Shows
On WisdomThe Wisdom Turing Test - Part Two (with Steve Rathje)What can insights from the psychology of technology teach us about wisdom in the age of AI? In this special follow-up episode, Igor and Charles are joined by Steve Rathje to explore how classic ideas like the Turing Test hold up now that AI can talk compellingly about human wisdom. Steve unpacks what today’s generative models are actually capable of, Igor is intrigued by how quickly the line between human and machine reasoning seems to be blurring, and Charles realises that telling human insight from machine insight isn’t nearly as straightforward as he'd hoped. The trio also reve...
2025-11-1649 min
Andrew Yang PodcastThe Science Behind Why Social Media Makes Us MiserableThis week on the Andrew Yang Podcast: We dive deep into the dark side of social media and how it’s reshaping democracy, fueling polarization, and harming mental health, especially for kids. Andrew is joined by Jay Van Bavel and Steven Rathje, two leading researchers uncovering what really drives virality, outrage, and division online. From Facebook’s algorithms to TikTok fame, this episode exposes how attention has become the new addiction, and what we can do to reclaim our minds.
Watch the full episode here
Have a question for Andrew? Drop it in the comments sect...
2025-10-2054 min
Progression to AnalogPsychology of Virality with Professor Steve RathjeSteve Rathje, Incoming Assistant Professor of Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University, joins us to kick off season three of Progression to Analog! You may know Steve from his TikTok @stevepsychology (1M+ followers). We discuss the psychology of virality and why info spreads offline and online, the paradox of virality and why people share negative content online even though they claim to not want negative content, smartphone bans, cross-cultural social media trends, and more.
2025-08-2546 min
Where We Go Next121: The Inner Workings and Outsized Benefits of Artificial Intelligence, with Harper CarrollHarper Carroll is an AI and Machine Learning software engineer and educator known for making complex AI concepts accessible to a wide audience. She has multiple degrees from Stanford University in Computer Science specializing in AI, and industry experience at Meta, working on augmented reality and civic integrity projects. Her online educational content has gained her a following of over 300,000 subscribers on Instagram and YouTube.Harper's 10 Days of AI BasicsAI Avatar Demonstration10 Days of AI x Nuclear: AI's Energy NeedsGround News gathers news coverage from around the world, empowers...
2024-10-1659 minWhere We Go Next118: Making Paleontology the Next TikTok Trend, with Harrison DuranHarrison Duran is a field paleontologist whose popular social media accounts document his preparation and excavation in the American West. His videography and storytelling convey the work and skill required by paleontology, as well as its significance to our understanding of the natural world. Species which he has excavated and prepared include Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex.If You Liked This Conversation, You'll Probably Like These Episodes of Where We Go Next:111: The Hidden Forces Driving Our Online Behavior, with Steve Rathje104: The War for Critical Minerals and Our Electrified Future, with Ernest Scheyder97: Climate Change...
2024-09-171h 08Where We Go Next116: The Unintended Consequences of Great Design, with Carissa Carter & Scott DoorleyCarissa Carter is a designer, geoscientist, and the academic director at the Stanford d.school. She's the author of The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data, and teaches design courses on emerging technologies, climate change, and data visualization. Her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards, including Fast Company Innovation and Core 77 awards. Scott Doorley is a writer, designer, and the creative director at the Stanford d.school. He has overseen everything from books to workspaces to digital products and initiatives focused on the future of l...
2024-08-2857 minWhere We Go Next111: The Hidden Forces Driving Our Online Behavior, with Steve RathjeSteve Rathje is a postdoctoral researcher in social psychology at New York University. Broadly, he studies the psychology of technology, and explores how polarization and intergroup conflict interact with social media and artificial intelligence. He is also a science communicator with over one million followers on his psychology TikTok channel.steverathje.comThe Global Social Media ExperimentSocial Identity & Morality LabHeineken: Worlds ApartPsychology Experiment on Conformity - Steve's TikTokGround News gathers news coverage from around the world, empowers free thinking, and makes media bias...
2024-07-231h 09
FluentlyForwardThe Psychology of Social Media feat. Dr. Steve RathjeToday we're joined by StevePsychology to chat about fun psychology topics! From how things go viral online (the more negative the better) to different studies about how social media impacts our mental health, and more!Kombucha? Save that for your gut health. When it comes to vaginal health you need very specific probiotics. Soaking Wet from VB Health is a blend of probiotics, prebiotics, and vitamins that are like sending your vagina to a spa. Visit soakingwet.com and use code "FLUENTLY" for 10% off
2024-07-191h 00
Conexão sapiensO efeito sistêmico de uma jornada individual de crescimento moral. #3Send us a textA ideia que defenderei hoje será de que para desenvolver uma “saúde sistêmica” é necessária uma cognição moral sólida e bem desenvolvida, que é uma habilidade que pode e deve ser treinada, porém requer dedicação ativa com este objetivo.A moralidade humana se manifesta universalmente como uma preocupação e compromisso com o bem-estar e a proteção de todos, do ambiente e tolerância a todos que são diferentes de nós mesmos. Dentro de um sistema, não é possível isolar o efeito de determinadas ações sobre u...
2024-05-1832 min
The Nature & Nurture PodcastNature & Nurture #136: Dr. Steve Rathje - The Global Social Media Experiment
Steve Rathjay is a Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Social Identity and Morality Lab of New York University. He is an expert in the psychology of social media use and one of the leaders of the Global Social Media Experiment, an international collaboration examining the causal impact of social media usage in 76 countries around the world. Dr. Rathje received his PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and completed his undergraduate education in Psychology and Symbolic Systems at Stanford University. He has received numerous grants and awards for his research, and runs the...
2024-03-151h 29
Scamapalooza with Nicholas J. JohnsonDetecting Misinformation with Steve Rathje
PATREON
MY STUFF
STEVE'S WEBSITE
STEVE'S TIKTOK
I’ve been sick for the past few months. Which is why there has been an episode of a Scamapalooza in a little while.
Instead, I’ve been spending a lot of time in bed feeling sorry for myself while trawling tiktok.
Among the craft videos, slime reviews and video game analysis, I came across a video of a young academic making iced coffee while explaining his research into why some people detect misinformation on social media while others let it slide.
Is i...
2023-09-1656 min
Analytischer KaffeeplauschEpisode 111 – Machen Theaterbesuche empathischer?Paul und Rebecca besprechen eine Studie, die überprüft, ob Theaterbesucher*innen nach dem Stück empathischer sind. Dabei geht es unter anderem um die Frage, ob Livemusik immer besser ist, um die prototypische Theaterbesucherin und mal wieder um den Einfluss der politischen Einstellung.
Intro/Outro: Thomas Höhl
Instagram: analytischer_kaffeeplausch
Ideen/Vorschläge/Kommentare gern auch an: analytischer-kaffeeplausch@gmx.de
Zitierte Quellen:
– Steve Rathje, Leor Hackel & Jamil Zaki: Attending live theatre improves empathy...
2023-06-251h 05Analytischer KaffeeplauschEpisode 110 – Reicht ein Dollar, um Fake News zu bekämpfen?Paul und Rebecca besprechen eine Studie, die untersucht, warum Menschen an Fake News glauben. Was das mit finanzieller und moralischer Motivation zu tun hat und wieso Paul Social Media Kommunikation mit Kneipengesprächen vergleicht, erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.
Intro/Outro: Thomas Höhl
Instagram: analytischer_kaffeeplausch
Ideen/Vorschläge/Kommentare gern auch an: analytischer-kaffeeplausch@gmx.de
Zitierte Quellen:
– Steve Rathje, Jon Roozenbeek, Jay J. Van Bavel & Sander van der Linden: Accuracy and social motiv...
2023-06-181h 28
The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi#123 The Stanford Podcast ExperimentPsychologist Steve Rathje joins to validate Gianmarco’s feelings about astrology (with a couple caveats), then we discuss the study that depressed him the most, how academia views his TikTok fame, our Valentine’s Day plans and whether you’re really in love with your significant other or just saw them after walking across a scary bridge.
You can watch full video of this episode HERE!
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2023-02-141h 53
NeoAcademiaNeoAcademia Episode 11: Steve Rathje - The psychology of academic social mediaNeoAcademia is a biweekly exploration of the shifting walls of the ivory tower. For the final episode of our inaugural season, I explored the psychology of social media as it pertains to academia with psychologist Steve Rathje, Ph.D. Steve is a postdoctoral fellow at NYU in the social identity and morality lab of Jay Van Bavel. His research centers on social media, and polarization - and his own TikTok account has over a million followers. Steve is an author on a number of research articles, and articles on Psychology Today. For more on Steve...
2023-01-181h 09
More of a Comment Than a QuestionThe Rath of Steve (with Steve Rathje)In this episode we were joined by Steve Rathje, a postdoc at NYU, to discuss his research on how intergroup animosity drives virality on social media. Read Steve's work here, Facebook's response here, and Steve's response to the response here.
2022-10-1250 min
Opinion ScienceSciComm Summer #12: Steve Rathje - Social Science on TikTokSteve Rathje has managed to rack up more than a million followers on TikTok (@stevepsychology) while pursuing a PhD in social psychology (and doing some very cool research). He shares quick videos about key insights from psychological science that are reaching an entirely new audience. In our conversation, he fills me in on the finer points of TikTok as a platform, why it's uniquely suited to science communication, and how Steve approaches each video to bring insights from social science to a largely untapped audience. This episode is part of a special podcast s...
2022-08-2257 min
Let's Learn Everything!11: Guest Steve Rathje, Insect Consciousness, and Theatre ScienceSpecial guest Steve Rathje (@StevePsychology) asks us, do insects have consciousness? What, empirically, makes things go viral on social media? And what are the scientific effects of live theatre?Support us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: Outgroup effects on social media, subjective experience and qualia, except for mosquitos, we share genes with bananas are they conscious? the emotional dog and the rational tail, over-anti-anthropomorphism, tiktok survey of insect consciousness, would aliens think we are conscious? Steve’s at the party talking about qualia again! Sondheim, Sarah Ru...
2022-02-241h 09
The Bid Picture with Bidemi Ologunde37: "Out-group animosity drives engagement on social media"Send Bidemi a Text Message!In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde presents an app that lets users know if their iPhones have been compromised, and how to remove the threat if so; the impact of the pandemic on how we understand the potential of misinformation in cyberspace; and a new academic study that has exposed the effects of polarizing content on social media.iVerify for individuals. iVerify for organizations.The research article by Steve Rathje et al: Out-group animosity drives engagement on social media.The March 2021 article by Karen...
2021-07-1420 min
Political GabfestThe “F School, F Softball, F Cheer, F Everything” EditionEmily, John and David discuss the post-pandemic workforce, Tucker Carlson, and student wins at the Supreme Court.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Ben Smith for the New York Times: “Tucker Carlson Calls Journalists ‘Animals.’ He’s Also Their Best Source.”Slate: “David Plotz and Tucker Carlson Debate Scott Brown, Health Care, and More”Andrew Van Dam for the Washington Post: “The Seven Industries Most Desperate for Workers”Deep Work: Rules for Focus...
2021-06-2551 min
Big Boss InterviewUS authorities open probe into SolarWinds' cyber breachThe US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has begun the inquiry into last December's cyber attack on the IT provider, media reports say. It will ask whether some companies failed to disclose they had been affected. Our technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explains the story.
As India offers its free vaccinations to all adults, human rights activist Manjula Pradeep of the Wayve Foundation in Ahmedabad offers an assessment of the country's vaccine rollout so far.
And what is it that makes a tweet go viral? Researchers at the University of Cambridge say they've discovered the secret: being rude. We hear...
2021-06-2252 min
The History of Being HumanHBH 24: Polarization and Conspiracy ThinkingIn this episode Steve Rathje, social psychologist specializing in social media and political polarization, explains to us why we are prone to conspiratorial thinking, and how we got into the state we find ourselves in Western societies. Virality, engagement, fake news, motivated reasoning, negativity bias, and much more are covered the way only Steve can explain them. A long overdue episode 24 of HBH. But hey, it's summer, and we can finally travel, so it's better late than never. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.
2021-06-1433 min
Acquisition TalkHow AFWERX transitions tech with Chris Benson, Steve Lauver, and Jason RathjeThree of the co-founders of the Air Force Ventures program at AFWERX joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss how they transition startups and new technologies across the valley of death and into major programs of record. While AFWERX is only approaching its third birthday, they've had some tremendous success. Over the past 18 months, they've contracted with 1,000 companies -- many of which were new to doing business with the DoD. They brought in over $1 billion in matching venture capital dollars in 2019, more than the past 15 years combined.
And yet, one of the often head complaints is that the...
2020-07-051h 30
Cognitive RevolutionLab Lockdown #3: Steve RathjeSteve is a PhD student in social psychology at Cambridge. He recently published an article on Psychology Today about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of social psychology. I thought it touched on a lot of great points, and so I wanted to have him on the show to go into it a bit deeper. We also talked about adjusting work expectations to match our new mode of cooped-up existence, the implications of the pandemic for the theatre industry, whether the "War on a Hidden Enemy" metaphor lands from a psychology perspective, and what's going to be...
2020-04-0337 minPodcastLab Lockdown #3: Steve RathjeSteve is a PhD student in social psychology at Cambridge. He recently published an article on Psychology Today about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of social psychology. I thought it touched on a lot of great points, and so I wanted to have him on the show to go into it a bit deeper. We also talked about adjusting work expectations to match our new mode of cooped-up existence, the implications of the pandemic for the theatre industry, whether the "War on a Hidden Enemy" metaphor lands from a psychology perspective, and what's going to be...
2020-04-0337 minThe History of Being HumanKnow Thyself 42: Steve Rathje on Identity and ReasonWho are you going to believe -- the group or your own eyes? Answer (all too often): The Group. In the fascinating and wide-ranging discussion with Psychologist Steve Rathje, we take a hard look into: what reason is and why we developed it how our need for belonging drives our beliefs why we ignore inconvenient evidence whether it hurts worse to listen to the other side or get a root canal how even listening to conflicting evidence can threaten our identity why being smart can lead you deeper into error how Occam's razor can cut the wrong way how enemies c...
2019-07-3041 min
My Good Bad BrainMGBB 17 - Lisa Schwartz (OCD, Anxiety, A New Study on Trigger Warnings)The wonderful Lisa Schwartz has done a lot of stuff on YouTube and has written and produced and performed in lots of shows and performed at a lot of birthday parties but you can find all that out with google, if you don't already know. Today we talk about fun stuff our good bad brains get up to, Lisa talks about her OCD and Anxiety and we talk about impending death and curiosity vs. judgment and the strange what is going on here "humanity" of YouTube and reality TV. I hope you love it! (Oh, also, we discuss an article...
2018-08-062h 06