Two former congresspeople, a Democrat and a Republican, discuss toxic polarization

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Reading faces: A dumb 1960s book on reading physical facial traits: I thought it'd be interesting to read a very dumb book from 1969 called "Face Reading: A Guide to How the Human Face Reveals Personality, Sexuality, Intelligence, Character, and More." It's about finding meaning in people's physical facial characteristics; not about reading emotions or expressions. To be clear: this is a very bad book with no sense/logic to it, basically astrology-like, and I'm reading it because I was curious what it said and thought some other people would find it interesting. I'm generally curious about the weird things people believe; also curious about some stereotypes that were present about facial characteristics in the 60s era. I thought it was an interesting relic and some other people might also think so. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

77 min listen

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I interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and more: I interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and other magical creatures. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

8 min listen

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To avoid destruction, we must recognize we're in a self-reinforcing cycle of conflict: A piece I wrote for my Defusing American Anger Substack (learn more at www.american-anger.com). It’s my attempt to persuade Americans why they should see it as vitally important to work on reducing political toxicity, even as they may have various fears and grievances and anger about their political opponents. If you have skepticism about the ideas in this piece, I would ask you if you'd be willing to read my ebook on this topic, Defusing American Anger. If you want a free copy, email me via my american-anger.com website and I'll send you one. This is an extremely serious problem and I think to help solve it we need more people to consider ideas that may, at first, make them uncomfortable. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

7 min listen

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Many take Trump's words out of context: How this relates to toxic polarization: In a recent Fox News interview, Trump was asked whether he thought there would be chaos and violence if he won the election, and his response included mentioning that, if necessary, the National Guard or other military might be needed. Many framed this response as indicating that Trump would go after his political opponents and those who opposed him using the military, leaving out the context that the question asked was about election-related violence. I discuss what this incident can teach us about our toxic political divides. Topics discussed include: Republican-side grievances and how incidents like this relate; how conflict leads us to filter things in more pessimistic and negative ways; the self-reinforcing nature of toxic political polarization; the importance of trying to understand your opponents’ narratives; how understanding doesn’t require agreeing; Trump’s “bloodbath” language and similar highly by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

25 min listen

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The behavior and language of Peter Todd, who's accused of being Bitcoin creator: In the documentary Money Electric, filmmaker Cullen Hoback put forth the theory that developer Peter Todd was Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. In this episode, I talk to cryptocurrency expert Jeremy Clark (pulpspy.com) about this theory, with a focus on the language and behavior of Peter Todd. We discuss: the 2010 forum post by Peter Todd that forms the backbone of Hoback’s theory; Peter’s behavior in the film when confronted, which many people saw as suspicious and strange; the difficulties of relying on nonverbal behavior for clues; and how simple, neat, and exciting stories can attract us. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

49 min listen

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Scammer on Nextdoor gets my personal info: Tips for spotting online marketplace scam tells: On the Nextdoor app, a fake account succeeded in getting some personal info from me before I realized they were a scammer. I discuss how that scam went down, share an audio call I had with the scammer, and give some tips for spotting online scammer behaviors and traits. These tips are focused on online marketplace scams but should be applicable for a lot of online scammers in general. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

14 min listen

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What’s the problem with the Myers-Briggs personality test?, with Randy Stein: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test is used by many organizations and consultants, but it's been criticized by many as pseudo-science that's unhelpful, and even harmful. I talk to Randy Stein, who has researched the Myers Briggs and personality tests in general. Topics discussed include: the reasons people object to the Myers Briggs test; the downsides of personality tests that group people into boxes (as opposed to using a spectrum-like approach); the Forer effect, where people often believe that vague descriptions apply to them; the downsides of labeling ourselves and others; how the complexity of a question can wrongly seem like deepness; how Myers-Briggs relates to the more scientifically respected "Big Five" personality traits. We also talk about Randy's research on political polarization, showing how we can be drawn to being the opposite of a disliked group. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

39 min listen

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Some useful and reliable poker tells: A talk with Zach Elwood: This episode includes part of a poker tells webinar that I, Zach Elwood, did with Terry Wood, owner of PokerRailbird.com. I'm the author of three respected books on poker tells, including Exploiting Poker Tells and Verbal Poker Tells. My first book, Reading Poker Tells, has been translated into eight languages. You can learn more about my poker tells work at readingpokertells.com. Topics discussed: two important categories of poker tells; some specific examples of poker tells (including eye contact tells and how people move their eyes after betting); how tells vary when you go from lower stakes to higher stakes, and more. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

31 min listen

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Chase Hughes, NLP, & hypnosis: Putting a top-secret military spin on old NLP ideas: This is my third episode about Chase Hughes, the self-titled “#1 expert in behavior and influence.” My first episode about him examined his early deceptions and exaggerations, and his involvement in pick-up artistry and vitamin supplement sales. In this one, I talk about how Chase’s work relates to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and NLP-related hypnosis. Long story short: Chase has used the NLP trainer template but repackaged it with a military/secret-agent/MK-Ultra-type spin. I examine the connections between NLP and Chase’s content. I also attempt to explain why Chase (and people like him) can acquire good reviews and fans, despite so much of it being obviously silly and also expensive. I also examine Chase’s recent promoting of supplements sold by a chiropractor. And I talk about the various people who've promoted Chase, from influential podcasters to Dr. Phil to his fellow Behavior Panel members by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

74 min listen

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We’re MASSIVELY overstating our political violence problem — and that’s dangerous! | Sean Westwood: Many surveys and headlines have claimed there's a large percentage of Americans who support political violence. Some estimates have been around 25% – and some have gone as high as 40%! This is very scary; it ramps up fears of a violent and chaotic American future, and even fears of a civil war. But political polarization researchers like my guest Sean Westwood have shown that many people are massively overstating the problem. And that overstatement is leading to hysterical and unhelpful framings and debates. Worst of all, these exaggerated fears can even contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle… a self-fulfilling prophecy. Topics discussed include: what the faulty surveys and studies are missing; how bad survey design (ambiguous questions, or leading questions) can lead to faulty estimates; what more accurate survey results tell us; how exaggerated fears can contribute to a self-fulfilling by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

36 min listen

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Angry Chase Hughes’ fans lash out after his many lies are revealed: This is a follow up to my last episode, in which I shared information about the many lies of Chase Hughes, the self-described “#1 expert in behavior and influence.” Some of the fans of Chase Hughes and the show he’s on, The Behavior Panel, responded in angry, unreasonable ways, personally insulting me and downplaying the significance of Chase’s many deceptions. Some of the people who responded in these ways, from what I’ve been told, are also social media content moderators who work for Chase Hughes and the Behavior Panel. In this episode, I examine these behaviors and talk about how this ties in with similar things, like people taking it personally when political leaders they like are criticized, or cult members taking criticisms of cult leaders personally, things like this. I read some of the more angry and emotional YouTube comments people sent me. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

27 min listen

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Examining the lies of Chase Hughes, the self-proclaimed "#1 expert in behavior": An examination of the deceptive and strange background of Chase Hughes, who refers to himself as the “#1 expert in behavior and influence.” A popular YouTube show that he’s on, the Behavioral Panel, gets millions of views. Dr. Phil has called him the “best on the globe.” But Chase’s career is built on a foundation of lies and exaggerations — not only in the behavior and psychology space, but also in other pursuits, including pick-up artistry and vitamin supplements. He has made many grandiose claims that just about every psychology expert would disagree with (for example, claims that he can teach people to hypnotize others and make them do things against their will, and even teach how to do that quickly). He has claimed since 2012 to be well known in the behavior and psychology space, despite there being almost no mention of him online in the 2010s. This video, the first of at least a two-part series, exam by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

64 min listen

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I don't believe in astrology but I talked to an astrologer: I talk to a professional astrologist named Ophira Edut. I myself don't believe in astrology but I was interested in asking her questions I've wanted to ask about astrology, and about belief in astrology. Topics include: why she believes in astrology, how her beliefs in that relate to other beliefs (like Reiki or other metaphysical ideas), people's negative views about astrology (including the view that people promoting astrology are doing harm); the importance of engaging respectfully with people we strongly disagree with, and more. Whether you're into astrology or whether you’re a hardcore skeptic, I think you’ll like this episode. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

60 min listen

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Behavior expert says Trump lied at press conference: I talk again about fake behavior expert Jack Brown, whose pseudoscientific behavior analysis work I devoted a past episode to. Brown got some recent attention in a Raw Story article for an analysis he wrote about how Trump's body language at a press conference showed that Trump was lying. Topics discussed include: the silliness of Brown's work and why it's silly; tips for recognizing fake behavior experts; how this stuff connects to toxic political polarization; why you should care about pushing back on it; a reading of Brown's recent Trump analysis with comments. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

15 min listen

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A sad cry for help from failed podcast host and author Zachary Elwood: Apologies for the sad clickbait-y title. I'll be okay. I was trying to be a little funny. This is just some updates on things I've been working on and how you might help me if you'd like to do so. Or apart from helping me, you might like learning some details about how my books and podcast have been doing (spoiler alert: not great). by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

7 min listen

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How magicians misdirect attention and manipulate audiences, with Anthony Barnhart: A talk with psychologist and magician Anthony Barnhart focused on how magicians misdirect attention and manipulate an audience. Other topics include: the role blinking can play in misdirections; acts that claim to use psychology and behavior-manipulation to achieve magic-like effects (e.g., Derren Brown’s act); neuro-linguistic programming (NLP); a magic show Tony was impressed by recently and why he was impressed, and more. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

60 min listen

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Objections to and skepticism about reducing political polarization: Media bias specialist Vanessa Otero talks to Zachary Elwood about his books aimed at reducing toxic political polarization in America. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

66 min listen

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How small changes in language patterns can influence us, with Liz Stokoe: Liz Stokoe, author of "Talk: The Science of Conversation," explains how language choices can impact and manipulate us, often without us being aware of it. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

55 min listen

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Why are lie detectors used if they don't work?, with Leonard Saxe: Psychologist Leonard Saxe, known for his lie detector research, talks about the unreliability of polygraphs and why they're still used despite that. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

48 min listen

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Examining indicators that a video showing harassment was staged: A video from 2020 seemed to show a racist woman harassing a black jogger. It was widely shared, but it turns out it was staged. I examine the clues that it was staged. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

23 min listen

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The awe and horror of existence: a talk with psychologist Kirk Schneider: Psychologist Kirk Schneider talks about how confronting the core existential stressors in life (like fear of death and fear of meaninglessness) can help one lead a better, more happy life. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

57 min listen

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The strangeness of life and existential psychology: Thoughts about how an awareness of life's strangeness might impact us, both positively and negatively, and how that might relate to existential psychology concepts. Topics include: how an awareness of life's strangeness might be seen to be a core existential stressor (like the fear of death, or fear of isolation); how this might relate to religious/spiritual experience; how this might relate to traumatic experience and PTSD; how being aware of life's strangeness might make one more likely to embrace nonsensical, low-evidence beliefs of various sorts; how this might relate to mental illness (including psychosis and delusion). by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

20 min listen

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Restaurant manager Robin Dibble talks about psychological aspects of the biz: A talk with Robin Dibble, an experienced Albuquerque-area service industry professional who’s worked in every aspect of the business, from waiting tables, to cooking, to managing restaurants and night clubs. Topics include: psychological strategies servers use to get more tips; how menu design can affect what people order; reading customer satisfaction as a restaurant manager; the factors in deciding to cut someone off from drinking; lighting and acoustics considerations when designing a comfortable space. This is a reshare of a 2019 talk. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

59 min listen

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Aphantasia, internal monologue, and the challenges of describing thought, with Russell Hurlburt: A talk with Russell Hurlburt, who’s researched inner experience for more than five decades. He is the author of 6 books and many articles on the topic of mental experience. Topics discussed include: The difficulty of describing inner experience; the ambiguities in the classification of “aphantasia” (reporting no visual qualities in one’s thought processes); the ambiguities in the “inner monologue” concept; thought on whether dreams are visual or not; and more. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

59 min listen

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How a bus driver predicts the behavior of drivers and passengers, with Brendan Bartholomew: Brendan Bartholomew, a San Francisco bus driver, talks about understanding and predicting the psychology and behavior of passengers and other drivers. by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

39 min listen

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To reduce polarization, is it optimal to work on systemic change or cultural change?, with David Foster by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

52 min listen

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On social power, the oppressed/oppressor framework, and empathy, with Elizaveta Friesem by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

64 min listen

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What's life like when you don't believe in free will?, with physicist Daniel Whiteson by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

56 min listen

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News media tends to deepen our divides. Does Isaac Saul have a solution? by People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

30 min listen

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Two former congresspeople, a Democrat and a Republican, discuss toxic polarization

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