The Armen Show

What are internal family systems in terms of therapy? How are shame and guilt different and meant to be worked on? What does it take to bring about tangible change in a person’s well-being? Guest therapist Dr. Martha Sweezy joins myself and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson on episode 415 to discuss these topics and her […]

On episode 414, my guest University of Delaware Professor Dannagal Young, author of “Wrong”, joins myself and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson. “In Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation, expert in media and politics Dannagal Goldthwaite Young offers a comprehensive model that illustrates how political leaders and media organizations capitalize on our […]

Optimization is the driving principle of our modern world. We now can manufacture, transport, and organize things more cheaply and faster than ever. Optimized models underlie everything from airline schedules to dating site matches. We strive for efficiency in our daily lives, obsessed with productivity and optimal performance. How did a mathematical concept take on […]

Here are the 8 things I cover in this episode, from my experience through running the show:

The long history of China’s relationship between stability, diversity, and prosperity, and how its current leadership threatens this delicate balance Chinese society has been shaped by the interplay of the EAST—exams, autocracy, stability, and technology—from ancient times through the present. Beginning with the Sui dynasty’s introduction of the civil service exam, known as Keju, in 587 CE—and […]

Jessica Carew Kraft, journalist and author of “Why We Need To Be Wild: One Woman’s Quest For Ancient Human Answers To 21st Century Problems”, joins myself, Armen Shirvanian, and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson on episode 410 of the show, where we discuss her book, rewilding, reconnecting with nature, how we survived in the past, and […]

“The effort to destroy facts and make America ungovernable didn’t come out of nowhere. It is the culmination of seventy years of strategic denialism. In On Disinformation, Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of […]

A “problem of twelve” arises when a small number of institutions acquire the means to exert outsized influence over the politics and economy of a nation. The Big Four index funds of Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, and BlackRock control more than twenty percent of the votes of S&P 500 companies—a concentration of power that’s unprecedented […]

When it comes to the dating landscape, you want to know what is happening and why it is happening. What causes attraction, and what makes for great relationships? What do internet shows on these topics say, and what messages are worth listening to? We cover this on episode 407 with returning guest Macken Murphy and […]

“In the scientific literature, I found confirmation of what I was hearing. In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the national lockdown cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation Loneliness is far more than just a bad […]

The social internet landscape continues to change rapidly, and a lot of people’s time is involved in the various applications in use. Recently, Threads came out from Meta, while TikTok continues to grab lots of attention and Instagram is one of the most default applications for people meeting each other. Within these applications, there are […]

There’s an unspoken assumption when you go to see a doctor: the doctor knows your medical story and is making decisions based on that story. But the reality frequently falls short. Medical records vanish when we switch doctors. Critical details of life-saving treatment plans get lost in muddled electronic charts. The doctors we see change […]

In this episode, we cover the topic of the big change in social media of the past decade, from a socially-based graph of our connections that is about familiarity, to an interest-based graph of our connections that is meant for discovery of novel creators and individuals. With guest cohost Rebecca Faith Lawson, we go into […]

Livestream on your unique nature Reuploaded here after being streamed as episode 402

Hello and welcome to episode 401 with Jeff Lawson, theologian and elder at Faith Sarasota. This talk covered a range of life messages, and was an in-person one that went into a few topics of understanding and growth. Jeff’s passion is to utilize his gifts that facilitate an atmosphere that seeks to promote the goal […]

We have made it into the 400s here on the show. On this one here, I do a brief recap of the past 100 episodes, picking out a few that were notable along the way, and give a little preview of things I would like to include in the 400s. This episode has a new […]

What does it take to do creative experimentation, and what can you get out of it? How does one build and work on their focus and motivation? What is required to build a newsletter, and what is in the Stretch Letter newsletter. Charlotte Grysolle joins on the show from Belgium in episode 399 to cover […]

Embrace the future of creativity with “The Artificially Intelligent Creative,” a groundbreaking guide that will redefine the way you approach your creative projects. This comprehensive book will introduce you to the incredible potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and reveal how you can harness its power to revolutionize your artistic endeavors. It was written by Srinivas […]

Welcome to episode 397 of the show with Faith LeMasters, representing for sustainable fashion, and who has recently released a first issue of L’Avenir De La Mode Magazine. From the magazine description: “After interviewing with multiple designers and creatives, I realized there was a great need for designers, artists, and industry professionals to have a […]

Welcome to episode number 396 of the show, with the return of guest John De Froscia, originally of episode 6 early on in the program. In the past, we had spoken of history and travel, and while that comes into this episode, we discuss more about relationships, how society is at this time, and a […]

A world-renowned scientist and recipient of the National Medal of Science in 2011, Dr. Leroy Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in 2000, served as its first President from 2000-2017 and is a Professor and Chief Strategy Officer. In 2016, ISB affiliated with Providence where Dr. Hood now serves as Emeritus Science Advisor. […]

How is speech and ability to perform action affected by aging? On episode 394, Dr. Helen Nuttall of Lancaster University joins us to discuss effects of aging on speech, how our minds work in different capacities, and some of her research in the field. Dr. Nuttall is a Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience and a BBSRC […]

On this episode of the show, we bring back past guest Gary Kazazian for an update on happenings in his content-creation world, as well as in the fishing community that he participates in with California Surf Fishing and twin Kaspar, who has also been on the show. We go over his efforts, mindset in the […]

Hello and welcome to episode 392 of the show. In this one, I cover a variety of topics similar to what I covered on a livestream attempt a couple of days prior. This includes material on other podcasts, the personal development space, the space for relationships and dating, and some recent and upcoming episodes. Adding […]

Nita A. Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies. She is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy at Duke Law School, the Founding Director of Duke Science & Society, the Faculty Chair of the Duke MA in Bioethics & Science Policy, and principal […]

Welcome to a great multi-person discussion on episode 390 of the show, with two past guests returning to the program. In person with me during this recording in Florida is returning guest Rebecca Faith Lawson, while we have Bronwyn Williams of South Africa returning to the show remotely. We go over a few discussion topics […]

Sukun Chopra joins us on episode 389 of The Armen Show Podcast. Sukun helps to create emotional awareness in the world, and is podcast host of Becoming an Epic Being. We spoke about a variety of topics in relation to self-awareness, well-being, conflict resolution, and more. From her description, “We’ve all grown up with ideas […]

Brian S. Lowery is an American social psychologist. Lowery obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1996, and subsequently began graduate study at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a master’s degree in 1998 and a doctorate in 2002. Social psychologist and Stanford professor Brian Lowery presents […]

On this Food For Thought Friday with Rebecca, we go into a few topics of importance in society, with Rebecca Faith Lawson coming to us from the University of South Florida for an impromptu discussion on many fronts. We discuss some statistics on the nuclear family, polarization of views, those who do expressing versus those […]

Sheena Iyengar is the S. T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Department at Columbia Business School and the best-selling author of The Art of Choosing (2010). She is a leading expert on the study of innovation, choice, leadership, and creativity and regularly consults with a range of organizations on methods for innovation. She joins on […]

Dr. Susan Finkbeiner is a lecturer of Biology at California State University of Long Beach, as well as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Chicago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, and joins me on episode 385 […]

Professor Gloria Mark of UC Irvine joins on episode 384 of the show, where we go into detail on her latest book Attention Span. From Gloria’s bio, “My research area is human-computer interaction (HCI) studying the interplay of technology with individuals, groups, and society. I study how people interact with information technology in their everyday […]

Mikko Hermanni Hyppönen is a Finnish computer security expert, speaker and author. He is known for the Hyppönen Law about IoT security, which states that whenever an appliance is described as being “smart”, it is vulnerable. He joins us on episode 383, where we discuss malware, viruses, cyber warfare, and more from If It’s Smart, […]

Our guest on episode 382 of the show is Professor Erik Angner of Stockholm University, who joins me to discuss his book How Economics Can Save The World. “Economics has the power to make the world a better, happier and safer place: this book shows you how Our world is in a mess. The challenges […]

Welcome to episode 381 of the show, with my guest and host of Social Animal, Ruben. Ruben helps people connect with the people around them, and, as we get into in the episode, helps individuals not censor themselves and the things that speak to them. On Social Animal, Ruben goes out with individuals for a […]

Professor Chiara Russo Krauss is a researcher at University of Naples Federico II, Department of Humanities, who serves as Associate Professor in History of Philosophy, and who is interested in introspection and introspectionism, history of psychology, 19th and 20th century philosophy. She joins on episode 380, where we discuss and preview some material from upcoming […]

In this wide-ranging, deeply researched account, Murray Pittock examines the place of Scotland in the world. Pittock explores Scotland and Empire, the rise of nationalism, and the pressures on the country from an increasingly monolithic understanding of “Britishness.” From the Thirty Years’ War to Jacobite risings and today’s ongoing independence debates, Scotland and its diaspora […]

Joining us on episode 378 is Dr. Temple Grandin, author of Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, […]

Our guest on episode 377 of the show is John Coogan, technologist, YouTuber, and co-founder of Soylent and Lucy. He has been an entrepreneur for a decade across multiple companies, and has brought forward marketing, ecommerce strategy, engineering, and finance to where he worked. Aside from his company work, he has become a great storyteller […]

Advances in medicine have made possible better treatments for widespread, familiar human illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet there are thousands of much less common diseases, most of genetic origin, each classed as “rare” because it afflicts only a small number of people. These patient groups were long ignored by a pharmaceutical industry […]

Rama Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering and chief scientist at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, is a pioneer in the area of artificial intelligence. His work in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning have had a profound impact on areas including biometrics, smart cars, […]

Dr. Barbaro holds a Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization in evolution and human development from Oakland University. She is currently an Educational Research Scientist for WGU Labs, an Adjunct Professor at Utah Valley University, and the Communications Officer for the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. Outside of her formal work, she spends the majority of her time reading non-fiction […]

Jana Gallus is an assistant professor in the strategy group at UCLA Anderson. Her research interests lie in behavioral economics, strategy, and innovation, with a focus on recognition incentives and their effects on decision-making. She investigates how incentive schemes can be designed to enhance employee motivation and organizational performance in the private, public, and nonprofit […]

Joining us on episode 372 is Dr. Marion Labouré, author of Democratizing Finance: The Radical Promise of Fintech. She is Senior Economist at Deutsche Bank in London and an associate of the department of economics at Harvard University. Regarding what “Democratizing Finance” covers, “We are only in the early stages of a broader revolution that will impact […]

Professor Andrew Shtulman is a cognitive developmental psychologist who studies conceptual development and conceptual change, particularly as they relate to science education. He is a Professor of Cognitive Science and Psychology at Occidental College, and chair of its Psychology department. His research explores both the acquisition of domain-specific concepts and the development of domain-general inference […]

Welcome to episode 370 with Dr. Michael Shermer, author of “Conspiracy”, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine. “This book is a must read for understanding conspiracy theories, who believes them and why, and how to counter them. When author Michael Shermer saw the video of a […]

Jacob Soll is professor of history and accounting at the University of Southern California. He received a B.A. from the University of Iowa, a D.E.A. from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France, and a Ph.D. from Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He has been awarded numerous prestigious prizes including two NEH […]

Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, and business trends analyst. “Bronwyn, from Johannesburg, South Africa has a background which includes experience in strategic management, trend research and foresight; consulting to clients in the public and private sector across the African continent. Her educational credentials include tertiary qualifications in Marketing Management (University of Johannesburg), Economics (University […]

How does one use victimhood for resources, and what qualities does such a person possess? What can we get when scientists of differing viewpoints work together? Can one be motivated to look at free will in others differently based on a view of their moral nature? I discuss these topics and more with returning guest […]

What can we learn about different species that exist on the planet, and the world that they live in? What kinds of senses do they make use of, and what do we share with our fellow species? I discuss some of what is covered on the Species podcast, along with the topics of female infidelity […]