Why We Do What We Do
Episodes
Hypochondriac
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Below the ribs. Hypochondriasis, now illness anxiety disorder, is the debilitating fear that symptoms or the potential for symptoms will lead to more ...
Democrat-Republican Switch
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The party of national programs, federal regulations, and taxes: The republicans! If you're in the 1700s-1800s. At some point, the policies of the part...
EMDR
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This treatment involves moving your eyes back and forth while engaging in systematic desensitization. And maybe a purple hat. Does EMDR work for PTSD ...
Nostalgia: Do We Have Free Will?
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If we had to ask... This is a revisit of our discussion from April 2018 with a little more conversation with the new host (Shane). Recommendations- Sh...
Shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While shrugging is a common expression, used by many cultures, the explanation as to why we shrug is still vague and for the most part an unanswered q...
Tales from the Cryptids
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
These are the strange, often horrifying, sometimes cuddly mythical creatures of lore. Sometimes they are meant to scare us away from dangers, sometime...
Serial Killers
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The one you've all been waiting for. Maybe. Where did the term "serial killer" come from? Where have serial killers been active around the world? Most...
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're not sure what it is... It's unidentified! In this Halloween spooky pod, we take on the history of the pursuit of extraterrestrial visitors. We t...
The VooDoo Queen of New Orleans
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
VooDoo isn't sticking pins in dolls to cause pain to a victim. Actually, it's highly cultural and unique and often helpful. Madam Marie (Paris) Laveau...
Why Pets?
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Humans having been keeping animals around for a long time as workers and pest control. Do they serve another purpose all these centuries later? We exp...
Of Tyranny and the People
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People are frequently imprisoned when the pose a threat to the authority of people in power. Most of these were people who did little or nothing besid...
Nostalgia: Gender and Sexuality
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a nostalgic look at our episode on Gender and Sexuality with our first ever guest. We follow-up the episode with an updated discussion on this...
Skepticism vs Denialism: Round 2
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this face-off between hope and logic and reason vs blustering confusion and nonsense, who will emerge victorious? We discuss the motives and tactic...
Skepticism vs. Denialism: Round 1
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Denialists like to claim that they are skeptics and engaging in critical thought. They require ever more evidence from their opponents, but little to ...
Why The Sarcasm?
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sarcasm can be found in nearly every language and culture and throughout much of human history. Is it because we are all passive aggressive jerks? Or ...
Colossal Meltdown
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The disaster at the Chornobyl (yes, I spelled that correctly) nuclear power plant was a culmination of human errors, faulty design, and poor leadershi...
Fast and/or Furious
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Road rage is an intensive pattern of various behavior that are commonly demonstrated by drivers as they face the typical inconveniences that exist on ...
40 Hours per Week
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Working 40 hours per work has been the norm for so long, we seem to take for granted that this is just the normal run-of-the-mill schedule in the U.S....
Coffee Traditions Around the World
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What makes Vietnamese coffee different from Malaysian coffee? What should expect if you are visiting a coffee shop in Sweden? Despite being one of the...
Nostalgia: Uhs, Ums, Likes
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are adding a new format of rerunning old episodes and updating the research and adding discussion points. Enjoy a nostalgic return to WWDWWD 5 year...
Coarse and Curly
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hair: A weird thing humans have weaponized, leverages, and used many culturally unique and important ways. There's actually a million things to say ab...
Abortion part 2
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwd...
Abortion part 1
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We recorded this discussion before the court officially overturned Roe v. Wade. But we decided to record this because of the leaked draft that happene...
Plagiarism
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Plagiarism is a serious offense that is unfortunately prevalent throughout academia and in other professional domains. While it has been universally d...
The History of Psychoanalysis
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of the theories that put psychology into the mainstream was Psychoanalysis, or Freudian psychology. We review the history of Freud and the develop...
Saundra Bishop on Trauma Informed Behavior Management
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest Saundra Bishop joins us to lend her expertise and experience with how Behavior Analysts can take a trauma-informed approach to their wor...
Freedom part 2
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Behavioral and psychological "freedom" are couched more empirically inside of the concept of freedom from restriction and coercion, and the natural bo...
Freedom part 1
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all use the term colloquially. But what does "freedom" mean? There is freedom in the biological sense, political sense, psychological sense, and ma...
What Happens When We Die? part 2: Rise of Atheism
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode concludes our discussion about what people believe when they don't believe. We ask and answer the question what we believe happens w...
What Happens When We Die? part 1
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode discusses religion, but rather the lack thereof. Atheists categorically reject the existence of gods and the practice of obeying any...
What Listening to This Episode Says About Your Personality
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like astrology and psychics, online personality tests generally use the Barnum effect to trick you into thinking they have something meaningful to say...
O.K.
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
English, particularly American English, is not only a weird hodgepodge of many other languages and cultures from around the world and at different tim...
Rating Performance Evaluations
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most people sat through a painful routine performance appraisal, likely an annual one. How many of these are effectively designed to be productive? Ho...
Astrology: It's All Fun Until Someone Gets Hurt
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Horoscopes are mostly harmless bits of fun. But how do they work? Why do we believe them? And why does the episode title imply harm? Learn more and an...
Why We Need the Crunch
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the episode to make you want to snack. Or maybe want to hurl if you had talk of chewing. We investigated the reason crunchy food is so appeali...
A Behavioral Analysis of Depression pt. 2
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We expand on the environmental processes that create a context for depression. We elaborate on the pros and cons of the "diagnosis" of depression and ...
A Behavioral Analysis of Depression pt. 1
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Depression is a major mental health diagnosis and concern worldwide. A variety of treatment options have been developed by many disciplines, but a beh...
Exercise For What Ails You
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is exercise good for your mental health? A lot of people certain think so. We dig into the research and philosophy about if exercise is mentally healt...
Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of people who buy into conspiracy theories are victims of fraud. Unfortunately, they can become zealous, proselytizing mouthpieces for th...
That Thing You Doula (Interview w/ Dr. Ashley Greenwald)
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Doulas and midwives aren't necessarily the crunchy granola hippies you might think they are. They also don't need to be female. We invited expert and ...
William James
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
William James, or Billy Jilly as we called him in this discussion, is often referred to as the father of modern psychology. Indeed, his writings and p...
Wolf Trainers
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by special guests Dr. Andre Bulla and Oscar Turcios who share their continued adventure training wolves on a reserve. We invited them on...
Sick for Attention
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Munchausen By Proxy, or Factitious Disorder Imposed on another (FDIA) is (somewhat) assumed to affect 1,000 of the 2.5 million cases of child abuse re...
Motivational Interviewing
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out the method of persuasion we have all grown to love being on the receiving end of, condescending lectures and rhetorical questions, might not...
Human Lost and Found
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Search and rescue is an amazing, generous, and honorable activity... that is also dangerous and requires training. If you want to join search and resc...
245 | Genital Reveal Parties
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are cataloguing the strange, modern custom of intentionally/unintentionally starting massive wild-fires because of the excitement about what kind o...
244 | Get Rich(ish)
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The past few decades in America have been some of the most financially challenging for a number of reasons. Professionals and academics have debated t...
243 | Psychology of... Calendars?
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You might have thought it was 2021, and for most people out there, it is. But around the world, some cultures still cling to alternative measures of t...
242 | Applied Behavior Analysis: Anti-Ableism w/ Dr. Megan Miller and Dr. Kerri Milyko
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a retrospective follow-up with Dr. Kerri Milyko and Dr. Megan Miller, we revisit the discussion around Applied Behavior Analysis, Anti-Ableism, Aut...
241 | Christmas Origins: Santa Claus
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This time of year it is fun to explore the origins of our most rock-solid traditions. In this discussion we learn about our favorite god-like mutant: ...
240 | (COVID) Vaccine Hesitancy pt 2
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Pretend reasons" for being hesitant about the vaccine are the conspiracy theories and nonsense. Motivated reasons are the biases and excuses that sou...
239 | (COVID) Vaccine Hesitancy pt 1
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We may disagree with them, strongly, but those of us who are hesitant about getting the vaccine, are not stupid. And treating them as such will only c...
238 | Goop
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand markets itself as an “alternative wellness” brand that encompasses a variety of products, tips, and information gea...
237 | Beyond Dog and Boba Fett
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bounty hunting has evolved from several centuries ago from a more renegade and vigilante practice and into a formal, licensed, and routine job. Those ...
236 | Don't You D.A.R.E.
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This ideological and foolish program was not only ineffective but in some instances lead to increases in the likelihood that children would use drugs....
235 | Above the Atmosphere
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Only a small percentage of people who have attempted to be astronauts have succeeded. The training and physical requirements are extremely stringent. ...
234 | Poisoned
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Poisoning yourself can save your life! Although this statement makes it seem like we are some alternative medicine podcast or Goop shill, we are neith...
233 | Why We Bury Our Dead
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you ever think about that "burying" means when it comes to the dead? Although many creatures might end up in the dirt, humans seem to be the only ...
232 | What Makes Something "Creepy?"
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are feelings that we call "the creeps:" Heightened awareness, the chills, dilated pupils. There are things that are creepy: things in contextual...
231 | Vampires
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are legitimate medical conditions that may have given rise to the myth of vampires. We discuss the history of vampire lore, vampirism in other c...
230 | History of Halloween
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Halloween is a timeless tradition that offers innocent and sometimes mischievous fun for people of all ages. It’s at time where anyone can mask thei...
229 | Low-Grade Mania
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This rare disease has been described as "the one you would want to get if you had to have a disorder." Nevertheless, the long-term effects are deleter...
228 | Psychology's Checkered Bible
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know the first attempt to catalog mental health diversity occurred as part of the US Census? Although people had been imprisoning people for "...
227 | Guardians
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Conservatorship didn't begin with Britney Spears. Shane and Abraham discuss her case and the general principle behind conservatorship. This is meant t...
226 | Jet Lag
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The ability to travel far enough fast enough to feel the effects of a dramatically different day/night cycle is very new to the human experience. Only...
225 | Sleepless in Insomnia
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are different types of insomnia characterized by the causes and nature of the issue. For instance, insomnia caused by external factors such as d...
224 | Speed Reading: Read Anything in Normal Minutes
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is not hard to find websites and gurus offering the promise of reading at extreme speeds while maintaining high comprehension. So, what doesn't eve...
223 | What is the Point of Music Videos?
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From “Thriller” to “Gangnam Style,” and everything in between, music videos have captured our hearts for several decades. This episode explore...
222 | Kleptomania
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kleptomania is an accepted mental condition listed under a category of disorders related to impulse control. It involves an individual’s ability to ...
221 | Impulsivity and the Marshmallow
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are several quintessential psychology experiments whose notoriety transcend beyond college Intro Psych Courses. Walter Mischel’s “Marshmallo...
220 | Gross Sounds
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) explore the not-a-disorder, but still very real experience that many people have. Misophonia (not the sound of musical...
219 | ABA Pt. 9: Reflections
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If the last episode was the end, consider this the epilogue. The making-of, if you will. We recount our experiences with anxiety, ethics, planning, an...
218 | ABA Pt. 8: The Finale
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The end. Fin. The culmination of the miniseries on the controversy around Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as harmful. This final discussion is what we...
217 | ABA Pt. 7: Feelings
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The argument is that Behavior Analysts don't consider a child's emotional well-being and ignore their feelings. Specifically, this is in regard to blo...
216 | ABA Pt. 6: Dependency
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Teaching, managing, supervising, etc. requires some amount of scaffolding to train new skills. For example, providing explicit instruction, demonstrat...
215 | ABA Pt. 5: Obedience
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over compliance can arise in coercive situations inside of many contexts including workplaces, relationships, and in ABA. It can also arise under mult...
214 | ABA Pt. 4: Applying It
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most substantial hurdles is ensuring that what we do can be applied to real-life situations. Generalization is one of the stated goals of t...
213 | ABA Pt. 3: Little Robots
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the challenging aspects of teaching new behaviors is to teach them in such a way that they are meaningful to the individual, their social commu...
212 | ABA Pt. 2: A History of Punishment
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This discussion follows us into the past as we talk about the use of punishment as an intervention for changing behavior. This practice stood alongsid...
211 | Applied Behavior Analysis Part 1
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recent increases in the controversial accusations that Applied Behavior Analysis is harmful, abusive, and similar to conversion therapy, have lead to ...
210 | Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex Work (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sex work is one of the oldest professions. In places where it is legal (or at least decriminalized), sex work is safe, healthy, and protects the worke...
209 | Appliance, Silk, Blue: Anniversary Traditions
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are certain gifts expected for specific anniversary traditions. What may have started out as genuine support eventually blossomed into a practic...
208 | I Give You Feels, You Give Me Money Part 2
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other ...
207 | I Give You Feels, You Give Me Money Part 1
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other ...
206 | Pavlov, The Man Himself
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are dipping our toes into the bio-cast style of discussions. What do you know about the scientist behind the classic(cal) experiment with teaching ...
205 | 1847: A Cannibal Story
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is an exploration of the "psychology" of the circumstances that lead to the decision to cannibalize others to survive. This large group of ambiti...
204 | Book Cover Judgement
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, “The Halo Effect” helps us explain how a strong first impression or perceived relation among char...
203 | While We Were Sleeping
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Science doesn't really know why sleepwalking occurs. We know it has something to do with certain parts of our brain. What we understand about psycholo...
202 | Extreme Altruism
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In just the last couple of decades, people have started anonymously donated organs to strangers. In this episode, we tell the story of two people who ...
201 | 10 Ways To Ruin Your Sleep
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you one of those people who has trouble falling or staying asleep? There are things you might be doing to make it worse. Tossing and turning, the ...
200 | Our Oldest Episode Yet
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What do our old friend Stu Law, our writers, Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Cicoria of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, Salena Schilling, and our composer h...
199 | Teaching Prejudice
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1968, an Iowa teacher named Jane Elliott created a powerful lesson demonstrating the effects of prejudice with a classroom of white children, in an...
198 | Rebels and Iconoclasts
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why we punk rock? Counter-cultures and sub-cultures are a fascinating evolution in the social dynamics of a society when a population reaches a thresh...
197 | I Was Just Following Orders
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Within certain communities that contain a hierarchal structure, most notably the military, the existence of an authoritative figure has a unique effec...
196 | A Name Eman a
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The human tendency to use language to name things is remarkably important and foundational. While we don't delve into the incredibly deep and nerdy ph...
195 | Yoga na Love This
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yoga is extremely old but likely began in central Asia thousands of years ago. There are certainly health benefits, and possibly psychological benefit...
194 | Canceled
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are not canceled! Or at least we hope not. But this is a discussion about cancel culture. Where it comes from, why we do, and what purpose does it ...
193 | Character v Circumstance
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Another one of those pesky human biases. Or maybe westerner biases. Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to interpret our own behavior as bei...
192 | The new ABA & OT Podcast
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A behavior analyst (ABA) and an occupational therapist shared a love of precision teaching. They decided to collaborate to use the benefits of both ap...
191 | Don't Trust Your Common Sense
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Common sense is what you don't have to think about. It's just intuitively right. Another name for our base reaction to things without thinking first i...