psychology

Expectations, Goals, and Happiness

Why is it that we’re not always as happy as we think we should be when we accomplish our goals? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the concept of The Hedonic Treadmill, and what we can do to set ourselves up for a happier life.

The Value of Failure

Failure is a word that carries a lot of baggage, arousing emotional responses that we’d usually rather avoid.

What about success? Why does the thought of success conjure images and feelings of comfort and satisfaction. This week, “Two Guys on Your Head” examine how the heights of success and the “training wheels” of failure impact our everyday lives.

We’re wired with a dopamine reward system that releases positive or negative chemical affect in our brains depending upon the success or failure of our efforts. Success feels good, while failure feels bad. So we tend to seek success and avoid failure. It’s simple.

But, how can you determine how much exertion to expend toward reaching a particular goal if you’ve never failed at something? You might just run yourself into the ground trying to avoid failure, but it’s better to let failure experiences happen and serve to help you gauge your efforts.

Failure is a learning mechanism, like training wheels on a bicycle. Our little mistakes serve to build up a framework of experience that allows us to more proficiently navigate our lives.

The fear of failure is a very challenging obstacle to overcome. To some, fear of failure can be immobilizing. When we legislate ourselves rigidly against the negative feelings aroused by the experience of a mistake, we are short-changing ourselves. Failure-driven learning mechanisms are not being utilized because our society reinforces a desire to avoid mistakes.

Diets, Dieting, and Food Rituals

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, talk about the complex metabolic system that goes into how we eat and process food, and the benefits of food rituals and eating together, not only on our bodies, but on our brains as well.

The Imposter Syndrome

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, talk about The Imposter Syndrome. What is the real problem when you feel inadequate? How can you help yourself overcome it when you recognize it?

Summer and Time

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about organizing time to make the most of time off.

Defiance

Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss the psychology of defiance.

V&B: Songwriting With Soldiers

In this discussion, Rebecca McInroy hosts songwriters Monte Warden and Darden Smith as well as combat veterans Joe Costello and Sakief Ahmed, to talk about how vets are working with songwriters, to not only heal, but to help us all better understand the trauma of war.

Egocentric Bias

Why do think we contribute more in a group situation than we actually do? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of egocentric bias. It can be pretty destructive, but not necessarily in ways we predict.

Reading vs. Listening

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about how our brains process information differently based on the mode of consumption.

Bonus: Gender and Negotiation

Men and women can approach negotiation a lot differently and that can influence many aspects of their personal and professional lives. In this unedited bonus clip Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk a little bit about the role of gender in negotiation, and also a little bit about negotiation and children.

Negotiation

Negotiations are everywhere, in almost every element of our daily lives, yet how do we understand negotiations? It turns out that the way we frame the idea of negotiation has a lot to do with how we understand value and happiness.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss the various elements of negotiation.

The Economics of Our Relationships

What is the value of our relationships?

As it turns out, the way we answer that question defines the relationship itself.

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, talk about the various ways we understand the economics of the relationships in our lives, and why the value of community should never be underestimated.

Bias & Diversity

Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of bias, and the importance of diversity.

How To Catch a Liar

There’s no such thing as a “tell”. For example, when people look up, fidget or stutter they might just be nervous, and not exactly lying. However, because we rely on the truth to make our culture go round, it might make our lives easier if we could just spot a liar out of the crowd.

As it turns out you can tell if people are telling the truth or not, but it takes some skill, time and knowledge.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about lying, and a new study that reveals a more accurate way to catch someone in a lie.