This is a podcast aimed at better understanding other people and better understanding ourselves.
I’m Zach Elwood. On this podcast, I talk to people from a wide range of professions and backgrounds about behavior and psychology.
Ready to jump in? Here are some popular episode compilations:
Here are some of my my favorites.
This is a podcast about deciphering human behavior and understanding why people do the things they do. I, Zach Elwood, talk with people from a wide range of fields about how they make sense of human behavior and psychology. I’ve talked to jury consultants, interrogation professionals, behavior researchers, sports analysts, professional poker players, to name a few. There are more than 135 episodes, many of them quite good (although some say I’m biased). To learn more, go to PeopleWhoReadPeople.com.
Many surveys and headlines have claimed there’s a large percentage of Americans who support political violence. Some estimates have been around 25% – and some have gone as high as 40%! This is very scary; it ramps up fears of a violent and chaotic American future, and even fears of a civil war. But political polarization researchers like my guest Sean Westwood have shown that many people are massively overstating the problem. And that overstatement is leading to hysterical and unhelpful framings and debates. Worst of all, these exaggerated fears can even contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle… a self-fulfilling prophecy. Topics discussed include: what the faulty surveys and studies are missing; how bad survey design (ambiguous questions, or leading questions) can lead to faulty estimates; what more accurate survey results tell us; how exaggerated fears can contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy; and why people embrace and promote overly pessimistic narratives.
Learn more and sign up for a premium subscription at PeopleWhoReadPeople.com.
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Popular Episodes
- About this podcast: why I do it and why I think it’s important
- Questioning if body language is useful for detecting lies, with Tim Levine
- Reading and predicting jury behavior, with Christina Marinakis
- How to spot fake online reviews, with Olu Popoola
- Group psychology, polarization, and persuasion, with Matthew Hornsey
- Relationship “tells”, with Brandi Fink
- Cryptocurrency, problem gambling, and addiction, with Paul Delfabbro
- Reading poker tells, with poker pro Dara O’Kearney
- Why do so many people “want to watch the world burn”?, with Kevin Arceneaux
- 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 eight languages. I’m also known for my work on political polarization (for example, my book Defusing American Anger). My independent research on deceptive online activity has been featured in NY Times, Washington Post, Buzzfeed, and more.
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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.