Two Psychologists Four Beers

About the show

Two psychologists endeavor to drink four beers while discussing news and controversies in science, academia, and beyond.

Two Psychologists Four Beers on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 74: Pleasurable Suffering (with Paul Bloom)

    October 13th, 2021  |  1 hr 24 mins
    kidneys, mountain climbing, orgasms, parenting, suffering

    Paul Bloom joins us to talk about why we want to suffer. Sometimes it's a means to an end, but sometimes we desire it for its own sake. Plus, a very special extra guest host.

  • Episode 73: We Need to Talk About Fraud (with Joe Simmons)

    September 29th, 2021  |  1 hr 22 mins
    data police, dishonesty, fraud, open data

    Yoel and Alexa are joined by Joe Simmons to talk about fraud in behavioral science. How common is it, how do you detect it, and what can we do to prevent it?

  • Episode 72: The Climate Survey (with Danielle McDuffie)

    September 15th, 2021  |  59 mins 21 secs

    The story of how a graduate student climate survey at the University of Alabama led to a very contentious year.

  • Episode 71: The Good Life

    September 1st, 2021  |  1 hr 6 mins
    good life, happiness, meaning, richness

    Alexa and Yoel discuss a new paper arguing that psychological richness is an overlooked aspect of the good life (well, overlooked by well-being researchers, anyway). Also, Alexa reviews an (accidentally-purchased) alcohol-free beer.

  • Episode 70: Older

    August 11th, 2021  |  1 hr 4 mins
    aging, politics, research methods, self-care, writing

    Alexa and Yoel tackle the most dreaded subject: getting older. Have they become better researchers and people over the years? Are they happier and more connected? Or are they just more forgetful and less good at stats?

  • Episode 69: How to Self-Care

    July 21st, 2021  |  1 hr 11 mins
    rejected paper parties, self-care, summer, work-life balance, workload

    Alexa and Yoel go deep on self-care. What is it, how do you do it, and why does the term raise Yoel's hackles? How hard do we actually work, and should we be trying to work less?

  • Episode 68: How (Not) to be a Hater

    July 7th, 2021  |  1 hr 24 mins
    creativity, hating, joy, salty lassi, skepticism

    Alexa and Yoel discuss "The Anticreativity Letters," a satirical article by Richard Nisbett that advises young psychology researchers to (among other things) avoid being overly critical. How does that advice hold up today? How does one combine appropriate skepticism with enthusiasm for research? Or are the two in conflict at all?

  • Episode 67: Getting Drunk (with Ted Slingerland)

    June 23rd, 2021  |  1 hr 36 mins
    alcohol, closets, drunk, microdosing

    Mickey and Yoel welcome repeat guest Ted Slingerland to talk about his new book "Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization," in which he makes the case for alcohol.

  • Episode 66: How is Open Science Doing?

    June 9th, 2021  |  1 hr 26 mins
    open science, preregistration, publishing, scientific utopia

    Yoel and Alexa discuss progress in open science over the past 10 years. Is the scientific reform glass half-full or half-empty? Where have we made progress, and what still needs work? Also, the true story of how Ashley Madison got its name.

  • Episode 65: Our Social Media Prisms

    May 26th, 2021  |  1 hr 28 mins
    french, polarization, politics, social media

    Mickey, Alexa, and Yoel break down "Breaking the Social Media Prism," a new book arguing that social media reinforces our pre-existing political beliefs and polarizes us against the other side.

  • Episode 64: Quick Fixes (with Jesse Singal)

    April 28th, 2021  |  1 hr 18 mins
    journalism, podcasting, social psychology

    Journalist and podcaster Jesse Singal joins the show to talk about the enduring popularity of social-psychological quick fixes and how they go wrong.

  • Episode 63: Legalize It (with Carl Hart)

    March 24th, 2021  |  1 hr 22 mins
    addiction, drugs, legalization, neuroscience

    Neuroscientist and addiction researcher Carl Hart joins the show to talk drug legalization. Why does he think all drugs should be legal? What are some common myths about drug use and addiction? And how has his personal experience as a regular drug user influenced his views?