Here We Are

Marlene Zuk joins me this week to discuss her book Riddled With Life! This is a must listen as we tackle some very big ideas about how parasites have shaped all life on this planet. This will be a prerequisite for understanding many future episodes. MIND BLOWN!

Adam Waytz is a psychologist at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management who studies how people think about minds. He looks at when we attribute or deny mental states to other entities, and the moral and ethical implications of these processes.

Hillary Anger Elfenbein has been a business school professor at the Olin School of Washington University in St. Louis since 2008. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, a Master’s degree in Statistics, and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Sanskrit, all from Harvard University.

The lovely couple Jason De Leon and Abby Bigham join me in Ann Arbor to talk about real life X-Men, evolution, immigration, contemporary archeology, super babies and how two anthropologists studying subjects a world apart bonded over a cactus. This is an incredible episode!

"I listen to why a patient has come to me for advice and treatment. With my patient's history in mind, I work to find a solution to their problem. After careful consideration, and a diagnosis or plans for future testing or treatment in mind, I work with my patients to determine what will best suit their needs. I always keep my goal of maximizing quality of life at the forefront of discussions with my patients. "

This week I stop by Rob Tanner’s office in Madison to have a lively and funny conversation about marketing. We talk a lot about nonconscious and automatic responses and how they are and can be used in marketing. Very cool chat.

Bob Krebs is a Professor of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science at CSU Ohio. This week we talk about butterfly mating, burning flies, fresh water mussels, and urban coyotes. Along the way we dig into conservation, the ever-changing environment, and a few evolutionary principles. Also Bob came to see me live which automatically makes him one of my favorite guests.

Dr. Peter McGraw, a marketing and psychology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is an expert in the interdisciplinary fields of emotion and behavioral decision theory. As the director of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL), he studies what makes things funny. See more at: http://www.petermcgraw.org

Nicholas Epley is the John T. Keller Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has written for The New York Times, and over 50 articles in two dozen journals in his field. He was named a “professor to watch” by the Financial Times, is the winner of the 2008 Theoretical Innovation Prize from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and was awarded the 2011 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology from the American Psychological Association. He lives in Chicago.

Todd K. Shackelford received his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Psychology in 1997 from The University of Texas at Austin, his MA in Psychology from The University of Michigan in 1995, and his BA in Psychology from The University of New Mexico in 1993.

Deborah Boehm is an Associate Professor of Anthropology/Women's Studies at the University of New Mexico. This week we talk about immigration, anthropology, witchcraft and her research at The Burning Man Festival.

Dan Ariely is an Israeli American professor of psychology and behavioral economics. He teaches at Duke University and is the founder of The Center for Advanced Hindsight and also the co-founder of BEworks. Ariely's talks on TED have been watched over 4.8 million times. This week we talk about about cheating, the culture of dishonesty, and erections!

Just in time for all the last minute X-mas shoppers, I stop through Washington University in St Louis to talk with associate professors of marketing Joe Goodman and Selin Malkoc. We discuss how online marketing has changed consumerism, how more options don’t always lead to easier choices, how to get the most out of vacations, and tips on celebrating milestones. Perhaps most significant of all, we find out how quarrels between married academics may be driving some of the best research.

Jeremy Genovese is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Educational Psychology in the Department of Curriculum and Foundations. This week we talk about memory and what we can do to improve it.

June Gruber is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology (PEP) Laboratory. We begin by talking about facial recognition of emotions. We then move on to discussing studying, eliciting, and coping with emotions. We also explore the culture, language, and evolution of emotions and most importantly… karaoke. Lastly, I share some personal stories of broken feet and lackluster dreams in an attempt to get some free therapy.