Why do some conspiracy theories seem to have so much evidence to support them? Well, that’s because if you look hard enough at any event, and you don’t have any particular theory before you start looking, you’re eventually going to find something. And you’ll probably think that thing is AMAZING. This is what careful thinkers and researchers have to learn: … Read More
Ep 333: Bible Codes, Anti-Vaccination Beliefs and the Look Elsewhere Effect
In this episode I talk about whether there really is a bible code, anti-vaccination beliefs and whether jellybeans cause acne. It’s all part of how we humans love to find patterns in the world and the amount of wiggle room we’re willing to give ourselves to find them. Too often we make the Look Elsewhere error. And not just … Read More
Ep 307: Do Those i-Statements Actually Work and Did Koko the Gorilla Really Use Language as We Do?
Remember those “i-statements” you’re supposed to use when you get mad at someone? “I feel ____ when you ____ because ____“. Does that actually work? Does talking in this way resolve problems better and not get the other person defensive? We’re going to find out. Also, Koko the gorilla died recently. But did she really master sign language? Or is … Read More
Ep 286: What to do About Fake News? Apply a Little Psychology
We’re all aware of the problem of fake news, but why do we fall for it? When we read a post on Facebook that sounds a little questionable, why don’t we check into it further? You better believe there’s some psychology going on here. In this episode I interview Dr. Gleb Tsipursky of Ohio State university. He’s been studying this … Read More
Ep 283: How To Practice Correctly and is Facebook Rotting Your Brain?
Guess what? Practice definitely does NOT always lead to perfection. When you practice an instrument are you doing it right? In this episode I explore the “10,000 hour” myth and how you can practice something – like an instrument or a language – in a way that is going to result in much faster learning. We’ll see that the idea … Read More
Ep 262: Demonic Possession or A Lack of Skeptical Thinking?
Is it possible that some people who we think are mentally ill are actually victims of demonic possession? One psychiatrist says yes. Another psychiatrist says no – believing this is true is a matter of not carefully thinking about what you see and hear from others. In this episode I break down the claims made by Richard Gallagher and a … Read More
Ep 261: Which of These Scientific Terms Are You Using Incorrectly?
Do you think you’re using the words “control group” correctly? You’re probably not. In fact, you’re probably also getting these terms wrong as well: “truth serum”, “lie detector”, “bystander apathy”, “personality type”, Oxytocin, “closure” and even the “scientific method”! In this episode I review some of the points made by Scott Lilienfeld and his colleagues regarding scientific terms that you’re … Read More
Ep 248: Guest Host Bo Bennett on Dysrationalia
What is Dysrationalia? You’ve probably heard of a lot of intelligences – Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Sternberg’s Triarchic theory of intelligence and Daniel Goldman’s Emotional Intelligence. In this episode, my first guest host Bo Bennett steps in to tell us about the work of psychologist Keith Stanovich’s work on “dysratinalia”. Do you know someone who seems quite intelligent but they … Read More
Ep 243: Did Your Therapy Really Work?
If you have been in therapy you want to believe it “worked”. We all do. And hopefully it did have a positive effect on you. But how do you know? How do therapists know if what they’re doing really has resulted in improvements in their clients? Yes, we have controlled studies for many treatments which give us confidence that these … Read More
Ep 219: Mental Health Professionals: Why So Liberal?
Surveys find that psychologists tend to align themselves with a liberal political orientation. Why is that? Are liberal-minded people drawn to human service professions or is there something about working in human services that causes people to become more liberal in their political views? In this episode I propose a few ideas that I think explains why mental health professionals … Read More
