Two Guys on Your Head

There are some things that just feel like they’re true. For example, the idea that people who are gifted musicians are also good at learning math, or vice versa. However, there isn’t any data that suggests that there are any links in the brain between these proclivities. As Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke […] The post Math, Music, and The Brain appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We have a limited number of ways to experience the world psychologically, but many ways to interpret that experience. In that interpretation, the words we use are very important and perhaps in surprising ways. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the language we […] The post The Language of Emotion appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A listener wrote in: “Please take a moment to address why September 11, 2001, is still a cultural touchstone, but February 26, 1993, was so easily forgotten.” Thank you for the question Bob M. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about remembering 9/11 and […] The post Outcome Bias appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

When we live through a profound and historic event we have a different understanding of it than if we just read about it. That has a complex and interesting significance on how we see the world. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the […] The post Remembering 9/11 appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

As humans, we don’t come ready to interact with the world when we are born. We have to learn a language, we have to learn how to roll over, to walk, to hold things, we have to learn all kinds of things. One thing that psychologists have been asking for a long time is how […] The post Learning Conflict Resolution appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Why do we continue to believe in ideas that sound scientific long after they have been scientifically proven to be incorrect? That is the question that Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take on in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head. The post Bad Science (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Lila Gleitman was an American professor of psychology and linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. who passed on August 8, 2021, at the age of 91. She was an internationally renowned expert on language acquisition and developmental psycholinguistics, focusing on children’s learning of their first language. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, […] The post Lila Gleitman appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We make sense of things by creating stories about them; our brains want to connect the dots. But it turns out that life has its own sequence that sometimes doesn’t make much sense. This brings us to COVID and the illogical logic of the evolution of the virus that keeps going even after some thought […] The post The Story of COVID and Processing Grief appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Mentorships can be helpful if they are set up well. Yet, as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke point out in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, so often they’re not. The post Building Effective Mentorships appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There are a lot of resources and people who offer advice every day, but not all advice is equal. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of giving and taking advice. The post The Psychology of Advice appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We’ve all been through a lot during the COVID 19 pandemic, and some of us are deciding to use it as an opportunity to take a leap into the unknown. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, we talk about the psychology of making big […] The post The Pandemic and Big Life Changes appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We express a lot with our gestures, but as Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke discuss in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, there is a lot more than communication happening when we’re waving our hands or bobbing our heads. The post Gestures appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Almost every individual on this planet has been impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, and with the vaccines for COVID now available many of us are seeing a light at the end of this very long and devastating tunnel. Yet, even though the vaccines are safe and effective some people who have access to them […] The post Vaccinations and Psychology appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Social psychologist Edward Diener, nicknamed Dr. Happiness and known for his pioneering research into what defined contentment, died on April 27 at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 74. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke we remember the life and work of […] The post Edward Diener appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, there are the known knowns, the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns; and it’s in the latter that the most cause for concern arises. What we don’t know we don’t know but think we know can be dangerous, and in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. […] The post The Illusion of Explanatory Depth appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It can be enjoyable, even exciting, and inspiring to watch TED Talks or read self-help books, or even listen to this show. But the truth is, doing these things won’t solve the big problems. Just taking in information cannot feed the world, won’t treat depression, and can’t change behavior; these things take a lot of […] The post The Continued Problem With TED Talks appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

What is it about online shopping that makes us feel so good, even when we don’t actually purchase anything? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke take stock of the psychology behind the online shopping experience. The post Online Shopping appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It’s tough to eliminate bias and noise from any decision we make, so how do we deal with all the noise and bias in our life? As Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, prioritizing what’s most important can help. The post Confronting Noise and Bias appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There is a lot of talk in our society today about eliminating bias from decision making, but it turns out that even if you could do that there are things influencing your decisions that are still beyond your control. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about […] The post Noise Vs. Bias appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may think when we are oohing and aahing at little babies that we are just having fun, but they’re actually learning a lot about language and communication. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of infant-directed speech. The post Infant-Directed Speech appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The idea that money doesn’t make you happy is easy to get behind if you have it, but if you don’t it’s a hard one to buy into (pun intended). Yet the correlation between money and happiness is more complicated than one might think. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art […] The post Money and Happiness (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Why is it hard to have just one of those delicious slices of pound cake over the holidays? It turns out it has less to do with the creamy butter and more to do with the way our brains react to those white sweet grains of sugar. In this edition of Two Guys on Your […] The post Sugar and The Brain (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may think that being able to pay attention to two or more things at the same time is a character trait. We say, “so and so is just scatterbrained and can’t focus on more than one thing.” But the truth is none of us can. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. […] The post Selective Attention appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There is an observation in psychology that looks at how people behave when they have not lived up to the expectations they set for themselves; the “What The Hell Effect.” In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about, not only what it is, but why it is. The post The What The Hell Effect (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may underestimate the role that our emotions of an event play in our memory of that event. But it turns out there are ways to manipulate those memories and separate the emotion out; even from Flashbulb memories. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk […] The post Memory, Trauma, and Treating PTSD (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We’ve all heard of it, but what is it? On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of the midlife crisis. The post The Midlife Crisis appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may use the saying, “it’s a slippery slope,” without knowing the full psychological dimensions of it. That’s why in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, we asked Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke to explore what the saying actually entails. The post The Slippery Slope appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

You’ve heard the saying, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” But does that literally mean you have to put yourself in someone’s position in order to understand where they are coming from? As Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, according to a […] The post Embodied Empathy appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

From a Views and Brews recorded live at the Cactus Cafe in 2019, KUT’s Rebecca McInroy talks with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke about the psychology behind how to interviewing for a job. The post Interviewing For a Job (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It can be hard to talk with kids about tough things; a death or sickness in the family, the loss of a job, mental illness, the list goes on. But as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, learning strategies for opening up conversations is better […] The post Talking With Your Kids About Difficult Subjects appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Selfishness gets a bad rap, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, taking time for yourself is a necessity. The post Selfishness appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Holding the attention of a group isn’t easy, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, a little confidence can go a long way. The post Group Attention and Confidence appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

When it comes to disasters and preparing for them there is a lot we might not consider. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of being in the midst of catastrophe (in this case a very cold one) and how to mentally focus in […] The post Disasters and Preparedness appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

You may think that bookending a critique in two compliments is a good strategy, but it turns out it has unintended negative consequences. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of the “sh*t sandwich.” The post The Sh*t Sandwich appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Loyalty is an interesting and elusive concept. As much as we may profess our loyalty to a certain organization, institution, person, belief system, etc. if that bond–as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, –is only as strong as your last dissenting act, it may be time […] The post Loyalty and Dissent appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may think we understand history from the classes we took in school. Yet, there is so much more to the events and the players than we memorized in class. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about how biographies add a missing dimension to the psychology of […] The post Biography appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It can be hard to lose, and at times, to play by the rules, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, politics is more than just a game. The post Playing and Losing By The Rules appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There are a lot of hopes riding on 2021, and those hopes have a lot to do with why categorization is so important. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of “The New Year.” The post The New Year appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We may take for granted our ability to count, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye! The post Numbers appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

When we have two things that are very similar to each other we might wonder, why do we have two when they seem to be the same? Turns out this is important for many reasons. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the principle of […] The post The Principle of Contrast appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This year’s holidays might look a lot different for many of us due to the pandemic and social distancing, but they don’t have to be all bad. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of virtual holidays. The post Virtual Holidays appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Developing new skills is about a lot more than practice. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the importance of building perceptual acuity. The post Perceptual Acuity appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

When we see something, like a chair, we are not only seeing the chair but our brains are also making calculations as to what that chair can afford us; give us a place to sit perhaps. It turns out that we are making those types of calculations all the time. In fact, the relationships change […] The post Perception and Affordance appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We might consider pessimism to be a negative attribute, but it turns out that sometimes pessimism can give us the energy we need we need in order to help us to accomplish our goals. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about defensive pessimism. The post Defensive Pessimism appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The ups and downs of rewards that praise participation in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke. The post Rewarding Mediocrity (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Failure is a word that carries a lot of baggage, arousing emotional responses that we’d usually rather avoid. But what about success? Why does the thought of success conjure images and feelings of comfort and satisfaction? This week, Two Guys on Your Head‘s Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke examine how the heights of success and […] The post Failure (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The stalwart engineer for Two Guys on Your Head, David Alvarez is throwing in the towel and turning his attention to the finer things in life. David has worked at KUT since 1982 and has been the engineer for Two Guys since our first recording back in 2013. In this edition of the show Dr. Art Markman, Dr. […] The post David Alvarez Retires appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

And they lived happily ever after, isn’t just a cliched ending, it’s psychologically destructive. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the myth of happiness. The post The Myth of Happiness appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We create stories for many reasons. Stories help us remember things, stories add meaning to our lives, and stories also create hierarchies of value–that much of the time hide more than they reveal about the past. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of the storyline. The post The Storyline appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Writer’s block! That phrase might induce panic and a recollection of a familiar experience. It’s a very common phenomenon. So what is it? In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain the ins and outs of how and why we sometimes get stuck – and what we can do to help […] The post Writer’s Block (Rebroadcast) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.