People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Psychological tactics and opponent-reading in GT racecar driving, with Andy Lally Mar 11, 2023

Show notes

A talk with racecar driver Andy Lally, who specializes in endurance GT (sportcar) racing. Topics we talk about include: What's the breakdown in skill versus chance in an average race? What are the considerations when trying to pass other drivers, or trying to prevent drivers from passing? Where’s the boundary between acceptable behavior versus behavior that people would consider too-aggressive and dangerous? What are some spots where Andy was proud of his decisions? What it’s like being a vegan in an industry where that’s pretty rare?

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Do some common facial expressions reveal personality traits?, with Herman Ilgen Mar 05, 2023

Show notes

I talk with Herman Ilgen, who's been a negotiator for more than 30 years and who is the founder of the Institute for Nonverbal Strategy Analysis (INSA). Ilgen has researched how facial expression patterns may be connected to personality traits. His paper was titled "Personal Nonverbal Repertoires in facial displays and their relation to individual differences in social and emotional styles." Topics discussed include: what led him to do that work; what the findings were; how he makes practical use of those findings; and general thoughts on negotiation strategies.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

An angry divide over zoning in Caroline, New York: a talk with Quaker Rebecca Schillenback Feb 19, 2023

Show notes

In the small town of Caroline in central New York state, there seems to be a war going on. A large sign in the town reads, "There’s a war in the valley, time to pick a side." The divide is over proposed zoning laws. Rebecca Schillenback is a resident who wrote a letter to the local paper objecting to the war-like us-vs-them rhetoric she sees her neighbors using. I talk to Rebecca about: the nature of this divide and the roots of the emotions; how it relates to our national us-vs-them divides; and her Quaker faith and its role in her attempt to reduce anger.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Improving sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships, with Jessica Maxwell Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

A talk with psychologist Jessica Maxwell about her research on sexual relationships. We talk about "growth" versus "destiny" views on sex: in other words, whether someone sees sexual satisfaction as something one must work on, or if one sees it as largely an issue of destiny--something that’s either present or it’s not. Other topics include: the role of media in affecting our views on sex; how boredom and lack of novelty can hurt sexual satisfaction; performance-related anxiety; how porn might be affecting people’s ideas of sex; thoughts on scheduled date nights versus more spontaneous attempts at romance; sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

How body language can influence teammates and competitors in sports Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

I talk with Philip Furley, who has done extensive research on behavior and psychology in sports. Topics discussed include: how an athlete's body language can influence teammates, opponents, and even judges; behaviors and strategies of penalty kickers and goalkeepers in soccer; some specific behaviors from the recent World Cup; collective displays of team unity (like the "Haka"); the difficulties of finding behavioral patterns in sports; thoughts on making practical use of Furley's research findings.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Why are humans so gullible?, with Brian Dunning, host of the Skeptoid podcast Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

A talk with Brian Dunning, who you might call a professional skeptic. He has been doing the Skeptoid podcast since 2006, and is the creator of multiple books and video projects aimed at promoting critical thinking and skepticism. We talk about the reasons why we're so often drawn to pseudoscience, bullshit, and no/low-evidence ideas in general. I also get his takes on assorted ideas, such as chiropractic work, acupuncture, UFOs, eye movement desensitization therapy, the placebo effect, and more.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Are hate crimes exaggerated in the U.S.?, with Wilfred Reilly Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Wilfred Reilly is a political scientist, professor, and author of the 2019 book Hate Crime Hoax. Topics discussed include: how hate crimes are tracked; why it can be hard to get a clear picture of hate crime numbers; the logic of 'hate crime' as a legal designation; irresponsible media coverage of racism-related issues; the motivations of people who fake hate crimes; distorted perceptions of American hate crimes and racism; how distorted perceptions can amplify polarization; and what it's like working on these topics while teaching at a historically black college.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

About this podcast: why I do it and why I think it's important Dec 10, 2022

Show notes

This episode is all about the People Who Read People podcast. Topics discussed: the origins and goals of this podcast; my approach to deciding on who to interview and what questions to ask; why I focus on polarization-related topics and why I think that work is important; details on audience numbers and financial stuff.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Perceptions of antisemitism on the American right and left, with James Kirchick Dec 10, 2022

Show notes

A talk with journalist James Kirchick about the origins of and perceptions of various types of American antisemitism. Topics discussed include: views of manifestations of antisemitism among liberals and conservatives; controversial statements made by Kanye West and Whoopi Goldberg; Donald Trump; perceptions of and criticisms of Israel; hatred of George Soros; Louis Farrakhan; Black Hebrew Israelites; perceptions of the term "globalist", and more.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.

Is liberal bias an obstacle to American depolarization efforts?, with Guy Burgess Nov 20, 2022

Show notes

A talk with conflict resolution specialist Guy Burgess, who, along with his wife Heidi Burgess, run the project BeyondIntractability.org. Guy and Heidi wrote a paper in 2022 titled "Applying conflict resolution insights to the hyper‐polarized, society‐wide conflicts threatening liberal democracies." I talk with Guy about: how conflict resolution principles might be applied to U.S. polarization problems; the importance of addressing liberal-side contributions to polarization; the common objections people can have to seeing polarization as a problem that both sides must tackle; how some in the conflict resolution space may be hindered from helping by their own liberal bias and polarization; the Burgesses' ideas for what society must do to reduce polarization to more healthy levels, and more.

Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠.