This is a podcast aimed at better understanding other people and better understanding ourselves.
I’m Zachary Elwood. On this podcast, I talk to people from a wide range of professions and backgrounds about behavior and psychology. Since it launched in 2018, it’s had more than 2.5 million listens/views.
Ready to jump in? Here are some popular episode compilations:
- Crime & investigation-related
- Politics-related
- Mental health-related
- Sports & games-related
- Behavior bullshit
Here are some of my my favorites.
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.
Former Scientologist Chris Shelton spent thousands of hours using the e-meter to “audit” fellow members of the Church—but what does the device actually measure, and why do Scientologists trust it as an infallible guide to the truth? Chris takes us inside a typical auditing session, explaining the personal questions auditors ask, the needle movements they watch for, and what they believe those reactions reveal. We compare the e-meter with the polygraph, explore how relentless questioning can produce false memories and confessions, and examine how auditors can sincerely believe they are helping even when their methods become coercive or abusive. If you’re interested in Scientology, interrogation, or behavior reading, this is a fascinating look at how a simple machine can acquire enormous power through belief. For more on this topic, check out Chris’s podcast Speaking of Cults.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Find this podcast on:
Popular Episodes
- Reading behavior in The Traitors and other social deduction games, with Zack Davies
- Investigative tips from top OSINT expert Craig Silverman
- Cards Against Humanity co-creator David Pinsof’s theories on status-seeking, humor, and more
- From behavior bullshit to behavior research, with Vincent Denault
- Gary Noesner, FBI negotiator at Waco, on de-escalation and reading people
- The psychology of “Bad Vegan”: Sarma Melngailis on narcissistic manipulation methods, and the pain she lives with
- Reading and predicting jury behavior, with Christina Marinakis
- Relationship “tells”, with Brandi Fink
- Reading poker tells, with poker pro Dara O’Kearney
- Understanding and coping with anxiety, with editor of The Atlantic Scott Stossel
About me
I’m most known for my work on poker tells (aka, poker behavior). My first poker tells book, Reading Poker Tells, has been translated into seven languages. My independent research on deceptive online activity has been featured in NY Times, Washington Post, Buzzfeed, and more.
Like the show?
If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with others, and/or write me a review on Apple Podcasts. If you want to support my work, get a premium podcast subscription, or sign up for my depolarization-aimed Substack newsletter. Other ways to show appreciation: subscribe to this podcast on YouTube or Apple or Spotify (or wherever). You can also sign up below to get updates.