Rebecca McInroy

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.

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

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.

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.

Someone once said, “I like to do nothing if I can avoid doing something.” For many of us, doing nothing is surprisingly hard. It asks us to generate our own thoughts rather than constantly reacting to Instagram, email, and an ever-expanding stream of stimuli. But when we allow ourselves the space to be bored, to daydream, to think, we can emerge feeling restored rather than drained. And that kind of renewal is deeply valuable.

This episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about protecting your boredom.

We often use the word stupidity to cover a wide range of mistakes. But on closer inspection, what makes something “stupid” may have less to do with what “stupid does” and more to do with what it ignores. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of stupidity.

For many of us, the holidays bring us back to our families and the traditions we’ve carried through the years. And while that can come with its fair share of stress, it can also offer something unexpectedly beautiful: a chance to re-center ourselves and reconnect with the version of us we knew in childhood.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore how holiday gatherings can both challenge and ground us, and why revisiting our past selves can feel so meaningful this time of year.

When we are grieving, having a supportive work environment can be helpful, but what about when we are working remotely or in a gig job? In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about how to support your co-workers and the importance of building community for times of loss.

Grief is difficult, exhausting, and slow, but our daily routines, including work, still continue during the grieving process. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about how we can show up with compassion for colleagues who are grieving, and how we can prepare ourselves, psychologically, for returning to work while carrying loss.

Making big decisions is never easy, and the higher the stakes, the harder it can feel to trust our own judgment. So in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore what actually helps us make better choices, and how we can support others in their decision-making process without slipping into advice-giving.

When it comes to making really tough decisions, like deciding where to go to college or where to work, we may think we should lay out all the options and weigh the pros and cons, but as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke and Rebecca McInroy talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, it turns out we are taking into account a lot more than we realize.

Join the Two Guys on Your Head team, Rebecca McInroy, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke, for this special live recording celebrating the 75th anniversary of the UT School of Social Work and the 85th anniversary of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

Featured Guests:

• Dean Allan Cole, Dean of the School of Social Work at UT Austin
• Dr. Octavio Martinez, Executive Director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

In This Episode:

Recorded before a live audience, this conversation explores the intersection of psychology, social work, and mental health. The panel discusses what we really mean when we talk about “behavioral health” and how it differs from mental health, emphasizing the crucial role that environment, community, and social structures play in our well-being.

Key topics include:

• The Power of Storytelling: How narratives help us understand our lives and connect with others in therapeutic and meaningful ways
• Building Community: Why human connection is essential for mental wellness, especially in an age of increasing isolation and loneliness
• Arts and Humanities in Healthcare: How literature, music, and creative expression foster empathy, prevent burnout, and improve patient outcomes
• The Pace of Modern Life: Why slowing down and being present matters more than ever
• Looking Forward: The promise and potential pitfalls of AI and new technologies in behavioral health

The conversation also addresses Dean Cole’s work with the Parkinson’s community, the importance of face-to-face interaction in an increasingly digital world, and how universities can help create more inclusive, less reactive communities.

Episode recorded live at the University of Texas at Austin

As the poet Jack Gilbert reminds us, “Icarus also flew,” which ain’t nothing. But as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, it’s a good idea to check with the experts first before attempting a big new challenge, so that you don’t get burned.

New research on the psychology of overconfidence reveals that even when people get clear feedback about their actual abilities, their confidence doesn’t budge. The finding might not surprise you, but as we explore in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy, the way researchers uncovered it is pretty ingenious.

When it comes to luck, we often focus on the good kind, but what about bad luck, superstition, and the strange rituals we turn to for comfort and control? On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about how these beliefs and behaviors can both calm and trap us, and what they reveal about our desire to manage the uncontrollable.

Chance may favor the prepared mind, but if you’re only looking for a lucky break, you may miss out on something much more important. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the psychology of luck.

Popularity shapes our choices every day, but in today’s world, what we perceive as “popular” is often steered by algorithms, targeted ads, push notifications, and the constant pull of social media; forces we may not fully recognize.

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore the psychology of popularity and how its influence has evolved in the digital age.

We often assume our choices reflect personal taste: selecting the “best” products, enjoying the movies we “want” to see, and listening to the music we believe is “good.” Yet underlying these decisions is the powerful influence of popularity. It doesn’t just affect what we buy—it informs how we evaluate ideas, people, and beliefs.

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy examine the psychology of popularity and its impact on our everyday judgments.

Humans may take the card we swipe for granted at the grocery store when we buy food, or look at our bank balance and not even think of how unique it is that we can translate those little numbers into experiences and things. It’s merely one of the benefits of having big brains.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of how our brains determine value.