Rebecca McInroy

Gaslighting

We might feel like we’ve been duped when we believe a lie someone has told us, and we may want to crawl into a hole when we share “fake news” on Facebook. But in actuality, we have evolved to trust vs. to question, which is why our tendency toward credulity is easily taken advantage of.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of what is known as “gaslighting” and how to put checks in place so you are less susceptible to being taken for a ride.

Reinvention

When and why do we take risks? What goes into the process of remaking yourself at any age or stage of life? What is the role of grief when we talk about reinvention?

These are some of the questions we discussed with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke at a recent Views and Brews at The Cactus Cafe.

On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head we hear just a little bit from that conversation about reinvention.

Natalie Diaz

Poet and novelist Carrie Fountain talks with poet Natalie Diaz about her poetry project with Ada Limón for the New Yorker, “Envelopes of Air“, and much more.

How We Learn Language (Rebroadcast)

Can you remember what it was like for you to learn your native language? Probably not, but why is that?

As humans, we begin learning to speak our native language during the earliest stages of our lives, in infancy. Most people don’t have many accessible memories from this period of development. How do we do that?

If we can learn a language in our infant stages of life, why is it so difficult to learn a second language later in life?

On this week’s episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Art Markman and Bob Duke explore how we learn a language.

Weaponizing Anger

Anger is an interesting emotion. It creates energy and can be contagious, it can also motivate you to act. But it’s not always the most effective form of motivation if you want to get people to think and work together to create change.

On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of weaponizing anger.

Time

Time flies when you’re having fun, the old saying goes. But how can time – maybe the most fundamental concept of the universe – feel different under different conditions?

On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke – break down the factors influencing our perception of time.

Tarfia Faizullah

Poet and novelist Carrie Fountain talks with poet Tarfia Faizullah about, growing up in Texas, her first memories of writing poetry, and how the loss of her sister in a car accident influenced her poem “West Texas Nocturne.”

The Cheerleader Effect

A few weeks ago we came across an article on “The Cheerleader Effect,” or the idea that people seem more attractive in a group than in isolation. Although there does seem to be evidence that this is true, we couldn’t help but speculate as to why.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the possible psychology behind this phenomenon.

The City Within Our City

Listen back to a very special edition of KUT’s Views and Brews recorded live at the Blanton Museum on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin,“The City Within Our City.”

KUT’s Rebecca McInroy hosts Dr. Rich Reddick, Dr. Cherise Smith, Rabbi Neil Blumofe, and Blanton Curator Veronica Roberts to talk about “The City,” the large-scale work by Vincent Valdez now on view at the museum.

What is the role of art in community? How can art help us combat injustice? And what does this piece tell us about ourselves?

Maggie Smith

Poet Maggie Smith talks about her poem “The Mother” with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain.

Praise (Rebroadcast)

“Hey, you know, you’re really good at that.” That feels good to hear, doesn’t it?

Praise always feels good to hear, but not all praise motivates us to try new things, challenge ourselves or deal with failure.

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss how to praise in a productive and meaningful way.

Money and Happiness (Update)

A few months ago, we rebroadcast an episode on Money and Happiness. The show focused on research into whether money brings happiness. The researchers’ conclusion was that money helps, but happiness is contingent on what we spend it on. If we buy experiences rather than things, chances were we would be happier people.

Turns out that can be true, but only for the rich.

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about updated research on money and happiness, and what this reveals about the way research is conducted.

Belief Revision

Say a store you love changes hands and you aren’t too fond of the new place. So why do you continue to go back to the store when you know it’s not the same?

Turns out a lot of psychology goes into the decision-making process around this dilemma.

On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about belief revision, exploitation vs. exploration, and switching costs.

CodeNEXT

Join host Rebecca McInroy along with Syeda Hasan of KUT News, Architect David Carroll, Jennifer Todd, Principal Planner with The City of Austin, and Dr. Dean Almy to de-code this controversial plan, talk more about what it means to build a city and find out what CodeNEXT could mean for you.

Civility

We may think that civil discourse is a good idea, but when it gets down to practicing it how skilled are we? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take on the psychology of civility.

Communes (Ep. 34)

Dr. Joshua Eisenman author of Red China’s Green Revolution: Technological Innovation, Institutional Change, and Economic Development Under the Commune is our guest on this edition of The Secret Ingredient with Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy.

Join us as we explore the hidden history of communes in China.

Jerks (Rebroadcast)

This week, the Two Guys On Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke, will toss around the topic of jerks – and provide some insightful, doctor prescribed strategies for handling difficult people in our lives.

Mushrooms (Ep. 33)

“We just assume our everyday normal consciousness is the one and the most accurate…there are unseen worlds, there are unseen forces, and you can look them in a religious sense, but you don’t have to.” –Michael Pollan

On the latest Secret Ingredient Podcast Raj Patel and Tom Philpott talk with Michael Pollan about his new book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.

Framing Discourse

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in a debate that it doesn’t occur to us to change the frame of the conversation. However, as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, it’s always important to find new ways to talk about and think about things.

Matthew Zapruder

Poet and novelist Carrie Fountain talks with poet Matthew Zapruder about the collaboration that inspired his poem “Frankenstein Love” from his collection Come On All You Ghosts (2010).