

Schauer Thoughts
Sarah Schauer & Studio71
Left and right brainers are often pitted against each other but here they’ll be given the time and space to collaborate. So strip away the day and step into the steam, it’s time to open up your pores and perspectives for a truly immersive, imaginative, and information-rich experience that’ll leave you refreshed and ready for whatever life throws at you next. Welcome to Schauer Thoughts, hosted by comedian and student-of-the-world Sarah Schauer!For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com We wanna make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4 Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 7min
So What is Cognitive Labor??
This week on Schauer Thoughts we’re discussing cognitive labor: what it is and isn’t, situations you use it in, and how to tell when someone is using you for your cognitive labor via thought-terminating cliches! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the discussion.
Also, I do want to apologize for how disorganized this episode is, I forgot to take my ADHD medication that day and I was really struggling to order my thoughts.
I have also received some feedback that my podcast is unpolished and a bit of a “burden” and I completely understand the intention behind those comments. I really do appreciate feedback and I feel so bad that this is the episode going out with those comments in mind.
I have ordered a couple books on how to polish your research, I’m currently reading Polish Your Academic Writing by Helen Coleman and I also signed up for a *free* seven week online course on scientific communication.
(If you’d also like to take the class here’s a link: https://sciencecommunicationlab.org/research-skills/presentation-on-science/ - you don’t have to, it’s just to share!)
It will take me a few weeks for you all to see these new skills in the podcast, so thank you for your patience and hopefully you see that effort payoff soon.
I am talking about neuroscience and more technical things but I want to do so in a way that’s more easily understood and accessible so I am working on that! I do genuinely want to share what I’m learning and while I love research I love connecting with my audience more and that’s not really possible if I don’t make more of an active effort to structure and translate concepts in a more accessible way. I promise I am working on it, I deeply appreciate the feedback.
There will be a part two to this episode and I am making sure that it’s more cohesive, organized, and delivered in a more accessible way!
Links:
How I Met Your Masi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howimetyourmasi/?hl=en
Where to Stream: https://www.dynasty.tv/products/how-i-met-your-masi-premiere
Sounds Like a Cult Podcast:
Website: https://www.soundslikeacult.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod/
Reese’s Instagram: (adore her)
https://www.instagram.com/reesaronii/
For more information on my book club visit:
Substack: https://sarahschauer.substack.com/p/schauer-thoughts-book-club-additional?utm_source=activity_item
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/sarahschauer/membership
Resources:
Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad) - Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, PhD
How To Make Your Brain Your Best Friend: A Neuroscientists Guide to a Healthier, Happier Life - Rachel Barr
- Guys! This is the book I’ve talked about from the neuroscientist on “microdosing delight!” Go pick it up!
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - Amanda Montell
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of “Brainwashing” in China - Robert Jay Lifton
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker PhD
The Difference Between Mental Load and Emotional Labor
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/equal-partners/202508/the-difference-between-mental-load-and-emotional-labor
Anticipatory feelings: Neural correlates and linguistic markers
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763419300570#:~:text=A%20new%20feeling%20construct%20related,role%20in%20future%20oriented%20feelings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 1, 2025 • 1h 14min
The Real Downside of Intentionally Misunderstanding People
This week in the communal Schauer we’re discussing the actual, neurological, downside of intentionally (not accidentally) misunderstanding others! Now I do want y’all to know that there is a difference between genuine debate and being an obtuse pr*ck, so please don’t assume I’m saying “never disagree again.” You can understand (comprehend) someone but you do not have to validate their augment (apply positive or negative moral judgement) because those are two separate processes in the brain. Other than that, please enjoy this episode, have an amazing week, and I hope you feel *a moderate to intense* experience of delight with this new information!
Please like and subscribe on YouTube, rate me five stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! I greatly appreciate it.
Please always feel free to send Schauer Thoughts episodes to your therapist or mental health provider :)
For more information on my book club visit:
Substack:
https://sarahschauer.substack.com/p/schauer-thoughts-book-club-additional?utm_source=activity_item
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/sarahschauer/membership
Resources:
Olivia Unplugged Tiktok
https://www.tiktok.com/@olivia.unplugged?_t=ZT-90APwzxxDNG&_r=1
Such an incredible creator and account, definitely recommend following her!
Life In Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life - Shigehiro Oishi, PhD
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker PhD
Use Powerful Intentions to Become Your Authentic Best
https://newayscenter.com/powerful-intentions-authentic-best/
Helpful resource for positively framing intentions
The influence of intentions on dream content
https://academic.oup.com/sleepadvances/article/5/1/zpae088/7912101
How the Little-Known Zeigarnik Effect Impacts Everyone Daily
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/natural-order/202209/how-the-little-known-zeigarnik-effect-impacts-everyone-daily
The Art of Sustainable Performance: The Zeigarnik Effect
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-46463-9_10
Dreaming and offline memory processing
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(10)01360-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982210013606%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
The Neuroscience of Goals and Behavior Change
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5854216/#:~:text=This%20habit%20learning%20process%20also,with%20in%20the%20first%20place.
The neural bases of feeling understood and not understood
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4249470/#nst191-B33 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 24, 2025 • 1h 9min
Why AI Will Never Truly Replace Humans Pt. 3!
Here it is! Part three to why AI will never truly replace humans - it can’t “afford” to. This weeks episode is a bit long and rambly and for the sake of y’alls likely waning interest in AI, I’m going to include some additional reading on how AI is effecting the environment and what can be done to stop as well as mitigate the damage. Next week I’ll be moving onto another topic, another Schauer filled with long-winded musings and hopefully hotter water (and takes.) Thank you so much for hanging in there, I hope you and your brains leave a little bit more pruny (wrinkles in your brain are a good thing lol.)
For more information on my book club visit:
Substack:
https://sarahschauer.substack.com/p/schauer-thoughts-book-club-additional?utm_source=activity_item
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/sarahschauer/membership
Stand up show to benefit Pal Humanity!
https://www.instagram.com/share/BBEsWrfoDb
Please come if you’re in LA!
Resources:
Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life - Shigehiro Oishi, PhD
James J. Gibson
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
Chapter 8 - The Theory of Affordances
https://cs.brown.edu/courses/cs137/2017/readings/Gibson-AFF.pdf
Lectures on Tap
https://lecturesontap.com/
The session I attended was hosted by Drew McClellan who spoke about the Art & Science of Color Design in Cinema (absolutely incredible lecture, he is so knowledgeable and fun)
Please check out his website - he has online courses!
https://www.drwmcc.com/about
The Visual Story - Bruce A. Block
This is the book that Mr. McClellan recommended during his lecture, the book was actually written by his mentor and I will be picking it up.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams - Matthew Walker, PhD
I cannot recommend this book enough, it is SO good, absolutely masterfully written.
This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
An eco-political economy of AI to understand the complexities of its environmental costs
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/eco-political-economy-ai-understand-complexities-its-environmental-costs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 17, 2025 • 1h 7min
Why AI Will Never Truly Replace Humans Pt. 2
This week we’re doing a part two to why AI will never truly replace human beings - we’ll discuss neuroscience, opinions from accredited experts, as well as go on several explanatory tangents about how the brain *actually* works and how AI does not work like that. Please enjoy this week’s communal Schauer and I hope (a type of wonder -> happiness + fear) to see you all join my book club, starting September 21 & 22nd! More information linked below.
Book Club Info:
Sunday & Monday dates available!
Substack:
https://sarahschauer.substack.com/p/schauer-thoughts-book-club-additional?utm_source=activity_item
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/sarahschauer/membership
Resources:
The Human Brain Doesn’t Learn, Think or Recall Like an AI. Embrace the difference
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-07-09/human-brain-artificial-intelligence-model
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life - Shigehiro Oishi, PhD
The Order of Time - Carlo Rovelli
This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
The Nature and Technique of Understanding: Some Fundamentals of Semantics - Hugh Woodworth
- Book I talked about having feelings, sensations, etc. outlined - pg. 26 & 27
Epistemic Injustice: Power & the Ethics of Knowing - Miranda Fricker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 10, 2025 • 1h 20min
Why ‘AI’ Will Never Truly Replace Humans
This discussion dives into why AI will never fully replace humans, highlighting its inability to navigate experiences like pain or sensory feedback. Fascinating insights from neuroscience are shared, focusing on how humans instinctively perceive opportunities that AI misses. The conversation also touches on the ecological costs of AI and critiques the systemic constraints that shape its development. Personal anecdotes and a sneak peek at an upcoming book club add a relatable touch, making for an engaging exploration of human versus artificial intelligence.

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 7min
Let’s Breakdown the Matt Rife, E.L.F. Cosmetics “Rage Bait” CamPAIN
This week we’re getting into the psychology, strategy, and *alleged* manipulation tactics of E.L.F. Cosmetic’s latest beauty campaign featuring *womp womp* Matt Rife. Come bare faced or use a good setting spray because the communal Schauer is hot this week and methods to conceal will be tested and removed.
My Substack: https://substack.com/@sarahschauer?utm_source=user-menu
Resources:Flow - Mihaly Csikszemtmihalyi
The Science of Revenge - James Kimmel, Jr. JD
How Emotions Are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett
Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions - Batja Mesquita
Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life - Sissela Bok
Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People - G. Richard Shell
Why It’s So Hard to Ask for Help
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/202308/why-its-so-hard-to-ask-for-help
Exclusive: The Story Behind ELF’s Controversial Matt Rife Campaign
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/exclusive-the-story-behind-elfs-controversial-matt-rife-campaign/
Paltering
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paltering
Evidence of paltering
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/exclusive-the-story-behind-elfs-controversial-matt-rife-campaign/
Who does nostalgia speak to?
https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/take-me-back-the-power-of-nostalgia-in-advertising
Elf Cosmetics Puts Beauty Prices on Trial After Raising Its Own
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/elf-cosmetics-puts-beauty-prices-on-trial-after-raising-its-own/
ELF Beauty Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire rhode in $1 Billion Deal
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250528613364/en/e.l.f.-Beauty-Announces-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-rhode-in-%241-Billion-Deal
Jester’s Privilege
https://ludwig.guru/blog/the-jesters-privilege-or-the-power-of-being-unheard/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 27, 2025 • 1h 7min
Flow State, Method Acting, and Becoming the Person You Want to Be Pt. 2
Here we are, part two of our series on becoming who you want to be using method acting and flow state! This week we’ll be fleshing out our potential new personas, giving them motivations, beliefs, lore, and much more to *temporarily* adopt characteristics to expand our range - logically and expressively. No need for movement clothes or dance shoes in the communal Schauer, just hop in whenever you’re ready.
Make sure to like and subscribe on Youtube, as well as rate my 5 stars on whichever platform you’re streaming from! Thank you.
Substack
https://substack.com/@sarahschauer?utm_source=user-menu
Resources:
What is Self-Esteem?
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868
Understanding the Interplay Between the Nervous and Muscular Systems
https://www.maven-pt.com/maven-stories/understanding-the-interplay-between-the-nervous-and-muscular-systems
Character Development: A Guide for Actors
https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/character-development-for-actors-76083/#:~:text=Gather%20as%20many%20basic%20details,role%2C%20message%2C%20and%20theme.
The Outside In Acting Technique
https://www.stagemilk.com/acting-technique-outside-in/
Nine components associated with the flow state experience
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7551835/table/behavsci-10-00137-t001/
How to Get Into Flow State: 8 Tips to Unlock Peak Performance
https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/blog/how-to-get-into-flow-state
A Review on the Role of the Neuroscience of Flow States in the Modern World
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7551835/#B15-behavsci-10-00137
Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824
How ambient temperature affects mood: an ecological momentary assessment study in Switzerland
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-023-01003-9
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 20, 2025 • 1h 7min
Flow State, Method Acting, and Becoming the Person You Want to Be Pt. 1
Welcome back! We’re discussing the psychology, neuroscience, and applications of method acting and flow state to develop behavioral and character range, aka “become the person you want.” This week’s communal Schauer will be very STEAM heavy, but don’t worry, next week we’re bringing it all together to cultivate a performance that feels personal and true to you (and who you could be).
Make sure to “like” and subscribe on Youtube, rate my 5-stars wherever you get your podcasts, and check out my Substack where I have additional musings.
Substack
https://substack.com/@sarahschauer?utm_source=user-menu
Resources:
The Psychological Effects of Method Acting
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-psychological-effects-of-method-acting-45035
The Neuroscience of Romeo and Juliet: an fMRI study of acting
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.181908
A Review on the Role of the Neuroscience of Flow States in the Modern World
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7551835/#B15-behavsci-10-00137
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Your Conscious Mind - New Scientist
The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism - Fritjof Capra
The Meaning of Proofs: Mathematics as Storytelling - Cabriele Lolli
Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation - Christopher Kemp
This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Obi Ogas
Reductionism in Art & Brain Science: Bridging the Two Cultures - Eric R. Kandel
A Little Book of Language - David Crystal
Submit - A Memoir by Sonnett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 7min
So What is Cringe Anyway??
Today we’re talking a leisurely stroll through the neuroscience of cringe! Behold the surprising sadness that awaits just beyond our cranial walls. Clear your calendar and your conscience and step into this week’s communal shower. Feel free to leave your dignity at the door.
Resources:
That’s Cringe: The Neuroscience Behind Embarrassment
https://greymattersjournal.org/thats-cringe-the-neuroscience-behind-embarassment/
How Emotions Are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett
Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions - Batja Mesquita Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 6, 2025 • 1h 13min
How to Build Trust [the Final Part!]
Here it is folks, the third and final installment on our mini-series about building trust! Thank you all so much for your patience, for listening, for learning, that’s the attitude to have when entering the communal thought Schauer! We’re sharing cognitive load and helping each other co-regulate [somewhat parasocial conclusion redacted for posterity purposes] so thank you. Can’t wait to talk to you all next week about something tangentially related. Make sure to like and subscribe on Youtube, as well as rate 5 stars on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
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Resources:
Four Colors of Lies
http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/lying/four_lies.htm
An Illustrated Guide to the 4 Types of Liars
https://www.nirandfar.com/types-of-liars/
Visual Perception and Corollary Discharge
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2807735/#:~:text=Identifying%20a%20corollary%20discharge%20in,Holst%20and%20Mittelstaedt%2C%201950).
Propensity to trust and risk aversion: Differential roles in the trust process
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656623000119
Agreeableness
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/agreeableness
12 Proven Trust-Building Exercises to Repair Relationships of All Types
https://riveroakspsychology.com/12-proven-trust-building-exercises-to-repair-relationships-of-all-types/
5 Creative Bullet Journal Mood Tracker Ideas [and Your How To Guide]
https://www.yopandtom.com/blogs/news/5-creative-bullet-journal-mood-tracker-ideas-and-your-how-to-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoq1RVxbyYU_8b-31IJzxvrtezmy64Xyp8zdmgBUp3lJnyoyDhto
Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life - Sissela Bok
The Order of Time - Carlo Rovelli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices