Why We Do What We Do

Why We Do What We Do

We explain popular and weird, little-known ideas in psychology. Whether you are a little curious about psychology, or a student, or even a professional, we have something for everyone. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Episodes

How Do Halloween Masks Affect Our Behavior?

October 22, 2025 • 56 mins
Wearing a mask changes the way our social word interacts with us. This might mean access to rewards that we might not otherwise try to access, but the anonymity of a mask means doing so may be less likely to be met with punishment. Furthermore, our social environment affects our behavior. So, to answer the title: Yes kind of, but maybe not in the way you might think. Do you notice a difference in your behavior when you wear a mask?...
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Mini: Creepy Pasta

October 20, 2025 • 14 mins
Creepy pasta is/was a democratized way ot telling scary stories that are just on the edge of believability. They seem to have dissipated into various other formats over time. Yet, the brief story of creepy pastas is an interesting one and appropriate for the spooky season. What's your favorite creepy pasta?

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Links and References: 
  1. https://www.creepypasta.com/
  2. https://medium.com/@...
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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

October 15, 2025 • 63 mins
One of the most iconic and well-established horror stories in the world, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a masterpiece of literature. The talented director Guillermo del Toro will soon be releasing his vision of this story. So, in advance of his film, we discuss the author, how the story came to be, a brief synopsis of the plot, and some of the science behind the potential reality of such a thing. Tell us your favorite horror storie...
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Mini: 666

October 13, 2025 • 16 mins
We have a fascination with assigning meaning to various numbers. Actually, many cultures enjoy assigning meaning to numbers as well. In western traditions, we have a particularly special number that is the most evil: 666. We explore how this number came to be associated with the Devil and the why its not. But hey, I guess it is now. 

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Links and References: 
  1. https...
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I Want To Take You To The Bermuda Triangle

October 8, 2025 • 47 mins
Some spooky topics are geographically creepy. Arguably, the most famous scary geography is lovingly called The Bermuda Triangle. This portion of the world is credited with a supernatural ability to vanish airplanes and ships... out of the thousands that use this as a shipping route. We dig into the history that inspired the mythical lore attribute to this portion of ocean. Despite its infamy, insurance happily covers shipping vesse...
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Mini: R.I.P.

October 6, 2025 • 11 mins
This is our first Halloween mini of 2025! RIP is a well-wishing, a command, and an indication of your relationship to person or idea being bid farewell. We break down the history, meaning, and language functions of using RIP. Requiescat in Pace!

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Links and References: 
  1. https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_'rest_in_peace'_(rip)_mean.htm#:~:text=Those%20contemplating%20life's%20mean...
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Variants of Hell

October 1, 2025 • 59 mins
Welcome to our annual month of creepy topics! We are kicking off this year's selection with an overview of various conceptuatlizations of Hell from the perspectives of different religions and denominations. How common is the idea of Hell and why do so many traditions embrace this idea?
We are excited to get started!

Recommendations
  • Abraham: Shrinking (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bs) 
  • Shane: ...
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Mini: Colored Noise

September 29, 2025 • 15 mins
You have probably heard of white noise, but there are a variety of noise patterns that have been assigned a color. Some have proposed hypothetical benefits of these various sound patterns ranging from sleep or focus to mental health conditions. We take a scalpel and scientifically remove the fluff. Tell us what colored sounds you prefer!


Links and References: 
  1. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/brown-white-pink-what-different-colo...
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Propaganda: How You Are Being Tricked pt. 2

September 24, 2025 • 74 mins
In the last episode, we outlined several specific propaganda strategies. We conclude this discussion by explaining some ways we can attempt to combat propaganda. Although propaganda can be a tool for good, it is often used nefariously, and we are well served to protect ourselves against those who would manipulate us. Did we miss anything? Let us know!

Recommendations
  • Abraham: Between the Buried and Me “The Blue Nowhere”- (https:/...
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Mini: Kintsugi

September 22, 2025 • 13 mins
Kintsugi is a Japanese tradition of repairing broken things rather than retiring them, and in doing so making them stronger. It has a nice metaphor for personal, social, and economic issues. We discuss the history, techniques, and metaphors of kinsugi. 

Join our club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Links and References: 
  1. https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugi-kintsukuroi/
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zabQFbChhGM&t=18s
  3. https://kintsu...
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Propaganda: How You are Being Tricked pt. 1

September 17, 2025 • 76 mins
Propaganda is remarkably effective at influencing your behavior, even if you don't recognize that it is happening. Being aware of its strategies can help prevent you from falling victim as much. But no one is immune. Propaganda is one of the ways conspiracy theories are born, for those extremely gullible among us. This issue inspires some passionate soap-boxing... although there is a lot more of that in part 2. Enjoy!

Recommendation...
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Mini: How Many Faces Can You Remember?

September 15, 2025 • 11 mins
A lot. Unless you have face blindness, you can remember a lot of faces. Is this all in the brian? We do our best to explain the research behind our ability to recognize a very large number of faces. 

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Links and References: 
  1. https://www.science.org/content/article/average-person-can-recognize-5000-faces
  2. https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/computer-models-mimic-brain-s-ease-tell...
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Understanding Chiropractic

September 10, 2025 • 61 mins
Once again, we have an idea that has mostly been bogged down in the septic tank of pseudoscience. There seems to be some therapeutic benefit to chiropractic care, but there's so much crap spread on top that it's difficult to find. We dig into the aspects of this that are worth saving vs throwing out. 

Recommendations
  • Abraham: Drop (https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-movies/drop)
  • Shane: Strange Pictures by Uketsu (https://www.harperc...
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Mini: That Time Humans Loved Radiation

September 8, 2025 • 15 mins
This is another exploration of bad idea history. At one point, humans got really into consuming and surrounding themselves with irradiated materials. This idea stands out because the origins can be traced back to a clear starting point and "logic." FYI: Don't consume or put yourself (or anyone else) near radium. We'll explain why.

Become a member and support the show: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Links and References: 
  1. https://se...
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Fast Fashion

September 3, 2025 • 75 mins
Fast fashion is a business model that emphasizes extremely high volume, cheap clothing designed to only last a short amount of time. This strategy produces an staggering amount of waste, consumes mllions of tons of raw materials, and contributes more to climate change than all internatinal flights and maritime vessels combined. However, it also employs millions of people, boosts the economy, and provides affordable clothing around ...
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Mini: Do Our Pets Understand Us?

September 1, 2025 • 18 mins
We have very special relationships with our pets. We usually try to talk to them. Do they understand what we are saying? Do they know their names? We quickly explore what it means for our pets to "understand" us or to "know" their names. There are some things we know about this and some things we don't. 

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Links and References: 
  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIgM1qN4Lo
  2. https://w...
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The Importance of Peer Review

August 27, 2025 • 78 mins
One could argue there are two ways of aggregating knowledge: by guessing or by verifying information. The current system for verifying is by checking one another's work through peer review, a process by which experts first review the quality of the work submitted for publication and only allowing information through that is rigorous in its method or arguments. This is not without its flaws, however. Bias and blinding (or lack there...
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Mini: Victim vs. Warrior

August 25, 2025 • 18 mins
There is a proposal that there is a dichotomy in human activities (specifically the cognitive ones) that can be characterized as a "warrior" mentality or a "victim" mentality. Any dichotomy that attempts to clasffiy behavior this way is going to have substantial limitations. We suggest that this discinction can be helpful in some ways, but seems highly toxic in others. 

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Links and References: 
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The Psychology of Pain

August 20, 2025 • 65 mins
Pain can be conceptualized physiologically, neurologically, and behaviorally. We review the physiological and neurological components of pain, and then spend considerable time considering the behavioral aspects of pain. It's a subject that seems straight forward on the surface, but has a surprising amount of complexity, nuance, and disagreement. It might seem nice to not be able to feel pain, but this is actually very dangerous. Al...
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    Mini: Magic Eye

    August 18, 2025 • 18 mins
    Autostereograms, better known as "Magic Eye" puzzles, are a unique 2D art in which repeated images create a 3D image, but you have to focus your eyes in just the right way to see it. We explain the history of this illusion, how it works, and how to see it. Futher, we explain why you see it as either 3D or inverted. Do you see the illusion? 

    Get ad-free episodes and help us continue doing our thing: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

    Links...
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