Why Do We Do That?

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with behavioral scientist Dr. Coltan Scrivner about morbid curiosity. They discuss the different domains of morbid curiosity, if morbidly curious people are less empathetic, what attracts us to horror & true crime content, and potential benefits of being curious about danger. For more on Coltan, visit www.coltanscrivner.com or subscribe to his Substack, Morbidly Curious Thoughts. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with professor of psychology and co-author of "Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong", Dr. Chris Ferguson, about the relationship between video games and mental health. They discuss whether or not violent video games cause violent behavior, the challenges in measuring the impacts of gaming, why violent video games are so enjoyable, if gaming is any different from other forms of escapism, and the benefits of online gaming. For more on Chris, follow him on X at https://twitter.com/CJFerguson1111 Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with play expert, Dr. Peter Gray about his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students For Life. They discuss the characteristics of an activity that allow it to be considered play, the developmental skills learned during play, why play has declined since the 1950's, and how parents & schools can create environments to foster play. For more on Peter, visit his Substack at petergray.substack.com. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with social psychologist Dr. Kate Sweeny about the psychology of uncertainty. They discuss the upside of worrying, how uncertainty compares to other life stressors, what types of people are better at worrying, and effective vs. ineffective coping strategies. For more on Kate, visit www.katesweeny.com. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with professor of psychology Dr. Ellen Langer about mindfulness and her new book, The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health. They discuss the difference between mindfulness and mindlessness, how our thoughts & mindsets can limit our potential, why the mind should not be thought of as separate from the body, and how thinking differently can improve our physical health. For more on Ellen, visit www.ellenlanger.me. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with ADHD expert, Dr. Stephen Faraone. They discuss the primary symptoms of ADHD, the difference between normal inattentiveness and ADHD, genetic vs. environmental factors, and effective ADHD treatments. For more on Stephen, visit www.adhdevidence.org. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with behavioral scientist & motivation expert Dr Ayelet Fishbach about motivation and her new book, Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation. They discuss the one trait that all goals should have, how to use framing & incentives to motivate behavior, why the middle of pursuing a goal is the hardest, and how to deal with conflicting goals. For more on Ayelet, visit www.ayeletfishbach.com Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with sociolinguist Dr. Valerie Fridland about speech & society and her new book, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English. They discuss whether or not there is a "right way" to speak English, how social class can drive changes in speech, why um's & likes can be useful, and how vocal fry not is not exclusively a female speech pattern. For more on Valerie, visit www.valeriefridland.com or check out her blog on Psychology Today called Language in the Wild. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with Dr. Anna Lembke about addiction and her newest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. They discuss the importance of dopamine as it relates to the pleasure/pain balance, how technology & our on-demand culture exploit the brain's wiring, why the pursuit of pleasure can be harmful, the mental tricks individuals use to justify addictive behavior, and key principles for overcoming addiction. For more on Anna, visit www.annalembke.com. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow about gestures and her new book, Thinking with Your Hands: The Surprising Science Behind How Gestures Shape Our Thoughts. They discuss how our gestures help both others and ourselves understand thought, the spontaneous nature of gestures, why gesturing is important in child development, what happens when gestures don't match speech, and how parents & teachers can use gesture to enhance learning. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |