That Popular Podcast

That Good or Bad Way to Have a Fight

Someone is upset. A fight is about to happen. What happens next? It turns out this can go many different ways, and it’s actually not too hard to predict once you know more about how people fight.

• Transcript

That Way You Still See Yourself vs. How Everyone Else Sees You

How old are you vs. how old do you feel inside? What do you look like vs. what do you think you look like? Are you interacting with people based on the person you are today, or based on the version of you that only still exists in your mind’s eye?

• Transcript

That Trick To Make Every Convo Go Well and Everyone Agree With You

In less than 3 minutes, we set the tone for a conversation. Whether people like us, agree with us, care about us is often determined by what happens in the first three minutes of an interaction. And it’s pretty easy to make it go the way you want…

• Transcript

That Fat Talk

Have you ever heard someone negatively talk about their body, and then expect you to do the same? Or maybe they talk about how old they look or how many ailments they have, and then you have to join in too? Why do we do that?

• Transcript

That “Tall Guy Energy”

Guys size each other up - literally. Whether we realize it or not, guys are being influenced by one another’s height in subtle and some not so subtle ways. Do women have a version of this too?

• Transcript

That Desk Lamp You Have Feelings For

Why do we anthropomorphize our cars and our pets? Do some of us anthropomorphize things more than others? What does that say about us? And what do we do now that chatbots are trying to convince us that they are real sentient beings?

• Transcript

That Thing That Makes Someone So Unlikeable

Have you ever gone way out of your way just to not have a conversation with someone? Why are some people so unlikeable and so quickly turn others off? Why don’t they realize it?

• Transcript

That Popularity Category – Which One Are You In?

People who study popularity put kids into one of 5 categories. Which one were you? How is that still affecting you today? Are you still in that same category now?

• Transcript

That Person EVERYONE Really Likes

Have you ever met someone and immediately liked them? Most of the time, everyone else likes them immediately too. How do they do it? What makes someone come across so well all of the time?

• Transcript

That Moment Someone Knows You But You Have No Idea Who They Are

It’s happened to all of us and it’s so embarrassing. But should it be? Are you good at faces, or names, or neither?

• Transcript

That Person Who Always Thinks Someone is Out to Get Them

Why does that guy always seem to be angry? Why is she convinced that everyone is out to get her? Are they right? If not, why don’t they learn and change?

• Transcript

That Meaning of Life

What is it? We have the answer! We had it all along in our genes, in fact, and science has revealed what makes some of our DNA turn on and off based on what is happening in our lives. Are you focusing on what’s most important? Is society moving in the right direction so we can all the meaning and feel most fulfilled?

• Transcript

That Way Others Get Us to Follow Them

Everyone wants to get another drink, except you. But you get one anyway. Why? Do you always follow others, or are you the one others follow? How much of your behavior, preferences, choices every day are your own, and how many are because you are following others?

• Transcript

That Secret Trick To Turn a First Meeting into a Lifelong Relationship

In the first 10 minutes of two people meeting for the first time, we can predict whether people will become best friends vs. somewhat friendly vs. rarely interact again. What do you do when you meet someone new? How easy is it for you to turn a new acquaintanceship into a very close friendship?

• Transcript

That Number One Relationship Killer

Ooh, it’s cringe! But you definitely know someone who does this. And they have no idea that they are self-sabotaging their own relationship!

• Transcript

That Guilt You Feel Avoiding the News Now

We are frustrated, scared, and also exhausted. Is it ok to avoid the news for a while? How is the way we talk about the news with our friends maybe making things worse? Let’s talk about when to read, and how we talk about the news.

• Transcript

That Generation Lost to Screens

New research says that screen use could be changing the size, structure, thickness of kids’ brains. What will happen to the generation of kids who grew up heavy on screens but light on regulations designed to protect them? Let’s talk about a few very new results and what they may mean for kids, schools, and now young adults too -- especially in the US.

• Transcript

That Frustratingly Good-Looking Person

Are some people better looking than they think? How does their attractiveness change their own behavior? Are hot people actually more socially competent than others? How old are we when we first start noticing attractiveness?

• Transcript

That Best Insult Ever

What’s the last thing someone said to you to be mean? Their aggression tells us more about them than it does about you. What are the types of aggression and are there more bullies now than ever before?

• Transcript

That Thing Messing Up Your Sleep…and Your Maybe Your Brain

Obesity, driving accidents, immunity, depression, grades, temper, brain growth – it’s all predicted by how much and how well you sleep! But most of us are doing the exact wrong thing just before we fall asleep.