight woman in her 30s who lives in Portland, O...
How does not believing in free will affect your life?, with physicist Daniel Whiteson
09 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that humans don't have free will, that we don't have any control of our lives, can be a scary or depressing one for some people. This is a ta...
What it's like having aphantasia (no mental imagery): a talk with Zach Elwood
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An interview of host Zachary Elwood about his own aphantasia, which is defined as reporting a lack of imagery and visualization in one's internal thou...
The role of insults and hurt feelings in political conflicts and wars, with Karina Korostelina
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Karina Korostelina, a social psychologist and the author of "Political Insults: How Offenses Escalate Conflict." We discuss the categories...
Why does democracy often fall apart?, with Thomas Carothers
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Thomas Carothers, an expert on foreign policy, democracy, and political polarization. He is co-author/editor of the book Democracies...
Skepticism that social media plays a big role in polarization, with Levi Boxell
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Levi Boxell about his research showing that older Americans, who use social media less than younger Americans, have become more antagonist...
Are some political party stances due to random chance?, with Michael Macy
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Michael Macy, whose research on “opinion cascades” show how some political group stances on issues can be rather arbitrary and due to ...
Is Facebook amplifying polarization and contempt?, with Jaime Settle
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dr. Jaime Settle, a political scientist who has studied how social media may be increasing political animosity and division. She's the aut...
How extreme polarization plays out, here and in other countries, with Jennifer McCoy
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Lynn McCoy, a specialist on political polarization, talks about polarization in the U.S. and how our problem compares to other polarized coun...
Does militant protesting and rioting make people vote more conservatively?
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with Omar Wasow, author of a paper titled "Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting," in which he...
Why they riot: A Portland-based antifa explains their militant actions
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with a self-described anti-fascist who has taken part in the more militant and unlawful aspects of the BLM-focused protests and riots tha...
Was the Cambridge Analytica scandal mostly bullshit?
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard about how Cambridge Analytica used access to the Facebook data of millions of U.S. citizens and advanced digital advertising wiz...
How ER psychiatrists figure out what's wrong, with Dr. Rob Tarzwell
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rob Tarzwell talks about his experience being a psychiatric doctor in ER (emergency room) settings, and the challenges of evaluating and diagnosin...
From Tourette's to personality disorders: Examining offensive, taboo speech factors
02 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with psychologist and expert on cursing Timothy Jay about some lesser known factors involved in people saying offensive things. This episode ha...
Can you predict schizophrenia by studying language?
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with psychology researcher Neguine Rezaii about her work using machine learning to predict conversion in teenagers from prodromal symptom...
Can brain scans identify people's thoughts?, with Marcel Just
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Marcel Just about his research using fMRI brain imaging to identify brain activity associated with specific thoughts: for example, identif...
Indicators that English text was written by a Russian, with Brian Baer
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dr. Brian Baer, a skilled translator, about indicators in an English language text that the author may be native-Russian (for example, mis...
What brain scans reveal about trauma, suffering, and therapy benefits
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dr. Rob Tarzwell about his research using SPECT neuroimaging to find indicators of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress ...
Rock Paper Scissors tells and manipulations, with Master Roshambollah
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Jason Simmons (aka Master Roshambollah), an experienced Rock Paper Scissors player. Simmons discusses how serious RPS players try to read ...
Reading the streets: How a bus driver analyzes driver and pedestrian behaviors
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Brendan Bartholomew, a San Francisco bus driver and writer. Brendan talks about how understanding human behavior plays an important role i...
What are polygraphs actually reading? A deep dive into skin conductance.
28 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Dr. Christopher Moyer, PhD, about measuring skin conductance, also called electrodermal activity (EDA) and galvanic skin response (GSR): w...
Spotting the liar in Secret Hitler, Werewolf, and other social deduction games
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Polina Vorozheykina, a software engineer based in Portland who is skilled at social deduction games like Secret Hitler, Werewolf/Mafia, Re...
Spotting fake Amazon product reviews, with language analyst Olu Popoola
04 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I talk with Olu Popoola, a forensic linguistic analyst, deception researcher, and fraud investigator, about spotting indicators of false, deceptive te...
Prison culture, slang, and survival: Benjamin Moots talks about his 15 years in prison
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Benjamin Moots, who served 15 years in prison for second degree murder, mostly in maximum security settings. Topics include: his account o...
Behavioral indicators of good and bad relationships, with Brandi Fink
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with DBrandi Fink, a psychology researcher who has done work analyzing the interpersonal dynamics of couples and families, including couples an...
Mind games and social manipulation in door-to-door sales
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk about how psychology and reading behavior play a role in successful door-to-door sales. I interview two experienced door-to-door salespeople: C...
Restaurant psychology you've never noticed, with service industry pro Robin Dibble
20 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A talk with Robin Dibble, an experienced service industry professional based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Robin has worked all sides of the restaurant ...