Two Psychologists Four Beers

Yoel and Mickey discuss the concept of privilege, the unearned, sometimes invisible conditions of a person’s life that give them advantages that others might not have. What are the benefits of acknowledging one’s privilege and calling it out in others? Are there drawbacks to focusing on the immutable characteristics of a person that might normally proffer advantages? If all our characteristics are unearned, that is products of biology and environment that we have zero control over, should people be praised or blamed for them? But, first, they discuss new internal analyses by Google suggesting it has been overpaying women, not men; they then raise serious concerns about this analysis because it conditioned on a collider, a statistical concept that Yoel and Mickey (to put it generously) struggle to understand. Bonus: Mickey falls in love with bidets.Links:Bidet Attachments by TUSHY | For People Who Poop — Ask me about my buttholeNew York Times | Google Finds It's Underpaying Many Men as It Addresses Wage Equity — A survey of employee salaries at Google reaches a surprising conclusion: More men than women were being underpaidJulia Rohrer's Brilliant Blogpost: That one weird third variable problem nobody ever mentions: Conditioning on a collider – The 100% CI — Causal inference from observational data boils down to assumptions you have to make and third variables you have to take into account. I’m going to talk about a third variable problem today, conditioning on a collider.Thinking Clearly About Correlations and Causation: Graphical Causal Models for Observational Data - Julia M. Rohrer, 2018 — Certain types of third variables—colliders and mediators—should not be controlled for because that can actually move the estimate of an association away from the value of the causal effect of interest.BuzzFeed | How Privileged Are you?What Is Privilege? - YouTubePrivileged | By Kyle Korver — What I’m realizing is, no matter how passionately I commit to being an ally, and no matter how unwavering my support is for NBA and WNBA players of color….. I’m still in this conversation from the privileged perspective of opting in to it. 'The Class Ceiling' Decodes the Cultures of Elite Workplaces - The Atlantic — When two sociologists interviewed highly paid architects, TV producers, actors, and accountants, they encountered work cultures that favor the already affluent.

Yoel and Mickey talk with Sarah Haider, the co-founder and Executive Director of Ex-Muslims of North America, an organization that advocates for the acceptance of religious dissent and supports those who leave Islam. Sarah talks about her own experience of growing up Muslim and leaving her faith; the unique predicament of and risks for Muslim dissenters; and how US partisan politics make her work more difficult. Bonus: Sarah gives Mickey pointers on how to avoid using Twitter as an outrage machine, a lesson he sorely needs.Special Guest: Sarah Haider.Links:Ex-Muslims of North America — We Envision A World Where Every Person Is Free To Follow Their ConscienceSarah Haider: Islam and the Necessity of Liberal Critique (AHA Conference 2015) - YouTube — Presented at the American Humanist Association 74th Annual Conference, May 7-10, 2015, in Denver, Colorado.Ex-Muslims: They left Islam and now tour the US to talk about it - BBC NewsIslam’s Ex Factor: An Interview with Sarah Haider and Muhammad Syed - TheHumanist.comShould Muslims Like Me Be So Critical of Ex-Muslims? - YouTubeList of ex-Muslim organisations - Wikipedia

Yoel and Mickey discuss Kill All Normies, a book written by Angela Nagle about the online culture wars, the rise of transgressive politics, and the disappearance of moderates. But, first they discuss a new journal article titled The Paradox of Viral Outrage suggesting that online pile-ons tend to backfire Bonus: What does Mickey really think about Christina Hoff Sommers?Links:Quillette Social in TorontoQuilletteThe Paradox of Viral Outrage - Takuya Sawaoka, Benoît Monin, 2018 — Moral outrage has traditionally served a valuable social function, expressing group values and inhibiting deviant behavior, but the exponential dynamics of Internet postings make this expression of legitimate individual outrage appear excessive and unjust.Kill All Normies || Angela Nagle — How internet subcultures are conquering the mainstream, from from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the alt-right.Yelp Reviewers’ Use of ‘Authenticity’ Is White Supremacy in Action - Eater NY — According to a study of Yelp reviews for NYC restaurants, judging restaurants by “authenticity” tends to put non-white owners in a trapIs a Planned Monument to Women’s Rights Racist? - The New York Times — "I do think we cannot have a statue of two white women representing the vote for all women,”

We are going to be on a one-episode-a-month schedule till May. Why? Because Mickey is on sabbatical from his cough incredibly demanding job: ✈️🌴🏖🍹😎Links:Bali

Yoel and Mickey welcome Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies, Edward (Ted) Slingerland from the University of British Columbia to the podcast. Ted discusses what the sciences can offer the humanities, but also how the humanities can enrich science. Ted then discusses his popular book, "Trying Not To Try", where he describes the Chinese concept of Wu-Wei, which can be defined as effortless action or spontaneity and proposes that the ever-striving West could use a lot more of it. Finally, Ted tries in vain to convince Mickey that intoxication is an important, critical part of culture. Bonus: Did Ted actually say there are downsides to being Dude-like?Special Guest: Edward (Ted) Slingerland.Links:Cantillon BreweryBrasserie TimmermansMort SubiteWhat Science Offers the Humanities | Edward Slingerland — This book examines some of the deep problems facing current approaches to the study of culture, focusing especially on the excesses of postmodernism, but also acknowledging the problems with Enlightenment objectivism. Slingerland argues that, for the humanities to progress, they need to move beyond the mind-body dualism upon which both postmodernism and objectivism are based.Trying Not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneity (9780770437619): Edward Slingerland: Books — A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity—an ancient Chinese ideal that cognitive scientists are only now beginning to understand—and why it is so essential to our well-beingTwo Psychologists Four Beers - Blog - A Note From Ted Slingerland

Yoel and Mickey discuss Identity Crisis, a new book about the 2016 US presidential election written by the political scientists John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck. But first, they talk about the recent controversy over Patreon's ban of a provocative internet personality and what, if any, implications this has for free speech. Bonus: who is Mickey's favorite Sex and the City character?Links:Michael Inzlicht on Twitter: Toilet paper roll — "My departmental rival, @gmacdonalduoft, had this made for our area secret Santa party last night. Now I'm struggling to decide whether I should make it my twitter profile pic.… https://t.co/HYrtwJ4hQu"Delirium TremensCrowdfunding platform Patreon defends itself amid boycott - Business InsiderStars of ‘Intellectual Dark Web’ Scramble to Save Their Cash CowsHow Kim Cattrall got a date with Pierre TrudeauIdentity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America: John Sides, Michael Tesler, Lynn Vavreck: 9780691174198: Amazon.com: Books

Yoel and Mickey sit down with Anne Wilson of Wilfrid Laurier University to discuss free speech, the Lindsay Shepherd case, political polarization, #MeToo, and more. Bonus: how many tattoos does Mickey have, and is that why he's less trustworthy?Special Guest: Anne Wilson.Links:The death of the Montreal bagel? - The Globe and MailIMPETuS Lab | Anne Wilson's Social Psychology LabInside Lindsay Shepherd’s controversial battle over free speech on campusGOODBYE TO THE LEFT - YouTube — Lindsay Shepherd says goodbye to the leftSocial Justice And Words, Words, Words | Slate Star CodexDartmouth students sue college, alleging sexual assault by professors - The Boston GlobeWhat can we learn from Dartmouth?When Does a Watershed Become a Sex Panic? | The New YorkerWaking Up Podcast #141 - Is #MeToo Going Too Far?The Truth About Tattoos by Bradley J. Ruffle, Anne Wilson :: SSRN

Yoel and Mickey discuss two mini-controversies recently in the news: 1) Should equity, diversity, and inclusion statements be required from academic job candidates? Do they signal the liberal values of academia, and if so, is that a bad thing? 2) Are psychologists disproportionately likely to argue that free speech is in crisis on campus? If so, why? Bonus: Mickey describes an intimate product that he definitely does not own.Links:Kenneth DeMarree - Department of Psychology - University at BuffaloBare Spray – A Hit for Your Naughty Bits🐙🛐Will Gervais🛐🐙 on Twitter — "Academia has some bleak and pessimistic takes on political conservatives. This is bad. In my opinion, “diversity statements discriminate against conservatives” is one of those bleak and pessimistic takes."Clay Routledge on Twitter — "Also, I think many conservatives support diversity and inclusion but there is published research showing many liberal academics would discriminate against conservative applicants so they might need to be careful to express the "correct" approach in their statements.… https://t.co/4A4kGKRZA2"Writing Your Diversity Statement — The goal of the diversity statement is to show how your past experiences have made you a diverse candidate, and how you’ll apply that diverse perspective at your target institution in your future research and teaching pursuitsJeffrey Sachs on TwitterThe Scholar's Stage: Why Is the Fight for Free Speech Led by the Psychologists? — Here’s a puzzle I think about a lot. If any academic field is associated with the contemporary debate surrounding free speech, it’s psychology. Haidt, Pinker, Peterson, Saad, Jussim, even Lehmann. All specialize or have backgrounds in academic psych. So what’s the puzzle?

Yoel and Mickey have their first repeat guest as Liz Page-Gould joins them to talk vices. Weed, booze and porn are all on the table (well, not literally) as we take on some popular vices. Why do you get paranoid when you smoke? Was alcohol really the impetus for agriculture? Is watching porn bad for your relationship? Bonus: learn who's watched porn in the last week.Special Guest: Elizabeth Page-Gould.Links:Rouge River BreweryAdverse effects of cannabis - The Lancet — Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in many developed societies. Its health and psychological effects are not well understood and remain the subject of much debate, with opinions on its risks polarised along the lines of proponents' views on what its legal status should be. An unfortunate consequence of this polarisation of opinion has been the absence of any consensus on what health information the medical profession should give to patients who are users or potential users of cannabis.CANNABIS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA A Longitudinal Study of Swedish Conscripts - The Lancet — The association between level of cannabis consumption and development of schizophrenia during a 15-year follow-up was studied in a cohort of 45 570 Swedish conscripts.GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal influence of schizophrenia | Nature NeurosciencePrevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA Psychiatry | JAMA Network — Laws and attitudes toward marijuana in the United States are becoming more permissive but little is known about whether the prevalence rates of marijuana use and marijuana use disorders have changed in the 21st century.Long-term effects of exposure to cannabis - ScienceDirect — The long-term use of cannabis, particularly at high intake levels, is associated with several adverse psychosocial features, including lower educational achievement and, in some instances, psychiatric illness. There is little evidence, however, that long-term cannabis use causes permanent cognitive impairment, nor is there is any clear cause and effect relationship to explain the psychosocial associations.Neuropsychological Performance in Long-term Cannabis Users | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA Psychiatry | JAMA Network — Although cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States, its long-term cognitive effects remain inadequately studied.How Alcohol and Caffeine Helped Create Civilization | HumanProgress — On the other hand, research suggests that alcohol may have helped create civilization itself. Alcohol consumption could have given early homo sapiens a survival edge. Before we could properly purify water or prepare food, the risk of ingesting hazardous microbes was so great that the antiseptic qualities of alcohol made it safer to consume than non-alcoholic alternatives — despite alcohol’s own risks. Trying Not to Try | Edward Slingerland — Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science and the Power of SpontaneityPornography Consumption and Satisfaction: A Meta‐Analysis - Wright - 2017 - Human Communication Research - Wiley Online LibraryPerceived Effects of Pornography on the Couple Relationship: Initial Findings of Open-Ended, Participant-Informed, "Bottom-Up" Research. - PubMed - NCBIPornography and Impersonal Sex | Human Communication Research | Oxford Academic

Journalist Jesse Singal joins Yoel and Mickey to talk about the state of science journalism, what he thinks is wrong with how people interpret the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and the pros and cons of moral outrage. Why do so many science journalists simply repeat talking points from university press releases? Is it ethical to administer the IAT as a teaching tool? What is social media like for a journalist? Bonus: Yoel, Mickey, & Jesse discuss a new paper arguing there are upsides to moral outrage.Special Guest: Jesse Singal.Links:Dunham Orange de DunhamBrasserie Dunham — Dunham brewery was founded on June 1st 2011. Our portfolio reflect our passion for this fine nectar.Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) | TwitterThe Upside of Outrage: Trends in Cognitive Sciences — The Upside of OutrageOnline outrage: The good, the bad, and the uglyScience of Us: Productivity, Mental Health, & Relationships - The CutPsychology’s Racism-Measuring Tool Isn’t Up to the Job -- Science of Us — Almost two decades after its introduction, the implicit association test has failed to deliver on its lofty promises.How to Think about "Implicit Bias" - Scientific American — Amidst a controversy, it’s important to remember that implicit bias is real—and it mattersBlindspotDisproportionate Use of Lethal Force in Policing Is Associated With Regional Racial Biases of ResidentsBoston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors | October 19, 2018 - YouTube