Why is it hard to have just one of those delicious slices of pound cake over the holidays? Well, it turns out it has less to do with the creamy butter and more to do with the way our brains react to those sweet white grains of sugar. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss the ways our brains respond to sugar by releasing dopamine. While we may think this dopamine is supposed to make us feel good, what the chemicals in our brains are trying to do is to teach us that this sugar is a good thing and that we want more of it for our survival. This might have been beneficial to us 150,000 years ago, but with sweets in every candy dish, gas station, and coffee shop, craving sugar has its consequences. The post Sugar and The Brain (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may all count on our fingers, but we are not all counting on them the same way. In a 2012 issue of Cognition, German researchers Andrea Bender and Sieghard Beller argue that the extent of cultural diversity in finger-counting has been hugely underestimated. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of finger counting. The post The Psychology of Finger Counting appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It can be really stressful to try to make the holidays a happy time. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about what psychological ingredients can help ensure more meaningful connections. The post Creating Happy Holidays appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

When it comes to theories about behavior change if it seems too good to be true it probably is. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the popular “Nudge” theory and why it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The post Nudge Theory appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There is playoff fever around the country and things are particularly hot here in Texas. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of why playoffs are so engaging. The post Playoffs appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Studies of charisma suggest that there are two key dimensions of a charismatic person that researchers have called “affability” and “influence.” Affability reflects how likable someone is and influence relates to people’s leadership ability and likelihood of motivating others to do something. We know not everyone possesses such traits but what is less obvious is that you don’t need all those traits to be successful or a great team player. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of charisma. The post Charisma appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Some new research suggests that there is a lot more we consider when deciding to tell a fib or not. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about what’s on “the lying brain” and why it matters. The post The Lying Brain appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A midlife crisis is a time of transition when we might question what we’ve accomplished, done, or not done, and ask things like the Talking Heads do of our “Once in a Lifetime.” But what is a midlife crisis psychologically? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the midlife crisis and how to navigate it. The post The Midlife Crisis appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The way we respond to deadlines varies quite a bit. Some people fall apart when they’re up against a deadline while for others deadlines help them focus, and then there are those for whom deadlines don’t seem to matter at all. So, as with most things in science, the answer to the question about if deadlines actually help to motivate us is, it depends. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about deadlines and motivation. The post Are We Motivated By Deadlines? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Feeling a bit nervous before an exam is normal and sometimes can even help to focus your attention. But as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head,  test anxiety, can interfere with your test-taking performance, and hence not really demonstrate your aptitude for the subject. The post Test Anxiety appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.