Like astrology and psychics, online personality tests generally use the Barnum effect to trick you into thinking they have something meaningful to say. They're tricksy like that. But they have also been used for extremely nefarious reasons, and in one instance, an implementation that lead to the beginning of the end of democracy in America. Also, we take some personality tests in real time. Recommendations - Shane: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12412888/) - Abraham: The Thing About Pam (Hulu; https://www.nbc.com/the-thing-about-pam) Links and sources: - https://lesley.edu/article/personality-development#:~:text=Personalities%20are%20based%20on%20subjective,ones%20that%20are%20increasingly%20complex. - https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-iq-tests-stefan-c-dombrowski - https://www.kqed.org/news/11781032/a-landmark-lawsuit-aimed-to-fix-special-ed-for-californias-black-students-it-didnt#:~:text=U.S.%20District%20Judge%20Robert%20Peckham,that%20has%20such%20a%20ban. - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10203631/Adele-reveals-magazine-personality-quiz-divorce.html - https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-replication-crisis-in-psychology - https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/09/16/ten-famous-psychology-findings-that-its-been-difficult-to-replicate/ - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-accurate-are-personality-tests/ - https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/the-internet-is-one-big-personality-test/531861/ - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/opinion/cambridge-analytica-facebook-quiz.html - https://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/in_search_of_the_ur-quiz.php

English, particularly American English, is not only a weird hodgepodge of many other languages and cultures from around the world and at different times, but it is also full of expressions and sayings that, without context, sound like nonsense gibberish. Why do we say these things? What do they mean? And where do these sayings come from? Strap in because we are all in the same boat as we paint the town red in our deep dive about idioms! We had a lot of fun and hopefully you'll think it's oll korrect as well. Recommendations Abraham recommended the 2021 film, Nobody (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7888964/) Shane recommended the 90s pop-punk band, Mock Orange. He even made you a playlist! (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ppf6t5C9v6xBz2p0T9CAN?si=80e8b4d379654528) Links and References 1. https://bestlifeonline.com/strange-american-sayings/ 2. https://isaccurate.com/blog/weird-american-sayings-and-expressions 3. https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-people-use-idioms 4. https://www.britannica.com/list/7-everyday-english-idioms-and-where-they-come-from 5. https://prowritingaid.com/art/1065/a-complete-guide-to-idioms.aspx 6. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81624/origins-19-skin-expressions

Most people sat through a painful routine performance appraisal, likely an annual one. How many of these are effectively designed to be productive? How many people actually remember what they were supposed to work on from that last review in the fall right before the chaos of the holidays? If done correctly, an appraisal can identify help performance improve as well as highlight employee achievement and growth. Few are done correctly. Avoiding falling into familiar traps of ineffective feedback may be fundamental to success. Today’s episode will identify several strategies that can strengthen employee review systems to help both the employee and the company find the best outcomes possible. Recommendations Abraham: Antlers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7740510/) Shane: Radical Candor by Kim Scott (https://www.radicalcandor.com/) Links and References -Carr et al. (2013) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680147/ -Friman (2021) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaba.816 -DiNovi & Gavoni (2021) https://www.amazon.com/5-Scientific-Laws-Life-Leadership/dp/1954759258/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1407096W1LT9I&keywords=dinovi+gavoni&qid=1647779916&sprefix=dinovi+gavoni%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-2 -https://hbr.org/2011/11/delivering-an-effective-perfor -https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/giving-performance-feedback

Horoscopes are mostly harmless bits of fun. But how do they work? Why do we believe them? And why does the episode title imply harm? Learn more and another vocab term. Recommendations: Abraham recommended the exercise phone case: Tribe Water Resistant Cell Phone Arm Band (https://www.tribefitnessusa.com/products/armband) Shane recommended the new film adaptation of Dune (https://www.dunemovie.com/). What did you think? Do you have any recommendations for book adaptations? Links and References: 1. https://gizmodo.com/why-believing-in-astrology-is-not-as-harmless-as-you-th-1595802206 2. https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/04/11/42552/ 3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/astrology/Purposes-of-astrology 4. https://www.thehoroscope.co/birthday-analyser/January-18-1986-horoscope-and-zodiac-sign-meanings-13176.html 5. https://jungleworks.com/technology-and-the-2-2-billion-astrology-market-why-is-online-astrology-getting-so-popular/#:~:text=Blog%20Panther-,Technology%20%26%20the%20%242.2%20Billion%20Astrology%20Market%3A%20Why%20is,Online%20Astrology%20Getting%20so%20Popular%3F&text=A%20study%20revealed%20that%20the,in%20the%20United%20States%20alone! 6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886921007686 7. https://www.academia.edu/33516637/The_Negative_Effects_of_Excessive_Belief_in_Astrology 8. https://ijmaberjournal.org/index.php/ijmaber/article/view/111 9. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210205-why-astrology-is-so-popular-now 10. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/psaprocbienmeetp.1978.1.192639 11. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1997.81.3.1035 12. https://time.com/5867647/nasa-zodiac-star/

This is the episode to make you want to snack. Or maybe want to hurl if you had talk of chewing. We investigated the reason crunchy food is so appealing to us. Why do we NEED the crunch? Turns out, there are some interesting answers! Tell us about your favorite crunchy food. Abraham recommended the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Bar (https://www.sweetontraderjoes.com/2021/07/trader-joes-dark-chocolate-lovers-chocolate-bar-review.html). What sweet treats would you recommend? Shane Recommend the gothic-y, macabre-y online retailer Black Craft Cult (blackcraftcult.com). What quirky underground clothes should he check out next? References and Link 1. https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/why-do-we-like-crunchy-food.html 2. https://www.food24.com/the-science-behind-why-we-love-crispy-food-4-reasons-we-love-the-crunch/ 3. https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/why-humans-love-crispy-food-so-much 4. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/531186/science-behind-why-we-crave-loud-and-crunchy-foods 5. https://www.mashed.com/651353/why-we-love-crunchy-foods-according-to-science/ 6. https://audiology-web.s3.amazonaws.com/migrated/NoiseChart_Poster-%208.5x11.pdf_5399b289427535.32730330.pdf 7. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/science-diction/articles/how-did-the-cosmic-crisp-apple-get-its-name

We expand on the environmental processes that create a context for depression. We elaborate on the pros and cons of the "diagnosis" of depression and how a behavior analyst would approach a client with depression. Listen in for part 2! Recommendations Abraham: Upload Season 2 (https://www.amazon.com/Upload-Season-2/dp/B09J1LD25Y) Shane: Drug Church - Hygiene (https://drugchurch.bandcamp.com/album/hygiene) Links and Resources References/Links Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. Littleton, CO: Author. Biglan, A. (1991). Distressed behavior and its context. The Behavior Analyst, 14(2), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392566 Kanter, J. W., Cautilli, J. D., Busch, A. M., & Baruch, D. E. (2005). Toward a comprehensive functional analysis of depressive behavior: Five environmental factors and a possible sixth and seventh. The Behavior Analyst Today, 6(1), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100055 Reisinger, J. J. (1972). The treatment of “anxiety-depression” via positive reinforcement and response cost. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5(2), 125-130. Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Free Press. Truschel, J. (2020, September 25). Depression definition and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. https://www.psycom.net/depression-definition-dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria/ World Health Organization. (2021, September 13). Depression. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Depression is a major mental health diagnosis and concern worldwide. A variety of treatment options have been developed by many disciplines, but a behavior analytic alternative has yet to enter the mainstream. Today’s episode will offer a behavior analytic interpretation of depression as it related to behavior patterns and contingencies, and offer a basis of treatment that could produce positive outcomes for a variety of clients. Recommendations Abraham: The Litter Genie (https://www.littergenie.com/) Shane: Unreal Deli (https://unrealdeli.com/) References/Links Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. Littleton, CO: Author. Biglan, A. (1991). Distressed behavior and its context. The Behavior Analyst, 14(2), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392566 Kanter, J. W., Cautilli, J. D., Busch, A. M., & Baruch, D. E. (2005). Toward a comprehensive functional analysis of depressive behavior: Five environmental factors and a possible sixth and seventh. The Behavior Analyst Today, 6(1), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100055 Reisinger, J. J. (1972). The treatment of “anxiety-depression” via positive reinforcement and response cost. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5(2), 125-130. Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Free Press. Truschel, J. (2020, September 25). Depression definition and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. https://www.psycom.net/depression-definition-dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria/ World Health Organization. (2021, September 13). Depression. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Is exercise good for your mental health? A lot of people certain think so. We dig into the research and philosophy about if exercise is mentally healthy and if so, how? Recommendations: Abraham: Space Force Season 2 (https://www.netflix.com/title/81021929) Shane: Integrity - Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume (https://integrity.bandcamp.com/)

The majority of people who buy into conspiracy theories are victims of fraud. Unfortunately, they can become zealous, proselytizing mouthpieces for those conspiracies, which makes them unsympathetic to many. Conspiracies primarily work by exploiting human biases and insecurities. Listen in to find out more about why your weird friend is dedicated to their crystals and mythological beliefs. Recommendations: - Abraham: Spreaker.com - Shane: The Book of Boba Fett (https://disneyplusoriginals.disney.com/show/the-book-of-boba-fett)(https://www.netflix.com/title/81305952)

Doulas and midwives aren't necessarily the crunchy granola hippies you might think they are. They also don't need to be female. We invited expert and certified doula Dr. Ashley Greenwald to talk to us about what doulas are and why every person preparing to a birth should have a doula around. Recommendations: Salena: "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander (https://newjimcrow.com/) and "Even the Rat Was White." Abraham: "The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window" (https://www.netflix.com/title/81305952)