Have you ever traveled to a new place and suddenly, randomly, you experience this overwhelming sense of familiarity with what you’re seeing, like you’ve already seen it, even though you know you haven’t because you’ve never been there before? We call this phenomenon Déjà vu. On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore the psychology behind why it happens.
Graduation
It’s graduation season, and that comes with a lot of joy, tears, expectations, and relief. But it turns out, as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, graduation is about a lot more than a diploma.
Art Explains his Easter Egg
Art explains the intro clip in the Easter Egg episode.
Easter Eggs
When we discover a hidden secret in a song, a movie, or a book, we can feel a sense of joy and connection. Those little gems are referred to as “easter eggs,” and we look for them because we’re curious. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of nurturing that sense of discovery and why it’s important.
Schadenfreude
We’ve all felt a little spark of satisfaction when someone who wronged us stumbles, or when a rival fails. That feeling has a name: schadenfreude, a German word for the pleasure derived from witnessing the troubles or humiliation of others. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore why we experience an emotion most of us would rather not admit to. The surprising answer? Despite our discomfort with it, schadenfreude actually serves a useful purpose.
The Failure Gap & Its Discontents
In a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Eskreis-Winkler and colleagues describe what they call “the failure gap” — the consistent finding that outside observers dramatically overestimate how often people succeed after failing. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy discuss the takeaways from learning more about failure.
Reference: Eskreis-Winkler, L., Woolley, K., Kim, M., & Polimeni, E. (in press). The failure gap. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Preprint available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=5407064
The Failure Gap
In a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Eskreis-Winkler and colleagues describe what they call “the failure gap” — the consistent finding that outside observers dramatically overestimate how often people succeed after failing. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, describes the study and implications of the results with Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy.
Reference: Eskreis-Winkler, L., Woolley, K., Kim, M., & Polimeni, E. (in press). The failure gap. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Preprint available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=5407064
The Psychology of Memory
One of the greatest features of our brains is that we can forget things, but why is it so difficult to forget some things but not others? It turns out, our brains absorb information before we ever get a chance to evaluate it — and once something is in there, there’s no delete key. In the episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore the psychology of memory.
Reading vs. Listening (Rebroadcast)
Ever caught yourself saying “I’m reading a great book” only to awkwardly correct yourself with “…well, actually I’m listening to it”? That guilty pause says a lot. But you have nothing to feel bad about. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy break down how your brain processes reading versus listening, and the science might surprise you.
Dignity
Dignity is core to our humanity and woven into our sense of agency, authenticity, and the way others treat us, yet what it looks and feels like shifts across cultures, circumstances, and relationships. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore the psychology behind this deeply human need.
Neuroticism Part III: Support
People high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative than positive feelings each day. In this final episode of our three-part series on the psychology of neuroticism from Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of support.
References
Wenzel, M., Kaurin, A., Ringwald, W. R., Tüscher, O., Kubiak, T., & Wright, A. G. C. (2026). Unraveling the link between neuroticism and well-being in daily life: The role of event occurrence, event appraisals, affective reactivity, and affective recovery. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 130(1), 93–108.
Neuroticism Part II: Social Media and Personality Tests
People high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative than positive feelings each day. In this second episode of our three-part series on the psychology of neuroticism from Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the impact of social media, the benefit of reflecting on how you’re feeling, and why you might want to know where you rank on the Big Five.
References
Wenzel, M., Kaurin, A., Ringwald, W. R., Tüscher, O., Kubiak, T., & Wright, A. G. C. (2026). Unraveling the link between neuroticism and well-being in daily life: The role of event occurrence, event appraisals, affective reactivity, and affective recovery. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 130(1), 93–108.
New Research in Neuroticism
People high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative feelings and fewer positive feelings each day. In this first episode of a three-part series on the psychology of neuroticism from Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy discuss some new research that explores a key question: Why does this happen?
References
Wenzel, M., Kaurin, A., Ringwald, W. R., Tüscher, O., Kubiak, T., & Wright, A. G. C. (2026). Unraveling the link between neuroticism and well-being in daily life: The role of event occurrence, event appraisals, affective reactivity, and affective recovery. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 130(1), 93–108.
Compliments
We may think that giving someone a compliment just makes them feel good, yet as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy discuss in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, the benefits of complimenting others reach far beyond the expression of praise or admiration.
Theory
A theory serves as an analytical tool to explain “why” and “how” events occur, rather than just describing them. Yet, all too often, the way we use the idea of a theory obfuscates the real value of what a theory is: a structured, evidence-based explanation for natural or social phenomena, constructed using the scientific method to connect facts, laws, and hypotheses. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the definition of theory and why it’s so important.
Psychological Safety, Safety, and Trust
There is a difference between being safe and thinking you are safe, and the bridge between those two things is built on trust. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the difference between psychological safety and the psychology of safety and how to develop environments where people feel safe.
Compensation
Compensation is about more than just a paycheck. It’s about feeling valued, secure, and supported, but we don’t always think about it that way. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of compensation.
Desensitization
Why do things that once felt exciting, delicious, shocking, or even frightening start to feel… ordinary?
In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of desensitization and how motivation, memory, and context shape what we see, feel, and react to, often without us even realizing it.
Bruner, J. S., & Goodman, C. C. (1947). Value and Need as Organizing Factors in Perception. Harvard University. Reprinted at PsychClassics: https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Bruner/Value/
Proffitt, D. R., Creem, S. H., & Zosh, W. D. (2001). Seeing mountains in mole hills: Geographical-slant perception. Psychological Science, 12(5), 418–423. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00377
The Psychology of Healthy Ambition
Working toward goals can give our lives direction and meaning. But psychology shows that when we focus too narrowly on outcomes, we can undermine both our well-being and our performance. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the importance of staying mentally well and enjoying what you do while pursuing greatness.
Early Specialization?
If your child shows exceptional talent early, it may be tempting to cultivate it immediately. However, an overload of lessons and practice may not be the most effective approach. This episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the perils of specializing early.
Bloom, Benjamin S. Developing Talent in Young People.
Gullich, A., Barth, M., Hambrick, D.Z., & Macnamara, B.N. (2025). Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance. Science, 390, DOI: 10.1126/science.adt7790.