

PsycHacks
Orion Taraban
Presented by Orion Taraban, Psy.D. PsycHacks provides listeners with a brief, thought-provoking episode several days a week on a variety of psychological topics, inspired by my clinical practice. The intention is for the core idea contained within each episode to inspire listeners to see something about themselves or their world in a slightly different light.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 11, 2022 • 6min
Episode 234: Why modern dating doesn’t work
I often hear women on the dating market speak of their difficulties in finding a man interested in a committed, long-term relationship. In this episode, I will explain why that might be the case. To the extent that the purpose of dating is to enter into such a relationship, modern dating doesn't work. And that is because the privileges given to and the responsibilities expected of men are not allocated properly over the course of a relationship to incentivize his commitment. Until this is addressed, women will be fighting an uphill battle.
"Men want to be alone": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9blas1Xtoc
#commitment #relationship #dating

Oct 9, 2022 • 4min
Episode 233: Women punish the men they like
This one is for the ladies. In this episode, I'll explain how you may be inadvertently messing up with the men you actually want to keep in your life. Most women punish the men they like, and this behavior can drive away the ones you want to stay. Absenting an explicit commitment to the contrary, if a certain behavior wouldn't bother you coming from a man you could take or leave, you shouldn't let it bother you coming from a man you really like. This doesn't mean putting up with bad behavior. It means that the definition of bad behavior doesn't change depending on your feelings.
#dating #relationship #attraction

Oct 7, 2022 • 4min
Episode 232: Why men like younger women
Delving into the controversial topic of age preferences in relationships, this podcast explores the evolutionary and societal reasons behind men's attraction to younger women. It challenges common perceptions and highlights the dynamics at play in intergenerational relationships.

Oct 5, 2022 • 5min
Episode 231: The two body problem
Exploring the challenges of academic couples in securing positions at the same university. Balancing career dedication and relationship priorities in the competitive sexual marketplace. The 'two-body problem' and the difficulties successful women face in finding suitable partners.

Oct 3, 2022 • 4min
Episode 230: Women have more options in the sexual marketplace
Women have more options in the sexual marketplace due to societal support and incentives. Men have fewer options compared to women. The implications of this gender dynamic will be explored in future episodes.

Oct 1, 2022 • 6min
Episode 229: Women treat men the way men treat jobs
This has been my single most important realization with respect to dating and relationships, as it helped me understand much about the process that would otherwise have remained painful and incomprehensible. Women treat men the way men treat jobs. Women enter into relationships with men who they believe can offer them the best opportunity to further their goals, all other things being equal, and they will lateral to another relationship if another man can entice them with a more compelling offer. I expand on the analogy throughout the episode.
#dating #relationship #attraction

Sep 29, 2022 • 3min
Episode 228: The mastery of life
The mastery of life boils down to one thing: the ability to be in the world, but not of the world. This is extremely easy to say and extraordinarily difficult to do. It means to participate fully in one's life and to cultivate the good that is possible, while remaining completely non-attached to one's life and prepared to surrender the cultivated good, as needed. This is a sign of spiritual mastery and model of being to which we can all aspire.
#master #spritual #life

Sep 27, 2022 • 3min
Episode 227: Masculinity and femininity
Masculinity and femininity are concepts that demand definition. In my personal opinion, both are attributes of the soul that are correlated to (but not coincident with) biological sex. As such, both men and women possess masculine and feminine aspects, and some folks are high (or low) in both. Like many other topics, the present one reminds us that people are complex, and that we shouldn't work too hard to restrict our thinking to "all-or-nothing," dichotomous poles.
#masculinity #femininity #gender

Sep 25, 2022 • 4min
Episode 226: You can’t not communicate
One of the inescapable realities of human existence is that every action bears a likeness to the internal state of the actor. This means that we can't not communicate. That said, the intended state is not always accurately perceived by the observer, and the observer can occasionally perceive internal states that were not intended by the actor. To illustrate these principles, I discuss an historical example from the operation of the Allied intelligence agencies during World War II.
#communication #relationship #information

Sep 23, 2022 • 4min
Episode 225: Not everyone can be saved
In the popular imagination, every emotional wound can be healed with sufficient time and adequate treatment. However, this is not true. Not everyone can be saved, and therapy doesn't always work. What's more, when it does work, it often creates a kind of scar, which (like its physical analogue) lacks the suppleness and sensitivity of the original material. We all must grieve what doesn't return through healing. That said, there is usually enough left over for us to keep moving forward.
#healing #therapy #selfhelp