The Armen Show

How can we best navigate our social world to make a good impression and not err in showcasing our good qualities? What does it take to identify what the mistakes are in this category, and what kind of analysis should we do of the feedback that people give us? Professor Övül Sezer joins on episode […]

Can the history of a country be looked at differently through analysis of what was left behind and how things actually may have occurred? Are we able to see events more clearly with some space of time and a calmer moment in place. On episode 364, I speak with UC Irvine’s Professor Nicole Iturriaga on […]

What can we learn about free will? What layers are there to understand regarding the discussion between determinism and free will? I speak on these topics with Professor Alfred Mele of Philosophy at Florida State University on episode 363 of the show. He is the author of Free Will: An Opinionated Guide. Alfred Remen Mele […]

How are teens navigating a networked world? What are they doing on their smartphones, and what does their response say about the current moment? Is there something more than addiction to screens and connectivity going on? On episode 362, I discuss these topics with Dr. Emily Weinstein and Dr. Carrie James, co-authors of Behind Their […]

How are hierarchies formed, maintained and challenged? My guest on the topic of hierarchies, as well as the categories of dominance and prestige, is Dr. Kaylene McClanahan, postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She joins on episode 361 of The Armen Show. Kaylene McClanahan is a social scientist who researches social hierarchies. […]

Jennifer Jacquet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Director of XE: Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement at NYU. She is also deputy director of NYU’s Center for Environmental and Animal Protection. Her research focuses on animals and the environment, Agnotology, and attribution and responsibility in the Anthropocene. She is author of The Playbook: How to Deny Science, Sell […]

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance. He is the author of the new book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and The Surprising Science of Real Toughness. He is the coauthor of Peak Performance, The Passion Paradox, and the author of The Science of Running. Collectively his books have sold more than a quarter-million copies in print, ebook, […]

What kind of bigger-picture understanding can come with traveling to parts of the world and immersing yourself in the culture or activities, and connecting in-depth with locals? How can one’s internal confidence affect connection and physical linkage with others along the way? We cover these topics and more with attorney and world traveler Karin Lang […]

How do we think about minds that are not human? How do we look at recent efforts in technology that have come out with platforms able to compete with humans on certain tasks? Science writer Philip C. Ball joins us on episode 357 of The Armen Show to discuss these topics from his book The […]

You may have thought of the bond market as a relatively calm and uncompetitive location where the idea of getting big profits is not as common, but Bill Gross did not see it that way. In The Bond King: How One Man Made a Market, Built an Empire, and Lost It All, author Mary Childs […]

Welcome back guest Rebecca Faith Lawson to the show on episode 355, as we have a discussion live with the backdrop of the beach sands in place. We spoke here on Playa Del Rey Beach about the topics of authenticity, following your beliefs, not getting thrown off by others, perfectionist views, and more. The topic […]

Welcome to episode 354 of the show, live in person at Los Angeles Swim Week, which was having its first run-through in the LA area. Not only did we get to speak with art director and creative consultant Robby Devine on the show, but we had surprise guests Sydney Marcus and Amanda Clair join us […]

Attorney Jamie Susskind joins on episode 353 of the show, where we discuss his latest book The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century. Jamie Susskind is also author of the award-winning bestseller Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech (Oxford University Press, 2018), an Evening Standard and Prospect […]

Joining us on episode 352 of the show is Dr. Mike Liu, founder of FreeFuse. Dr. Liu has a Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has done research on Additive Manufacturing of CoCrMo using Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) to print compositional gradients and metal single structures. He […]

Professor Donald Hoffman, author of The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes, joins on episode 351 of the show. Donald David Hoffman is an American cognitive psychologist and popular science author. He is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department […]

Juliana Schroeder is an award-winning professor in the Management of Organizations group at the Haas School of Business. She is a faculty affiliate in the Social Psychology Department, the Cognition Department, and the Center for Human-Compatible AI at UC Berkeley. She teaches the Negotiations and Conflict Resolution course at Haas. She joins me on episode […]

“Our brains are the most complex machines known to humankind, but they have an Achilles heel: the very molecules that allow us to exist can also sabotage our minds. Here are gripping accounts of unruly molecules and the diseases that form in their wake.” On episode 349 of The Armen Show, we have guest Dr. […]

What is the difference between a citizen and a consumer? How can we become more involved in our society than we currently are? On episode 348, Jon Alexander and Ariane Conrad of the book Citizens join to discuss this concept, as well as steps in the writing process, and being a support for a creative. […]

Is there an intimacy famine in place at this time? Are people short of touch and connection that is vital for a healthy life? Indeed, “millions of people around the world are not getting the physical, emotional, and intellectual intimacy they crave.” Behavior scientist Dr. Michelle Drouin joins on episode 347 of the show to […]

Singer, songwriter, and voiceover artist Christina Aguinaga joins on episode 346, recorded with a great backdrop of the greenery and mountains. From her bio, “I’ve been using my voice for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading stories to my brother and sister, especially since we joined the reading program at the […]

N. J. Enfield is a professor and the chair of linguistics at the University of Sydney, and a research associate in the Language and Cognition Group at the Max Planck Institute. He joins on episode 345, where we discuss his latest book Language Vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists. […]

Welcome to episode 344 of the show with Professor Justin E. H. Smith, author of The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is, joining us on the program to discuss topics from his book. “An original deep history of the internet that tells the story of the centuries-old utopian dreams behind it—and explains why […]

Cities represent a place where wildlife once chose to be, and where we have come together with wildlife in the current moment. With wildlife thriving in cities, we have the opportunity to create vibrant urban ecosystems that serve both people and animals. The Accidental Ecosystem tells the story of how cities across the United States […]

Are you able to do one thing at a time with full presence or concentration? What are categories of life that we can look at to bring this full presence to? Self-improvement author and bibliophile Thatcher Wine joins us on episode 342 of the show to detail twelve such examples from his book The Twelve […]

When it comes to what we can learn about our senses from animals of the world, a lot is illuminated by Jackie Higgins, author of Sentient: How Animals Illuminate the Wonder of Our Human Senses. She joins on episode 341, with an array of organisms to present, along with the senses that those organisms inform […]

Following the great success of her first novel Le Tiers Temps, French novelist and producer Maylis Besserie has continued forward with her latest novel Les amours dispersées. She joins us from France on episode 340 of the show to discuss her novels, writing, themes from the content, and shares with us some of the elements […]

Ethical questions can come up in many facets of our life. What we do in a scenario says a lot about what we value, how we think about others, and I would add that it relates to our long-term well-being. On episode 339, returning guest Dr. Susan Liautaud brings her years of experience in the […]

Improvisation has taken language a far distance from its origination, with what we make up as we go adjusting the language over time. A delightful discussion on this topic ensues here with both past guest Professor Nick Chater and new guest Professor Morten H. Christiansen, co-authors of The Language Game: How Improvisation Created Language and […]

How important is language to the modernization of a nation? What did the modernization of Chinese have to do with making the country more modern? Professor Jing Tsu of Yale explores this topic in her latest book Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution That Made China Modern, and she joins on episode 337 of The […]

Can you rewire your soul and the parts of your mind that you want to work on? Fellow podcaster and content-creator Chris Boutte of The Rewired Soul Podcast joins us on episode 336 of the show to discuss the content he has made in recent years, along with his process. We have spoken with some […]

What can we know about smartphones being in the hands of everyone, and always remaining on? Are there hopeful elements that relate with this, as well as elements to be worried about? After his 40 years as technology correspondent for the BBC, author Rory Cellan-Jones wrote about this topic in his latest book Always On: […]

How does uncertainty apply in our emotional and political lives? On episode 334, Professor Sheila Jasanoff of Harvard opens a forum on uncertainty and democracy in her volume titled Uncertainty. The debate that follows explores the ideas about uncertainty and experts in a democracy, as well its scientific, philosophic, and emotional aspects. Sheila Jasanoff is […]

Here on 2/22/2022, episode 333 of the show makes its way with Professor Todd Kashdan of George Mason University, author of The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. If one wants to make a case for themselves that counters a view of superiors or others they are involved with, they have to […]

We want to up the electricity, and keep the voltage of our activity on a high note. What does it mean to have momentum in scaling, and then losing it after a period of time? What does it take to get to that high level of voltage in the first place? On episode 332, I […]

Welcome to episode 331 of the show, where we have journalist Florence Williams taking us through the personal and scientific story of a heartbreak in her book Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey. She showcases not only the personal element of the happening, but some of the scientific effects that come with the process. Florence […]

How far can influence take you? How can you be influential, while being ethical in the process? Yale Professor of Marketing Zoe Chance shares information on this topic, and is author of the book Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen. Professor Chance studies and teaches […]

As we make our way to episode 329 of the show, we switch things up with the creators of California Surf Fishing, a duo who fishes on the coast of California. Both Gary and Kaspar Kazazian have joined on previous episodes, but never both together and on video, and they join on this one to […]

How can the law make us better, and how does it connect with human behavior? In exploring the topic, authors Benjamin van Rooij and Adam Fine present many examples of how the law has been intended and applied. Professor van Rooij joins us on episode 328 to discuss this and more from his co-authored book […]

“Entities should not be multiplied without necessity” is the message behind Occam’s Razor, and seeking the simplest explanation for a conundrum is a strong force in science. On episode 327, Professor Johnjoe McFadden of the University of Surrey takes us through history, science, and philosophy, as connected with Occam’s Razor, in his latest book Life […]

The case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., 569 U.S. 576, was a case challenging the validity of gene patents in the United States, and few have explored the details of this case more thoroughly than attorney, professor, and author Jorge L. Contreras. His latest book The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal […]

Hello and welcome to episode 325 of the show, with guest Dr. Uma Naidoo, author of This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More. This book covers the relation between food and response in many categories of mental difficulty. Michelin-starred chef […]

Welcome to episode 324 of the show, with my guest Professor Stefanie K. Johnson of the University of Colorado-Boulder. Leadership and bringing uniqueness to teams are two topics of importance. On this episode, we discuss topics from her latest book Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams, a Wall Street Journal […]

Welcome to a special episode of The Armen Show, where we continue with our second panel of guests (link to the past panel), on the topic of economic thought, history, and ethics. Joining in on this special episode is Dr. Susan Liautaud, author of The Power of Ethics, Professor Emily Erikson, author of Trade and […]

What can we think about with regards to the upper end of the economic spectrum in the United States, other than the top 0.1%? The next 9.9 percent fit into a specific category of relevance in this country, competing in a different form than the other brackets, and their scenario comes with its own qualms. […]

Hello and welcome to episode 321 of the show, and we are glad to bring one full of messages about joy, being, and philosophy. Understanding the life we live is key. This one is an episode in person, and brings together discussion about creation in music, comedy, and social interaction. There is something good about […]

Here we are at episode 320 of the show, where I discuss various concepts from messages I had written down in snippets. From taking advantage of the specificity of the moment, responding effectively to the shock of life entropy, and keeping messages simple for prolific network spread, this episode covers a variety of material. The […]

Does our influence go further than we think of? Are people taking cues and guidance from us, when we are not even aware of it? Professor Vanessa Bohns of Cornell University is a social psychologist who has explored this topic in her latest book You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our […]

Actress and filmmaker Kat Fairaway returns on episode 318 of The Armen Show, and we discuss havaya, mindfulness, updates, and 9 quotes from the stoic philosophers Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Kat is an actress living in Los Angeles, who recently starred in three feature films released on Amazon and Lifetime, including: Kidnapped by a […]

Welcome to episode 317 of the show with Dr. Brandy Schillace, where we go into the story of surgeon Dr. Robert White and his transplant efforts. We discuss the story represented in her book Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul. Dr. Brandy Schillace […]

What can the lessons of the stoics do for us in 2021? What did these philosophers and thinkers know that could guide us in managing our emotions for a better outcome? Has stoicism become popularized in recent years, and what can we take from this change of pace? Professor Nancy Sherman of Georgetown University joins […]