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
Updated Saturday

Episodes217

Newest first

Oct 3, 2023 · 51 min
The hidden meaning behind orchestra conductor gestures, with Ming Luke
A talk with orchestra conductor Ming Luke (mingluke.com). Topics discussed include: what a conductor's body language and gestures can communicate to the orchestra; how small differences in gestures can sometimes result in significant musical differences; the difference in conducting styles that can exist between conductors; the role conductors play and the benefits they bring; the leadership and managerial skills required to be a strong conductor. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and mor
Sep 16, 2023 · 27 min
Examining behavior bullshitter Dr. Jack Brown, who spreads bad behavior info to many
There are many self-proclaimed behavior experts spreading bad, misleading, and irresponsible concepts about human behavior, and some of these people are quite popular. This episode focuses on Jack Brown (Twitter: @drgjackbrown), one of the more egregious offenders amongst behavior bullshitters. Other topics discussed include: eye-quadrant behavior analysis (for example, someone looking to upper right); NLP (neuro-linguistic programming); some of the common bad ideas in behavior bullshit ; the us
Sep 11, 2023 · 1 hr 48 min
Understanding MAGA rage, with ex-Trump voter Rich Logis
For the purposes of depolarization, I think it's important to understand the us-vs-them political narratives around us. This is a talk with Rich Logis (www.perfectourunion.us), who describes his journey as going "from ultra-MAGA to Never-Trump." Rich was an involved pro-Trump activist, who'd written many political op-eds and who volunteered for pro-Trump causes, and who, in 2021, switched to being very critical of Trump and MAGA. I ask Rich about the reasons he was enthusiastic about Trump: what
Sep 6, 2023 · 47 min
Common scams and how they exploit psychological and social weaknesses
A talk with Martina Dove, author of the book The Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion and Scam Techniques, about some common scams you and people you know might encounter (phishing scams, "pig butchering" scams, romance scams, wrong-number-text scams, and more). We discuss how these scams work, and some strategies for avoiding them. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To learn more about the show, go to behavior-podcast.com. I'm on Twitter at @apokerplayer.
Aug 25, 2023 · 1 hr 7 min
Rethinking narcissism: Is some narcissism healthy? What are the psychological roots of toxic forms?
Craig Malkin is the author of 'Rethinking Narcissism: The Secret to Recognizing and Coping with Narcissists', in which he describes the spectrum of narcissism: how it can be healthy to have positive illusions about one's self and one's life, as long as those illusions don't become pathologically unhealthy and toxic. Topics discussed include: the spectrum of narcissism, as Craig sees it; common misconceptions about narcissism; the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, which is the basis of many peo
Aug 11, 2023 · 55 min
Psychological similarities between couples therapy and resolving political conflict, with therapist Bill Doherty
A talk with Bill Doherty, a relationship therapist and the co-founder of Braver Angels, a political depolarization-aimed group. Topics discuss include: his approach to couples counseling; thoughts on dealing with the common situation where one partner is much more interested in healing the relationship than the other; the importance of seeing our role in a conflict, and why that can be hard for us; how he got into the depolarization work; the similarities he sees between relationship counseling
Aug 2, 2023 · 54 min
The weird behaviors of people under anesthesia, with anesthesiologist Dr. Ashita Goel
A talk with anesthesiologist Ashita Goel about her work. Topics include: the sometimes strange behaviors of people under anesthesia; the hypnotic and "truth serum"-like effects of anesthesia; factors in determining drug dosage; the various states one can put people into; why anesthesiologists often seem outgoing and fun; the viral video of the man who woke up from anesthesia and didn't recognize his wife; and more. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To
Jul 15, 2023 · 1 hr
Psychological factors in lizard-people beliefs, and other unlikely conspiracy theories
A talk with psychology researcher Mikey Biddlestone, who specializes in conspiracy theory beliefs, about some of the more psychological factors that can make belief in conspiracy theories more likely. We talk about "just world" beliefs (beliefs that the world is largely just and fair) and how those might relate to conspiracy-minded thinking. Other topics discussed: how narcissistic and antisocial personality traits can relate to such beliefs; how we might define what is an unreasonable level of
Jun 30, 2023 · 1 hr 9 min
Understanding the behaviors of autistic children, with Barry Prizant
A talk with Barry Prizant (barryprizant.com), author of the influential book Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, and co-host of the Uniquely Human podcast. The focus is on understanding the experiences and behaviors of autistic people. Topics discussed include: understanding the underlying causes behind the sometimes seemingly inexplicable behaviors of autistic children; the various types of experiences contained within the label of 'autism'; the role that sensitivity to sensation
Jun 22, 2023 · 27 min
How do anxious behaviors affect a job interview?, with Simonne Mastrella
A talk with Simonne Mastrella, author of the research paper "Acting Anxious: The Impact of Candidates' Anxious Nonverbal Behavior on Interview Performance Ratings." Topics discussed include: the design of the study; her findings; whether they found any differences in gender or in the nature of the job interviewed for; and the challenges of using actors to emulate behaviors for a study. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To learn more about the show, go
Jun 10, 2023 · 1 hr 7 min
Democracy is difficult and contains the seeds of its destruction | A talk with Robert Talisse
A talk with political theorist Robert Talisse, author of Sustaining Democracy: What We Owe To The Other Side, which is one of the best book about American polarization that I've read. We talk about: the limits and realities of democracy and what it can achieve; separating expected and healthy polarization from unhealthy, toxic polarization; what we owe to our fellow citizens even when we see them as very misguided and even dangerous; how extreme polarization can make our relationships and coalit
May 31, 2023 · 57 min
Analyzing behavior in aviation security and other risk-assessment scenarios
Aviation security professional Philip Baum talks about analyzing behavior for aviation security and risk assessment purposes, and for security purposes in general. Topics discussed include: looking for deviations from the baseline behaviors normal in an environment; successes of behavioral analysis for security purposes; what can make some of this work controversial; thoughts on what aviation security does wrong. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To l
May 13, 2023 · 31 min
Poker tells in a World Series of Poker Ladies Event hand, with Lara Eisenberg
A talk with poker player Lara Eisenberg, who won the 2021 World Series of Poker Ladies Event, and who cashed in a 2022 World Poker Tour event for $481,000. Topics we talk about include: how her thoughts about poker tells have changed over time; some specific behaviors from a poker hand from the Ladies Event; some behavioral patterns she noticed in herself; the anxiety involved in bluffing; and skydiving, which Lara has done competitively. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a
May 3, 2023 · 49 min
The illusions and deceptions in our memory and sense of self
A talk with social psychologist Anne Wilson about memory and how we define who we are. Topics discussed include: the nature of self; the nature of memory; the fallibility of our memories; the theory of temporal self appraisal (which is about how we experience ourselves as being close to or far away in time from different versions of ourselves); false memories; the role creative storytelling plays in constructing our views of self and the world; and political polarization. Support the showTo get
Apr 20, 2023 · 3 min
My book Defusing American Anger, about U.S. polarization, is published
Some updates about: the release of my Defusing American Anger book (available at www.american-anger.com); some depolarization-aimed videos I put on YouTube; and my upcoming interview with Robert Talisse, author of Sustaining Democracy. Support the showTo get ad-free episodes, and more, get a premium subscription. To learn more about the show, go to behavior-podcast.com. I'm on Twitter at @apokerplayer. See a summary of my work.
Apr 11, 2023 · 1 hr 3 min
The stress and social isolation of leaving one's cult, with Calvin Wayman
Calvin Wayman was raised in a fundamentalist Mormon cult, with four mothers and 44 siblings. This world was everything he had known. At the age of 30, he left that world, and was effectively on his own, isolated from everything that had previously given his life meaning. We talk about that experience with a focus on the existential feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompanied it. Topics discussed include: how he began to question his world; factors he sees as present that made him someo
Mar 23, 2023 · 1 hr 7 min
On psychopathy, dark traits, and "dark empaths," with Nadja Heym
A talk with Nadja Heym, a psychology researcher who specializes in dark traits, like psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism, and who has researched so-called "dark empaths": people with dark traits who have a good amount of empathy. We delve into some nuance in the area of psychopathy. Topics discussed include: How she defines psychopathic traits; The misuse of the term "psychopath" (and related misuse of other terms like "narcissist"); Can we say from a brain scan if a brain is "psychopathic"?; "B
Mar 13, 2023 · 22 min
Can our contempt and rage help create the very things we're upset about?
When trying to convince people of the problem of polarization and the necessity for depolarization endeavors, a common objection from politically passionate people goes, "But the other side is horrible, so polarization makes sense." In this episode, I talk about one of the main counterpoints to that objection: that us-vs-them anger, in a non-obvious way, helps create the very things we're angry about. For this reason, if one wants to defeat extreme views on the other side (or on both sides), the
Mar 11, 2023 · 51 min
Psychological tactics and opponent-reading in GT racecar driving, with Andy Lally
A talk with racecar driver Andy Lally, who specializes in endurance GT (sportcar) racing. Topics we talk about include: What's the breakdown in skill versus chance in an average race? What are the considerations when trying to pass other drivers, or trying to prevent drivers from passing? Where’s the boundary between acceptable behavior versus behavior that people would consider too-aggressive and dangerous? What are some spots where Andy was proud of his decisions? What it’s like being a vegan
Mar 5, 2023 · 53 min
Do some common facial expressions reveal personality traits?, with Herman Ilgen
A talk with Herman Ilgen, who's been a negotiator for more than 30 years and who is the founder of the Institute for Nonverbal Strategy Analysis (INSA). Ilgen has researched how facial expression patterns may be connected to personality traits. His paper was titled "Personal Nonverbal Repertoires in facial displays and their relation to individual differences in social and emotional styles." Topics discussed include: what led him to do that work; what the findings were; how he makes practical us

People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

The hidden meaning behind orchestra conductor gestures, with Ming Luke

Examining behavior bullshitter Dr. Jack Brown, who spreads bad behavior info to many

Understanding MAGA rage, with ex-Trump voter Rich Logis

Common scams and how they exploit psychological and social weaknesses

Rethinking narcissism: Is some narcissism healthy? What are the psychological roots of toxic forms?

Psychological similarities between couples therapy and resolving political conflict, with therapist Bill Doherty

The weird behaviors of people under anesthesia, with anesthesiologist Dr. Ashita Goel

Psychological factors in lizard-people beliefs, and other unlikely conspiracy theories

Understanding the behaviors of autistic children, with Barry Prizant

How do anxious behaviors affect a job interview?, with Simonne Mastrella

Democracy is difficult and contains the seeds of its destruction | A talk with Robert Talisse

Analyzing behavior in aviation security and other risk-assessment scenarios

Poker tells in a World Series of Poker Ladies Event hand, with Lara Eisenberg

The illusions and deceptions in our memory and sense of self

My book Defusing American Anger, about U.S. polarization, is published

The stress and social isolation of leaving one's cult, with Calvin Wayman

On psychopathy, dark traits, and "dark empaths," with Nadja Heym

Can our contempt and rage help create the very things we're upset about?

Psychological tactics and opponent-reading in GT racecar driving, with Andy Lally

Do some common facial expressions reveal personality traits?, with Herman Ilgen