Shows
Behavioral Grooves PodcastWhy Is Everyone So Angry? The Science of Outrage | Kurt GrayWhy do we see some people as victims and others as villains? Kurt Gray joins us to explore moral typecasting, the prey vs. predator mindset, and why harm is at the heart of all moral debates—whether it’s immigration, free speech, or gun rights. We uncover how our evolutionary instincts shape outrage and polarization and discuss practical strategies for bridging moral divides with personal stories instead of statistics.
Topics
[0:00] Moral Typecasting and Its Implications
[6:47] Intro to Kurt Gray and Speed Round
[10:30] Understanding Outrage and Moral Foundations
[18:30] Evolutions of Moral Psychology and...2025-02-031h 14
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving on: Side ProjectsJoin Kurt and Tim as they exhale a collective sigh of relief and take a moment to reflect on the completion of their monumental project, "They Thought We Were Ridiculous" (available now! Wherever you listen to podcasts).
In this captivating conversation, Kurt and Tim delve into the wealth of insights they've gleaned from their immersive and unexpectedly prolonged journey into the annals of behavioral economics history. From navigating the intricacies of managing a side project within a side project to riding the tumultuous waves of multi-party collaboration, they candidly explore the peaks and valleys of their remarkable...2024-03-0435 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastMapping Out Our Minds | Linnea GandhiSet sail into the uncharted waters of behavioral science with Kurt and Tim on a captivating journey led by PhD candidate Linnea Gandhi. Together, they explore the revolutionary concept of Nudge Cartography, a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to map the intricate landscape of behavioral nudges – those subtle interventions designed to shape human behavior. If you're scratching your head wondering, "Nudge Cartography? What's that?" fear not! Kurt and Tim are your fearless guides, ready to unravel the mysteries and implications of this fascinating exploration.
Nudge Cartography challenges the traditional view of academic research in behavioral science, urging practitioners to...2024-01-2242 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastGroove Through 2023: A Year in Review with Kurt and TimHappy New Year from Kurt and Tim!
As we reflect on the past year, join us in revisiting some of the most impactful and insightful conversations from Behavioral Grooves in 2023. Grateful for the time and wisdom shared by our wonderful guests, we delve into key topics through the lens of behavioral science, aiming to provide you with valuable insights for both your professional and personal life.
From embracing uncertainty and cultivating growth mindsets to exploring the power of "magic words" and understanding your future self, this compilation covers a diverse range of subjects, including the...2024-01-0131 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving with Knowledge: Kurt and Tim’s Best Behavioral Science Books of 2023Continuing their pursuit of knowledge, Kurt and Tim explore the impactful books that have shaped their perspectives in 2023. In this episode, they unwrap the highlights of their literary journey, offering listeners a condensed version of why each book made a lasting impression and what readers can expect to gain from delving into these insightful pages.
Discovering one's groove is a nuanced journey, often fueled by new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a revisit to timeless concepts presented in innovative ways. In this annual wrap-up, Kurt and Tim dive into a diverse array of books that have enriched their...2023-12-2625 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastThe Eight Superpowers of Confidence | Lisa SunStep into a captivating conversation as Tim and Kurt engage with Lisa Sun, the author of Gravitas. Lisa introduces the intriguing concept that each of us possesses superpowers—not the extraordinary kind, but those that ignite leadership, achievement, and self-belief. In this discussion, Lisa unveils the eight superpowers that make up confidence.
Moving beyond mere behavioral traits, Lisa emphasizes that confidence is fundamentally a mindset. Uncover the key to building self-confidence by recognizing strengths and celebrating past successes. While we may not possess telekinetic abilities, join Lisa, Kurt, and Tim as they explore how shifting our mindset, si...2023-12-111h 10Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving on Knowing Thyself: Why Figuring Out Who I Am is Easier Than You Thought.“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Are you tired of that ditty? We are. How are you supposed to know what you love if we don’t 100% know who we are?
“Know thyself” is a maxim that has been central to Western civilization for the last 2500 years. It has been pervasive in philosophy over the ages and more recently in psychology. Who are we? Who am I? These questions blend nicely with understanding why we do what we do, a foundational question in behavioral science. And it is with this curiosi...2023-10-0242 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastHow Best to Create a Culture of Learning | Sarah NichollThis podcast will give you the tools and techniques to foster a learning culture in your organization. Whether you work at a junior level or are an executive, Sarah’s guidelines can equip you to utilize leadership, AI, context and habit formation to incorporate learning into your routine.
Learning is like exercise. Once you develop a healthy habit, you need to keep going! But how do you foster a learning culture in your organization? In this interview, Sarah joins Kurt Nelson and Tim Houlihan to talk about her book "Learning Habits Drive a Learning Culture to Improve Em...2023-08-2748 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastImperfectly Perfect: The Science of Human Decision Making | Lionel PageHumans have limited information processing abilities and cannot possibly evaluate all possible options when making a decision. However, describing people merely as irrational paints an inaccurate picture. There can be benefits to the biases we hold.
Author of Optimally Irrational: The Good Reasons We Behave the Way We Do Lionel Page PhD, joins Kurt Nelson and Tim Houlihan on Behavioral Grooves Podcast to talk about his book. Lionel is a French-born economist who is currently working as the Director of the Behavioural and Economic Science Cluster at the University of Queensland in Australia.
Among the to...2023-08-2143 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastAre You A People Pleaser? Learn To Say No More with Vanessa Patrick PhDSaying yes to tasks that we want to say no to is a common problem. But how do we decide which requests to turn down? Dr Vanessa Patrick PhD strategically breaks down asks into 4 useful categories. Learn to say yes to requests that align with your identity and how to communicate an empowered refusal.
“A no that stems from your identity is a much more empowered no”
Dr Vanessa Patrick PhD is a Professor of Marketing and the Associate Dean for Research at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Hous...2023-06-1954 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGroove Track | Why It Takes More Than Willpower To Reach Your GoalsBetween setting your goals and reaching your goals, there is a void that we assume willpower can fill. But to achieve success, it takes more than willpower alone. Thankfully there are some well researched tools that we can set in place to help us flourish.
Hosts of Behavioral Grooves Kurt Nelson and Tim Houlihan sit down for a succinct Groove Track episode summarizing the myths about willpower, what other factors are at play when striving for our goals, and the tools we can use to help us succeed.
Key takeaways:
Willpower is not enough on...2023-05-1521 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastYou Work. You Parent. But Can You Also Thrive? | Yael Schonbrun PhDWorking and parenting often feel like being pulled in two different directions. But what if we could reframe our thinking and actually appreciate that our experiences in one role can enhance the quality of life in the other. We explore the ways you can reframe your mindset with author and podcaster Yael Schonbrun.
“If we’re able to see that there are opportunities for our roles to feed each other, then we're more likely to to access those experiences and benefit more from them.” ~ Yael Schonbrun, Episode 346
Yael Schonbrun is an assistant professor of psychology at Bro...2023-03-061h 07
Behavioral Grooves PodcastThe Tools You Need To Embrace Uncertainty | Nathan Furr and Susannah Harmon FurrWe all face uncertainty at some point in our lives. But do we embrace it or resist it? Our thoughts about uncertainty and ambiguity shape the actions we take when we are faced with change. If we reframe how we view uncertainty, we can rewrite the story we tell ourselves.
“The way we describe something to ourselves and others, shapes how we think, decide and act.”
Our guests on this episode are the most delightful husband and wife team, Nathan Furr and Susannah Harmon Furr who have written a fantastic book together, “The Upside of Uncert...2023-02-271h 12
Behavioral Grooves PodcastTop 2 Tips on How to Read a Book QuicklyEver need to read a book in a hurry? How can you absorb the most relevant content in a short period of time? Join Kurt and Tim as they talk to their friend Christian Hunt of the Human Risk Podcast, for tips and tricks to read quickly and effectively.
We’ve all been stuck with a last minute deadline that involves getting through a large amount of reading material. How do you approach it? As podcasters, we read a lot of content before interviewing the guests. So how do Kurt and Tim from Behavioral Grooves Podcast and Ch...2023-01-1624 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastThe 3 Steps To Getting Your Groove Back In The New YearFinding your groove - ever wondered what that actually means? And why is this podcast really called Behavioral Grooves?! Kurt and Tim explain what it means to get in your groove and the 3 foundational steps that will help you get there. If you need to find your groove again in 2023, listen to this expert advice.
It’s a long running joke on the podcast, that when settling on the name “Behavioral Grooves” for the show it meant two different things to hosts Kurt and Tim. While getting “in the groove” has parallels to being in a state of...2023-01-0222 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastThe Best Behavioral Science Books Of 2022 (According to Kurt and Tim!)One of the ways we find our groove is through knowledge – sometimes new ideas, sometimes repeated ideas that are presented in new ways. Sometimes, it’s just reminders of old ideas that deserve a new look. And we love the fresh ideas that we’ve read about this year in the very notable Behavioral Science books of 2022.
Kurt and Tim sit down, in this episode, to discuss the highlights of the books they’ve read in 2022. To save you some time, they have compiled a summary of why they liked each book, and what you can expect to get f...2022-12-1924 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastHow the Right Journal Can Help You Reach Your Goals in 2023Want to start a journaling habit but worried you won't stay motivated? Having the right journal, that is designed using behavioral insights to keep you engaged, is the key.
In this unique Grooving Session, our very own Kurt Nelson takes the hot seat along with his Lantern Group business partner, Ben Granlund to talk about their highly anticipated new product - the Brain/Shift Journal. This new journal is seeped in behavioral insights that help you clearly define and then actually reach your goals.
Previous Behavioral Grooves guest, Katy Milkman, has highlighted that a distinct...2022-12-1541 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastVisualize A Horse...But What If You Actually Can’t? Aphantasia Explained With Dr Adam ZemanClose your eyes and visualize a horse. Most people can picture the outline of the body, the color of the horse and the unique features of the animal. But some people simply don’t see any image at all. This lack of a mind’s eye is known as aphantasia.
To help explain exactly what aphantasia is, and how it can affect behavior, we talk with Professor Adam Zeman who actually helped identify and name the neurological condition. Adam has a medical degree and a PhD in philosophy from Oxford University. He’s been a lecturer...2022-09-2653 min
How to Split a Toaster: A Divorce Podcast About Saving Your RelationshipsBehavioral Change Before, During, and After the Divorce Process with Kurt NelsonIt’s hard enough to recognize that you need to change your behaviors and then to do so. How are you supposed to do it when it relates to your divorce? Kurt is a sought-after behavioral scientist and recognized leader in human motivation and behavior change. For over 20 years, Kurt has worked with global companies to apply behavioral science principles to drive change in their organizations. Today, Kurt joins Seth and Pete to talk about the challenges of behavioral change during the divorce process – and why it’s important.Sometimes, it’s a behavioral change that happened during t...2022-09-0653 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastMindset Matters Most: Top Tips from The Sales Evangelist, Donald C. KellyCreating a motivating mindset is the most important component of any sales role. In fact, it’s a critical component of everything we do, but Donald C. Kelly enthusiastically reminds us in this episode that it’s a vital step in the sales process. Adopting a sales mindset can elevate you from a good sales person to a great sales person. Learn from Donald about how to get into the zone of a sales mindset.
Donald has an extremely passionate, dedicated, and infectious personality. As producer and host of the extremely popular podcast, The Sales Evangelist, Donald live...2022-03-2358 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastHalloween Special: Grooving on Scary BiasesListen to Kurt and Tim’s spooky Halloween Special about some common biases that can seem a bit scary. But don’t fear, the scariest thing about this episode is actually Kurt and Tim’s jokes! Find out why some biases are a bit spooky, what makes us susceptible to them, and most importantly how we can overcome them.
Thanks for taking the time to learn a bit about how to overcome the biases you may find impacting your life. If you’d like to support our work further, please consider donating a treat (no tricks please!) on our Pa...2021-10-3118 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastLeading Human™: How to Avoid Burnout and Create a Positive OrganizationEmployee burnout, The Great Resignation, Office Covid Regulations; these are all major concerns for leaders in the workplace right now. But how can managers successfully navigate these stresses, while still maintaining productivity among staff?
At the start of the pandemic, Behavioral Grooves began a series of podcasts with researchers and practitioners to understand the organizational shifts we were seeing. Over the course of our interviews, we discovered big changes in the way business was being conducted and that managers, specifically, were really caught off guard. They didn’t have a coach or a guide to help them th...2021-09-1919 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastStanford Prison Experiment, 50 Years On: What Have We Really Learnt? With Dr Philip ZimbardoThe Stanford Prison Experiment has been the topic of movies, newspaper articles, textbooks and TV shows. Extensively published controversy has surrounded the social psychology experiment ever since it was conducted in 1971. Now on the 50th Anniversary, we invite you to listen to a very unique interview with the man who orchestrated it all; Dr Philip Zimbardo PhD.
Was the Stanford Prison Experiment designed to measure the corruption of power?
Were participants influenced by the context of the experiment itself and pressured into performing a role?
How exactly did the environment influence the behavior of the participants, including Dr P...2021-08-1540 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastWhy We Work At Our Best, When We Feel At Our Best with Larry SennToday's guest is Dr. Larry Senn, PhD, a pioneer in the field of corporate culture. He founded Senn Delaney as a culture shaping firm back in 1978, based on his principle that organizations become shadows of their leaders. Larry works with CEO teams and organizations from top to bottom to create the behaviors needed to support strategies and enhance business results. And he was recently named “The Father of Corporate Culture” by CEO Forum magazine.
Larry is also author of The Mood Elevator: Take Charge of Your Feelings, Become a Better You (https://amzn.to/2Us1clM), which is a w...2021-06-2356 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGetting to Yes, And...Behavioral Grooves: Two Podcasts in OneThis episode is a Behavioral Grooves first: we bring you our first ever joint podcast! Mid-way through the episode the tables turn and our guest interviews us! Our guest is the amazing Kelly Leonard, host of the great podcast called “Getting to Yes, And…” presented by Second City Works and WGN in Chicago. This unique conversation with Kelly, Kurt and Tim gives us a glimpse of the people behind the podcasts. It is a light-hearted, raw conversation scattered with some really personal, touching stories about challenges each of them have faced in their lives.
For over 30 years, Kelly...2021-06-131h 22
Behavioral Grooves PodcastSecrets of Subtraction: Donut Holes, Lego and Bruce Springsteen with Leidy KlotzLeidy Klotz is the Copenhaver Associate Professor of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia. His research fills in underexplored overlaps between engineering and behavioral science, in pursuit of more sustainable environmental systems. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in venues that include top academic journals in built environment engineering, engineering education, and design, as well as imprints of both Science and Nature.
We explored the rarity of subtraction from our lives and the fact that we tend to add things much more than we remove things. Granted, we’ve been builders of things si...2021-04-141h 11
Behavioral Grooves PodcastHow Shelley Archambeau Flies Like an EagleShellye Archambeau is the author of “Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms.” It’s part memoir, part inspiration, and career guidebook. While Shellye argues it’s for everyone, we reckon it’s really best suited for the most ambitious among us. In the book, Shellye shares how she went from being the only black girl in her high school to being the CEO of a Silicon Valley tech firm, MetricStream. And it’s an amazing tale of an amazing woman.
In our conversation with Shellye, she talked with us about the challeng...2021-02-071h 07
Behavioral Grooves PodcastSuccessful New Year’s Resolutions in 4 Quick TipsIf you’re like the rest of us, your new year’s resolutions don’t last beyond St. Valentine’s Day. That’s okay – it’s normal. The trouble is it’s not what you want.
If you WANT success with your resolutions – to accomplish your goals – then listen to this podcast. We’ve broken down the best behavioral science advice into 4 easy-to-follow tips that will help you achieve what it is you’re passionately committed to at the start of the year.
We’ve incorporated research from some of the best work in the field is combined with the...2020-12-3020 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastReflecting on the Best Podcast Insights from 2020This is THE episode to listen to if you have missed the last 90 episodes.
We can all agree that 2020 has been one hell of a year. Many people have been severely impacted by the pandemic, by financial uncertainty, with civil unrest, and the general malaise that the year seemed to have. Many are excited to say, “Good riddance!” The same goes for us, but Kurt and Tim have also used 2020 to surpass several milestones that we’d like to share with you.
#1 Best Behavioral Science Podcast as voted by listeners of Habit Weekly (which was very, very c...2020-12-2349 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastThe 10 Best Behavioral Science Books for 2020Pretty much everyone around the world agrees that 2020 was a challenging year and we’re glad it’s all but over. However, 2020 was a year we upped the number of guests (to 90), upped our reading habits (20+ books for the show), and had more authors as guests than in any previous year.
In short, Kurt and Tim read a lot of new books. And because we read bunches of them, we’re here to save you time by offering you our view of the top 10 books – 5 from Kurt and 5 from Tim – on behavioral science from 2020. We hope you enjoy them...2020-12-2032 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastIMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY BY MAKING YOUR WORKFORCE PSYCHOLOGICALLY SAFE[NOTE: This episode was originally published as a Weekly Grooves podcast. We wanted to share it with our Behavioral Grooves listeners and we hope you enjoy it.]
We were inspired by a recent article on CNBC’s website by Cory Steig, called “ ’Psychological safety’ at work improves productivity–here are 4 ways to get it, according to a Harvard expert.” The piece reviews some research on psychology safety that Kurt and I have been focused on for years.
Psychological safety is a concept that was identified by Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson from work in the 1990’s. Professor Edmo...2020-11-2016 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastIowa Caucus Conspiracy Theories – How to Inoculate Yourself[NOTE: This episode was originally published under our sister-podcast, Weekly Grooves. In our effort to share relevant behavioral science information, we are republishing it here. We hope you enjoy it.]
Listeners, especially in the United States, are already aware of the debacle from the Iowa Caucuses and how the Iowa Democratic party used a new app to help streamline the caucus results. You’re probably also aware that the processes and technologies failed, and results were not available for days afterwards.
The delay has caused a plethora of online conspiracy theories and that’s our topi...2020-11-0524 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: On the Principle of Scarcity[NOTE: This episode is republished from #74 in June 2019.]
This episode is a discussion on the principle of scarcity. Kurt and Tim attempt to illuminate the power of this very fundamental effect in behavioral science with some real-world examples. Simply put, the scarcity effect is that people want more of those things they can have less of. It’s terribly powerful and is evident in many aspects of our lives.
“Sale ends tomorrow” is one of the strongest tools in a marketer’s handbook, and Kurt and Tim discuss that and others and the ways they impact b...2020-07-1509 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastKaty Milkman, PhD: Using Behavior Change for Good[NOTE: This is a republished episode from #99 in November 2019.]
Katy Milkman is no ordinary behavioral scientist. She’s a Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at Wharton. She has a secondary faculty appointment in the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical School in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. She’s Co-Director, with Angela Duckworth, at the non-profit Behavior Change for Good Initiative. She’s the host of one of our favorite podcasts, called Choiceology, she is in the middle of writing a book, and she’s a Mom and Partner all at the same time!
We a...2020-07-1258 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Caroline Webb, Senior Advisor at McKinsey, on The Value of Where We Place Our Attention and Amplifying CertaintyCaroline Webb, a Senior Advisor at McKinsey, is an executive coach, author, and speaker specializing in insights from behavioral science to improve our lives at work. Her book on that topic, How To Have A Good Day, has been published in 14 languages and in more than 60 countries. One of her past jobs was to contribute to the world economic forecast, and she is fluid in her ability to speak with authority on a wide spectrum of topics. This session was recorded in February 2020 in the early days of the lockdown and we realize Caroline's words of encouragement to identify e...2020-07-0554 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Margaret Robinson Rutherford, PhD on Perfectly Hidden DepressionMargaret Robinson Rutherford, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice with more than twenty-five years of experience treating individuals and couples for depression, anxiety, and relationship issues.
She also offers her compassionate and commonsense therapeutic style to the general public through her popular blog and podcasts, with the goal of decreasing the stigma around psychological treatment. Her podcasts and shows on perfectly hidden depression (PHD) have reached thousands, as she sheds light on this overlooked presentation of the disease.
She is also the author of PERFECTLY HIDDEN DEPRESSION: How to Break Free from the P...2020-06-281h 08
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Howard Friedman, PhD on The Value of Human LifeHoward Friedman is a data scientist, health economist, and writer with decades of experience in both the private and public sectors, as well as academia. He is widely known for his work as a statistical modeler and he currently lives in New York City and teaches at Columbia University.
Howard's new book, Ultimate Price: The Value We Place on Life, is about how the monetary values assigned to our lives by governments, medical professionals, and insurers can determine who will survive during times of crisis.
We talked to Howard about different models for the valuation of...2020-06-0753 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: Protests Sparked by the Death of George Floyd in MinneapolisOn May 25, 2020, a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by holding him down with a knee on his neck for over 8 minutes. This was done while three other officers either helped in holding down Mr. Floyd down or stood by watching.
Mr. Floyd’s death is an unimaginable horror as it was not the result of a split-second or hair-trigger decision, but a callous, calculated effort that lasted more than 8 minutes.
This killing kicked off a week of protests which grew darker as the nights went on. As many as 81 buildi...2020-06-0529 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Chris Pfeiffer on Tips for Adjusting Sales Comp PlansChris Pfeiffer is a Senior Business Analyst at Tegra Analytics. Chris specializes in salesforce effectiveness in the life science industry, which includes incentive compensation, targeting and segmentation, sales force sizing and optimization, statistical analysis, and business intelligence.
Chris graduated from The Johns Hopkins University, where he received his Master of Science in Government Analytics, and La Salle University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (major in Finance with a minor in Economics).
We spoke to Chris about some of the challenges brought on by the coronavirus crisis. We discussed sales quotas an...2020-06-0346 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastDan Hill, PhD: On the Facial Coding of Trump, Hendrix, Prince, Gretzky and the BeatlesDan Hill, PhD is an internationally recognized expert on the role of emotions in politics, business, sports, and popular culture. He pioneered the use of facial coding (the analysis of facial expressions) in market research and has done work for over half of the world's top 100 consumer-oriented companies. He’s even received seven U.S. patents related to facial coding and he is an author on top of that.
We talked to Dan about one of his recent books called Famous Faces Decoded: A Guidebook for Reading Others. Unless you’ve never been lied to in your life...2020-05-311h 00
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Claire Bidwell Smith on Grief During the CrisisClaire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist specializing in grief and the author of three books of nonfiction, most recently ANXIETY: The Missing Stage of Grief. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and a variety of other publications.
She received her Master’s Degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and has recently transitioned her therapeutic practice to the East Coast of the United States while working with clients around the globe.
Our discussion with Claire focused on how a crisis is unique in its ability to generate grief...2020-05-2746 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Kristen Berman on Remote Work, Quaranteams and MarinadesKristen Berman is the co-founder of Irrational Labs and co-founder and principal at Common Cents Lab, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely. They work focuses on the financial well-being of low-to-middle-income Americans.
She was also on the founding team for the behavioral economics group at Google and hosts one of the top behavioral change conferences globally, StartupOnomics. She co-authored a series of workbooks (with Dan Ariely) called Hacking Human Nature for Good: A Practical Guide to Changing Behavior.
Our conversation with Kristen began with some straightforward tips on boosting productivity while working in i...2020-05-2444 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Stephen Curtis on Neuroplasticity and Creating the IdealStephen Curtis, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist with a doctorate in Neuroscience Experimental Psychology. He specializes in Performance Psychology with professional and college athletes, musicians, and corporate leaders to help them reach their highest levels of performance.
Steve is the author of the proprietary Clarity Survey which has become a business research best practice instrument with Fortune 500 companies. Clarity uses common language answers to detect what consumers and employees consider their ideal CX and EX experiences, and in so doing, it offers tremendous insights for business leaders.
In this episode, we focused on the ways in...2020-05-1958 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and SkepticismGary Latham, PhD is the Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Rotman School of Management in the University of Toronto. His research in the field of organizational psychology has yielded over 200 peer-reviewed publications and he has written several books on the topic of goal setting. He and his lifelong research partner, Ed Locke PhD, are responsible for Goal Setting Theory, prized by both the scientific community and sales leaders around the world.
He is the only recipient of both the Distinguished Contributions to Science award and the Practice award from SIOP. Top it off...2020-05-171h 39
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Mariel Beasley on Increasing Short Term Savings During the CrisisMariel Beasley is the Co-Director of the Common Cents Lab at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University. She works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University and her previous work experience includes a variety of nonprofits and charitable foundations.
As the leader of Common Cents Lab, she often develops partnerships with financial institutions to put behavioral science to good use through improving products, services and experiences for low-to-moderate households.
We talked to Ma...2020-05-131h 05
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Kaveh Yasdifard on Uniting Innovators from TehranKaveh Yazdifard is the Chief Innovation Officer at Sahab Pardaz located in Tehran, Iran. He is also the Director of Urban Innovation for the city and COO of Avatech Accelerator, a firm focused on empowering business startups through a values-driven culture.
While much of Kaveh’s work is focused on collaborating and creating value through Innovation, we were particularly interested in speaking with him about the way he applies Cognitive Psychology and Data Science to his work.
And at this writing, Kaveh and his teams are developing initiatives in Iran to help individuals and businesses surv...2020-05-0552 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Gretchen Chapman, PhD on The Psychology of VaccinationsGretchen Chapman, PhD researches how we make decisions about vaccines. She is a Professor in the Social & Decision Sciences department at Carnegie Mellon University and works across disciplines in both fields of judgment and decision making as well as health psychology.
She is the recipient of an APA early career award and an NJ Psychological Association Distinguished Research Award, a fellow of APA and APS. She is a former senior editor at Psychological Science, a past president of the Society for Judgment & Decision Making, the author of more than 100 journal articles, and the recipient of 20 years of c...2020-05-0357 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Jules Nolan on The Kids are Alright - Insights on Coping Through the CrisisJules Nolan, PhD is a psychologist, speaker, and author. She is the president of the Minnesota School Psychology Association and chairwoman for the Human Diversity Committee for the International School Psychology Association.
Her research, which has been conducted and published internationally, focuses on behavior, achievement, and wellbeing for school-aged children. She consults with parents and educators on how to manage family life and classrooms to help all children thrive.
We talked to Jules to get her thoughts into how she assists families with the unfamiliar experience of being together constantly. Jules delivered insightful comments, terrific re...2020-05-011h 10
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Greg Davies, PhD on the Fetish of OptimizationGreg Davies, PhD is a specialist in applied behavioral finance, decision science, impact investing, and financial wellbeing. He founded the banking world’s first behavioral finance team at Barclays in 2006, which he led for a decade. In 2017 he joined Oxford Risk to lead the development of behavioral decision support software to help people make the best possible financial decisions.
Greg holds a PhD in Behavioural Decision Theory from Cambridge; he has held academic affiliations at UCL, Imperial College, and Oxford; and is author of Behavioral Investment Management. Greg is also Chair of Sound and Music, the UK’s na...2020-04-281h 20
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Anurag Vaish on Risk is a Feeling, Not a NumberAnurag Vaish is the co-founder and director of The FinalMile in Mumbai, India. In building the company's practice of Behavior Architecture, Anurag led the conceptualization and development of digital games as a platform for research.
Anurag brings over 17 years of experience in strategic planning, research and marketing communication. Our conversation with him allowed him to highlight some of the work FinalMile is doing with the Indian government.
More importantly, Anurag and his team are building a Pandemic Playbook (link below) which is an archive of data points, interventions, communication, trends in activities and observations and...2020-04-2046 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Michael Boden on How Field Sales Reps Are Adapting to the CrisisMichael Boden is the Head of U.S. Crop Protection Sales at Syngenta, a global agrochemicals and seeds firm based in Basel, Switzerland. He joined the company in 1986 and has held global sales and marketing positions throughout his career. Michael grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, and is currently based in Syngenta’s North American headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Michael shared a vivid image of his business: it’s what he calls belly-to-belly relationships his reps and agronomists have with growers (farmers), retailers and distributors. He also shared an insight about the need for corporate redundancy that...2020-04-1737 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Alessandro del Ponte on Moral Dilemmas with Economic ConsequencesAlessandro del Ponte is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore working in the Behavioral Change program at the Global Asia Institute. He recently earned his PhD in behavioral political economy from Stony Brook University in New York. His recent research uses simple video games to understand how people feel about making tradeoffs between jobs and paying off national debt, or between saving lives in the national healthcare system or paying off the national debt.
We decided to connect with Alessandro because of President Trump’s recent comment: The cure shouldn’t be worse than the...2020-04-1441 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Cristina Bicchieri – Messaging Rules For Improving Social BehaviorCristina Bicchieri, PhD is the S. J. Patterson Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics, a Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, a Professor of Legal Studies at the Wharton School, the Head of the Behavioral Ethics Lab, the Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program, and is the Faculty Director of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research with UNICEF keeps her busy around the world, as well.
Our discussion with Cristina offers more than just a few tips (noted below). Cristina’s o...2020-04-111h 18
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: The Impact of Temporal DiscountingIn this grooving episode, Kurt and Tim discuss Temporal Discounting and it’s closely related cousins. Temporal discounting is where we tend to value events in the near term more than similar events that are off in the distance. Another way to say it is that we discount – or reduce – our perceived value of events scheduled far off in the future. (The “timing” element is what gives it the name “temporal.”)
This is a very common bias and is closely related to Hyperbolic Discounting, which is the tendency for people to have a stronger preference for more immediate payo...2020-04-0514 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Aline Holzwarth on Our Behavioral Immune SystemAline Holzwarth is the head of Behavioral Science at Pattern Health in Durham, North Carolina and a writer who supplies work to Behavioral Scientist and Forbes and has well as her blog on Medium. And she is also Principal of Dan Ariely’s Center for Advanced Hindsight, where she is responsible for directing the strategy, operations and communications for the Duke University research center.
Our conversation with Aline was relaxed and built on the underpinnings of abundance and gratitude. We talked first about some the great tips she offers for handwashing messages and how our behavioral immune sy...2020-04-0347 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Brad Shuck, PhD on Pausing, Building Capacity and "Not Business as Usual"Brad Shuck, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development at the University of Louisville. He is also the Program Director of the Center for Human Resource and Organizational Development. Brad has been researching employee engagement for many years and is a featured speaker at conferences on employee engagement around the world.
Talking to Brad was like having a friendly counselor talk you off the ledge while we covered meaningful topics starting with the fact that this is definitely NOT business as usual. His take on intentionality, deliberate action and...2020-04-021h 06
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Eugen Dimant, PhD on the Roles of Social Norms and Good ScienceEugen Dimant, PhD is an Associate Professor of Practice in Behavioral and Decision Sciences, which is part of the new Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics under Cristina Bicchieri, Ph.D.’s leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Much of his work is focused on how social norms are formed and impact our lives.
We talked about how social norms drive individual behaviors in different ways and how research on coronavirus-related behaviors is being completed at record speeds – but not necessarily all in good ways. He recommends slowing down, working across disciplines, and being clear on rese...2020-03-3148 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Wendy Wood, PhD on Habits, Productivity and Being Gentle with YourselfWendy Wood, PhD is a social psychologist whose research addresses the ways that habits guide behavior. She researches and teaches at USC both in psychology and in the business school and is a world-renowned expert on breaking old habits and creating new ones. Her book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits” is a New York Times bestseller and delivers a terrifically readable and scholarly approach to habits.
In our conversation with her, she shared what habits are and how habits get formed. We talked about how now could be a time for more pro-social behavior. And she reminded us to b...2020-03-3039 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Rodd Wagner on The Zen of Staying SafeRodd Wagner is a Forbes columnist and bestselling author of books on leadership, employee engagement and collaboration. Rodd’s books have been published in 10 languages and his articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, USA Today, ABC News, as well as Globe and Mail in Canada. One of his books was even parodied in Dilbert.
In our conversation, we discussed how humans perceive risk, regulation (by the self and by the government), and cumulative probabilities. We’ve known Rodd for many years and always find his perspectives fresh and ripe with curi...2020-03-2859 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Annie Duke on Hedging and the Last Disaster SyndromeAnnie Duke is an author, corporate speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. Her most recent book, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts, quickly became a national bestseller and landed on the Behavioral Grooves Top 10 list for 2018!
Prior to her career as a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education.
And...2020-03-271h 17
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Ali Fenwick, PhD on Leveraging the Crisis for GoodAli Fenwick, PhD is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Hult International Business School in London and Dubai. He specializes in applying behavioural traits and behavioral interventions for business improvement, government policy design, communication effectiveness and, among other things, psychographic profiling.
According to Ali, “Bulk buying is caused by various psychological and environmental cues which throw rational-thinking out of the window. When in survival mode, we let mainly our emotions drive decisions and are more susceptible to social influences. So, we will rush out and buy more because we believe others are doing the same.”
We dis...2020-03-251h 01
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: James Brewer on Changing His MindJames Brewer is the Director of Marketing Platforms and Global Customer Operations for Eli Lilly and Company. Over the years, Kurt and Tim have worked with James on applying behavioral science insights to his work, and many of his colleagues’ work, at Eli Lilly. James is an avid behavioral science practitioner and also a friend.
We started our discussion with James about how his views have shifted from being someone who thought the media was overhyping the pandemic, to being someone who is taking the threat from the coronavirus very seriously. This naturally integrated James’s personal story...2020-03-2459 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Don’t Outsource Your Critical Thinking with Christian HuntChristian Hunt is the founder of Human Risk, a Behavioral Science consulting and training firm specializing in risk, compliance, conduct & culture. Previously, Christian was the head of Behavioral Science at UBS and Chief Operating Officer of the Prudential Regulation Authority. He is an expert on risk and how people perceive risk.
We wanted to talk to Christian about how we perceive risk and whether or not our human biases are overblowing (or undervaluing) the current pandemic. We also chatted about a concept introduced to us by Deborah Small, a professor at Wharton, called distorted risk perception.
...2020-03-2358 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Barry Ritholtz on Keeping PerspectiveBarry Ritholtz is the CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management and the host of the Bloomberg podcast Masters in Business, where he talks almost as much about markets, investing and business as he does about the behavioral science behind WHY we do what we do. Our first conversation appears in the ever-popular Episode 47.
This week, we discussed the financial implications of the financial crisis resulting from the pandemic. It’s not, as Barry notes quite clearly, a one hundred year flood. The market is reacting the way it normally does. While the shifts are dramatic, they were unforeseen an...2020-03-2256 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastCovid-19 Crisis: Emotional Impact of WFH with Liz FosslienLiz Fosslien was our guest on Episode 56 and we asked her back to kick off our series on the behavioral aspects of how life is changing with quarantines, sheltering in place and working from home. Liz is the Head of Content at HUMU, a firm that combines people science and machine learning to create breakthroughs on a wide variety of people-centric measurements. Liz is also the co-author and illustrator of No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work.
We discussed how this crisis has impacted our emotional wellbeing and how to get along while wo...2020-03-2145 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastChiara Varazzani: Behavioral Science Needs More NeuroscienceChiara Varazzani, PhD is the Principal Advisor at the Behavioral Insights Unit in the Victorian Government's Department of Premier and Cabinet in Australia. Chiara is Italian born, French-educated, and employed in Australia, adding her to the list of Italian-born behavioral scientists we’ve had on our show (Cristina Bicchieri, Francesco Gina, and Silvia Saccardo, in case you’re counting).
She blew us away with her passion for behavioral science as well as her comments about the way our brain calculates the ratio between effort and reward with dopamine and noradrenaline. It was a reminder that there is hard...2020-03-151h 07
Behavioral Grooves PodcastJohn Fuisz: Tracking Emotional VectorsJohn Fuisz is co-founder of Veriphix and a marketer who believes in building great brands. He does so with a sophisticated system that, on the surface, appears simple and direct; however, it’s built on his astute observations of consumer behavior, the clever use of data, and most importantly, it’s related to Annie Duke’s use of bets to measure future behaviors.
We wanted to talk to John because his work tracks the seemingly subtle, yet extremely powerful, ways our buying and voting behaviors can be influenced.
Veriphix connects brands with users with three primar...2020-03-081h 14
Behavioral Grooves PodcastAndrew Wagner: The Economics Inside Online GamesAuthor and economist Andrew Wagner’s new book, The Economics of Online Gaming, shares how economic decisions get made by players of online games. We discuss how reputations and player behaviors impact success in the game.
For instance, a very positive reputation could lead other players to work with you, but it also could lead them to take advantage of you. Andrew discovered, in this game, that while a bad reputation sets people against you, it also provided unforeseen benefits in the game, economically speaking, of course.
We agree with Andrew that economics can be in...2020-03-011h 10
Behavioral Grooves PodcastEthical Application of Behavioral Science in the WorkplaceIn this special edition, bestselling author and Forbes contributor, Rodd Wagner, organized a question-and-answer session with Kurt and Tim in front of a live audience to discuss whether behavioral sciences could be applied to corporate environments in ways that allow leaders to manipulate their employees. And, if so, where does that land on the ethical spectrum?
Rodd has grown increasingly intrigued and sometimes concerned that behavioral science has reached a point of refinement and adoption that it could create an unprecedented and unfair imbalance in the social contract between companies and the people who work at them.2020-02-231h 08
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: The Behavioral DiagnosisIn this grooving session, Kurt and Tim share how to conduct a behavioral diagnosis. A behavioral diagnosis is a tool we use to uncover the underlying drivers of behavior inside an organization to bring about meaningful change, all with the use of applied behavioral science.
Kurt and Tim have been conducting behavioral diagnoses for many years and have found that leaders often don’t understand why their employees behave the way they do – particularly when it comes to employees response to changes in the workplace. Leaders all too often expect announcements of corporate changes will be met by ra...2020-02-0228 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: 2019 Reading ListKurt and Tim like to read about behavioral science and a variety of related fields. To help those interested in the subject, but unsure how to pick good books to either get started or advance their learning, our 2019 Top 10 Reading List should help. Our Top 10 list is really a Top 9, since both Kurt and Tim already had one of the books on both of their lists. But we also go beyond that list with some honorable mentions (that could have easily been swapped for some of our top choices), as well as a shortlist of fiction and poetry for...2019-12-0516 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastKaty Milkman: Behavior Change for GoodKaty Milkman is no ordinary behavioral scientist. She’s a Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at Wharton and has a secondary faculty appointment in the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical School in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. She’s Co-Director, with Angela Duckworth, at the non-profit Behavior Change for Good Initiative. She’s the host of one of our favorite podcasts, called Choiceology, she is in the middle of writing a book, and she’s a Mom and Partner all at the same time.
We are grateful to her for taking time to record a c...2019-11-2457 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastChris Brown: Avalanches and System 1 ThinkingChris Brown is in human risk management and practice is set in backcountry snow. He grew up outside of Philadelphia and after graduating with a degree in Urban Design/Architecture, he moved to Utah to pursue certification with the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) in avalanche training.
Chris works as a ski guide and avalanche/snow science professional, but his real job is helping skiers overcome their biases. He incorporates the work of Kahneman and Tversky, Richard Thaler and other great researchers into his classes and we found his intentionality in decision making noteworthy.
We ha...2019-11-101h 33
Behavioral Grooves PodcastVictoria Shaffer: End of Life Decision ToolsVictoria Shaffer is a researcher and professor at the University of Missouri. Victoria focuses on applying decision psychology and behavioral economics to medical decision making. In particular, she is researching judgment and decision making and how they impact the design of patient decision support tools.
Tim and Victoria met working on a field research project with Dan Ariely, PhD because of her work on non-monetary rewards with Scott Jeffrey, PhD. She was pushing back on common sense preferences, such as money is the best motivator, just as she is today with her work in the medical field.2019-10-271h 21
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: On GoalsGoals are often misunderstood. Goals are much more than just objectives that are handed down to subordinates. Rather, goals are self-determined in the best cases, and at the very least, are set collaboratively to get the most out of them.
We discuss Goal Setting Theory (GST), results from research that Tim conducted, and we address the three key elements that must be included to maximize the effect of the goals: 1. The goals must be perceived as achievable. Without perceived achievability, the goal is not accepted and, therefore, not a goal. 2. There must be some involvement with those...2019-10-0919 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGina Merchant: Combating MisinformationGina Merchant, PhD is a behavioral scientist who wound her way through academia and into the corporate world for the purpose of improving the health of communities, not just individuals. Her work examines how online and offline social networks influence our health behaviors and healthcare decision-making.
Gina shared her insights through research she’s been conducting with promotores, the women who govern how information flows through Hispanic communities in Southern California. The research explores how the work these women do impacts the health and wellbeing of their communities.
Our discussion also included Gina’s thoughts on m...2019-09-221h 14Behavioral Grooves PodcastAnnie Duke: Revisiting the MatrixWe are re-sharing our original September 2018 discussion with Annie Duke to announce the Behavioral Grooves 100th Episode on the evening of October 17, 2019 in the Historic Hamilton Auditorium at the Pennsylvania Academy for Performing Arts. It's a live event and we invite you to join us to hear Annie, Lila Gleitman and other guests discuss the application of behavioral sciences. Seating is very limited for this intimate engagement and we hope to see you there! Links below...
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Annie Duke’s latest book, Thinking in Bets, Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts, is a mas...2019-09-152h 02
Behavioral Grooves PodcastBrian Ahearn: Influencing People EthicallyBrian Ahearn is Behavioral Grooves’ first repeat guest. (He was first featured in Episode 39: The Heart of Reciprocity.) We recently reconnected with him to discuss his new book, Influence PEOPLE. The book explores the science behind the influence process – what drives people to take the actions you want them to take, without manipulation or trickery. The book is about changing people's behavior. Positive thoughts, and even agreement from others, only go so far – and seldom lead to a change in behavior. Our conversation with Brian focused on specific ways to make that happen.
Brian’s book is not intend...2019-09-021h 04
Behavioral Grooves PodcastAlex Blau: The Implementation-Intention FrameworkAlex Blau is a vice president at ideas42 with projects in consumer finance, design and decision-making, and international development. In our discussion, we focused on a new project he’s working on in the area of supervision of people after they're released from incarceration, or what we commonly refer to as parole.
The cost of incarceration and supervision is more than just social – it comes with a big price tag. Nearly $7 billion is spent annually to supervise individuals coming out of the prison system and another $9 billion is spent on incarceration. More than 4.5 million people in the Unite...2019-08-251h 12
Behavioral Grooves PodcastChris Matyszczyk: Listening to Music While You WorkOur guest in this episode is a prolific writer and observer of the human condition, Chris Matyszczyk (pronounced ma-TIS-chick). We talked with Chris about a variety of topics including
advertising, the psychology of who we are, including an unplanned psychoanalysis of Tim’s desire to be heard as a musician. We also talked about politics and referenced Brexit, life at Google and Facebook, and, hold the phone: how World War will be won by the best nerds.
All of this got started because we saw an article Chris wrote that caught our attention. It was a...2019-08-121h 26
Behavioral Grooves PodcastScott Jeffrey: On JustifiabilityBecause we're taking a little break, we are republishing one of our favorite episodes: a conversation with Scott Jeffrey, PhD from Monmouth University in New Jersey, recorded in December 2017. Our conversation was so engaging that we wanted to make sure no one misses out on it. The original audio from this was only our third podcast we’d ever recorded, and it was a recorded with the simplest tools available. That said, we hope you enjoy the content.
In this episode, we discuss the concept of justifiability with one of its earliest researchers, Scott Jeffrey, PhD. Scott wa...2019-08-051h 08
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: On Cognitive DissonanceWe met up with Kathleen Vohs, PhD at our Behavioral Grooves Meetup in Minneapolis on the evening that her op-ed article appeared in the Washington Post on July 18, 2019. She had been asked by the newspaper to write a piece explaining how supporters of President Donald Trump could continue backing him in light of his, “send them back” comment in a tweet.
The tweet referred to 4 first-term congresswomen of color. All of them are US citizens and only one of them was born outside the United States: Representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota. Representative Omar is from Kurt and Tim’...2019-07-2115 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastMatt Loper: Helping Patients Adhere to Medication PlansIn this episode, we spoke with Matt Loper, CEO and Co-Founder of Wellth, an app that helps people with chronic conditions improve their health through better adherence to their prescriptions. Matt’s company works with healthcare providers and insurers to provide rewards for patients who need small behavioral interventions to stay on track.
Wellth does this by “giving” patients money at the start of each month to take their pills. To prove they’re on track, they use the Wellth app to take a photograph of their medicines in the palm of their hand. But every day that the...2019-07-141h 29Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: On LikingIn this episode, Kurt and Tim explore Robert Cialdini’s Fifth Principles of Influence: Liking. In it, we groove on the very powerful tool for influence and persuasion and give examples of how to apply it.
In short, we like people who like us and are more willing to do things for others who we like. We can find aspects of liking and similarity on a multitude of levels, and this subconscious bias impacts much of what drives our behavior. There are three key things to keep in mind when it comes to maximizing the impact of li...2019-07-0710 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastNurit Nobel: De-Biasing the Recruiting ProcessIn this episode, we spoke with Nurit Nobel, who is living in Stockholm, Sweden where she’s working on her PhD. Nurit is a co-founder of Impactually, along with one of our favorite guests, Christina Gravert, PhD. Impactually is a behavioral science consultancy that is firmly grounded in both academic rigor and real-world experience.
Nurit, who is related by marriage to the family associated with the Nobel Prize, talked about Impactually’s BOOST model, which is a practical tool for behavior change. The majority of our conversation was focused on a client case study about de-biasing the recr...2019-06-301h 20
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving: On ScarcityThis episode is a discussion on the principle of scarcity. Kurt and Tim illuminate the power of this very fundamental effect in behavioral science with some real-world examples. Simply put, the scarcity effect is that people want more of those things they can have less of. It’s terribly powerful and is evident in many aspects of our lives.
“Sale ends tomorrow” is one of the strongest tools in a marketer’s handbook, and Kurt and Tim discuss that and others and the ways they impact behavior. We also talk about the implications of scarcity and how scarcity...2019-06-0908 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastRoger Dooley: Friction and EngagementRoger Dooley is the author of Friction, his newest book that summarizes great examples of companies do good things to reduce friction for customers and some not-so-good things to increase friction. Roger is also the author of Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing.
He is the founder of Dooley Direct, a marketing consultancy, and frequent speaker on the topics of marketing and neuroscience. Roger even has ties to Carnegie Mellon as he earned his engineering degree there then went on to complete his MBA from the University of Tennessee.
In this episode, w...2019-05-261h 26
Behavioral Grooves PodcastJulie Downs: From Sexual Health to the SahelJulie Downs, PhD is an associate professor of psychology in the Social and Decision Sciences department at Carnegie Mellon’s Dietrich College and fits perfectly into the cross-disciplinary culture of the group. Her interests have spanned anthropology to healthcare to economics and her zest for each of them is undeniable.
Our discussion with Julie started with some of her latest research on how to help women make the proper vaginal insertion of an HIV-prevention drug. While scientists at the University of Pittsburgh are developing the medicine, Julie is focused on the behavioral aspects including the proper way to...2019-04-2852 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastSilvia Saccardo: Ethics of Decisions and Italian RapSilvia Saccardo, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Social and Decision Sciences department in the Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. Our conversation with Silvia is the fourth in our series on Carnegie Mellon professors.
We sat down with Silvia in Porter Hall on a chilly day at CMU to discuss her findings on how motivated cognition and hidden biases shape our ethical (and unethical) decision-making. Her research on bribery and lying has been published in top peer-reviewed journals and we found her work with the Dictator Game particularly interesting, es...2019-04-1756 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastAmit Sood: The Ultimate Happiness DoctorLooking for a simple 5-step plan to be happier? Our guest has one.
Amit Sood, PhD is an author and physician at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. He specializes in pediatrics, internal medicine and oncology and he also maintains certificates in acupressure, yoga and reiki. His books include two particularly relevant volumes that formed the basis of our discussion: The Guide to Stress-Free Living and Handbook for Happiness. He’s a remarkably well-rounded and humble healthcare practitioner as well as a highly productive author. It’s clear from talking with him that he cares deeply about his...2019-03-311h 11
Behavioral Grooves PodcastFrancesca Gino: Curiosity and Rebellion Makes Your CareerImagine a company where 100% of the employees are rebels – would it be chaotic or wonderful? Our guest from the Harvard Business School, Francesca Gino PhD, argues that rebels are not just essential, but they can improve corporate effectiveness.
Francesca is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School who describes herself as a curious behavioral scientist, passionate about teaching and helping leaders make wiser decisions that can improve their lives and those of the people around them. She’s the author of dozens of peer-reviewed articles on decision making and her books include Sidetracked (2013), and more recently, Rebe...2019-03-241h 18Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving on ReciprocityThis is the second episode in a series on the 6 Principles of Persuasion as identified by Robert Cialdini, PhD, in his 1984 book, Influence. (The first episode in the series was on consistency – with the link below.) In this grooving session, Kurt and Tim discuss reciprocity, the first principle of influence, its roots and how it shows up in our world today.
Reciprocity is when we feel obliged to give back to people who have given to us. The operative word is given, to differentiate the experience from a contractual exchange like a loan or a quid pro qu...2019-03-0615 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastLiz Fosslien: The Smile FileLiz Fosslien is the co-author and illustrator of No Hard Feelings: The secret power of embracing emotions at work. The book is a wickedly funny guide to un-repressing your emotions at work, finding constructive channels even for jealousy and anxiety, demystifying coworker communication styles, and ultimately allowing readers to be the same person in work and in life. She recently joined Humu to develop nudges and behavior change models that make life at work better.
Our conversation with Liz, like all of our conversations, meandered from her book to her workout music (EDM), to her background in ma...2019-03-041h 06
Behavioral Grooves PodcastSaurabh Bhargava: A More Serene Path to Financial WellbeingSaurabh Bhargava, PhD is a professor and researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and he joined us in the Behavioral Grooves studio during a visit to Minnesota over the holidays. Saurabh has also taught at the Booth School at the University of Chicago and worked in corporate consulting for McKinsey & Company.
His work history, and the fact that he hails from the very sensible state of Minnesota, adds credibility and practicability to his work. In recent years, much of his research has focused on examining policies and programs that shape financial and health wellness. His curiosities h...2019-02-1845 minBehavioral Grooves PodcastRodd Wagner: This Episode Could Save Your LifeThe safety insights from our guest could save your life!
Rodd Wagner is The New York Times bestselling author of the book "Widgets: The 12 New Rules for Managing Your Employees as If They're Real People." A contributor to Forbes, he is one of the foremost authorities on employee engagement and collaboration. Wagner's books, speeches, and thought leadership focus on how human nature affects business strategy. He and his aerospace engineer son, Rodd Parks Wagner, are currently completing work on a book on the psychology of safety.
We talked with Rodd about a wide variety of to...2019-02-041h 36Behavioral Grooves PodcastRe-Grooving on Annie DukeThis is a special Re-Grooving session for your speedy listening enjoyment. In this re-grooving episode, we are re-sharing the Grooving Session (only the Grooving Session) that followed Kurt’s and my conversation with Annie Duke, author and poker champion extraordinaire. That means that in this episode, you won’t hear the conversation with Annie. To hear that, you need to check out our podcast called “Leaving the Matrix.” There you can enjoy all of Annie’s insights and enthusiasm first hand.
This episode is just the Grooving Session after we spoke with Annie. It’s about 30 minutes long and inc...2018-11-2831 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastLinnea Gandhi: Crushing on StatisticsUniversity of Chicago MBA professor Linnea Gandhi talked with Kurt and Tim recently about her consulting work, her passion for statistics, grading papers and how a good improvisational theatre production can be sheer joy. Self-descriptions of her own achievements are blanketed with modesty; however, her passions shine through when discussing her work, both past and present.
Linnea is a remarkable person. After completing her undergraduate at Harvard and an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School, she worked with the Boston Consulting Group, then with ideas42. And since last year, she’s operated her own consultancy ba...2018-11-191h 26
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving on Books: Our Top 10 Recommended books on Behavioral ScienceIn this grooving session, Kurt and Tim discuss books that they believe every behavioral science nerd should (yes: should) read. Kurt was limited to 5 picks, but didn't stay in the lines, and Tim was also limited to 5 picks and did stay in the lines. (#justsayin) We began the conversation with 4 classics that are simply must-reads, then dug into our individual lists. After brief reviews on our collective top 10, we highlighted several books (and an article) that are undeniably instrumental to our fascination with behavioral sciences. Listen to the podcast to get the discussion; however, to save some time searching, b...2018-10-1431 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastGrooving with Kurt & Tim - The 4 Drive ModelWhen Kurt and Tim founded the Behavioral Grooves, we wanted to glean insights into the applications of behavioral sciences from world-renowned researchers and practitioners. So far, so good! In this shorter episode, rather than interviewing a guest, we converse with each other about a topic near and dear to Kurt's heart: The 4 Drive Model. We discuss Lawrence & Nohria's development of the 4 Drive Model and how it's morphed over the years, how the model remained below the radar of corporate applications until a Harvard Business Review article appeared in 2008.
In this 31-minute discussion about the 4 Drive Model, you...2018-04-2330 min
Behavioral Grooves PodcastBehavioral Grooves 1: James Heyman, PhDIn the Behavioral Grooves first podcast, Kurt Nelson, PhD and Tim Houlihan interview James Heyman, PhD, a professor and researcher at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Heyman's research has led him to collaborate with renowned behavioral economists including Dan Ariely, PhD, and focuses on decision making in a world with too much irrelevant information. The interview with Dr. Heyman runs from the beginning of the podcast through 38:00 minutes. At 38:00 minutes, Kurt and Tim have their Grooving Session where they discuss topics from the interview, from the Behavioral Grooves session that month and other random th...2017-10-2459 min