People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Psychological aspects of job recruiting, with Blake Mobley Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

A talk with Blake Mobley about the business of recruiting: matching job seekers with companies that are hiring. Blake is the co-founder and managing director of recruiting company Keeper Recruiting, which specializes in biotech. Topics discussed include: what the process of recruiting is like; how Keeper goes about learning pertinent details about job seekers; the metrics by which recruiting companies are judged to be successful; the different "core motivators" people can have in their lives and how that relates to recruiting; personality tests; and Blake’s earlier career in the intelligence community and how he sees that relating to his recruiting work.

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

My experience dropping out of college due to a psychological breakdown Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

I was interviewed on Mahima Samraik's podcast Breaking The Facts about my struggles with anxiety and mental issues as a young man, which led to me dropping out of college in the middle of my second year of college. We talk about what that experience was like; recommendations for people dealing with similar problems; and the obstacles that can get in the way of getting help.

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

The psychological and experiential roots of madness, with Richard Bentall Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

A talk with psychologist Richard Bentall, author of the well known book Madness Explained, which examines the psychological causes of the symptoms associated with psychosis, schizophrenia, mania, and other mental issues. Topics we talk about include: the experiences and mental struggles that can lead to psychosis and other mental illness; how theories of mental illness have changed over time; pushback and criticism of psychology-focused explanations of mental illness; aspects of madness that most of us experience at some point; the role of feelings of isolation in madness; and the difference between beliefs and delusions.

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

Reading behavioral "tells" in football, with Larry Hart Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

A talk with Larry Hart, a football coach at the University of Houston, and the author of the book The Recruit's Playbook. Topics discussed include: common behavioral patterns (tells) that are used to get an edge on opponents and teams; reading the signals that opponent coaches give to players; reading formation patterns; the importance of reviewing game tape; predicting how athletes will perform when one is recruiting them; and more.

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

The joys and challenges of studying nonverbal behavior, with Alan Crawley Oct 15, 2022

Show notes

A talk with nonverbal behavior expert Alan Crawley, also known by his online handle Sin Verba (www.sinverba.com). Topics discussed include: why he became interested in behavior; the challenges of studying behavior; the practical benefits of studying behavior (including connecting better with others); irresponsible "behavior experts" who share bad information; and how to spot bad behavior information.

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

How we react when our sense of meaning is threatened, with Steven Heine Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

I talk with Steven Heine about how we react to our sense of meaning being threatened. What happens when our mental frameworks of how the world works don’t hold up and things seem chaotic? What happens when our sense of what’s existentially meaningful in our lives is threatened? Topics discussed: Heine et al’s Meaning Maintenance Model; existential crises, including mid-life crises and adolescent angst; how political polarization might be impacted by threats to meaning; some positive aspects to worldviews suddenly changing; and more.

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

Is the whole world growing more polarized?, with Andrew O'Donohue Oct 01, 2022

Show notes

I talk with Andrew O'Donohue, co-author of "Democracies Divided: The Global Challenge of Political Polarization." Andrew has studied how societal conflicts play out in many countries, and the harm those conflicts inflict. Topics discussed include: why it is that political polarization is such a common state for humans; how polarization has played out in other countries; countries that can be compared to America in terms of polarization; the psychological drivers of polarization; the impact of social media and modern life on polarization, and more.

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

Are eye movement patterns associated with personality traits?, with Sabrina Hoppe Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

A talk with Sabrina Hoppe about a 2018 study that showed how eye movements are correlated with personality. That paper was named 'Eye movements during everyday behavior predict personality traits.' We talk about how the study was set up, what the results were, how strong the correlations found were, reasons for why such patterns might exist, possible applications, and more.

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

Can body language actually be used to detect deception?, with Tim Levine Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

A talk with communication researcher Tim Levine about nonverbal behavior and deception detection. Tim's stance is that there's no evidence that nonverbal behavior is useful for detecting deception. He's the author of "Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception." His work was featured in Malcom Gladwell's book "Talking to Strangers."
Topics discussed include: what the research says about nonverbal behaviors; why it's so hard to get reliable indicators of deception; common nonverbal behavior myths and bullshit; why we expect others to tell us the truth; why we tend to tell the truth; Paul Ekman's work, including micro-expressions and "truth wizards"; reading behavior in interrogations; the differences between analyzing verbal content and nonverbal behavior; the TV show Lie to Me; poker tells; and more.

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

Reading "drug-seeking" patient behavior, with Dr. Casey Grover Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

A talk with Dr. Casey Grover, addiction specialist and host of the podcast Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care, about how doctors attempt to determine if a patient is trying to get a drug prescription under false pretenses (e.g., claiming to be in pain to get opioids). Topics discussed: why "drug-seeking behavior" is not a good phrase; what some classic drug-seeking behaviors are and also why they're not very reliable; steps doctors take if they think someone might have a use disorder; America's drug problems, and more.

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