The Human Behavior Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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In today’s episode, we’re flipping the lens inward. You’ve heard us talk about reading the world around you — the external baseline — but what about reading yourself? 

What It Is (Street Definition)

Your internal baseline is your mental operating system. It’s the framework that shapes how you see, think, and react under stress. It’s built from everything you’ve lived, learned, and believed:

• Past Experiences: The lessons, scars, and memories that form your personal rulebook.
• Training & Conditioning: The shortcuts and instincts your brain relies on when there’s no time to think.
• Values & Beliefs: The unseen filters that shape what you think is right, wrong, or risky.
• Policies & Procedures: The internal and external rules you follow (often unconsciously).
• Cognitive Limits: The hard caps of being human: fatigue, stress, emotion, and biology. 

The core question: “Where do I think I am — and where am I actually?”
The gap between what you believe and what’s real determines how well you can sense, decide, and act.

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In this powerful and highly practical episode, we unpack one of the most important (and misunderstood) aspects of human behavior analysis: the concept of baseline plus anomaly equals decision (B + A = D). 

During the episode, we dive deep into why our cultural obsession with "red flags" and anomalies often leads us astray, and why everything starts with understanding normal.

We also challenge the reactive approach to behavior analysis that seeks checklists for “bad actors” and instead, we show how developing a high-fidelity, context-rich baseline is the real key to situational awareness and predictive analysis. We briefly explore the origins of the Combat Hunter program, and provide real-world examples (from garbage day confusion to gas station parking lots), and illustrate how unconscious pattern recognition drives both correct and incorrect decisions.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why context is king in behavioral observation
• How your brain already makes constant baseline-anomaly comparisons and how to do it better
• Why focusing only on anomalies can lead to dangerous blind spots
• How to build robust baselines using simple daily exercises
• What professionals (LE, military, teachers, EMTs) can do to spot pre-event indicators earlier

This episode is a must-listen for anyone in high-stakes roles, parents, educators, or anyone who wants to improve their ability to "read the room" (and their world)  with greater clarity and confidence.

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What if you could spot danger before it materializes? What if your decision-making advantage wasn't about reacting faster, but about seeing what others miss entirely? 

The gift of time and distance isn't just tactical jargon—it's a profound cognitive framework that separates reactive individuals from those who shape outcomes. This episode dives deep into how early detection of critical cues combined with expanded decisional space creates a powerful cognitive edge in both high-stakes and everyday situations.

We explore the fascinating paradox of human perception: we're wired with incredible pattern recognition abilities, yet our emotional responses often hijack these systems exactly when we need them most. The true masters of situation awareness aren't necessarily the tactical experts—they're those who can process information differently, identifying the symptoms of developing situations long before they manifest.

Through compelling real-world examples—from hostage negotiations to everyday safety practices—we demonstrate how this approach transcends professional domains. The concept isn't about paranoia or hypervigilance; it's about calibrating your attention to notice what matters. Simple habits like checking store interiors before entering, understanding normal environmental patterns, or pausing briefly before making decisions can dramatically improve your cognitive positioning.

Perhaps most importantly, we address why these seemingly obvious practices are so rarely implemented consistently. The emotional impulse to act immediately, the false comfort of routine, and our natural tendency toward immediate gratification all compete against our better judgment. Yet with consistent practice and a framework like our HBPRA methodology, these skills become second nature.

Ready to develop your cognitive edge? Join us as we unpack the strategies that transform reactive individuals into proactive decision makers. Whether you're in law enforcement, business, education, or simply want to navigate life more effectively, this episode provides actionable insights to anticipate problems before they escalate and identify opportunities others miss entirely.

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Today Greg and I are explaining what we mean when we say, “it’s the little things that matter.” We start the episode by defining what we mean when WE use that phrase, and we also explain why humans are so susceptible to missing the “little things” in their environment. 

During the episode we give some street definitions to the limitations in cognitive performance that affect our attention including things like adaptation, change blindness, channel capacity, and sequencing. We also give some examples of how you can help counter the effects of these natural processes.

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Check us out on The Standard Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-a-swivel/id1225747138?i=1000585080794

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Today we are joined by our friend retired US Army Colonel Bill Edwards who has over 35 years of expertise in operational/technical security, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, surveillance, and counter-surveillance. Bill also has extensive experience in private sector security design and consulting and his work spans a myriad of market sectors, including professional sports, transportation, commercial, healthcare, cultural institutions, religious institutions, and city, county, state, and federal government projects.

We asked Bill to come on the show to talk about his book called “Inside Abu Ghraib: Memoirs of two U.S. Intelligence officers” that he wrote about his first deployment to Iraq. During the episode Bill shares a number of stories from his book but he also talks about some of the work that he has been doing in the private sector and how the lessons he learned from that deployment carry over into the business world.

If you are interested in getting a hold of Bill, please check out the episode details and I would highly recommend picking up a copy of his book, you can find a link in the episode details as well.  

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Bill Edwards: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-edwards/

Inside Abu Ghraib: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Abu-Ghraib-Military-Intelligence/dp/1476686734/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AVPRJSWCOPMG&keywords=inside+abu+ghraib+book&qid=1667841847&sprefix=inside+Abu+grr%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1

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Today we are talking about why it is so easy for people to fall for ambush style attacks and how our own brain can work against us sometimes. During the episode we cover a number of topics including things like recognition, conserving calories, and how to look for danger and opportunity in every environment.  

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

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More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

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More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

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On today’s episode we are talking to a former student of ours, Austin Sohr. We invited Austin onto the show because he has a very unique story of how he took the same skills that he was using to target ISIS terrorist cells, and used them to become a more social, outgoing person. 

In the episode we touch on a number of topics including proprioception, cultural norms, stereotypes, and sociological imperatives that explain why people do the things they do.

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

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More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

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On today’s episode we are talking about a number of recent incidents that have occurred at various fast food drive through windows where either the customer shoots at the employees, or the employees shoot at the customers because there was some type of a problem with their food order.   

During the episode we explain how different societal issues help create the conditions that negatively affect individual behavior and lead to a lack of critical thinking and poor decision-making. 

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeftOfGreg

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LeftOfGreg

More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

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Website: https://thehumanbehaviorpodcast.buzzsprout.com/share

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More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

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On todays episode we are talking about a topic that many of you are familiar with and is often called “check in the box training.” This conversation centers around a recent Army Times article where the Sergeant Major of the Army as well as the Army Chief of Staff talked about how much time is wasted doing online training and they even went as far as to say not to do it!

 During the episode we get into a number of areas including the difference between training and education and our over reliance on online platforms. We also give a number of examples on how to use these systems in an effective manner as well as plenty of examples of how NOT to use online education. 

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Show Article: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/09/13/dont-do-it-senior-leaders-say-soldiers-should-stop-taking-mandatory-online-classes.html

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In this weeks episode we are talking about a recent high profile case from Memphis where a woman was killed while she was going for an early morning run. In the episode, we talk about out how things like denial can cause us to miss important cues in our environment and how in this case the offender targeted the victim, but not in the way that you might think.

Please don’t forget to follow us on social media, you can find the links in the episode details and if you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends about it. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeftOfGreg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_left_of_greg_podcast/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LeftOfGreg

More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

Support the show

Website: https://thehumanbehaviorpodcast.buzzsprout.com/share

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHumanBehaviorPodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehumanbehaviorpodcast/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArcadiaCognerati

More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/