Two Guys on Your Head

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July 29, 2022

Porosity Complicated

By: Rebecca McInroy

Last week’s episode focused on the concept of “porosity” a term developed by anthropologist Tanya Marie Luhrmann and psychology researcher Kara Weisman, to help understand the root of religious and spiritual beliefs. They argue that at the heart is the concept of a porous boundary between mind and world and that people in all human societies have conflicting intuitions about this boundary.

Here at Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman,  Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy find this concept interesting and thought we would spend a little time, not only understanding it but complicating it.

In this second in our three-part series on porosity we ask a few questions about how it manifests in our daily lives and why we should care.

“Porosity is The Heart of Religion”

 


Episodes

March 27, 2026

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 […]

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March 20, 2026

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 […]

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March 13, 2026

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 […]

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March 6, 2026

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. Big Five […]

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February 27, 2026

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 […]

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February 20, 2026

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 […]

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February 13, 2026

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.

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February 6, 2026

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 […]

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