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You Are Not So Smart

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You Are Not So Smart

You Are Not So Smart is a show about psychology that celebrates science and self delusion. In each episode, we explore what we've learned so far about reasoning, biases, judgments, and decision-making.

#297

300 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One

In this episode, the story of a doomsday cult that predicted the exact date and circumstances of the end of the world, and what happened when that date passed and the world did not end.Also, we explore our drive to remain consistent via our desire to reduce cognitive dissonance. When you notice you’ve done something you believe is wrong, then you will either stop doing that thing or stop believing it is wrong. And if you believe something is true but you come across some information that disconfirms that belief, you’ll either change your belief, challenge the validity of the information, or go looking for confirmation you were right all along. [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

11 Nov 2024

56 MINS

56:20

11 Nov 2024

#296

299 - Debunkbot

Our guests in this episode are Thomas H. Costello at American University, Gordon Pennycook at Cornell University, and David G. Rand at MIT who created Debunkbot, a GPT-powered, large language model, conspiracy-theory-debunking AI that is highly effective at reducing conspiratorial beliefs. In the show you’ll hear all about what happened when they placed Debunkbot inside the framework of a scientific study and recorded its interactions with thousands of participants. [Debunkbot] (https://www.debunkbot.com) [Kitted] (https://kitted.shop) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

28 Oct 2024

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:17

28 Oct 2024

#295

298 - Tribal - Michael Morris

In this episode we sit down with renowned cultural psychologist Michael Morris to discuss his new book, Tribal, in which he makes the case for seeing humans as an "us" species, not a "them" species. Morris says that since we genetically predisposed to collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate. He believes we can leverage our innate desire to work together to solve problems and reach goals to improve our lives, our relationships, and our jobs – and while we are at it, save the world. [Tribal] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557404/tribal-by-michael-morris/) [Notre Dame Researchers] (https://philife.nd.edu/henrichs-the-secret-of-our-success/) [Overimitation Study] (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0704452104) [CSICon] (https://csiconference.org/) [Forecasting the Future Tournament] (https://alliancefordecisioneducation.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dfa2ce5754f97a31d970186ef&id=022251e115&e=a8f74eafc8) [Insurrection Episode] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/2021/02/04/yanss-198-the-psychological-mechanisms-that-led-to-the-the-storming-of-the-capitol-an-event-that-sprang-from-a-widespread-belief-in-a-conspiracy-theory-that-even-weeks-later-still-persists-among/) [Antivaxxer Episode] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/2020/09/21/yanss-189-why-we-must-use-social-science-to-fight-misinformation-partisanship-conspiratorial-thinking-and-general-confusion-when-we-finally-have-a-vaccine-for-covid-19/) [Antimasking Episode] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/2020/04/05/yanss-177-why-people-waited-so-long-to-take-precautions-against-covid-19-how-to-better-persuade-those-who-still-refuse-and-how-to-take-bettercare-of-your-mental-health-during-isolation/) [Partisanship Episode] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/2020/01/29/yanss-171-how-partisan-identities-affect-our-ability-to-reason-rationalize-and-recall/) [Uncivil Agreement Episode] (http://youarenotsosmart.com/2018/08/04/yanss-133-how-politics-became-our-identity/) [Tribal Psychology Episode] (http://youarenotsosmart.com/2018/02/26/yanss-122-how-our-unchecked-tribal-psychology-pollutes-politics-science-and-just-about-everything-else/) [Kitted] (https://kitted.shop) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

14 Oct 2024

1 HR 33 MINS

1:33:46

14 Oct 2024

#294

297 - Project Alpha - Brian Brushwood (rebroadcast)

Brian Brushwood tells us how he put together the most recent season of The World's Greatest Con, his podcast about incredible scams and over the top chicanery. This season is all about how two teenagers pulled off an incredible hoax called Project Alpha, a con job and a publicity stunt meant to improve scientific rigor and methodology when it comes to studying the possibility of the existence of psychic phenomena. [Brian's Website] (http://shwood.com) [Brian's Twitter] (https://twitter.com/shwood) [The World's Greatest Con] (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worlds-greatest-con/id1572307941) [New Yorker Article about Spiritualism] (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/31/why-did-so-many-victorians-try-to-speak-with-the-dead) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

30 Sep 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:06

30 Sep 2024

#293

296 - Job Therapy - Tessa West

Are you unhappy at your job? Are you starting to consider a change of career because of how your current work makes you feel? Do you know why? According to our guest in this episode, Dr. Tessa West, a psychologist at NYU, if you are currently contemplating whether you want to do the work that you do everyday you should know that although this feeling is common, psychologists who study this sort of thing have discovered that our narratives for why we feel this way are often just rationalizations and justifications. In fact, it turns out that the way we psychologically evaluate the jobs we think we might not want to do anymore is nearly identical to how we evaluate romantic relationships we feel like we might no longer want to be a part of. The feelings are usually undeniable, but our explanations for why we feel the way we feel can be wildly inaccurate, and because of that, our resulting behavior can be, let’s say, sub-optimal. We sometimes stay far longer than we should or make knee-jerk decisions we later regret or commit to terrible mistakes that could have been avoided. [Job Therapy] (https://www.tessawestauthor.com/#job-therapy) [Tessa West's Website] (https://www.tessawestauthor.com) [Tessa West's Twitter] (https://x.com/tessawestnyu) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

16 Sep 2024

55 MINS

55:09

16 Sep 2024

#292

295 - Easy Crafts for the Insane - Kelly Williams Brown

In this episode we sit down with author Kelly Williams Brown, an old friend who (I recently learned) had attempted suicide, which is the subject of this episode – suicide prevention and awareness. In the show we learn about Kelly's latest book, Easy Crafts for the Insane, in which she recounts how, after she gained fame and success as a NYT bestselling author, her life came apart and how an anti-anxiety-drug-induced manic state nearly ended her life. [988] (https://988lifeline.org) [Suicide Prevention Month] (https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/suicide-prevention-month/) [Kelly Williams Brown's Website] (https://www.kellywilliamsbrown.com) [Easy Crafts for the Insane] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624688/easy-crafts-for-the-insane-by-kelly-williams-brown/) [Kelly's Twitter] (https://x.com/KWilliamsBrown) [Kelly's Instagram] (https://www.instagram.com/kellywilliamsbrown) [Kelly in Vanity Fair] (https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/05/she-invented-adulting-her-life-fell-apart) [Gratitude Journaling Study] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8867461/) [Seneca on Being Wretched] (https://www.themarginalian.org/2017/05/02/seneca-consolation-to-helvia/) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (www.youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

02 Sep 2024

1 HR 15 MINS

1:15:17

02 Sep 2024

#291

294 - Living Constitutionally - A.J. Jacobs

In this episode we sit down with A.J. Jacobs, a journalist who noticed some striking similarities between Biblical fundamentalism and constitutional originalism, and since he once wrote a NYT bestselling book about titled The Year of Living Biblically in which he tried to live for a year as a fundamentalist, he tried to do something similar by living for a year following the Constitution's original meaning as if he were an originalist and then writing a book about it. He soon learned that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket, though fully within one's constitutional rights, will quickly lead to some difficult encounters and altogether strange circumstances. [The Year of Living Constitutionally] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622521/the-year-of-living-constitutionally-by-aj-jacobs/) [AJ Jacobs' Website] (https://ajjacobs.com) [AJ Jacobs' Twitter] (https://x.com/ajjacobs) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

19 Aug 2024

1 HR 28 MINS

1:28:25

19 Aug 2024

#290

293 - Do Your Own Research - Sedona Chinn (rebroadcast)

Sedona Chinn, who studies how people make sense of competing claims – scientific, environmental, health-related – joins us to discuss her latest research into doing your own research. Her research has found that the more a person values the concept of doing your own research, the less likely that person is to actually do their own research. In the episode we explore the origin of the concept, what that phrase really means, and the implications of her study on everything from politics to vaccines to conspiratorial thinking. [Sedona Chinn's Website] (https://www.sedonachinn.com) [Sedona Chinn's Twitter] (https://twitter.com/OMGBEARSS) [Sedona Chinn's Paper] (https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/support-for-doing-your-own-research-is-associated-with-covid-19-misperceptions-and-scientific-mistrust/) [The Other Paper Mentioned] (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02691728.2022.2146469) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [Show Notes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

05 Aug 2024

45 MINS

45:00

05 Aug 2024

#289

292 - The Society Library - Jamie Joyce

Our guest in this episode is Jamie Joyce who is the president and executive director of The Society Library, an organization that extracts arguments, claims, and evidence from various forms of media to compile databases that map all the bickering and debating taking place across our species. They take all our conversations about all the major issues facing society and restructure them into something a single person, or a committee, or someone whose job affects millions can understand and then use to make better decisions. [The Society Library] (https://www.societylibrary.org) [Jamie Joyce] (https://www.jamiejoyce.com) [Jamie Joyce's Twitter] (https://x.com/justjamiejoyce) [The Society Library's Twitter] (https://x.com/societylibrary) [The NYT's Coverage of Plandemic] (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/technology/plandemic-movie-youtube-facebook-coronavirus.html) [The Society Library's Analysis of Plandemic] (https://societylibrary.medium.com/deconstructing-the-logic-of-plandemic-22db008ab662) [The Society Library's Analysis of AI Debates] (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zV3MHDWqY4I8B0sKRMLnK56KdZyqsmQCmtwNPrJW3No/edit#slide=id.p) [The Society Library's Town Hall Experiment] (https://x.com/SocietyLibrary/status/1805055512574062848) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (www.youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

22 Jul 2024

1 HR 23 MINS

1:23:36

22 Jul 2024

#288

291 - Tough - Terry Crews (rebroadcast)

Terry Crews, actor, athlete, artist, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho, star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, host of America’s Got Talent - that Terry Crews joins us to discuss his new book, Tough. In the book, Terry shares the raw story of his quest to find the true meaning of toughness and in so doing fundamentally change his concept of himself by uprooting a deeply ingrained toxic masculinity and finally confronting his insecurities, painful memories, and limiting beliefs. [Terry Crews Website] (https://terrycrews.com/) [Terry Crews Twitter] (https://twitter.com/terrycrews) [Tough] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667344/tough-by-terry-crews/) [Alfie Kohn’s Punished by Rewards] (https://www.alfiekohn.org/punished-rewards/) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

08 Jul 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:09

08 Jul 2024

#287

290 - The Intention Action Gap - Britt Frank

In this episode, we sit down with therapist Britt Frank to discuss the intention action gap, the psychological term for the chasm between what you very much intend to do and what you tend to do instead. It turns out, there's a well-researched psychological framework that includes a term for when you have a stated, known goal – a change you'd like to make in your life – something you wake up intending to finally do or get started doing, but then don't do while knowing full well you are actively not doing what you ought and wish you had done by now. After we discuss this phenomenon and how to deal with it, we get into procrastination and how to escape all manner of dead-end behavioral loops. [The Getting Unstuck Workbook] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/731229/the-getting-unstuck-workbook-by-britt-frank-lscw/) [The Science of Stuck] (https://www.scienceofstuck.com) [Kitted Shop] (https://kitted.shop/referred-by-davidmcraney66) [The Story of Kitted] (https://kitted.app/article/kitted/the-story-of-kitted/0051) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Show Notes] (www.youarenotsosmart.com) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com) [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

24 Jun 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:05

24 Jun 2024

#286

289 - Hack Your Bureaucracy - Marina Nitze (rebroadcast)

Marina Nitze is a professional fixer of broken systems – a hacker, not of computers and technology, but of the social phenomena that tend to emerge when people get together and form organizations, institutions, services, businesses, and governments. In short, she hacks bureaucracies and wants to teach you how to do the same. - [Hack Your Bureaucracy] (https://www.hackyourbureaucracy.com) - [Marina Nitze] (https://www.marinanitze.com) - [How Minds Change] (www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) - [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) - [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) - [Show Notes] (www.youarenotsosmart.com) - [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com) - [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

10 Jun 2024

41 MINS

41:59

10 Jun 2024

#285

288 - Fluke - Brian Klaas

In this episode we sit down with Brian Klaas, author of Fluke, to get into the existential lessons and grander meaning for a life well-lived once one finally accepts the power and influence of randomness, chaos, and chance. In addition, we learn not to fall prey to proportionality bias - the tendency for human brains to assume big, historical, or massively impactful events must have had big causes and/or complex machinations underlying their grand outcomes. It’s one of the cognitive biases that most contributes to conspiratorial thinking and grand conspiracy theories, one that leads to an assumption that there must be something more going on when big, often unlikely, events make the evening news. Yet, as Brian explains, events big and small are often the result of random inputs in complex systems interacting in ways that are difficult to predict. [Previous Episodes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/) [Brian Klaas] (https://brianpklaas.com) [Fluke] (https://brianpklaas.com/fluke) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Patreon] (www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart) ... Read more

26 May 2024

50 MINS

50:44

26 May 2024

#284

287 - The Complexity of Genius - David Krakauer and Dean Simonton

In this episode, we are exploring the complexity of the concept of "genius" with two experts on the topic. First you’ll hear from David Krakauer, the president of The Santa Fe Institute, a research institution in New Mexico dedicated to the study of complexity science, and then you'll hear from professor Dean Keith Simonton, one of the world’s leading researchers into the psychological mechanisms and influences that generate the phenomenon we so often refer to as "genius." [Previous Episodes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/) [The Santa Fe Institute] (https://www.santafe.edu) [Dean K Simonton] (https://simonton.faculty.ucdavis.edu) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) ... Read more

13 May 2024

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:57

13 May 2024

#283

286 - Notes on Complexity - Neil Theise

In this episode we sit down with professor Neil Theise, the author of Notes on Complexity, to get an introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave – from cells to human beings, ecosystems, the known universe, and beyond – and we explore if Ian Malcolm was right when he told us in Jurassic Park that "Life, um, finds a way." [Previous Episodes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/) [Neil Theise's Website] (https://www.neiltheiseofficial.com) [Notes on Complexity] (https://www.neiltheiseofficial.com/books) [Conway's Game of Life] (https://playgameoflife.com) [The Santa Fe Institute] (https://www.santafe.edu) [Technosphere] (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/anything-god-can-do-i-can-do-better-1594096.html) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) ... Read more

29 Apr 2024

57 MINS

57:46

29 Apr 2024

#282

285 - What Do You Mean? - Celeste Kidd (rebroadcast)

Is a hotdog a sandwich? Well, that depends on your definition of a sandwich (and a hotdog), and according to the most recent research in cognitive science, the odds that your concept of a sandwich is the same as another person's concept are shockingly low. In this episode we explore how understanding why that question became a world-spanning argument in the mid 2010s helps us understand some of the world-spanning arguments vexing us today. Our guest is psychologist Celeste Kidd who studies how we acquire and conceptualize information, form beliefs around those concepts, and, in general, make sense of the torrent of information blasting our brains each and every second. Her most recent paper examines how conceptual misalignment can lead to semantic disagreements, which can lead us to talk past each other (and get into arguments about things like whether hotdogs are sandwiches). [Previous Episodes] (https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/) [Why can’t we settle the “is a hot dog a sandwich?” debate?] (https://dscout.com/people-nerds/is-a-hot-dog-a-sandwich-great-debate) [How Minds Change] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) [David McRaney’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) [YANSS Twitter] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) [Newsletter] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) [Celeste Kidd’s Website] (https://www.kiddlab.com/) [Celeste Kidd’s Twitter] (https://twitter.com/celestekidd) [Latent Diversity in Human Concepts] (https://tinyurl.com/25544m3v) ... Read more

14 Apr 2024

48 MINS

48:50

14 Apr 2024

#281

284 - Awe - Dacher Keltner (rebroadcast)

In this episode we sit down with psychologist Dacher Keltner, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of emotion, the man Pixar hired to help them write Inside Out. In his new book – Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life – he outlines his years of work in this field, the health benefits of awe, the evolutionary origins and likely functions, and how to better pursue more awe and wonder in your own life. ---Dacher Kelter: [https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/dacher-keltner] (https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/dacher-keltner) ---Greater Good: [https://twitter.com/GreaterGoodSC] (https://twitter.com/GreaterGoodSC) ---How Minds Change: [www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] (https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome) ---Show Notes: [www.youarenotsosmart.com] (http://www.youarenotsosmart.com/) ---Newsletter: [https://davidmcraney.substack.com] (https://davidmcraney.substack.com/) ---David McRaney’s Twitter: [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] (https://twitter.com/davidmcraney) ---YANSS Twitter: [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] (https://twitter.com/notsmartblog) ... Read more

31 Mar 2024

54 MINS

54:18