Shows
The Nicolas Procel PodcastThe Evolutionary Psychology of Happiness & Achievement | Dr. Lionel PageDr. Lionel Page is a professor of economics at the University of Queensland. Lionel is also the author of the Substack "Optimally Irrational," where he writes about various topics including psychology, the science of happiness, human nature, politics, evolutionary psychology, irrationality, and various other topics.In this episode, Dr. Page and I talk about how happiness can be understood from an evolutionary perspective. We start with why evolution seems implausible to many, and then move on to talk about how happiness works, why happiness doesn’t last, why we have incorrect intuitions about happiness, ho...
2025-12-192h 12The Nicolas Procel PodcastScientist: How Self-Discipline & the Human Mind Work | Dr. Rob KurzbanDr. Robert Kurzban is a former professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and an evolutionary psychologist. Dr. Kurzban was mentored and trained by Dr. John Tooby and Dr. Leda Cosmides, both founders of the field of modern evolutionary psychology.In this episode, I converse with Dr. Kurzban about evolutionary psychology, the science of self-discipline, and the theory of the modular mind. We look at the now-debunked resource view of willpower (ego depletion) and a better theory of self-discipline, as well as what science tells us we can do to be more disciplined...
2025-12-121h 38The Nicolas Procel PodcastNeuroscientist: "Andrew Huberman is Wrong About Dopamine" | Dr. Hermes SolenzolDr. Juan Carlos Marvizón, (pseudonym Hermes Solenzol) is a retired neuroscientist and expert in pain physiology, as well as a former member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute. He is also an author of various... romance books, and has a blog about various topics including science, philosophy, and more.In this episode, Dr. Solenzol and I talk about some of the mistakes and oversimplifications made by Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Anna Lembke. We also talk about all things dopamine, including its role in pleasure, its role in motivation/wanting, the neurobiology of t...
2025-08-241h 51The Nicolas Procel PodcastThe Hidden Motives Behind Everything You Do | Dr. Robin HansonDr. Robin Hanson is a polymath, a well-known rationalist, and an associate professor of economics at George Mason University. In this conversation, Dr. Hanson speaks with me about the underlying motivations behind much of human behavior, and how the pretexts (the reasons we give) for our behavior don’t often match the subtexts (the real reasons).In this episode, Dr. Hanson and I talk about evolutionary psychology, how your conscious mind just presents a favorable picture of your motives and not your real motives, why we have a press secretary in the brain at al...
2025-08-111h 43The Nicolas Procel PodcastNeuroscientist: How the Brain Creates Pleasure | Dr. Kent BerridgeNamed "one of the 50 most influential psychologists in the world," Dr. Kent Berridge is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan as well as an award-winning researcher in the field of affective neuroscience, studying topics such as pleasure, reward, and addiction. Dr. Berridge is the recipient of various awards, among them the APA Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award, the APS William James Fellow award, and more.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yyKGGC7OjhQ
2025-06-0640 minThe Nicolas Procel PodcastYour Brain Is Designed to Lie to You | Dr. David PinsofDr. David Pinsof is the co-creator of Cards Against Humanity, as well as a social scientist at UCLA and author of Everything is Bullshit on Substack, where he explores the evolutionary forces behind self-deception, belief, and human behavior.0:00 Intro0:35 Why We Evolved to Self-Deceive4:42 People Are Bad At Spotting Deception5:20 Why We Bullshit Ourselves & Others7:37 The Use of Self-Deception11:27 Why Are People So Easily Deceived? The Social Function of Self-Deception & False Beliefs14:45 Social vs. Real Beliefs; Why People "Believe" Conspiracy Theories
2025-04-2854 minThe Nicolas Procel PodcastPsychology Professor: The 8 Most Common Thinking Errors | Dr. Alexander SwanDr. Alexander Swan holds a Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences and is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Eureka College. His research focuses on cognitive psychology, particularly judgment and decision-making, with an emphasis on cognitive biases.0:00 Intro0:19 What Biases Are & Why We Have Them3:04 The Evolutionary Function of Biases8:22 The Most Common & Pervasive Biases11:50 Psychological Inertia14:11 Science Is Not Always True, Bias in Science19:34 How to Mitigate & Overcome Bias24:36 Why People Think They Aren’t Biased; Availability Bias...
2025-03-251h 22The Nicolas Procel PodcastHow Life Began and How Humans Evolved | Richard AndersonWhat if a single mutation millions of years ago is the reason you're here reading this right now?Richard Anderson is the author of Nautilus Award winner “The Evolution of Life: Big Bang to Space Colonies,” which details the history of the universe and life, as well as the present and future of humanity, life, and the planet. Richard holds a master’s degree in microbiology from San Jose State University, with further studies in molecular biology and biochemistry.In this episode, Richard and I unpack the story of life...
2024-12-101h 38The Nicolas Procel PodcastWhy We Crave Meaning Beyond Ourselves | Jerry PannoneWhat if everything you’ve been told about finding meaning in life is only scratching the surface?My guest in this episode is Jerry Pannone, a former philosophy teacher and author of the book "Survive: Why We Do What We Do." Jerry has spent a large portion of his life studying philosophy, the humanities, psychology, neuroscience, and more, and synthesizes that information into insights about the human condition.Why does music stir our souls? What lies beyond self-actualization? In this conversation, Jerry Pannone unpacks the deep connections between music, id...
2024-11-272h 00The Nicolas Procel PodcastWhat Makes a Happy Life? | Gary ArnellIn this episode, Gary Arnell talks about the lessons we've learned from philosophy over the last 2,350 years on how to create a happy life and flourishing society.My guest in this episode is Gary Arnell, a scholar who studies various fields including the philosophy of happiness, political philosophy, history, and much more.In this conversation, Nicolas and Gary talk about the philosophy of happiness, virtue, politics, religion, and more. They discuss Aristotle's influence on the Declaration of Independence, John Locke's influence on our values, culture, and politics, and where...
2024-10-241h 28The Nicolas Procel Podcast"I Read 1,500 Books - Here's What I Learned" | Greg DenningI talk to Greg Denning about the most important things he's learned after 30 years of study on how to make life better.My guest in this episode is Greg Denning, who has spent his life since the age of 16 reading all kinds of books to make him a more effective and successful human. Greg coaches thousands of people all around the world on how to improve their lives and businesses. He is also my first mentor.In this conversation, Nicolas and Greg discuss meaning, self improvement, the role of...
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