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The Scientific WorldviewWill AI destroy the world?This episode features: -Will AI replace all human jobs? -When will we get artificial general intelligence? -When will we get superintelligence? -What is the chance that a billion people die in a global catastrophe? -What is the chance that humanity goes extinct? -In a world with advanced AI, will life feel meaningless? -Is it possible to clone humans? -Can you upload your mind to a computer? -Why did humanity take over the world? -Would it be possible to create...2025-04-141h 21The Scientific WorldviewWhy do women make less money than men?This episode features: -Is American society sexist? -Do men hate women? -Are men more likely to commit suicide? -Why are most divorces initiated by women? -Are women discriminated against in university? -Are women held to the same standards as men in the military and law-enforcement? -Do police reduce crime? -Does incarceration reduce crime? -Why does the United States imprison so many people? -Which parts of the world have the highest crime rates? -Why did shoplifting increase in...2025-03-3157 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs freedom of speech dangerous?This episode features: -Did mask mandates help prevent the spread of covid? -Why did the US government engage in censorship during the pandemic? -Does violent media cause violence? -What are the benefits of religion? -Should there be limits on artistic expression? -Why does the truth matter? -What is cancel culture? -Should men be allowed to talk about abortion? -Who decides what counts as "hate speech”? -Why are some forms of bigotry acceptable, while others are not? -What is...2025-03-171h 03The Scientific WorldviewIs porn bad?This episode features: -Does porn cause sexual assault? -Does porn cause people to have more sex? -Will climate change destroy the world? -Is death bad? -Does death give meaning to life? -Does death give us motivation? -If we were immortal, would life get boring? -Is immortality physically possible? -Why are people attracted to religions, cults, and political ideologies? -Why do so many ideologies predict the end of the world is coming soon? -Should we restrict how much...2025-03-031h 01The Scientific WorldviewShould prostitution be legal?This episode features: -Should polygamy be legal? -Should you be able to sell your organs? -Should euthanasia be legal? -Is it permissible to sell children? -Is surrogacy wrong? -Does surrogacy harm the child? -Is it acceptable for someone to use surrogacy to have as many children as possible? -Is it ethical to create many embryos and then choose which to implant based on genes? -Should we use genetic engineering to address disabilities? -Should we use genetic engineering to enhance...2025-02-171h 12The Scientific WorldviewIs abortion wrong?This episode features: -Is there a “moment” of conception? -Are most abortions due to recklessness? -Is the death penalty wrong? -Should we use corporal punishment? -Is solitary confinement ethical? -Is it wrong to kill animals? -Does equality matter? -What is fairness? -Do some people deserve more than others? -Is taxation theft? -Should the government take from the rich and give to the poor? -Should the government take from the beautiful and give to the ugly? 2025-02-031h 39The Scientific WorldviewDoes suffering make life meaningful?This episode features: -Is suffering always bad? -Is suffering necessary for great art? -Is having kids good or bad? -Would the world be better with more people in it? -Would the world be better off without humanity? -Do we want to be sad sometimes? -What's the point of sports? -Is life mostly suffering? -If we live in a deterministic universe, is anyone responsible for their actions? -Are psychopaths responsible for their crimes? -What is the relationship between...2025-01-2056 minThe Scientific WorldviewCan torture be justified?This episode features: -Should transgender women compete in women's sports? -Should we have open borders? -Is it wrong to eat your dog? -When is it OK to break a promise? -When is it OK to lie? -Is it OK to steal if you really need the money? -If somebody wants to become a slave, should they be able to? -Are you obligated to donate to charity? -Do rights exist? -Why are people donating their money to help shrimp?2025-01-0649 minThe Scientific WorldviewShould criminals suffer?This episode features: -Should a doctor kill one patient to save five? -Is nationalism good or bad? -Which is more morally valuable, a pig or 1000 squirrels? -Are fish conscious? -Are trees morally valuable? -Should we care about AIs even if they aren't conscious? -Are you obligated to keep a promise you made to a dead person? -Is art valuable even if nobody looks at it? -Is withdrawing life-support the same as murder? -Which is better: an unequal world with...2024-12-2352 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs happiness all that matters?This episode features: -Do animals matter? -Would it be bad if humanity went extinct? -Should you kill one person to save five? -Should you kill your friend to save five strangers? -Does the environment matter? -Why do we care less when more lives are on the line? -Were philosophers from 200 years ago right about everything? -Should you donate to charity? -What are the best charities to donate to? -Should we care more about people close to us than people...2024-12-0948 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs morality real?This episode features: -Is morality objective? -Does morality come from God? -If God tells you to torture babies, should you do it? -Why are women more likely to be vegan? -Why are men more supportive of war? -Why are introverts more libertarian? -Is everyone evil? -How do people find meaning in their lives? -Why are people so obsessed with politics? -Why care about morality? -Have humans evolved to perceive moral truth? -Do most people think...2024-11-2550 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs beauty real?This episode features: -Is beauty objective? -What does it mean to have good taste in music? -Are some people better at recognizing beauty? -How do musical preferences change as people age? -Do people tend to like the music that came out when they were young? -Can you predict somebody's musical taste based on their personality? -Is music today better than the music of the past? -Why are people drawn to magical explanations? -Is morality objective? -Would aliens agree with...2024-11-111h 04The Scientific WorldviewIs math real?This episode features: -Is math invented or discovered? -What is truth? -What is reality? -Would intelligent aliens use the same math as us? -Do infants know math? -Do animals know math? -Can you trust your own reasoning? -Why does reasoning work? -Why is math so useful?2024-10-2855 minThe Scientific WorldviewHas violence declined?This episode features: -Were our ancestors cannibals? -Why did people engage in human sacrifice? -Is slavery still practiced today? -Do we work more than people of the past? -Is the world better than it used to be? -Were our hunter-gatherer ancestors peaceful? -The history of torture -The history of slavery -The history of infanticide -Is school bullying on the rise? -Has the world suicide rate been increasing? -Has our treatment of animals improved or gotten...2024-10-1450 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhat's wrong with capitalism?This episode features: -What's wrong with socialism? -Are taxes necessary? -Why are drugs so expensive when they first come out? -Do we need the government to protect the environment? -Why did prohibition fail? -Do politicians understand economics? -Are government bureaucrats lazy? -Are Scandinavian countries socialist? -What is communism? -Why were so many people murdered, tortured, and imprisoned under socialist regimes? -How is our understanding of history biased? -Is history written by the victors? ...2024-09-3053 minThe Scientific WorldviewAre CEOs overpaid?This episode features: -Are labor unions bad? -How should we respond to AI generated art? -Why do we use high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar? -Why does the price of everything end with 99? -Why do people tip more than they used to? -Why do so many products have extra fees? (“Service fee”, “convenience fee” etc.) -How do department stores trick you into feeling like you're getting a great deal? -Should we stifle innovation in order to protect jobs? -Is free trade goo...2024-09-1651 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhy is housing so expensive?This episode features: -Is rent control bad? -Should we have a minimum wage? -Why do most economists oppose raising the minimum wage? -Does the minimum wage increase unemployment? -Why are there housing shortages? -Why has housing quality gone down in some cities? -Why isn't new housing being built? -Why don't current homeowners want new housing to be built? -What would happen if it was illegal to tip waiters? -Why do you need a license to be a hairdresser? 2024-09-0254 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhat is money?This episode features: -What causes inflation? -Why doesn't the government just print a bunch of money and give it to people? -Why did two British musicians set one million pounds on fire? -What would happen if we set one trillion dollars on fire? -Why do big businesses treat their employees better than small businesses? -Can we reduce gun violence by buying people’s guns from them? -Why did gun violence go down in Australia in the 90s? -How did Walmart become so successful?...2024-08-1958 minThe Scientific WorldviewWill we run out of jobs?This episode features: -Was life better in the 1950s? -Will we run out of natural resources? -Has global inequality been increasing or decreasing? -Are rich people happier? -Why has human life expectancy more than doubled? -Why is the world so rich compared to the past? -Just how rich is the United States? -Why is most news negative? -If population goes up, will that make us richer or poorer? -What happens when artificial intelligence can perform all human jobs? 2024-08-0550 minThe Scientific WorldviewDoes learning make you smarter?This episode features: -Can posing like Wonder Woman improve your public speaking ability? -Can the future affect the past? -Have scientists found evidence for the existence of psychic powers? -Why is there an average difference in math scores between men and women? -Where do stereotypes come from? -Is psychology politically biased? -Is “growth mindset” real? -Is “priming” real? -Is “stereotype threat” real? -Can you affect the way someone votes by showing them an American flag? -How to tell if rese...2024-07-221h 11The Scientific WorldviewCan science be trusted?This episode features: -Why are Irish people able to drink milk in adulthood? -Do scientists intentionally produce fake research? -What tricks do scientists use to get the results that they want? -How do new words get invented? -Who decides how a language is spoken? -How does science work? -What percent of studies are trustworthy? -Why do psychology textbooks contain inaccurate information? -Where do social norms come from?2024-07-0857 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhere do memes come from?This episode features: -Do celebrity suicides cause people to commit suicide? -Why do we use the QWERTY keyboard? -Why doesn't the United States use the metric system? -Are chimpanzees smarter than children? -How long can a person survive in the wilderness for? -Why did humans take over the planet? -Why do we copy celebrities? -How do marketers prey on our psychology? -Why do people care about the political beliefs of actors? -How do memes spread? -Why do...2024-06-2447 minThe Scientific WorldviewAre most college degrees useless?This episode features: -Why does the average US wedding cost $30,000? -Does college make you smarter? -Does college build character? -Do you forget most of what you learn in college? -Why does Coca-Cola spend so much money on advertising? -Why don't countries just agree to get rid of their nuclear weapons? -How to get a world-class college education for free -Why do jobs today require more education than they used to?2024-06-1052 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhat is the best form of government?This episode features: -Who’s prettier, liberals or conservatives? -Who’s happier, liberals or conservatives? -Why do politicians sometimes intentionally make things worse? -Do we have an innate political instinct? -If most voters are ignorant, how could democracy work? -Is democracy good? -What are the upsides of monarchy? -What causes political gridlock? -How do genes affect politics? -What makes people feel awe? -The politics of surrogacy, sex work, and healthcare 2024-05-271h 02The Scientific WorldviewWhy do people vote?This episode features: -Is empathy bad? -Is there such thing as “real” altruism? -Why are people altruistic? -How do people decide which charity to donate to? -Why was the Ice Bucket Challenge so successful? -Can you make money by donating to charity? -What is the probability that your vote will determine the outcome of a presidential election? -Do people vote their self-interest? -Do taller politicians receive more votes? -Do attractive politicians win more elections?2024-05-131h 16The Scientific WorldviewIs morality innate or learned?This episode features: -Do babies have a sense of right and wrong? -How are liberals psychologically different from conservatives? -Is it morally permissible to recline your seat on an airplane? -The psychology of abortion rights, gay marriage, environmentalism, and organ trade -The psychology of drugs, gambling, and prostitution -Do genes influence moral judgment? -Do genes predict someone's political beliefs? -Which moral principles are found across all cultures? -The trolley problem2024-04-2959 minThe Scientific WorldviewHow does social media shape politics?This episode features: -How do salespeople manipulate us? -Why do food delivery apps lie to us? -How do people use fashion to show off their social status? -Why do so many people hate the rich? -Persuasion techniques -Dating dynamics -Are most people conformist sheep? -Would most people electrocute a puppy just because an authority figure told them to do so?2024-04-1554 minThe Scientific WorldviewAre women smarter than men?This episode features: -How to have a smart baby -Are people with bigger brains smarter? -Are people with bigger heads smarter? -Does mental illness make someone more creative? -What determines someone's personality? -What determines someone's intelligence? -Do smarter people make more money? -How does your personality change as you age? -Can intelligence be measured? -Are there multiple types of intelligence? -Do Head Start programs make kids smarter? -Could genetic engineering make humanity smarter? ...2024-04-0150 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhat makes life meaningful?-Why do people like scary movies? -What does your bedroom say about your personality? -Is the Myers-Briggs legit? -How do men and women differ in terms of personality? -Why do people choose to suffer? -Why do people like art? -Why do some people like exercising? -Why do religious rituals sometimes involve pain? -What can you know about someone after meeting them briefly? -Why was someone willing to pay hundreds of dollars for Britney Spears' chewed up bubblegum?2024-03-181h 16The Scientific WorldviewAre most people happy?-Does having children make people happy? -Are men happier than women? -What draws people into racist/sexist ideologies? -Are religious people happier than non-religious people? -Are polygraph tests effective at detecting lies? -Are police officers good at detecting lies? -Can money buy you happiness? -Are extroverts happier than introverts?2024-03-041h 04The Scientific WorldviewDo antidepressants work?-Does psychotherapy work? -Three massive experiments tell us that some modern medicine must be useless or harmful -Why are doctors biased towards more aggressive treatment and testing? -Is acupuncture effective? Chiropractic? Naturopathy? Reiki? -Freud's ideas about “penis envy” and the Oedipus complex -Why was bloodletting practiced for 2000 years? -Can electroconvulsive therapy treat depression? -Things that can help people who are anxious or depressed2024-02-1948 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs suicide contagious?-Why have rates of transgender identification increased in adolescents? -Why did anorexia become much more common starting in 1983? -Why is depression more common in women? -Is depression caused by low levels of serotonin? -Is depression a disease? -Why do most people with major depression have an anxiety disorder as well? -Does telling people about PTSD make them more likely to develop PTSD? -Puppy pregnancy syndrome: after being bit by a dog, people believe they are pregnant with puppies2024-02-051h 02The Scientific WorldviewWhy do we dream?This episode features: -Why do liberals and conservatives hate each other? -Are there hidden symbols in dreams? -Can dreams predict the future? -Can you learn while sleeping? -Why do we sleep? -Treatments for insomnia -How to learn better -How to accurately predict how long it will take to finish your Christmas shopping2024-01-2255 minThe Scientific WorldviewWhat is the structure of the mind?This episode features: -How often do people lie? -Do we deceive ourselves? -What happens when you disconnect the two hemispheres of the brain? -Blindsight: some blind people can still use visual information to make decisions -What is the most disliked personality trait? -Why can't people admit when they're wrong? -Why are most people overly optimistic? -Why do most people think that they are better than the average person?2024-01-081h 02The Scientific WorldviewWhy are men more violent than women?This episode features: -How common are homicidal fantasies? -Why are men overrepresented in high status professions? -Why are men taller than women (on average)? -Why are men strong? -Why isn't everyone beautiful? -Why isn't everyone smart? -Why does mental illness exist? -What is the purpose of romantic jealousy?2023-12-251h 05The Scientific WorldviewWhy do we love?This episode features: -How do humans detect cheaters? -Can you tell how generous someone is by the way they look? -What is the #1 rated most desirable trait in a long-term mate? -What does Maury Povich teach us about human nature? -Why is your mother's mother your nicest grandparent? -Why do mothers invest more in their children compared to fathers? -Why would somebody donate their kidney to a stranger? -Are humans selfish?2023-12-111h 03
Global OptimumNew podcast: The Scientific WorldviewI started a new podcast! Here is the blurb: Professor Daniel Gambacorta and Behavior Interventionist Atanah Shannon explore the big questions in science and philosophy. What is consciousness? Do we have free will? Are we living in a simulation??? Find out on the next episode of... The Scientific Worldview.2023-11-2700 minThe Scientific WorldviewWho cheats more, men or women?This episode features: -Do men have more sexual fantasies than women? -Why are men attracted to younger women? -Was homosexuality selected for by evolution? -What are women attracted to? -Why do pregnant women develop food aversions? -Why do people like spicy food? -Why do humans make art?2023-11-271h 07The Scientific WorldviewIs homosexuality genetic?This episode features: -Will teaching your child to play violin make them smarter? -Do genes determine someone's personality? -Do genes determine how smart someone is? -Do genes affect how happy you are? -Do genes affect whether you'll get married? -Are psychopaths responsible for the crimes they commit? -Do parents affect the political beliefs of their children? -Has the world gotten better or worse over the last 200 years? -Did the DARE program reduce drug use? -Did the Scared Straight program...2023-11-131h 08The Scientific WorldviewHow does evolution work?This episode features: -Why do we get goosebumps? -Why do some people turn red when they drink alcohol? -Do people around the world express emotion in the same way? -Why are so many people afraid of snakes? -If you have two siblings, can you be more genetically related to one than the other? -Why do giraffes have long necks? -Why do ostriches have wings? -Did humans “evolve from” monkeys?2023-10-301h 17The Scientific WorldviewWhat is sex?This episode features: -Why do people wear ugly clothing? -Why do people overestimate how often they do the dishes? -How do marketers manipulate us into spending more money? -Why do people finish boring movies? -How to make optimal decisions (using math!) -The gambler’s fallacy -Is a hotdog a sandwich? -What is sex? -Is sex on a spectrum?2023-10-2356 minThe Scientific WorldviewIs there a God?This episode features: -What is probability? -Bayes’ theorem -Is there a God? -Can you prove that God does *not* exist? -Can morality exist without God? -Are religious experiences hallucinations? -Pascal’s wager -If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?2023-10-1656 minThe Scientific WorldviewDo we have free will?This episode features: -Is the universe deterministic? -Do we have free will? -What is death? -Brain emulation -Cryonics -Is astrology accurate? -Are ghosts real? -Is it possible to speak with the dead? -Do psychic powers exist? -Do souls exist?2023-10-091h 10The Scientific WorldviewAre we living in a simulation?This episode features: -The doomsday argument -Is our universe fine-tuned for life? -Are we living in a simulation? -What is consciousness made of? -Are animals conscious? Which ones? -The Sleeping Beauty problem -Panpsychism2023-10-021h 12The Scientific WorldviewWhy is there something rather than nothing? This episode features: -Why is there something rather than nothing? -How big is space? -Do parallel universes exist? -Are there aliens? -How did life originate? -The Fermi paradox -What is time? -Is time travel possible? -Quantum mechanics2023-09-2552 minGlobal OptimumSocial Status: The Key to the Matrix Part IIIThis episode features: -Why does men’s testosterone go down when they fall in love? -Does “power posing” have any psychological effects? -What is “humblebragging” and why does it pervade social media? -Is our preference for democracy really a preference for high status? -What is self-esteem? -How to increase self-esteem (the answer is disappointing) -How to act high status (the answer is not disappointing) Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Cameron, J. J., & Stinson, D. A. (2017...2019-12-1045 minGlobal OptimumSocial Status: The Key to the Matrix Part IIThis episode features: -Why does high status reduce creativity? -How to remain creative as you gain status -When should you distrust your own moral reasoning? -How do we come to learn what counts as high status in our culture? -What are the psychological underpinnings of “inspiration”? -How to feel less motivated to engage in conspicuous consumption Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Borjas, G. J., & Doran, K. B. (2015). Prizes and productivity how winning the fields medal affect...2019-11-2626 minGlobal OptimumSocial Status: The Key to the Matrix Part IThis episode features: -How do people behave differently when they are high vs low status? -How did human social status evolve? -Should you try to dampen your desire for status? -Are EAs too credential-focused? -Is publishing in academic journals overrated? -Can you get more done by working alone than by starting an organization? -What causes groups to splinter? -How has effective altruism “professionalized?” What are the upsides and downsides of this trend? Full transcript -References- ...2019-11-1235 minGlobal OptimumHow to Make Mistakes, Fail, and Give UpThis episode features: -How to evaluate your chance of successfully completing difficult projects -Can you be justified in believing that you are an extraordinary person who can do extraordinary things? -When to trust the advice of others and when not to -How to fail faster -How to judge a project based on how well it fails -How to avoid repeating mistakes -Why you should want to fail occasionally -How to make failure more foreseeable: the “premortem” Full transcript 2019-10-2244 minGlobal OptimumHow to Learn BetterThis episode features: -What are the best and worst studying techniques? -Do “learning styles” exist? -How to squeeze more learning into your day -How to start learning a new field -How to cultivate viewpoint diversity -How to avoid getting parasitized by bad ideas -Should you study in the morning or at night? -Can napping enhance learning? Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Brown, P. C., Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make i...2019-10-0155 minGlobal OptimumHow Altruistic Should You Be?This episode features: -Arguments against utilitarianism -What moral views do philosophers favor? -Why you should consider moral uncertainty when deciding how altruistic to be -How does giving away 10% of your income affect your happiness? -Why donating 10% of your income is not too demanding (for middle class members of affluent countries) -How should the prospect of value drift affect your commitment to altruism? -Do people underestimate the selfish benefits of altruism? -Does effective altruism help save us from the “hedonic treadmill”? Fu...2019-09-0345 minGlobal OptimumThe Personality of Effective Altruists Part IIThis episode features: -Are people with autism spectrum disorder more utilitarian? -Do utilitarian judgments in trolley problems predict interest in effective altruism? -What is the “identifiable victim effect” -Why empathy is bad for morality -Are effective altruists more empathetic than average? Less empathetic? -Why do EAs disproportionately study STEM subjects and work in STEM fields? -Why is EA mostly male? -Why does gender predict cause preferences? Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Baron-C...2019-08-2032 minGlobal OptimumThe Personality of Effective Altruists Part IThis episode features: -Are effective altruists especially prone to anxiety and depression? -Are effective altruists high in autistic-like traits? -Is effective altruism especially appealing to people high in autistic-like traits? -Are people high in autistic-like traits more rational? -Why do we fall prey to biases like the attraction effect, the sunk cost fallacy, and the framing effect? -Are people high in autistic-like traits more oriented towards “System 2” thinking? -Are people high in autistic-like traits less susceptible to cognitive biases? Full transcript 2019-08-0640 minGlobal OptimumPersonality PsychologyThis episode features: -Why the Myers-Briggs is wrong, yet popular -What is the structure of personality -How does personality change throughout the lifespan -Can you intentionally change your personality? -Do we change more than we think we will? -What is the effect of genes on personality -What is the effect of parenting on personality -Which unique experiences shape personality? (The answer to this is disappointing) Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Damian, R...2019-07-1629 minGlobal OptimumValue Drift & How to Not Be Evil Part IIThis episode features: -What proportion of effective altruists decrease their involvement over time? -Why do people decrease their involvement with effective altruism? -Why effective altruist values are particularly vulnerable to drift -Should you expect your values to get better or worse over time? -Should you try to prevent value drift? -How you can use nudges and commitment devices to prevent value drift -How the “foot-in-the-door” phenomenon might push you towards doing good now, even if your impact is small -Should you choose effective altr...2019-04-0947 minGlobal OptimumValue Drift & How to Not Be Evil Part IThis episode features: -How do our values change as we age -How does empathy shape values -Why are we so conformist? -Why we underestimate our risk of corruption -Why many people argue that death is good/necessary -How ethical slippery slopes lead to severe moral transgressions -How evil behavior leads to worse values Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Crane, W. (1887). The Baby's Own Aesop. Gouveia, V. V., Vione, K. C., Milfont, T...2019-03-2634 minGlobal OptimumHow to Be More CreativeThis episode features: -Do you need 10,000 hours of practice to be an expert? -What is the connection between creativity and mental illness -Can drugs make you more creative? -Can electrically stimulating your brain make you more creative? -Are smarter people more creative? -How do psychologists measure creativity -Which personality trait predicts creativity -Techniques for enhancing creativity Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: Chi, R. P., & Snyder, A. W. (2012). Brain stimulation enables the so...2019-02-2649 minGlobal OptimumShould You Go to Graduate School?This episode features: -What to consider when choosing a graduate program -Why I was told to avoid getting A’s in my classes, and why it might be a good idea for you as well -What are your chances of graduating from grad school -What are your chances of getting an academic position after grad school -How to avoid being corrupted by the academic incentive structure -How is grad school different from undergrad? -Tips for succeeding in grad school -How to avoid being bi...2019-02-0542 minGlobal OptimumExplanations That Are Often Wrong Part IIThis episode features: -Can political symbols change political beliefs? -What makes pseudoscience appealing -How to evaluate futurism -How do chronically accessible concepts change our perception -How to think about the complexity of theories -Priming: fact or fiction? -Can barely-noticeable changes in the environment have big effects on behavior? Full transcript -References- Unapplied Rationality: Carter, T. J., Ferguson, M. J., & Hassin, R. R. (2011). A single exposure to the American flag shifts support toward Republicanism up...2018-11-2727 minGlobal OptimumExplanations That Are Often Wrong Part IThis episode features: -Are smart phones causing young people to be more lonely and depressed -How can the supplement industry stay afloat if so many supplements are useless -Discussion of how a paper on psychic powers got published in a top psychology journal -Why people are often less incompetent than you think -Why so many professors are bad teachers -What style of thinking is associated with making successful predictions of the future -Why do so many people still reject evolution -Does eating chocolate...2018-11-1338 minGlobal OptimumHow to Evaluate Research & EA Origin StoryThis episode features: -A quiz to test your intuitions about which studies replicate and which don’t -An effective altruist origin story -Heuristics for evaluating scientific research -The role of incentives in the replication crisis -What should your prior be for whether research will replicate -Which subfield of psychology has the worst replication rate -Why it’s a mistake to conceptualize glucose as a willpower resource -Problems with interpreting studies of the dictator game Full transcript -Ref...2018-10-3038 minGlobal OptimumWhy Are We Biased? Part IIThis episode features: -Why breakups are always the other person’s fault -Why does love cause us to see our partner as better than they really are -How much do people lie -What do people lie about in their online dating profile -Is it possible to detect lies -What traits make somebody likable vs unlikable -How do we deceive ourselves -Why we often don’t understand our own motivations Full transcript -References- Apply Psycho...2018-10-1648 minGlobal OptimumWhy Are We Biased? Part IThis episode features: -Why men perceive more sexuality in women’s behavior than women say they intend -Several opportunities to test your own biases -Examples of how both evolutionary psychologists and social psychologists have explained bias the wrong way -Why it’s unsatisfactory to say that we have false beliefs in order to “make ourselves feel good” -Why do people ignore basic probability theory -Why are people bad at abstract logic -How to make people much better at logic problems -An explanation of the famo...2018-10-0232 minGlobal OptimumModularity Insights for Charisma and CreativityThis episode features: -How to get outside of your head -Why optimal performance sometimes requires “not trying” -What are the psychological traps that can make us dull and uncreative -A framework for overcoming bias -Examples of how to correct for the planning fallacy and confirmation bias -The phenomenology of creativity -How do artists reconnect with their creativity when they hit a roadblock -What cognitive process leads to great artwork and scientific discovery Full transcript -References- ...2018-09-1845 minGlobal OptimumModularity of Mind & Improve Your Public SpeakingThis episode features: -Why people can’t justify their moral decisions -How is it that some blind people can use visual information -What is the basic structure of the brain -Why it is we can both want something and not want it -Why people can be unaware of their decision-making process -Basic principles of public speaking -Particular fixes to improve your public speaking -Ways to practice public speaking Full transcript -References- Apply Psychology: 2018-09-0445 min