Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Latest Episodes:

No Regrets? Really? Why Regrets Actually Bring Us Hope | Daniel H. Pink Feb 06, 2022

Show notes

No regrets is a phrase thrown around like a badge of honor. Tattoos, songs and marketing taglines all boast this notion of curating a liberated life that you wouldn’t alter, change or modify in any way. But are we missing something? Best-selling author, Daniel H. Pink has done extensive research for his new book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, and believes that the feeling of regret isn't just something that makes us human, it actually gives us hope.

Daniel Pink is the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. Dan’s books have won multiple awards, have been translated into 42 languages, and have sold millions of copies around the world.

Dan was also the host and co-executive producer of “Crowd Control,” a television series about human behavior on the National Geographic Channel that aired in more than 100 countries. Before venturing out on his own 20 years ago, Dan worked in politics and in government, including serving as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore.

Topics

(3:56) Speed round questions

(7:48) How Dan started to lean into his own regrets.

(10:49) The complex emotion of regret.

(12:16) Will we regret switching our answers on a test?

(16:33) How Dan has compiled data on regret.

(18:55) How our regrets change as we age.

(22:11) Can we anticipate our regrets?

(26:29) How our unique moral code affects our regrets.

(29:40) The Four Core Regrets.

(33:47) What didn’t go in Dan's book.

(39:45) The power of self compassion.

(41:35) Why regret gives us hope.

(46:40) What music would Dan never regret listening to?

(50:40) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim recapping the Four Core Regrets and what we can learn from them.

Please don’t regret supporting your favorite podcast this year! You can become a regular donator to Behavioral Grooves through Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves. And you can leave us a review of the podcast wherever you listen to the show. Thanks!

Daniel H. Pink Books

The Power Of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward: https://amzn.to/3gpU1C9

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us: https://amzn.to/3gpUcgN

To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others: https://amzn.to/3Laj0aU

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing: https://amzn.to/3rtspCM

Links

Episode 171: Self Control, Belonging, and Why Your Most Dedicated Employees Are the Ones To Watch Out For with Roy Baumeister: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/self-control-belonging-and-why-your-most-dedicated-employees-are-the-ones-to-watch-out-for-with-roy-baumeister/

“Commission, Omission, and Dissonance Reduction: Coping with Regret in the "Monty Hall" Problem”: shorturl.at/wEU58

Jonathan Haidt, “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion: https://amzn.to/3Glfdnq

Musical Links

Simon & Garfunkel “The Sound of Silence”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAEppFUWLfc&ab_channel=SimonGarfunkelVEVO

Ella Fitzgerald Live in Berlin “Mack The Knife”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVxtdQgLjuQ

J.S. Bach “Adagio”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ywL_zokELE

Three Dog Night “Mama Told Me Not To Come”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTCyjYjsVc8&ab_channel=Moondoggy

Men Without Hats “Pop Goes The Word”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zUUtf7gOe8&ab_channel=MenWithoutHatsVEVO

Bob Seger “Turn The Page”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3khH9ih2XJg&ab_channel=jimmej955

How To Stay Motivated So You Exceed Your Goals | Ayelet Fishbach PhD Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

When we set goals, we’re excited, engaged and motivated to complete them. But after a while, the momentum can slow, we lose enthusiasm and we start cutting corners. The “middle problem” is something we can all relate to. And it's one of the topics we discuss on this episode with Dr Ayelet Fisbach PhD.

Ayelet teaches us about staying motivated, without cutting corners. How our identity, flexibility and patience actually affect our goals. And perhaps, most importantly, why we should set ourselves uncomfortable goals and learn from our failures.

Talking with Ayelet on Behavioral Grooves was a true privilege for us. She is one of the few researchers on the planet who blend motivation and goal setting into their work, and her groundbreaking research has won her a bunch of international awards. She is the Jeffrey Breckenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and also the recent author of Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation (https://amzn.to/3f3ooh4).

Can we motivate some of our regular listeners to support our podcast via Patreon https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves? Or perhaps your 2022 goal is to tell your favorite podcasters how much you love their show?! We’d love to help you achieve that goal; just click here if you’re an Apple podcast listener: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112 or write a review on your favorite podcast player.

Topics

(6:18) Welcome and speed round.

(9:19) What tools do we have to motivate ourselves?

(10:18) Why flexible goals are vital.

(14:11) Exceeding your own expectations is when you feel good about your goals.

(16:45) The problem with the middle.

(18:47) We can all get tripped up by the planning fallacy.

(21:28) Set goals, not means (goals aren’t chores).

(24:57) How does our identity affect our goals?

(28:29) The different ways patience plays a part in goals.

(30:59) Why identifying temptations can help you avoid them.

(34:04) How food labels could improve our eating habits.

(38:28) Setting an uncomfortable goal can actually be rewarding.

(44:12) Learning from failure.

(49:35) How Ayelet engages with music.

(52:05) Grooving Session discussing Ayelet’s research.

Links

Write a review for Behavioral Grooves podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112

Ayelet Fishbach, “Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation”: https://amzn.to/3f3ooh4

Ayelet Fishbach: https://www.ayeletfishbach.com/

The Marshmallow Test: Why Self-Control Is the Engine of Success: https://amzn.to/34de2sS

Abigail Sussman: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/directory/s/abigail-sussman

Second city: https://www.secondcity.com/

Episode 228. Kelly Leonard, Getting to Yes, And…Behavioral Grooves: Two Podcasts in One: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/getting-to-yes-and/

Paul Bloom, “The Sweet Spot: Suffering, Pleasure and the Key to a Good Life”: https://amzn.to/32QfmBS

Episode 274, Paul Bloom: Why Finding Pleasure in Life is a Painful Journey: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/pleasure-is-a-painful-journey/

Ethan Kross, “Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It”: https://amzn.to/32Vj0Ks

Carol Dweck, “Mindset: Changing The Way You think To Fulfill Your Potential”: https://amzn.to/3GjBvGp

A Long, Happy Life? The Impacts of Increasing Our Longevity | Bradley Schurman Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Societies around the world are getting older; a combination of people living longer and having fewer children. The 85+ population is now the fastest growing demographic on the planet. The causes and, more importantly the impacts of living longer are significant, both for society and as individuals. This is what we discuss in this episode with Bradley Shurman, a demographic futurist, who has authored the recently published book The Super Age: Decoding our Demographic Destiny (https://amzn.to/3tYus39).

Bradley shines a light on the crucial topic of ageing. He reveals the shocking truth about the impact of wealth on our longevity. And he shares his two surprising tips on how to live a long and meaningful life. As always, we round up our episode with our Grooving Session where Kurt and Tim dwell on some of the take-aways from the conversation with Bradley.

If you are a regular listener to Behavioral Grooves, please consider donating to our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves. We also love reading your reviews on the podcast. We recently had a listener write a simple “Thank you for this podcast” in the review section, and believe us when we say that just that one small sentence made our day!

Topics

(2:56) Welcome and speed round questions.

(7:14) What is a Super Age society?

(11:29) How improving infant mortality rates has flipped the world’s demographics around.

(14:39) What are the impacts on society of fixing youth mortality?

(22:37) How Bradley was influenced by his grandparents' experience of aging.

(24:54) The shocking correlation between wealth and longevity.

(30:43) The universal trend of people wanting to die at home.

(34:06) If you’re not learning, you’re not earning.

(37:47) What is on Bradley’s playlist?

(39:47) Grooving Session discussing what we learned from Bradley.

Links

Groovy Snacks Newsletter: www.behavioralgrooves.com

The Super Age: Decoding our Demographic Destiny: https://amzn.to/3tYus39

Dolly Chugh, Episode 230, How Good People Fight Bias: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/how-good-people-fight-bias/

Musical Links

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTa_gJkYwI

Ella Fitzgerald, live in Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WQfkRZKFc

Why Finding Pleasure in Life is a Painful Journey | Paul Bloom Jan 23, 2022

Show notes

Why do people train for a marathon? Listen to sad music? Eat really spicy food? All of these activities induce a painful response, yet they also bring us pleasure. We often set ourselves up for negative experiences because it primes us for positive ones further down the line. There is a balance, a sweet spot if you will, between the amount of pleasure we experience and the suffering that it takes to get us there.

World-renowned psychologist and author Paul Bloom, joins us on this episode to discuss his most recent book The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh). He challenges our definition of a fulfilling life, and why we actually NEED suffering to be part of it.

We are so conditioned in our culture to only seek out pleasure that even the notion of reading about suffering was not particularly appealing to us, well to Tim - it turns out Kurt might be somewhat of a benign masochist! But from the get-go, Paul’s compelling narrative convinced us that suffering can be motivating. Listen in and tell us if you think there is a sweet spot, and then reach out to us on email (info@behavioralgrooves.com), on Twitter (@behavioralgroov) or write us a quick review about the show (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112). Thanks!

Topics

(4:40) Welcome and speed round questions.

(7:24) Why do we choose suffering?

(11:24) Do we really only seek pleasure?

(13:40) We often have mistaken ideas about what we want.

(16:16) Looking beyond happiness; what we actually pursue for a meaningful life.

(22:24) How can suffering help pleasure?

(24:59) How being in a state of flow explains the sweet spot.

(28:27) Why are people driven to climb Everest?

(32:32) What are the unpleasant sensations that people do not pursue?

(34:37) Pain then pleasure or pleasure then pain?

(36:13) The effect of the peak-end rule.

(38:40) Why do we want to listen to sad music?

(45:11) Grooving Session discussing how Paul’s work can improve our lives.

Links

“The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning” by Paul Bloom: https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh

Shaquille O’Neal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaquille_O%27Neal

“Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind” by Wilson et al (2014): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1250830?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed

Paul Rozin: https://web.sas.upenn.edu/rozin/

“Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://amzn.to/3qyLRgB

“A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning” by Oishi and Westage (2021): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-74886-001

“Anticipation and the valuation of delayed consumption.” by George Loewenstein (1987): https://www.jstor.org/stable/2232929

Episode 67, George Loewenstein: On a Functional Theory of Boredom: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/george-loewenstein-on-a-functional-theory-of-boredom/

“When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End” by Kahneman et al (1993): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1993.tb00589.x

Jeremy Bentham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham

Richard Tedeschi, The Science of Post-Traumatic Growth: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/richard-tedeschi-the-science-of-post-traumatic-growth/

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: https://amzn.to/329fN9O

Episode 207, Jonathan Mann: Is it Possible to Design an Experience? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/jonathan-mann-is-it-possible-to-design-an-experience/

Musical Links

Adele “Someone Like You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0

Alice Cooper “Poison”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq4j1LtCdww

Pink Floyd “On The Turning Away”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojf18wT_Xtk

Eminem “Lose Yourself”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s

The Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0

Joan Armatrading “Consequences”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otq9VBa6a0s

David Bowie & Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhhEHuChFck&ab_channel=redsails2008

Billy Joel “Piano Man”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0

Violent String Quartet “Bad Guy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWUbCwmBmgE

How Collaboration is Growing Behavioral Science: Learnings from BX Arabia Jan 16, 2022

Show notes

BX Arabia is a regional behavioral insights conference that started in 2018 to emphasize the application of behavioral science in the Global South. Kurt and Tim were fortunate to be invited to moderate at the latest event, affording them the opportunity to have conversations with some of the region's most amazing BeSci thinkers. This episode highlights some of the unique insights from these conversations, with input from the following experts:

Faisal Naru: Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Unit in the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Dr. Ahmed Al Zahrani: Minister Deputy and Chair of G20 as well as the Executive Director of the Riyadh Behavioral Insight Center in the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development in Saudi Arabia.
Saud Al Rakhayes: Founder and Senior Behavioral Strategist at The Behavior Change.
Aditya Jagati: Leader of the Busara Center’s offices in India.
Wiam Hasanain: Behavioral scientist and social impact advisor based in Jetta, Saudi Arabia.
Nabil Saleh: Vice President Strategy at Nudge Lebanon.
Ivo Vlaev: Professor of Behavioral Science at Warwick Business School, UK.

Many of the examples of behavioral science discussed highlight that the Global South has some unique needs in the field. However, an overarching theme is that context matters! The root of successful behavioral science ideas come from encompassing the surrounding culture and environment.

BX Arabia was founded by Fadi Makki, who is also the leader of B4 Development in Doha, Qatar. He left us with these inspirational words: “Unlearn all the old habits that are anchored in intuition, and then embrace, evidence-based policies and tools such as experimentation.”

Topics

(2:14) What makes BX Arabia unique?

(5:58) The growth of behavioral science agencies around the world.

(8:13) How behavioral science is being integrated into public policy globally.

(11:46) Why good intentions aren’t enough to deal with wicked problems.

(23:36) The need for more behavioral scientists in the Global South.

(26:25) How behavioral science improved traffic flow in Beruit.

(31:15) The success of weight loss programs using behavioral insights.

(36:50) The large-scale nudges that are being studied at the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Links

BX Arabia: https://nudgelebanon.org/bx-arabia/

Diversifi: https://www.diversifiglobal.com/

Behavioral Change For Good Initiative: https://bcfg.wharton.upenn.edu/

Episode 272, Jeff Madoff: How To Turn Your Creative Dreams Into Reality: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/creativity-jeff-madoff/

John Bargh, Episode 248: Do We Control Situations or Do Situations Control Us? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/control-situations-with-john-bargh/

How To Turn Your Creative Dreams Into Reality | Jeff Madoff Jan 09, 2022

Show notes

If you have a creative vision, how do you focus your skills on making it happen? Can you turn your dream into a career? How can we encourage more creative entrepreneurs? And can we incorporate more creativity into an analytical job?

Jeff Madoff is an American director, producer, photographer, writer and professor living in New York City. He is the founder and CEO of Madoff Productions, winning awards for his commercials and videos AND he is a die hard music loving fan.

In his upcoming production of The Lloyd Price Musical, Jeff learnt a valuable lesson of asking himself the question “is it essential?” Even work that is funny and engaging, may not be an essential part of the bigger story. “Is it essential?” is a challenging question for all of us but can be incredibly useful at keeping us focused on reaching our goals.

In our discussion with Jeff, he dispels the myth that you are either creative or analytical. And he brings home to us the importance of listening. Listening not just to form an appropriate response, but listening in order to fully understand the other person.

Fans of Behavioral Grooves, please consider leaving us a review on your podcast player. If you listen on Apple, here is the podcast review page for Behavioral Grooves to get you started: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112

Topics

(3:31) Welcome and speed round questions.

(10:11) How to encourage creative careers.

(16:58) Turning your passion into a career.

(22:36) How to weave creativity into any job.

(25:43) When the creative world and the business world meet.

(29:41) Learning to ask “Is it essential?”

(42:25) What is on Jeff’s playlist?

(46:53) How entrepreneurs can be creative.

(53:48) The story behind The Lloyd Price Musical.

(1:04:06) Grooving Session discussing Jeff’s interview.

Links

Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas by Jeff Madoff: https://amzn.to/3pXmogM

Gregory Peck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Peck

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie: https://amzn.to/3eYxbRE

The Lloyd Price Musical: https://www.peopleslight.org/whats-on/20212022-season/personality-the-lloyd-price-musical/

Musical Links

Frank Zappa “Montana”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmcYTShN4Fk

Buddy Guy “Stay Around A Little Longer”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emyt-agLE_s

Slim Harpo “I’m a King Bee”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWLvm11MAaM

Lightnin’ Hopkins “Woke Up This Morning”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BATlJwKB8ts

Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfqNEvykv0

Chuck Berry “Sweet Little Sixteen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLV4NGpoy_E

Jimi Hendrix “Foxey Lady”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PVjcIO4MT4

Link Ray “Rawhide”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn5hl2IA7_s

Howlin Wolf “How Many More Years”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpKB6OZ_B4c

Stevie Ray Vaughan “Texas Flood”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5H9P4F5Uk

How To Create New Goals That Will Really Motivate You in 2022 Dec 29, 2021

Show notes

It’s the time of year for setting New Year’s resolutions. But how can you set goals that you will actually achieve? Will you look back at the end of 2022 and feel a sense of accomplishment? The first step to reaching your goals is actually knowing how to set yourself up to succeed.

In this fun Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim, they break down the steps needed to create motivating goals in 2022. Using insights from past guests, plus their own expertise in behavioral science, Kurt and Tim break down the skills behind successful goal setting. In addition, they dispel some ill-advised myths. Think willpower is enough to help you lose weight? Sorry, but creating healthy habits takes more than just good intentions.

If you want to better your health, your relationships or your organization in 2022, listening to this fun and informative episode will start you off on the path to success.

Links

Gary Latham PhD, Episode 147: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-goal-setting-prompts/

Katy Milkman PhD, Episode 232: How to Make Healthy Habits that Actually Last:https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/katy-milkman-habits-that-last/

Roy Baumeister PhD, Episode 171: Self Control, Belonging, and Why Your Most Dedicated Employees Are the Ones To Watch Out For: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/self-control-belonging-and-why-your-most-dedicated-employees-are-the-ones-to-watch-out-for-with-roy-baumeister/

Leave a review for Behavioral Grooves Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112

The Behavioral Science Books We Just Couldn’t Put Down in 2021 With Louise Ward Dec 26, 2021

Show notes

What a year for books 2021 has been! It seems like authors, editors and publishers have all been working overtime this year to bring us some incredible new content. Books that have challenged our beliefs, calmed our anxieties and transformed our habits.

To help us with the mammoth job of summarizing the best behavioral science books from 2021, we are joined by the incredible Louise Ward, who has read over 100 books this year! Louise is the co-host of the Behavioural Science Club, a LinkedIn group established in June 2020 now with over 5,000 members. If you haven’t yet joined the club, you definitely should. Today. Alongside co-host Prakash Sharma, the Behavioural Science Club interviews top authors each week about fascinating new insights in human behavior.

In our discussion with Louise, we noticed some trends among our favorite books. One is that we are moving past the presumption that humans are flawed and irrational. Books such as Useful Delusions and Nudge focus instead on the evolutionary usefulness of our biases and heuristics. In addition, we loved that after reading books on heavy topics such as suffering (The Sweet Spot), racial inequalities (The Person You Mean to Be) or conspiracy theories (How to Talk to a Science Denier), we were still left with a feeling of hope and optimism.

And if you’re new to behavioral science and wondering how to get started or underestimating the impact you can make as an individual, there was an empowering theme to this year’s books too. Dive into You Have More Influence Than You Think to recognize how you can make an impact on people, You’re Invited to reflect on the connections you make in your life or Non Obvious Megatrends to start noticing more of the world around you.

We would LOVE to hear your favorite books of 2021. Did your favorites overlap with ours? Please send us an email at info@behavioralgrooves.com, or connect with us on social media with your top reads of the year.

Twitter: @behavioralgroov

LinkedIn: Behavioral Grooves

Instagram: @behavioralgrooves

Facebook: Behavioral Grooves

Behavioural Science Club Links

Join over 5000 members in the LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13871707/

More group info: https://lnkd.in/grjWMrQ

Twitter: @BehSciClub

Our Favorite Books of 2021 Louise

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, by Adam Grant: https://amzn.to/3pNXdvE
Brandsplaining: Why Marketing is (Still) Sexist and How to Fix It, by Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts: https://amzn.to/33Fltsu
Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want, by Grace Lordan: https://amzn.to/3mo3JZ6
What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society, by Minouche Shafik: https://amzn.to/3eiJOXj
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, by Leidy Klotz: https://amzn.to/3JaOqwY
The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness, Suzanne O’Sullivan: https://amzn.to/3IHnuV5
Noise: A Flaw In Human Judgement, by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein: https://amzn.to/3eiHgZf
This is Your Mind On Plants, by Michael Pollan: https://amzn.to/3Ekqd3p
Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein: https://amzn.to/3edkHFe
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman: https://amzn.to/3qiyFv9

Tim

The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias, by Dolly Chugh: https://amzn.to/3rSsEHQ
Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done, by Chester Elton And Adrian Gostick: https://amzn.to/3EMgofA
Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain, by Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler: https://amzn.to/3rVh8Ma
The Unconscious: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications, by Joel Weinberger: https://amzn.to/3H5P5xA
How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love, by Logan Ury: https://amzn.to/3GC8VR3
Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future, by Rohit Bhargava: https://amzn.to/3phL4jv

Kurt

You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters, by Vanessa Bohns: https://amzn.to/3dCEKgb
You're Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence, by Jon Levy: https://amzn.to/3ydBtgF
How To Talk To a Science Denier, by Lee McIntyre: https://amzn.to/3lVT4Vk
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, by Leidy Klotz: https://amzn.to/3JaOqwY
The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning, by Paul Bloom: https://amzn.to/3piFKwr

A couple of non-2021 favorites:

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, by Robert Sapolsky: https://amzn.to/3H5ALp6 (Kurt)
The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health--and How We Must Adapt, by Sinan Aral: https://amzn.to/3EgsSLv (Louise)

More Than Just A Checklist: How to Effectively Apply Behavioral Science | Torben Emmerling Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

Applying Behavioral Science insights at work takes more than just another checklist or document, it’s about creating an environment that enables people to make good decisions. Torben Emmerling specializes in innovative, evidence-based strategies for behavior change. We discuss with him the nuances that differentiate applied behavioral science from academic behavioral science.

As a consultant for both private and public organizations, Torben doesn’t focus on a specific industry. Instead, he's a human behavior expert. What motivates people and what prompts individuals to change their behavior can be applied in any industry. For example, the same contextual factors that make us forget to buy milk on the way home from work, can be applicable in organizational decisions and performance.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Torben and if you do, please leave a short review of our podcast. Reading your comments, never fails to put a smile on our faces!

Topics

(4:44) Welcome to Torben Emmerling and speed round.

(8:59) How behavioral science can be used to help people save energy.

(14:34) Why applied behavioral science can be very different than academic behavioral science.

(16:42) How Torben’s work uses applied behavioral science.

(18:33) Behavioral science tools aren’t industry specific.

(21:53) Why behavioral science needs to be more than just checklists and documents.

(27:16) What the airline industry can teach us about reflecting on errors.

(29:45) The importance of creating psychological safety at work.

(31:48) How organizations have used behavioral science to manage remote working during COVID-19.

(36:34) What is on Torben’s playlist?

(39:07) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim discussing how to apply Torben’s insights.

Links

Opinion Science Podcast: http://opinionsciencepodcast.com/

Winter Camp 2022: https://fb.me/e/217RQdNQh

Torben Emmerling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torben-emmerling/

Daniel Kahneman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman

“5 Behavioral Biases That Trip Up Remote Managers”: https://hbr.org/2021/06/5-behavioral-biases-that-trip-up-remote-managers

Episode 170, “Seven Questions to Assess the Psychological Safety of Your Teams with Susan Hunt Stevens”: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/seven-questions-to-assess-the-psychological-safety-of-your-teams-with-susan-hunt-stevens/

Peak-end rule: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak%E2%80%93end_rule

Rory Sutherland, “Transport for Humans”: https://amzn.to/3swG5xN

Episode 107, Rory Sutherland “The Opposite of a Good Idea is a Good Idea”: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/rory-sutherland-the-opposite-of-a-good-idea-is-a-good-idea/

Musical Links

Nas, “Nas is Like”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC4ORS5n9Hg&ab_channel=NasVEVO

The Black Keys, “Howlin' For You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLSpj7q6_mM&ab_channel=TheBlackKeys

Our Love Of Music And The Influence Of The Pandemic With Mark Thorley Dec 12, 2021

Show notes

Where and how we listened to music shifted during the pandemic. But the music industry itself had to quickly adapt in 2020 to how music was recorded and produced. Our very musical conversation with guest Mark Thorley delves into the changes that COVID brought to remote working and how people’s relationships with music have changed in recent months.

There is no greater joy for Tim than discussing music with our guests, and you can see from the musical links on this episode, that our conversation with Mark covers a multitude of musical genres! Our relaxed discussion with Mark swings off into many musical tangents and Mark even manages to turn his own speed round question back on Tim and Kurt. Listen in to find out which musical star they both would choose to have dinner with!

Mark has coined the phrase “remotivity” to embody the concept of working on music, whether it be recording or producing, in a remote setting. But this goes further than just having a working WiFi connection or a Zoom meeting set up. There are four key skills needed to work remotely in music; innovation, technical expertise, a fan base, and a unique selling point. We explore each of these four elements in detail with Mark.

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