Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Our guest this week, Sandra Matz PhD exposes the truth behind our online presence. In our conversation, Sandra reveals that with simple analytics, the digital footprints we leave behind online (our Facebook Likes, our credit card transactions, our Google Map searches) add up to paint a very revealing picture of our personality and state of mind. Sandra Matz PhD is an associate professor at Columbia Business School. She takes a Big Data approach to studying human behaviour. Her methodologies use psychology, computer science and data collection to explore the relationships between people’s psychological characteristics and their digital footprints.  Sandra’s work has been published in top-tier journals such as Psychological Science and the American Psychologist, and has attracted worldwide media attention from outlets like the Independent, the BBC, CNBC, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the World Economic Forum. Our discussion delves into Sandra’s experience around social media profiles, digital ethics, data privacy and our understanding of informed consent. As always we find out about our guest’s musical taste but this week we even find out what our musical preferences can reveal about our personality and social identities.  We hope you enjoy our discussion with Sandra Matz PhD, and if you do, please leave us a quick review or join our Patreon team at https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves.   Topics 3:04 Welcome to Sandra Matz PhD and speed round questions 4:52 Discussion about Sandra Matz’s Research 52:32 Grooving Session 1:10:37 Bonus Track with Kurt   Links Sandra Matz https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/sm4409  Cambridge Analytica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica Cass Sunstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Sunstein  GDPR https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation  Kate Crawford, NYU https://ainowinstitute.org/about.html  Helen Nissenbaum, Cornell https://nissenbaum.tech.cornell.edu/  Tory Higgins, Shared Reality: What Makes Us Strong and Tears Us Apart https://amzn.to/3aywWdW  SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/  Brene Brown https://brenebrown.com/  Steve Bannon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bannon  Patreon https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves Behavioral Grooves @behavioralgroov https://twitter.com/behavioralgroov  Kurt @motivationguru https://twitter.com/motivationguru  Tim @THoulihan https://twitter.com/THoulihan  Mary @BeSciMary https://twitter.com/BeSciMary   Musical Links Taylor Swift https://www.youtube.com/user/taylorswift  Justin Bieber https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwFjwMjI0y7PDBVEO9-bkQ  Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnRI0ay61tY-fKYzzB3fCnw  Britney Spears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4  Coldplay https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDPM_n1atn2ijUwHd0NNRQw  ACDC https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB0JSO6d5ysH2Mmqz5I9rIw  Lady Gaga https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNL1ZadSjHpjm4q9j2sVtOA   

Research is showing that there are four broad groups of people who are the most vaccine hesitant: African Americans Latinos Women between the ages of 20 and 36 Rural Americans and Republicans Many of us have a family or friend who feels hesitant about the vaccination. In this episode, Kurt and Tim address how you can have a positive conversation with them, using proven behavioral science techniques.  Compassionate curiosity Listen with compassion Understanding motivations Be genuine with curiosity Leverage the right messenger Framing what you’re going to share Think about their perspective Find an authority figure who they respect Trumpcine The Message Change the social norm Being able to take our masks off “Take a shot, take off your mask” Personalise the message Links Morgan Freeman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Freeman  Kwame Christian https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/kwame-christian-on-compassionate-curiosity-social-justice-conversations-and-cinnamon-toast-crunch/  Steve Martin & Joe Marks: BG episode https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/steve-martin-and-joe-marks-the-messenger-is-the-message/  Robb Willer, Stanford University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robb_Willer  Donald Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump  Ivanka Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanka_Trump  Ted Cruz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz  Trumpcine https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/04/12/trump-calls-covid-19-vaccine-trumpcine-mocks-fauci-again/  Frank Luntz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luntz  Robert Cialdini https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/robert-cialdini-phd-littering-egoism-and-aretha-franklin/  The Petrified Forrest https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-shaping-us/201909/the-petrified-wood-principle  Katy Milkman https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/katy-milkman-phd-using-behavior-change-for-good/  Surfacing norms to increase vaccine acceptance https://psyarxiv.com/srv6t/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves    © 2021 Behavioral Grooves

Dr. Melanie Green is a professor at the University of Buffalo. She joined us on the podcast to explain how the power of a compelling narrative, including the effects of fictional stories, can be used to change beliefs and attitudes. Her theory of "transportation into a narrative world" focuses on how immersive storytelling is a mechanism of narrative influence. It was an in-depth conversation that explored concepts around how stories move us, the power of narrative to affect both cognitive and emotional feelings, and how restorative narratives can be used to help heal communities after disasters. We touch on the psychological response of reactance, the appeal of conspiracy theory stories and the elements needed to create a compelling story.  We also introduce - in a slightly more proper fashion - our production and research assistant, Mary Kaliff. We are excited to introduce Mary to our listeners and hope you will welcome her with a happy greeting on social media! Finally, no episode of Behavioral Grooves would be complete without understanding our guest’s musical tastes. Melanie’s upbringing in Gainesville, Florida influenced her lifelong love of music, in particular the hometown hero,  Tom Petty. She’s also a fan of James Taylor, which delighted Tim. More recently, Melanie’s house is often filled with the sound of the Hamilton soundtrack, thanks to her children’s love of the musical, which delighted Kurt. So, it was wins all around.  We hope you enjoy our conversation with Melanie and if you like it, please jump down to the bottom of your listening app and share a quick rating or a short review with us. It goes a long way in helping others decide if they should listen to Behavioral Grooves.  Topics 0:07 Introduction  1:00 Hello from Mary Kaliff 3:46 Welcome and Speed Round with Melanie Green 7:44 Reactance and empathy 16:25 What makes a good story? 22:26 Storytelling in different mediums 27:12 Parasocial Interaction 33:10 Storytelling for social good 38:50 Conspiracy Theories 43:07 Melanie’s music and playlist 47:30 Grooving Session Quotes  (14:13) If you do have a story that's not representative, the danger of it kind of having an undue influence on people's thinking and decision making is, I think, a real one, especially with something consequential, like these medical decisions.  (18:21) the way that stories can inform us and change our minds, is through this process of being immersed in them. (31:17) And so a story can be a really nice kind of way of summarizing and illustrating the guiding principles maybe that people want the organization to follow (33:37) restorative narratives tell those stories, you know, how people move from something bad to kind of come back to a better place. Social Media Tim @THoulihan Kurt @motivationguru Mary @BeSciMary Other Content To listen to more podcasts about narratives and messages why not delve into these episodes: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/steve-martin-and-joe-marks-the-messenger-is-the-message/ https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/john-sweeney-everything-is-a-story/  © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Links Melanie Green:  https://www.buffalo.edu/cas/communication/faculty/green.html  The Game of Thrones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones  Story telling Mirrors in the Brain: https://www.michaelharvey.org/new-blog/2019/12/29/storytelling-mirrors-in-the-brain  Victoria Shaffer, PhD: https://psychology.missouri.edu/people/shaffer  The Bible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible  The Koran:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran  The Bhagavad Ghita: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita  Pamela Rutledge: https://www.pamelarutledge.com/  Guy Schoenecker: https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/12/07/life-story-guy-schoenecker/  BI WORLDWIDE: https://www.biworldwide.com/careers/  Common Biases & Heuristics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XHpBr0VFcaT8wIUpr-9zMIb79dFMgOVFRxIZRybiftI/edit?usp=sharing   Jon Levy: https://www.jonlevytlb.com/  Mirror Neurons: Why good stories provoke empathy and connection (Kyle Pearce) https://www.diygenius.com/mirror-neurons/  Musical Links Bruce Springsteen “Fire”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5PoIrcyd34  “Hamilton” soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPSWZUExZ8M  James Taylor “Never Die Young”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbGrD4hxoBI  Traveling Wilburys “End of the Line”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMVjToYOjbM  Tom Petty “Don’t Fade on Me”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKUBlwVgVYc 

Leidy Klotz is the Copenhaver Associate Professor of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia. His research fills in underexplored overlaps between engineering and behavioral science, in pursuit of more sustainable environmental systems. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in venues that include top academic journals in built environment engineering, engineering education, and design, as well as imprints of both Science and Nature. We explored the rarity of subtraction from our lives and the fact that we tend to add things much more than we remove things. Granted, we’ve been builders of things since the dawn of civilization, but when is enough, enough? Leidy suggested we begin any initiative by subtracting before we start adding.   We traced the concept from Lao Tzu through DaVinci through Kurt Lewin and right up into today’s literature with Marie Kondo and Tim Ferriss. But Leidy’s thoughts are truly fresh because he is adding to this historical narrative with scientific data. He offered us fresh ways to think about this uphill battle with our natural desires.  We also discussed Leidy’s view of the Planetary Tipping Point: where our very fixed-resource planet gets maxed out by humans with an unlimited desire for more. And we were pleased to talk about Kurt Lewin and his force-field analysis and, as you might expect, we enthusiastically discussed Bruce Springsteen as a prolific and gifted writer.  We hope you enjoy our discussion with Leidy Klotz, and if you do, please leave us a quick review or join our Patreon team at https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves.    Links Leidy Klotz, PhD: https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/leidy-klotz Lego https://www.lego.com/en-us  Harry Potter Lego Set - Hogwarts https://www.lego.com/en-us/search?q=harry%20potter%20hogwarts  Wildlife Bingo https://www.nature-watch.com/wildlife-bingo-game-p-176.html  Michael Jordan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan  Bruce Springsteen https://brucespringsteen.net/  Mayan City of Coba https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coba  Marie Kondo https://konmari.com/  Tim Ferris https://tim.blog/  Da Vinci https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci  Lao Tzu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi  Bowerbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird  Allison Zelkowitz https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-zelkowitz-197431a/?originalSubdomain=lb  Chaning Jang https://www.busaracenter.org/staff-bios/chaning-8f39x  Kurt Lewin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Lewin  Kate Orff, Lexington Waterway Project https://www.scapestudio.com/people/kate-orff/  Dan Ariely “Predictably Irrational” https://danariely.com/books/predictably-irrational/  Roger Dooley “Friction” https://www.rogerdooley.com/books/friction/    Musical Links Bruce Springsteen “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg0ekQBmzKs  Bruce Springsteen “Born In The USA”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPhWR4d3FJQ  Bruce Springsteen “Western Stars” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IXzAAKrsFE  Bruce Springsteen “Letter to You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQyLEz0qy-g    Topics 3:20 Leidy’s 6-year-old son answers a speed round question 4:34 Speed round with Leidy 7:14 Leidy’s book - Subtraction 13:00 “More-ality” 24:00 Planetary tipping points 26:15 Kurt Lewin force field theory 29:28 Kate Orff Lexington Waterways Project 33:40 Subtraction checklist 37:57 Springsteen 45:24 Grooving   Interview Quotes (8:10) we're doing these mental searches for solutions, and our mind goes to additive solutions before it goes to subtractive ones.  (12:01) as people are trying to change things from how they are to how they want them to be, we systematically think of adding first and then, only subsequently or with effort or with reminders, think of subtraction (35:15) so often we kind of come to a problem and don't actually spend time defining what the what the problem is, right (9:51)  My favorite is Lao Tzu, even farther back talking about, to gain wisdom, you have to subtract something every day.

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to help everyone in the world become a non-obvious thinker. In this episode, he talks with us about how intentionality is the key to seeing the non-obvious and how he uses The Haystack Method to gather insights from the world. He also shared how he has become a speed-understander and the benefits that go with it. In 2011, Rohit embarked on the annual task of documenting the digital trends of the year, which after a decade, culminated in his book on megatrends in 2021 #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of seven books including “Non-Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future” https://amzn.to/3mpkJgn. Rohit discusses with us how he analyses trends, not just on the superficial level, but digging deeper into the “why” question. Our conversation with Rohit is full of compelling insights about the human condition, unique analysis of the world around us, and actionable tips on how to train yourself to observe with intention. You’ll also get a quick education in contemporary Latin music and some head-scratching about why He-Man ever became a superhero in the first place. Two of Rohit’s books are currently being republished into new editions;  The Non-Obvious Guide to Virtual Meetings and Remote Work (Non-Obvious Guides) https://amzn.to/2OoxdbB    The Non-Obvious Guide to Marketing & Branding (Without a Big Budget) (Non-Obvious Guides) https://amzn.to/3moIllg   If you’re a regular Behavioral Grooves listener, please consider supporting us through Patreon. Thank you! https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Links Rohit Bhargava: https://www.rohitbhargava.com/  Isaac Asimov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov   Ali Pittampalli “Persuadable”: https://www.alpitt.com/  Henry Coutinho-Mason “The Future Normal”: https://henrycoutinho-mason.com/  Maysoon Zayid: https://maysoon.com/  Telemundo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemundo  Dan Simons Invisible Gorilla video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY  Tom Cruise “Cocktail”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YbjzztYbUo  He-Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man  Telemachus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemachus  Meave Leakey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meave_Leakey  Dan Hill - Episode 151: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/dan-hill-phd-on-the-facial-coding-of-trump-hendrix-prince-gretzky-and-the-beatles/  Hedgefox: https://www.russellsage.org/sites/default/files/Vohs_intro_0.pdf  Books The Non-Obvious Guide to Virtual Meetings and Remote Work (Non-Obvious Guides): https://amzn.to/2OoxdbB   The Non-Obvious Guide to Marketing & Branding (Without a Big Budget) (Non-Obvious Guides): https://amzn.to/3moIllg  Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future (Non-Obvious Trends Series): https://amzn.to/3mpkJgn   Musical Links Neil Peart (Rush): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Peart  Fanny Lu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1grimas_C%C3%A1lidas  Maná “Rayando del Sol”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3O_Fbfjjs  Carlos Vives “Cumbiana”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baUk9YcCxBQ  Carlos Vives & Shakira “”La Bibcicleta”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UV0QGLmYys  Juaness “Es Por Ti | One World: Together” At Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgvjxtHBOg Coffitivity: https://soundcloud.com/coffitivity  Topics 6:37 Trends vs Fads 11:10 Haystack Method 13:18 Trends 19:15 Brave Enough to Change Your Mind 28:00 Non Obvious Brand 30:28 Spare Time 35:30 Rohit’s Inspiration 40:45 The Yellow Balloon Light Bulb 45:04 Naming 47:14 He-Man Quotes (6:37) ...trend is something that implicates behavior, which is very topical for us. And whereas a fad is just usually a thing or a platform, but doesn't always correlate to behavior. (7:55) ...a speed understander is someone who thinks about what to pay attention to as an end is intentional about what they choose not to pay attention to. (10:55) ...if you spend enough time gathering interesting, fascinating stories, instead of obsessing about why they're interesting or fascinating in the moment, then later on, you can start to spot the patterns that you would never have otherwise seen. (16:37) ...being observant is not a skill you're born with, or not born with. Being observant is a choice. (19:45)...being persuadable requires You to rethink those things, those assumptions, those points of view that you have. And I think the only way that anyone can do that is by not letting themselves be defined by the stands that they have taken. Because the more you see a stand that you've taken, or a belief or something that you've put out in the world as core to your identity, the less likely you are to change. (20:07) ...the more you see a stand that you've taken, or a belief or something that you've put out in the world as core to your identity, the less likely you are to change  

Tim Ash is a very interesting guy. He is both an authority on evolutionary psychology and digital marketing, which puts him in pretty rarified air. He is the bestselling author of Unleash Your Primal Brain and Landing Page Optimization (with over 50,000 copies sold worldwide and translated into six languages). He has been identified by Forbes as a Top-10 Online Marketing Expert, and by Entrepreneur Magazine as an Online Marketing Influencer To Watch. Our conversation with Tim focused on his most recent book, Unleash Your Primal Brain, and addressed a question very central to behavioral science today: What is rational? This led to addressing how biases and heuristics are grounded in important evolutionary foundations. Tim likens the way we talk about biases today as glitches in the matrix when we should be acknowledging them for what they are: important evolutionary tools to help us survive our environments and thrive in our tribes. We also discussed the importance of culture and its central focus on the way humans learn to be human. A paradox we discussed is that culture is dependent on tribe members passing down the cultural (social) norms to the next generation without interruption, and yet cross-tribal collaboration is what has given us an evolutionary edge. Tim notes, that what we need to do today is to “stretch beyond our current tribes needs to go and make the effort to contact other people that are very different from us.” And the consequences of not doing that, according to Tim, “ …are going to be the ones that are going to bring down the larger society.” Fascinating stuff. We hope you’ll find this conversation with this insightful researcher and speaker as exciting as we did. And if you do like it, please give us a quick 5-star rating or a two-sentence review. And thank you for listening to Behavioral Grooves. © 2021 Behavioral Grooves   Links Tim Ash: https://timash.com/ “Primal Brain”: https://timash.com/books-and-media-mentions/ Latin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin Robert Sapolsky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sapolsky Aristotle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle Hopper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopper_(particulate_collection_container) Carl Sagan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan Neil deGrasse Tyson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson Robert Cialdini: https://www.influenceatwork.com/ Robert Heinlein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein Antonio Damasio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Damasio Carlos Castaneda “Journey to Ixtlan”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_Ixtlan “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance Sabre fencing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_(fencing) Tai Chi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi Kung Fu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_arts Don Miguel Ruiz “The Four Agreements”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Agreements Bhagavad Gita: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita Coleman’s Boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGaz0xKG060   Musical Links Pat Metheny Group “Last Train Home”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goXJTv_U-PM Chet Baker “Almost Blue”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4IridL_2XU Elvis Costello “Almost Blue”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt8f1Sda8_4 Miles Davis “So What”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c Salsa “Al Monte”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2JnyCuAQMg

Michael F. Schein is a hype specialist and the author of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Secrets from the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers. He is also the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that specializes in making idea-based companies famous in their industries.  We caught up with Michael recently to talk about his book about how hype can be a very good thing. In and of itself, hype can be a powerful tool of promotion and its bad reputation may be well deserved, but it’s not carved in stone. Hype has a place in a world abundant with choice and Michael has some ideas on how to use hype to cut through a crowded field.  Michael offers some tips on how to manage your way – ethically – through the world of hype to help you and your ideas breakthrough.  We also talked about Tim Ferriss’s claim on the world kickboxing championship, and we discussed which world would be a better world to live in: a world that was imagined in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World. Buckle up, Buttercups!    © 2021 Behavioral Grooves   Links Michael Schein: https://michaelfschein.com/  You can download Michael’s recommendations on hype ideas at www.hypereads.com/list  Access to Anyone podcast: https://www.accesstoanyonepodcast.com/  George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four  Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World  Tim Ferriss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Ferriss  Anarchist Cookbook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchist_Cookbook  Shep Gordon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shep_Gordon  “Wall Street” movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_(1987_film)  Wembley Stadium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wembley_Stadium  Frans de Waal Capuchin Monkey Experiments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg   Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves    Musical Links Black Flag “Nervous Breakdown”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=302oEzSPCqE  Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE-dqW4uBEE  David Bowie “Modern Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLMUZahN7NU  Alice Kooper “No More Mister Nice Guy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN6ngThqMEs  Ministry “Jesus Built My Hotrod”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpPOX6-sP7g  Dead Milkmen “Punk Rock Girl”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF7fgEMrk0k  Sonic Youth “Superstar”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21VecIIdBI  California Raisins “Heard it Through the Grapevine”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UShiwymsX0w  WWF “Land of A Thousand Dances”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHZCcu9ltcs  Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK4hweZRU0k  Boomtown Rats “I Don’t Like Mondays”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcZW0GFLSdw  The Specials “Monkey Man”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FbSq_JNeQ  Sex Pistols “God Save The Queen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02D2T3wGCYg  The Clash “Rock the Casbah”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ  Husker Du “Camden Palace”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsGw8DyWkik  The Replacements “I Will Dare”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ynSTN8bkc  Depeche Mode “Personal Jesus”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI  The Dead Kennedy’s “In God We Trust”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bqIS0n64Ig  Joy Division “She’s Lost Control”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD2SfQJOK08 

AJ Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer, and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers, including The Year of Living Biblically, that combine memoir, science, and humor with a dash of self-help. AJ has said that he sees his life as a series of experiments in which he immerses himself in a project or lifestyle, for better or worse, then writes about what he learned. His most recent book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, starts with wanting to thank the people who brought him his cup of coffee. It starts with the barista and ends up in South America on a mountainside coffee plantation. The book is based on some simple ideas that gratitude can be the catalyst for a journey around the world, and how experimentation keeps our brains flexible in ways that enhance our lives. We loved our conversation with AJ because he made a passionate case for learning to pay more attention to things. To immerse ourselves in the moment where we can appreciate that moment for what it is. He encourages us to see the details, and in those details, to see the connections. He challenges us to be grateful for the life we are given. If we can slow down, savor these moments for what they are, we can curate a better life for ourselves. You’ll find lots about AJ that is fun and informative – but above it all, you’ll find him inspiring.  If AJ can do these things on such a grand scale, we ought to be able to experiment with our lives – even if it is just not making your bed in the morning. © 2021 Behavioral Grooves   Links AJ Jacobs: https://ajjacobs.com/ “Thanks A Thousand”: https://thanksathousandbook.com/ AJ’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_my_journey_to_thank_all_the_people_responsible_for_my_morning_coffee George Clooney: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clooney The Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/ Windshield Wiper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscreen_wiper The New York Times Crossword Puzzle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_crossword_puzzle Alex Trebek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek George Loewenstein: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html Ambient Noise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_noise Coffitivity (ambient noise generator): https://coffitivity.com/ Melanie Brucks: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/mb4598 Michael Phelps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps French Horn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_horn Electronic Dance Music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music MDMA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA Jonathan Mann, Episode 207: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/jonathan-mann-is-it-possible-to-design-an-experience/ Mark Landau: https://www.mindful.org/how-mindfulness-shifts-our-perception-of-time/ Neil Gaiman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman Masterclass: https://www.masterclass.com/ Gratitude / Gratia / Grace: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratitude Robert Emmons: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/in-praise-of-gratitude Francesca Gino, Episode 60: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/francesca-gino-curiosity-and-rebellion-makes-your-career/ Tony Robbins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Robbins   Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves   Musical Links ZZ Top “La Grange”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vppbdf-qtGU Lil’ Wayne “2 Diamonds”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrLSro5XNzY Sex Pistols “God Save the Queen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02D2T3wGCYg

Linda Thunstrom, PhD is a Swedish economist working as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Wyoming. (That’s in Laramie, Wyoming, not Wyoming, Sweden.) Her research interests include behavioral, experimental, public, and health economics. Her interests merged after Hurricane Florence when she became curious about the effect that offering thoughts and prayers might have on potential donors to natural disasters. She set up a study to see if potential donors might feel like they don’t need to make a monetary donation to the victims if they’ve already offered up some thoughts and prayers. Her results may surprise you. And she didn’t stop there. She also looked at this question from the recipient’s end. As an economist, she framed the study in monetary terms and wondered if disaster victims might take less money in a donation if they knew someone was praying for them – especially if it were a Christian stranger or a priest. Again: fascinating results! We also talked about willful ignorance and the role it plays in our decision-making. Willful ignorance involves neglecting information about how your actions will affect others or yourself. It’s different from and less harmful than outright self-deception. Self-deception is commonly associated with lying to make yourself feel better. The big worry with self-deception is that you start believing your own lies. Willful ignorance is like heading into the basement to get a Coke Zero and noticing a box of Oreo cookies and deciding that now is probably a pretty good time to have one, or two, of those chocolate calorie bombs. We are neglecting the facts that we already know about Oreo cookies: they’re not really good for. But we nab a couple anyway. We’d like to thank you to Andrea Mannberg, a guest from Episode 199, for introducing us to Linda. Both of these economists are applying their training to fantastically interesting topics and we’re grateful for both of their work. © 2021 Behavioral Grooves   Links Linda Thunstrom: https://lindathunstrom.com/ Linda Thunstrom, PhD: https://www.uwyo.edu/economics/faculty-staff/linda-thunstrom/ Shiri Noy, PhD: https://denison.edu/people/shiri-noy “Exploiting moral wiggle room: experiments demonstrating an illusory preference for fairness” Dana, et. all (2007): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00199-006-0153-z George Loewenstein, PhD: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html Todd Cherry, PhD: http://www.uwyo.edu/economics/faculty-staff/todd-cherry/index.html George Loewenstein, PhD: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html Dan Gilbert, PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Gilbert_(psychologist) Contemporary Folk Music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_folk_music Americana Music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_(music) Hurricane Florence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Florence “Temporal View of the Costs and Benefits of Self-Deception” Gino, Norton, Ariely: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=39857 Eric Oliver, Episode 172: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/how-to-talk-to-your-friends-about-their-conspiracy-theories-with-eric-oliver/ Andrea Mannberg, Episode 199: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/how-decision-making-is-critical-for-back-country-skiers-and-sex/ Behavioral Grooves Patreon Site: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves   Musical Links Jay Shogren “Let’s Fall Behind”: http://www.jshogren.com/https/jshogrenshanghaidbandcampcom/track/lets-fall-behind David Bowie “Under Pressure” with Annie Lennox and Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCP2-Bfhy04  

GAABS is an organization that was recently founded to act as an accrediting body for applied behavioral scientists. GAABS is The Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists and is open for membership for those who demonstrate their ability to ethically apply behavioral science to their work. In this episode, we spoke with co-founding members Nuala Walsh and Steve Martin. Nuala is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and is the founder of MindEquity – a behavioral science consultancy based in Dublin. And Steve Martin is the co-author, with Robert Cialdini and Noah Goldstein, of Yes! 50 secrets from the Science of Persuasion, which has sold more than a million copies and been translated into 27 languages. Nuala is a repeat guest that was featured in episode 203 about whistleblowers and fake memories, and Steve was featured in episode 110 with his co-author, Joe Marks. Together, they wrote “Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why.” In our conversation, we discussed what GAABS is and what they’re hoping to do to help both practitioners of behavioral science as well as the professionals and institutions that hire those services. On a more philosophical note, we steered into what is lacking in applied behavioral science these days and agreed that there are many fields that could benefit from a behavioral science lens. And across the board, we agreed that education for all parties is critical for the field to be successful. On an educational note, Steve wryly noted that students could use more psychology and less geography in the classroom, and teed up the novel concept of prac-ademics. And, later, Nuala introduced the idea of leveraging trends, like big data, and noted, “if we marry behavioral science with data science, we actually have an in.” We hope you enjoy our conversation with Nuala and Steve and that you’ll check out the Behavioral Grooves Patreon site at www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves. Now go out this week and find YOUR groove. © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Links Nuala Walsh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nualagwalsh/?originalSubdomain=uk Steve Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-martin-13832b5/ GAABS: https://gaabs.org/ Oxbow Lake: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/oxbow-lake/ Annie Duke Alliance for Decision Education: https://alliancefordecisioneducation.org/learn/about-the-alliance/team/board/annie-duke Mya Shankar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Shankar Robert Cialdini: https://www.influenceatwork.com/robert-cialdini-phd/biography/ Jennifer Lerner: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/jennifer-lerner Nuala Walsh – Episode 203: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/on-fake-memories-and-whistleblowers-with-nuala-walsh/ Steve Martin – Episode 110: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/steve-martin-and-joe-marks-the-messenger-is-the-message/ Steve Martin and Joe Marks “Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why”: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43522604-messengers Harlow Gale, PhD: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/203619125_Harlow_Gale_and_the_Origins_of_the_Psychology_of_Advertising     Musical Links Sinead O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EF60neguk : Electric Light Orchestra “Don’t Bring Me Down”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATuX7V4XOlk The Cranberries “Linger”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_5B14-VytM Van Morrison “Into the Mystic”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0gvodQgu-Y Fleetwood Mac “The Chain”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBYHwH1Vb-c Rod Stewart “Maggie May”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2CQ0FvAZuw Carly Simon “Nobody Does it Better”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaV-6qerkqI Joan Baez “Diamonds & Rust”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGMHSbcd_qI Mike + The Mechanics “The Living Years”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hr64MxYpgk The Who “Eminence Front”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx6Zgz0TZuA