People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

Zachary Elwood

This show will help you understand human behavior and psychology so you can better navigate your personal and professional life and better connect with people. The host Zachary Elwood, known for his Reading Poker Tells trilogy of books, talks with a wide range of guests who have unique real-world insights, including: law enforcement professionals, behavior and psychology researchers, sports analysts, visa officers, jury consultants, political researchers, mental health experts, and many more. What drives this show is the idea that truly understanding people requires patience, nuance, and a willingness to question simplistic ideas and assumptions. There are more than 200 episodes. To learn more details, see transcripts, and sign up for updates, go to www.behavior-podcast.com.

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217 episodes
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Episodes217

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Apr 5, 2024 · 54 min
Systemic change vs. cultural change in efforts to reduce polarization, with David Foster
A talk with David Foster, who writes about polarization and media at knowthesystem.org and is the author of "Moderates of the World Unite!: Reworking the Political Media Complex." Topics discussed include: the optimal approach for reducing toxic political polarization (cultural change vs systemic changes); defining the word 'moderate' and examining some of the negative connotations it has; the difficulty of making changes in a polarized, high-animosity environment; why some conservatives dislike
Mar 26, 2024 · 1 hr 7 min
How simplistic ideas of power (e.g., the oppressed/oppressor framework) can reduce empathy
Elizaveta Friesem writes about media and about social power (i.e., the power people exert over other people). I first interviewed her about media and polarization in 2021 about her book "Media Is Us." Topics we discuss here include: Michel Foucault’s ideas about power (often referenced in liberal academic world); the oppressed/oppressor framework (also often referenced); how simplistic views of social power can be divisive and result in a reduction in people's empathy; how the free will debate
Mar 12, 2024 · 1 hr
Living without free will: A talk with physicist Daniel Whiteson
A talk with Daniel Whiteson, a professor of physics and astronomy, about free will, with a focus on what the effects in one's life are when one doesn't believe in free will. Topics discussed: Our thoughts on why we think free will is unlikely to exist; psychological and emotional aspects of living without a belief in free will; the anxiety and even anger that some people can have about the idea that we lack free will; the idea that a lack of belief in free will can be part of a spiritual, positi
Mar 4, 2024 · 31 min
The news is deepening our divides. Does Tangle News have a solution?
A talk with journalist Isaac Saul, founder of Tangle News (readtangle.com), which shares takes from across the political spectrum. I think Tangle is doing amazing work. I think the more Americans there are who read Tangle, the less toxically polarized we'll be. Topics we discuss include: aspects of Tangle News that make it depolarizing and anger-reducing; how Isaac conceives of the problem of political polarization; his work debunking "the election was stolen" narratives in 2020, and more.Suppor
Mar 1, 2024 · 54 min
Rounders and Billions screenwriter Brian Koppelman on poker tells and reading behavior
A talk with screenwriter/producer Brian Koppelman, known for many TV and film projects, including the poker movie Rounders, the show Billions, and the series Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber. Topics discussed: how he decided to create Rounders; poker tells in Rounders; the excitement of reading people and their behaviors; the difficulty of reading behaviors in most real-world situations; and the anxiety-reducing benefits of transcendental meditation. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and
Feb 18, 2024 · 1 hr 9 min
The psychology of poker tells: A talk with pro poker player Dara O'Kearney
A talk with professional poker player Dara O’Kearney about poker tells (aka, physical and verbal behaviors in poker). Dara is the co-host of the popular poker podcast The Chip Race and the author of several books, including GTO Poker Simplified. We talk about: the importance of poker tells compared to strategy; how Dara’s views on tells have changed over time; some ways poker players can get info from opponents (e.g., insulting them or being nice to them); some poker hands where opponent behavio
Feb 5, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
Psychological tactics in interrogations and getting confessions, with David Zulawski
A reshare of a talk with David Zulawski from 2018. Zulawksi is an expert in interrogation and interview techniques and the cofounder of Wicklander Zulawski and Associates. Topics discussed include: Why is the non-confrontational, rapport-focused technique he recommends the best one? Why is it important to downplay the significance of a crime? Why is it important to try to prevent someone from denying the crime/accusation? Why is it important to not tell a suspect all the evidence you have again
Jan 28, 2024 · 1 min
The Robbi Jade Lew poker scandal: reading behaviors and motivations, with Yakov Hirsch
A talk with professional poker player Yakov Hirsch about the well known high-stakes poker situation where amateur Robbi Jade Lew was accused of cheating by professional player Garrett Adelstein. We give our takes on the hand, and the overall situation, and we talk about Robbi's possible motivations and thought processes during this hand, and about what her behavior might indicate about her thinking.Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To learn more about
Jan 20, 2024 · 45 min
Understanding Republican-side animosity towards the media, with Yakov Hirsch
A talk about trying to understand Trump's anger at the American media and how that relates to American polarization. This is from a talk I had with Yakov Hirsch in late November 2023. Other topics discussed include: Trump-Russia media coverage; Americans' polarized views of Trump; the importance of trying to understand even those people we perceive as dangerous and harmful; American polarization and conflict dynamics in general. This is from a video talk; you can find the video talk on my People
Jan 14, 2024 · 44 min
The exaggeration of antisemitism, and the importance of understanding the "other side," with Yakov Hirsch
Another talk with Yakov Hirsch, who writes about the Middle East conflict and about "Hasbara culture": what he sees as the tendency of some Israel-defending people to be overly antagonistic and us-vs-them in their thinking (for example, unfairly framing criticism of Israel as "antisemitic"). If you haven't heard the first talk, I recommend that one. This talk is more generally about the nature of conflict, and about how conflict can make us perceive the world and the people around us in overly p
Jan 4, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min
The psychology behind the "need for chaos," a desire to "burn it all down"
A talk with Kevin Arceneaux, whose research found that a surprising number of people (around 40%) either agreed with or did not disagree with statements like “When I think about our political and social institutions, I cannot help thinking 'just let them all burn'?” In their paper, they called this a "need for chaos." We talk about what the study entailed, what they found, and what the factors might be that help explain the finding. We also talk about its relation to toxic polarization, and to s
Dec 21, 2023 · 30 min
Psychology and behavioral clues in football, baseball, and other sports, with Jon Hoefling
A talk with Jon Michael Hoefling, a sports analyst, about reading behavioral tells and indicators in football, baseball, tennis, and other sports. We focus on a 2021 story that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a tell: how he positioned his foot before a play was a strong indicator of whether he'd run or pass. We also talk about reading tells and predicting actions in baseball, tennis, and other sports. One story we talk about was Andre Agassi claiming to once have had a very reliable tell on B
Dec 14, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Psychological strategies for dealing with extreme anxiety, with The Atlantic's Scott Stossel
A talk with Scott Stossel, author of "My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind." Scott is also national editor of The Atlantic. Scott's book is a history of the condition and treatment of anxiety, and also a personal history in which Scott talks honestly about his struggles with debilitating anxiety. I talk to Scott about what he's learned in his research and personal life about the factors behind anxiety and how we might, as much as we are able to, overcome it. We
Dec 8, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
Lie detectors measure electrodermal activity: What is that?
I talk with psychologist Christopher Moyer about electrodermal activity (EDA), also known as galvanic skin response (GSR), which is what lie detectors measure. Topics discussed include: What are spikes in electrodermal activity actually telling us? We talk about its use in lie detectors. We talk about lowerings in skin conductance and what that indicates. We talk about the nature of stress; and how there can be good and bad stress. We talk about poker and gambling, including some gambling-relate
Nov 29, 2023 · 1 hr 15 min
Reading dog and cat behaviors and human interactions, with Daniel Mills
Animal behavior researcher Daniel Mills talks about various aspects of the human-pet relationship, with a focus on his research. Topics include: dogs' abilities to read human emotions and how they do that; the effects of pets on our mental health; animals' ability to perceive images on a TV screen; the differences between the human and animal mind; pets' abilities to sense their owners arriving home from far away; how cats communicate relaxation to each other. Support the showTo get ad-free epis
Nov 20, 2023 · 1 hr 7 min
On the art of listening and the challenges of being an introvert, with Joel Berman
Joel Berman is a practitioner of Compassionate Listening (compassionatelistening.org). Joel has travelled to the Middle East and talked with Israelis and Palestinians about their experiences and grievances. Topics discussed: Joel's experiences in the Middle East; what the Compassionate Listening methodology entails; the bravery required for conflict resolution work; and both of our experiences being introverts with a lot of social anxiety. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a
Nov 11, 2023 · 1 hr 20 min
Psychological tricks and strategies in door-to-door sales
A talk with two people with door-to-door sales experience. We talk about the tricks and strategies they used to close sales, and the psychological factors in why those strategies work. Topics discussed: verbal and physical sales scripts some companies use, and why they work; the use of ambiguous language in deception; the power of personal anecdotes in gaining rapport; the importance of getting a customer to commit in writing to the deal; how simply spending time together can build rapport and m
Oct 29, 2023 · 57 min
How does bias in news amplify political polarization?, with Vanessa Otero
Vanessa Otero is the creator of a popular and well respected media bias chart that ranks the bias of many news outlets, and she's the founder of Ad Fontes Media. Topics discussed include: the process her team uses to determine bias; the difficulties of determining what is "left" and "right" in a polarized and fast-changing political landscape; recognizing that everyone is biased and that the best we can do is try to reduce our bias; the relation between media bias and polarization; perceptions o
Oct 22, 2023 · 1 hr 35 min
Why is criticism of Israel so often described as antisemitic?, with Yakov Hirsch
A talk with Yakov Hirsch, who thinks that some Jewish people have exaggerated ideas about the amount of antisemitism in the world, and overly pessimistic ideas about the nature of antisemitism. This can make some Jewish people see disagreement, criticism, and conflict too often through the lens of antisemitism. Hirsch ties this into the Israel/Palestine conflict, and also relates this to a long-running debate about the "banality of evil" (which relates to, amongst other things, the motivations o
Oct 14, 2023 · 48 min
Our psychological need for certainty and closure: Is that our biggest weakness? | with Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova is the best-selling author of the books The Biggest Bluff, The Confidence Game, and Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Topics discussed include: the human desire for certainty and story/narrative, and our discomfort with ambiguity and uncertainty; how she decided to get into poker and write The Biggest Bluff; why she finds poker such an interesting game; how one can pursue a career one finds interesting and rewarding.

People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

Systemic change vs. cultural change in efforts to reduce polarization, with David Foster

How simplistic ideas of power (e.g., the oppressed/oppressor framework) can reduce empathy

Living without free will: A talk with physicist Daniel Whiteson

The news is deepening our divides. Does Tangle News have a solution?

Rounders and Billions screenwriter Brian Koppelman on poker tells and reading behavior

The psychology of poker tells: A talk with pro poker player Dara O'Kearney

Psychological tactics in interrogations and getting confessions, with David Zulawski

The Robbi Jade Lew poker scandal: reading behaviors and motivations, with Yakov Hirsch

Understanding Republican-side animosity towards the media, with Yakov Hirsch

The exaggeration of antisemitism, and the importance of understanding the "other side," with Yakov Hirsch

The psychology behind the "need for chaos," a desire to "burn it all down"

Psychology and behavioral clues in football, baseball, and other sports, with Jon Hoefling

Psychological strategies for dealing with extreme anxiety, with The Atlantic's Scott Stossel

Lie detectors measure electrodermal activity: What is that?

Reading dog and cat behaviors and human interactions, with Daniel Mills

On the art of listening and the challenges of being an introvert, with Joel Berman

Psychological tricks and strategies in door-to-door sales

How does bias in news amplify political polarization?, with Vanessa Otero

Why is criticism of Israel so often described as antisemitic?, with Yakov Hirsch

Our psychological need for certainty and closure: Is that our biggest weakness? | with Maria Konnikova