Why We Do What We Do

Workplace performance, be it group or an individual, is something that has been studied for decades. Nearly 100 years ago, a series of studies on worker performance yielded an interpretation that an increase in productivity occurred regardless of the manipulation of the independent variable. Researchers at the time attributed these changes to the presence of the experimenters, noting that workers must be trying to please them per the experiment at hand. More recent interpretations have shifted, and extraneous variables present during the original experiment and failure to find evidence of such an effect in later studies have led researchers to believe the Hawthorne Effect to be a myth. Conventional belief is that any change in worker performance can be directly related to factors in the environment or changes in reinforcement and punishment schedules, be it pay, workplace conditions, or social structures. Links for Today: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/baycollege-introbusiness/chapter/video-hawthorne-studies-at-att/ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hawthorne-effect.asp#:~:text=The%20Hawthorne%20Effect%20refers%20to%2Cbecause%20they%20are%20being%20observed.&text=The%20Hawthorne%20experiments%20were%20originally%2Ctelephone%20parts%20factory%20in%20Hawthorne. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-hawthorne-effect-2795234 https://youtu.be/KKBw4Im2iwk https://us.experteer.com/magazine/impact-of-hawthorne-effect-on-productivity-at-work/ https://www.statisticshowto.com/experimental-design/hawthorne-effect/ https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-glossary-of-human-computer-interaction/demand-characteristics Recommendations: Shane: The Beastie Boys Araham: Science Friday Podcast https://www.sciencefriday.com/) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a nebulous concept and can mean many things. It's unlikely we should be afraid of the future of AI, but just in case, we laid out the most updated laws of robotics adapted from Isaac Asimov's original idea that inspired such movies as i Robot. Hilarity ensues. Links for Today: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3359852/ https://searchenterpriseai.techtarget.com/definition/Turing-test#:~:text=A%20Turing%20Test%20is%20a%2Ccryptanalyst%2C%20mathematician%20and%20theoretical%20biologist. Recommendations Shane: My Damage by Keith Morris (https://www.amazon.com/My-Damage-Story-Punk-Survivor/dp/030682406X) Abraham: Scribblenauts (https://www.scribblenauts.com/) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

There is a very unfortunate history of the science of syphilis. One of our great shames is the Tuskegee experiments. However, we also bust a few myths about syphilis in a joking montage. Finally, there are few behavioral strategies for prevention that can help slow the spread. Safe sex for everyone! Links for Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/186656#symptoms https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/CTAproviders.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis) https://www.pinnaclehealth.org/wellness-library/blog-and-healthwise/blog-home/post/the-nine-myths-of-syphilis https://nccid.ca/publications/effectiveness-of-interventions-for-syphilis-prevention-and-control-in-msm/  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6746170/ https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm Recommendations Shane: Dave Hause - Kick Abraham: Space Force on Netflix You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Syphilis emerged about 500 years ago as a menacing sexually transmitted disease that quickly transcended cultures and remained a present menace until the 20th century, when the advent of penicillin was discovered to be an effective method of defeating the bacteria. Links for Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/186656#symptoms https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/CTAproviders.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis) https://www.pinnaclehealth.org/wellness-library/blog-and-healthwise/blog-home/post/the-nine-myths-of-syphilis https://nccid.ca/publications/effectiveness-of-interventions-for-syphilis-prevention-and-control-in-msm/  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6746170/ https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm Recommendations Shane: Point Omega (book) by Don DeLiilo (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Point-Omega/Don-DeLillo/9781439169964) Abraham: Jumble Jam (board game) https://boardgamegeek.com/geekmarket/product/2145962 You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Stockholm Syndrome has been a common area of study for close to 50 years following an infamous 1973 bank robbery incident in Sweden. The widely publicized behavior of hostages positive interacting with their captors, to the point of advocating for leniency in punishment has baffled professionals for decades. While initially studied as a syndrome that defines unorthodox, almost pathetic-seeming behavior, behavior analysis and conventional opinions have shifted more toward the analysis that this strategy is avoidant and proactive toward increasing chances of survival. Further analysis of past events and changes to police negotiation tactics may capitalize on this as a means of increasing hostage safety and dispelling a tense situation Links for Today: 1. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22447726 2. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/stockholm-syndrome#symptoms 3. https://www.amazon.com/American-Heiress-Kidnapping-Crimes-Hearst/dp/0345803159 4. https://leb.fbi.gov/file-repository/archives/january-1983.pdf/view 5. https://counsellingresource.com/therapy/self-help/stockholm/4/ 6. https://www.britannica.com/science/Stockholm-syndrome 7. https://www.thehotline.org/ Recommendations Shane: Hum Band Abraham: Behavioral Observation Podcast (https://behavioralobservations.com/) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

"Human nature" is often used as an excuse, explanation, justification, or assumption for the good and bad things that we do. Although we can make general statements about human voluntary and involuntary behavior, most of the time that people invoke this phrase, they claiming ignorance or giving up understanding. No more! it is difficult to argue that a behavior is "human nature" if not all humans do it. It's also nonsense to assume that studies of WEIRD populations reflect the majority of people. The most scientific thing we can say is that human nature is just what we do in the contexts in which we do it. It's the "what we do" part without the "why" part. Links for Today: 1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-cultures/201905/insights-human-nature-cultural-psychology 2. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/10/12/what-are-we-like-10-psychology-findings-that-reveal-the-worst-of-human-nature/ 3. https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/0011526042365645?journalCode=daed 4. https://brocku.ca/MeadProject/Kantor/1929/1929_10.html 5. https://aeon.co/essays/theres-no-philosophy-of-life-without-a-theory-of-human-nature 6. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months Recommendations Shane: Circus of Books documentary (https://www.netflix.com/title/81011569) Abraham: The Scientific Evolution of Psychology by J.R. Kantor (https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4320486) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Someone suffering from severe muscle-wasting diseases or other muscular or bone-degenerative diseases that aren't neurological might very much like a new body. But there are many many things to connect to the brain to make this work. You might think that a brain transplant would be easier, but it would likely but much more difficult. A few researchers have tried this, but skeptics have pointed out several flaws to even the notion of trying to sever and reattach heads. For now, we are better off putting our research to use solving the muscular problems and avoid causing heads to roll! Links for Today: https://www.livescience.com/60987-human-head-transplants-will-never-work.html (Live Science article arguing that a head transplant isn’t possible) https://youtu.be/IQQwQzzoQqQ (Short video describing the Ren study) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705925/ (Ren study reporting their “successful” head transplant of cadavers) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6511668/ (2019 Article following up on Ren study to suggest what needs to be done to make this feasible) https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2017/nov/17/no-there-hasnt-been-a-human-head-transplant-and-may-never-be-sergio-canavero (Skepticism about the feasibility of a head transplant) Recommendations Shane: TED talks, the official TED guide to public speaking (https://www.ted.com/read/ted-talks-the-official-ted-guide-to-public-speaking) Abraham: Mistborn Fantasy Book Series by Brandon Sanderson (https://www.goodreads.com/series/40910-mistborn) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Many scientists and the general population have wondered for over 100 years if we possess a “sixth sense” that alerts us to when someone is staring at us from afar, behind, or off to the side. This presents a fear for some and a case of curiosity for others. Investigation into this question has yielded fascinating information about what environmental cues the eyes can pick up even when they are damaged such as in the case of cortical blindness. Particular parts of the brain are thought to interpret such stimuli as a threat or not, yielding a variety of responses. However, all of this information is limited to what one can perceive within their field of vision, so unfortunately there is still nothing to support that one’s presence directly causes “the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.” All sorts of subtle stimulus changes may contribute to our behavioral responses, but these are complex and not necessarily indicative of an unforeseen sense. Links for Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/201102/how-you-know-eyes-are-watching-you (Article about our own vanity about being watched) https://www.thecut.com/article/the-psychology-of-feeling-like-youre-being-watched.html (psychology article on being watched) https://www.sciencealert.com/the-science-behind-why-you-think-you-re-being-watched (The science of feeling like you re being watched) https://bigthink.com/philip-perry/why-is-it-you-can-sense-when-someones-staring-at-you (another article describing the sense of being watched) https://theweek.com/articles/714172/scientific-reasons-sense-when-someone-watching (More science of feeling that you’re being watched) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00872/full (Peer review on the feeling of being watched) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23944840/ Recommendations Shane: The Damned: Machine Gun Etiquette (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM0QWHFvEjTabIXB3IUBKb_TXj0Whq3Zx) Abraham: Rage Against the Machine (https://tour.ratm.com/) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Dreams are influenced by environmental stimuli. There are many theories for why we dream, but how we dream is more interesting anyway. Also, there is metaphorical dreaming, which is also interesting. Dream interpretation is still nonsense. Yay for the dreamers! Links for Today: https://search-proquest-com.portal.lib.fit.edu/docview/212672817?accountid=27313 https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(20)30530-1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988750/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988750/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWyHYLpFOXs&t=227s (William Baum on spirituality) Recommendations Kyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbknecc1rWg (Hang Schlinger on consciousness) Shane: The Sentencing Project (https://www.sentencingproject.org/) Abraham: Peanut Butter and Celery You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Board games are activities with no particular output. Abraham gets passionate about his favorite topic. There are several recommendations for various games based on why you might be interested in playing. - Casual Gamer 1. Ticket to Ride 2. Codenames 3. Suspicion 4. Dicecapades 5. Telestrations 6. Bananagrams 7. Point Salad 8. Felicity 9. Anomia 10. 5-Minute Dungeon - Gateway to games 1. Fluxx 2. Reef 3. Dice Forge 4. Forbidden Desert 5. Mystic Vale 6. Sagrada 7. Castle:Panic 8. Azul 9. Sushi Go! Party 10. Pandemic - Expert Gamers 1. Dinosaur Island 2. Mansions of Madness 3. Reavers of Midgard 4. Tiny Epics 5. Vindication 6. Endogensis 7. Genius Games 8. Scythe 9. Terraforming Mars 10. Galactic Contract - Two Players 1. Lost Cities 2. Jaipur 3. Morels 4. Fox in the Forrest 5. Onitama 6. Patchwork 7. InBetween 8. Rose King 9. Master Mind 10. Microbrew - Large Groups 1. Spyfall (10-12) 2. Bang 3. Deception 4. Happy Salmon 5. Mafia: Vendetta 6. Anomia 7. Exploding Kittens (w/ expansion) 8. Martian Dice 9. Ion 10. Zombie Dice Is kissing learned or genetic? Both of course. But why do we do it? It turns out It is pretty common among a wide range of cultures, yet not completely universal. The history is also unclear and several theories exist, but very few seem comprehensive enough to adequately address the existence of this strange behavior. Or not so strange. Animals do it too! You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

We support Black Lives Matter. We recorded this well before the protests began, so nothing is related to the current protests in this episode. Nevertheless, we wanted to show our support in some small way! Is kissing learned or genetic? Both of course. But why do we do it? It turns out It is pretty common among a wide range of cultures, yet not completely universal. The history is also unclear and several theories exist, but very few seem comprehensive enough to adequately address the existence of this strange behavior. Or not so strange. Animals do it too! You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

We support Black Lives Matter. We recorded this well before the protests began, so nothing is related to the current protests in this episode. Nevertheless, we wanted to show our support in some small way! WARNING: We discuss sexual content in this episode. Due to the nature of this discussion, we take a somewhat lighthearted and joking approach. However, we are also professional and scientific in our coverage of this topic. Nevertheless, you may wish to skip this episode if you are sensitive to sexual topics or listening with children for whom you feel it would be inappropriate for them to hear this. This history of masturbation is about as long as humans. Most cultures did not actually consider masturbation taboo for a long time. The was a re-emergence of discussion and consideration about masturbation in the last century. We also debunk several myths. You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

People drive distractedly because we get fluent at it, because it is boring, and because there is little to no adverse consequence for doing so. Our phones are the most modern why we distract ourselves while driving, but there are plenty of other things that take our attention away from the the task at hand. Basic behavioral intervention might help, or maybe autonomous cars are the answer. Listen in to hear more. You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

One of our most common biases is our motivation to rationalize our way through contradictory evidence. This might have an evolutionary advantage. However, it also allows us to be delusional to the point of self-destruction. What is going on with this? Listen in and find out! You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

During our live stream event, the whole team got together to discuss human behavior and ask "why?" Why we ask the question why, why we are gross, why we do (or don't) socially distance, why we are bored, and why we listen to podcasts. We included a special guest expert on cybersecurity and answer audience questions. We also list some of our favorite podcasts for others to check out. You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.