The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast

What do High Priest Imhotep, Druidic Leader Diviciacus, Edward Alexander Crowley, Franz Anton Mesmer, and Grigori Rasputin all have in common?  Find out during this latest episode where we explore some key examples throughout history of the archetypal Mystic.

Works Cited:

Wildung, D. (1977). Egyptian Saints: Deification in pharaonic Egypt. New York University Press. p. 34.

Fuh...

In this episode, we examine the spread of Christianity into Europe from the perspective of cultural transmission and state building in the void left by the collapse of the western Roman Empire.  How did those peoples wrestle with differing world views?  What does our understanding of those times tell us about who we are today?

Works cited: 

The Age of Faith, Will Durant, Fine Communications, 1997.

Children of Ash and Elm, Neil Pric...

In this episode, we discuss Homo naledi, a recent hominid species discovered in southern Africa, their apparent ritualistic burials, and how interesting it is that they exhibit behaviors akin to Homo sapiens some 200,000 years earlier.  We also discuss creation myths and the underlying theme of ordering chaos and it's parallels with limiting infinite possibility space rendering that space useful and meaningful.  It's a deep yet fun...

Forward: I apologize to our listeners for my audio in this episode.  Everything started off fine, but my microphone glitches out after the first 1/3 of the episode.  Switching to a back up allowed us to finish the episode at the cost of my audio quality.  Please remember that, while we strive to bring our listeners the best quality podcast that we can produce, we pay out-of-pocket for everything and make nothing in return.  This is...

Well, this was a unique episode.  We start of discussing the psychology of games, then we examine a bit of role clarity and role acquisition.  Afterwards, we explore a deep rabbit hole about the role of government, expectations for individuals, the nature of rights, and balancing policy between interventions and preservation of individual liberties.  I debated whether to publish this episode or store it as a back-up, but Kristy and...

Welcome back to another exciting episode! In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell trace how embodiment of various social roles unlocks new genetic potential as our bodies respond to new environments by synthesizing proteins that we had been unable to before. Further, we explore how new environments stimulate neuroplasticity allowing us to reshape our cognitive structures and think about the world in new and different ways. In short, o...

What a wild ride of an episode! In this one, Kristy and I cover a very wide range of topics relating to social groups and their influence on individual psychology from prisons to military service to cults to social media mobbing. There's too much to type out, so you'll just have to listen!

Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry ...

New year, same old show! We decided to start the new year with a new multipart series on social psychology. Now, more than ever, social psychology matters in ways it never has before. With social media and a myriad of social pressures that we engage with and consume hour by hour and day by day, understanding social psychology can have a major impact on how we live our day to day lives.

Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to...

Welcome back to another episode of the Cognitive Dissonance Podcast!  In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss the concept of an afterlife, how that concept might have originated, and why we think it might be integral to the human experience.  We also discuss the connected topics of object permanence, depressions, meaning, animal psychology, and even some metaphysics and the nature of reality.  This episode was a blast to recor...

Don't worry, we haven't quit yet! We are back with another riveting episode, this time a continuation of our discussion on Religion and Spirituality. We begin by discussing Roland Griffiths' research out of Johns Hopkins University regarding psychedelic chemicals and the mystical experiences they can produce. Then we shift to analyzing religion as a set of behavioral principles. In part 3 we will explore mortality, the afterlife, a...

In our 10th episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss depression, its myriad causes, and different treatment techniques.  We approach depression from a pharmacological perspective, exploring the uses and effects of serotonin and SSRI medications on mood and personality.  We also flip our focus and examine depression from a cognitive and conceptual perspective, discussing how our narratives, thoughts, and verbal behaviors influence our p...

Forward: I present incorrect information during this episode regarding jumping spiders and their vision.  I incorrectly state that jumping spiders move their brains to focus their vision, when in actuality they move telescopic-like tubes connected to their static lenses within what would be their brain cavity.  For an excellent video illustrating this incredible process, see: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2015/08/13/see-a-jumping-...