#923 Nicholas Brown: How to Spot Bad Science

7 snips

Apr 4, 2024

Nicholas Brown, Expert in spotting bad science, discusses flaws in positive psychology, happiness surveys, genetics studies, and heart disease prediction. Talks about root causes of bad science, issues with incentives and the publishing system. Emphasizes the importance of trusting experts and addressing unchecked bad science.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Measuring Happiness

Positive psychology interventions often measure happiness using scales like the BDI, but improvements might be insignificant.
A small change from 4.2 to 3.8 on the BDI doesn't mean much when 14 is the threshold for mild depression.

ANECDOTE

Happiness Pie Critique

Lyubomirsky's "happiness pie" claims life circumstances account for only 10% of happiness, which Brown critiques.
Brown argues circumstances significantly impact happiness, citing differences between countries like Denmark and Syria.

INSIGHT

Global Happiness Surveys

Global happiness surveys offer limited insights due to cultural differences and noise in small changes.
Large changes are usually already known, making the surveys less informative.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

------------------Support the channel------------

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter

PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter

PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy

PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l

PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz

PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m

PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao

------------------Follow me on---------------------

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT

This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/

Dr. Nicholas Brown is a Researcher at Linnaeus University, Sweden. He works on developing new research methods in psychology and on applying meta-scientific perspectives on psychology as a science.

In this episode, we start by discussing conceptual and methodological issues with positive psychology and the study of well-being, and go through critiques of Lyubomirsky’s “happiness pie”, and happiness surveys. We also address methodological flaws with studies on the link between genetics and well-being, sadness and color perception, and predicting heart disease from Twitter language. We then discuss where bad science stems from, and talk about incentives, issues with the publishing system, and how bad science goes unchecked. Finally, we talk about the idea of trusting the experts, and rules of thumb to evaluate scientific evidence.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, OLAF ALEX, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, CHARLES MOREY, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, ERIK ENGMAN, LUCY, YHONATAN SHEMESH, MANVIR SINGH, AND PETRA WEIMANN!

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, AND NICK GOLDEN!

AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!