A Bit More Complicated – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we were joined by Dr. Amy Muise to discuss sex: how couples navigate different sexual desires in relationships, how cuddling improves sexual satisfaction, how much sex is enough sex, and sex in consensual nonmonogamy relationships. We also discuss Amy's recent debunk of "love languages."

Resources:

• Webpage: https://www.amymuise.com/ 

• Lab instagram: https://www.instagram.com/share.research/
• Good, Giving, and Game: The Relationship Benefits of Communal Sexual Motivation: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/615a20501ce896399f8d5a13/t/617dda90aed0153084cbb6b3/1635637905317/Good%2C+Giving%2C+and+Game-+The+Relationship+Benefits+of+Communal+Sexual+Motivation.pdf
• Measurement of communal strength: https://clarkrelationshiplab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Measurement%20in%20communal%20strength.pdf
• positivity resonance: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315564296-12/broaden-build-theory-meets-interpersonal-neurobiology-lens-compassion-positivity-resonance-barbara-fredrickson-daniel-siegel
• The costs and benefits of sexual communal motivation for couples coping with vulvodynia: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-05298-001
• Post Sex Affectionate Exchanges Promote Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-014-0305-3
• Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, But More is Not Always Better: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550615616462
• Sexual need fulfillment and satisfaction in consensually nonmonogamous relationships: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0265407518774638
• Popular Psychology Through a Scientific Lens: Evaluating Love Languages From a Relationship Science Perspective: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09637214231217663
  

This is a first episode about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Our guest, Dr. Steven David is a scholar of international relations and security studies, and he discussed the conflict with us. This conversation largely explores the conflict from an Israeli (specifically a progressive Zionist) perspective. There are many issues we did not discuss, but we will likely explore in future episodes.

Note: The episode was recorded on 1/16/2024, and reflects the information that was available at the time.

Sources:

• New York Times coverage of Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza
• David, S. R. (2012). Existential threats to Israel: learning from the ancient past. Israel Affairs, 18(4), 503-525.
• David, S. R. (2018). Existential threats to Israel. In Contemporary Israel (pp. 299-316). Routledge.
• David, S. R. (2019). Coping with an existential threat: Israel and Iran under Netanyahu. In Israel Under Netanyahu (pp. 197-215). Routledge.
• Israel’s Construction of Iran as an Existential Threat: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26378543
• 
  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03932729.2013.787829
• 
  https://www.jstor.org/stable/23039625
  

In this episode we have a discussion with Dr. Erica Anderson about the consensus (and lack thereof) within the trans healthcare community. Topics include: conservative anti-trans legislation, ROGD, desistence, affirmative care vs explorative therapy, trans healthcare in Europe, and the ethics of debating trans healthcare in the popular press.

Sources:

• WPATH statement opposing discussion in the lay press: https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/Public%20Policies/2021/Joint%20WPATH%20USPATH%20Letter%20Dated%20Oct%2012%202021.pdf
• ROGD leaked out of academia and was used to oppose trans healthcare: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/18/1057135/transgender-contagion-gender-dysphoria/
• Steensma research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21216800/
• An academic critique of the Steensma research: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15532739.2018.1456390?src=recsys
• Texas anti-trans law: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/texas-senate-passes-sweeping-ban-to-prohibit-trans-youth-and-adults-from-receiving-necessary-medical-care
• 500+ anti-trans bills: https://translegislation.com/

Dylan and Manny chat with Dr. Chris Ferguson about the “social media hypothesis” of mental health. Dr. Ferguson is a clinical psychologist and professor at Stetson University. His research speciality is in media technology, and has co-written Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong. We talk about social comparison, suicide, moral panics, the “nocebo effect,” and more. The three of us push back against the popular view that social media use is causing poor mental health, but we remain very open to other viewpoints so feel free to disagree with us!

Dr. Ferguson’s column for Psychology Today, and his piece on the social media hypothesis.

Dylan’s articles on this topic:

• Why I'm Skeptical About the Link Between Social Media and Mental Health

• Facebook Deactivation and the Nocebo Effect 

• Social Media and the Magical Mirror

• Social Media and the Black Cat Fallacy 

Academic Papers & Summaries:

• ⁠Social media use, economic recession and income inequality in relation to trends in youth suicide in high-income countries: a time trends analysis⁠
• ⁠The Welfare Effects of Social Media⁠ 
• ⁠How Adolescents Use Social Media to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness and Anxiety During COVID-19 Lockdown⁠ 
• ⁠Teenagers aren’t as lonely in lockdown if interacting positively online⁠ 

Image by ⁠Pixelkult⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠ 

In this episode, we interview Stanford psychology professor, Dr. Greg Walton. We discuss:

• The successful ways that Greg has used "wise interventions" to address social problems like educational inequalities.
• The importance of social belonging and how feelings of belonging uncertainty can create a downward spiral.
• Most importantly: Greg's new paper in Science! We focus on what the social belonging intervention is, why it worked, how the effects are influenced by the social context, how universities can learn from the intervention, and how many more students would graduate if the intervention was used at more institutions!

Citations:

• Where and with whom does a brief social-belonging intervention promote progress in college?: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4420
• A brief intervention to improve college success and equity (companion perspectives piece to the Science article): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh7681?intcmp=trendmd-sci
• A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.92.1.82
• A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1198364
• Social-Psychological Interventions in Education : They're Not Magic https://umaine.edu/provost/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2018/11/Social-Psychological-Interventions-in-Education-Theyre-Not-Magic-Yeager-Walton.pdf
• Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-49648-001
• Seed and Soil: Psychological Affordances in Contexts Help to Explain Where Wise Interventions Succeed or Fail: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0963721420904453

Find the intervention materials here: https://collegetransitioncollaborative.org/resources/

In this episode of the podcast we take a crash course on transgender identity and terminology, statistics on transition and stigma (and associated mental health issues) within the trans community, transition in adults and kids, gender-affirming care, and the difficulties faced by trans individuals who engage with the medical system to get care. Dr. McLamore is bursting at the seams with knowledge on the topic, so there are more citations than usual. We had a much longer conversation than we could publish, but please read their writing in Aeon for more info.

• 2023 anti-trans bills tracker: https://translegislation.com/

• Dr. McLamore’s google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-K4hkmsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

• Disarming transphobia: ‘Rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ is a popular weapon in the anti-trans arsenal. It is nothing but unscientific bunk’: https://aeon.co/essays/the-real-reason-why-theres-a-global-rise-in-trans-youth

• Two-Spirit Community: https://lgbtqhealth.ca/community/two-spirit.php#:~:text=The%20creation%20of%20the%20term,term%20niizh%20manidoowag%2C%20two%20spirits.

• Caster Semenya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya

• What is Gender Dysphoria in the DSM-5-TR?: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria

• Bostock vs clayton county: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostock_v._Clayton_County#:~:text=Clayton%20County%2C%20590%20U.S.%20___,they%20are%20gay%20or%20transgender.

• Most states allow a “LGBT panic defense”: https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/panic_defense_bans

• Michael Knowles tweeting about overturning Bostock vs clayton county: https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1634987094698520576?lang=en

• Michael Knowles speaking at CPAC about trans people: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pU9y9dcM5NQ

• Trans people are marginalized: https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

• Gender affirming care reduces mental health issues: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/suicidality-transgender-adults/

• APA supports gender affirmation: https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/division-54-statement-gender-affirmative-care.pdf

• Many organizations support gender affirming care: https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/

• Case Report: Induced Lactation in a Transgender Woman: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/trgh.2017.0044 & https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/106/5/e2047/6123860

• Puberty blockers have been used since the 80s for precocious puberty: https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/Gender-Clinic-Puberty-Blockers-Handout.pdf

• Possible outcomes associated with puberty blocker use: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33320999/

• Rate of trans health care usage among kids: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/

• WPath guidelines for trans healthcare: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644

• Doctor training on trans issues are inadequate: 

• doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.09.042

• doi:10.1186/1472-6963-12-110

• doi:10.36834/cmej.36785

• doi:10.1111/medu.13796

• doi:10.1071/PY19102

• doi:10.2147/AMEP.S147183

In this episode, we are joined by Andrew Devendorf to discuss mental health stigma and how--even among mental health professionals--people often have to hide their mental health conditions or receive social backlash for them. We discuss how this effects research, clinical work, youtube videos, and the broader culture.

1. Suicidal ideation in non-depressed individuals: The effects of a chronic, misunderstood illness: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1359105318785450?journalCode=hpqa

2. Stigmatizing Our Own: Self-Relevant Research (Me-Search) Is Common but Frowned Upon in Clinical Psychological Science: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/21677026221141655

3. Depression presentations, stigma, and mental health literacy: A critical review and YouTube content analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735820300313

4. Only Human: Mental-Health Difficulties Among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology Faculty and Trainees: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17456916211071079?journalCode=ppsa

Additional articles: 

1. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12752
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/
3. Trump has narcissistic personality disorder, says leading psychoanalyst: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-narcissistic-personality-disorder-mary-trump-john-zinner-bandy-x-lee-a9665856.html

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Beth Livingston to take a critical look at a recent paper that criticized "woke" DEI efforts.

Waldman & Sparr - Rethinking Diversity Strategies: An Application of Paradox and Positive Organization Behavior Theories

Thomason, Opie, Livingston & Sitzmann: “Woke” Diversity Strategies: Science or Sensationalism?

Woke (Dictionary.com)

Stop WOKE act was deemed unconstitutional

Amy Wax says white culture is superior

Chris Rufo's work is misleading and dishonest

Manhattan institute

Discovery institute

Some substantive critiques of diversity trainings: 

‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might. 

Rethinking Diversity Training 

African American Museum site removes ‘whiteness’ chart after criticism from Trump Jr. and conservative media 

Randomized placebo-controlled RCT on outcomes for diversity training

In this episode, we interview Dr. Adam Mastroianni. We discuss misperceptions about social progress and political hatred. We also have an extended discussion about the problems with the scientific system of peer review and what we can do to fix those problems.

Adam's Blog: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/

Adam's article on misperceptions about society: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/youre-probably-wrong-about-how-things

Adamn's article on political hatred: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/the-great-myths-of-political-hatred

Adam's article on peer review: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-peer-review
People are not as divided as we think: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/no-america-is-not-on-the-cusp-of-a-civil-war

Adam's peer reviewed work on misperceptions: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2107260119

Nosek peer review paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1047840X.2012.692215?casa_token=VW9tufGR3c4AAAAA%3AYNjm4dcV7FB1Xe8jyz_IFo9AttZeLTjdqpD-kygJCqPDMSFrG7H-pxdMSlmeFBBxwdJJmWa3jqGT

“Elsevier makes 40% profit”: https://tidsskriftet.no/en/2020/08/kronikk/money-behind-academic-publishing

In this episode, we discuss the high profile case of Steven Robert's mistreatment at Perspective on Psychological Science (PoPS). We recorded an interesting and productive discussion with Steven, but he decided against publication of our conversation with him. We thought this topic was too important to not do an episode on, so we recorded our thoughts on the subject without Steven. 

The episode includes: Steven's post-PoPS experiences (that he said we could share with the audience), our thoughts on the 2020 paper, our thoughts on his treatment at PoPS, and finally what we think about the academic critiques he received.  

1. Steven Roberts 2020 paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620927709
2. Steven Roberts pre-print commentary outlining his experience at PoPS: https://psyarxiv.com/xk4yu
3. Hommels critique: https://psyarxiv.com/hvgrm/
4. Stanovich’s commentary: http://keithstanovich.com/Site/Essays_files/Stanovich_Commentary_on_Hommel.pdf
5. Stroebe’s commentary: https://psyarxiv.com/prj36/
6. Jussim’s commentary: https://sites.rutgers.edu/lee-jussim/wp-content/uploads/sites/135/2022/12/Diversity-of-Diversity-Jussim-accepted-revised-double-spaced-2.0.pdf
7. Jussim’s blog: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/notes-from-a-witch-hunt
8. One of the field experiments showing discrimination in academia: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-15680-001
9. Meta-analysis of hiring discrimination studies: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1706255114
10. Meta-analysis of housing discrimination studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1489223
11. Study showing that URM scholars often have prosocial goals in their research:
12. Manny’s article about the psychological roots of racism: https://www.thepipettepen.com/rejecting-the-roots-of-racist-research/
13. Letter in support of Steven Roberts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O212esQJDYVuiuvN3OQLg7YOD58PbhlmFjfYV3nREU4/mobilebasic
14. Counter-letter: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/invitation-to-sign-letter-protesting