Why We Do What We Do – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Why We Do What We Do

Abraham

Science

Education

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/6d. Total Eps: 609

We explain popular and weird, little-known ideas in psychology. Whether you are a little curious about psychology, or a student, or even a professional, we have something for everyone.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - socialSciences
20/08/2026
#35
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
16/08/2026
#100
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
30/07/2026
#80
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
29/07/2026
#66

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVXckOGvpMs
18 shares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zftZI1M1S2Y&amp
4 shares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXqnRMU1fTs
4 shares

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4841258/
6 shares
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1284147/
6 shares
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988750/
4 shares

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

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RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 59%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

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Imitation Imitation

Episode 386

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 • Duration 57:27

It is easy to dismiss some behaviors as "just" imitation. However, this is a crucial developmental skill that we rely on throughout our lifetimes. We explore the philosophy of what imitation is, how it develops, and when people struggle with it.

Recommendations

Abraham: Sagrada: Artisans (https://floodgate.games/products/sagrada-artisans?srsltid=AfmBOooELu9aa2H_Wc60JxmxQF2GqyRECy328sy1Kkkp3qbrLZZUGZWd)
Shane: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049403/)

Holidays (09/25/24)

Banned Websites Awareness Day
Binge Day
Comic Book Day
Math Story Telling Day
National Bakery Day
National Cooking Day
National Food Service Employees Day
National Lobster Day
National One-Hit Wonder Day
National Psychotherapy Day
National Research Administrators Day
National Tune Up Day
World Ataxia Awareness Day
World Dream Day
World Pharmacists Day
World School Milk Day
Banned Books Week
Deaf Dog Awareness Week
International Interpreters and Translators Week
Minimally Invasive Surgery Week
National Dog Week
National Farm Animals Awareness Week
Sea Otter Awareness Week
Tolkien Week
National Hispanic Heritage Week
Remember to Register to Vote Week

Links and References:

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

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The Electoral College pt. 1

Episode 381

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 • Duration 53:19

The electoral college is a strange system in the United States by which the president is "chosen" by a slate of people who represent the will of the voters, except when it doesn't. In this first episode, we explore the history of the electoral college and some of the unique instances in which a president achieved office without the majority of votes from the people because this system allows it. Next time, we will unpack the arguments for and against the electoral college.

Recommendations

Abraham: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes)
Shane: Press Club - Late Teens LP ( https://open.spotify.com/album/0qTuN1DHKnuCKMIkSxZR9a?si=c3G1KIU5SHO2o_pD9POy6A)

Holidays for 08/21/2024:

Spumoni Day
Finance Brokers Day
Brazilian Blowout Day
International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism
Internet Self Care Day
National Medical Dosimetrist Day
Poet’s Day
Senior Citizen’s Day
World Goat Day
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over (Week)
Minority Enterprise Development Week
National Aviation Week
Little League World Series
Hayden Panettiere’s bday

Links and References:

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Wokeism

Episode 310

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 • Duration 01:14:30

Wokeism has a much longer history than you might think and its original meaning has been appropriated and obfuscated beyond recognition. We break down the defintiion, the current application, and level a critical lens at "woke" culture. Warning: We discuss a few awful people doing awful things.
Vocab: Pejorative.

Recommendations:

Abraham: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (https://therokuchannel.roku.com/lp/weird)
Shane: Samiam - Stowaway (https://open.spotify.com/album/5EZd3zQ30PFR9Xtbcbp0EU?si=o-wT0RWXQOWCcog4WL0EtQ)

Links and References:

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

The Psychology of Swearing

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 • Duration 01:01:34

Swearing involves the use of taboo words considered coarse, blasphemous, or otherwise unacceptable in polite or formal speech to accentuate a statement. Contrary to the myth that frequent swearing reflects a poverty of vocabulary, research shows that people who use taboo words tend to have larger vocabularies and higher verbal fluency. Swearing serves different functions like expressing emotions, creating humor, and constructing identity. Additionally, some researchers believe swearing can provide stress relief in upsetting situations, like when one stubs their toe.

Recommendations

Abraham: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (https://www.dungeonsanddragons.movie/)
Shane: Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game by Greg Vecsey (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/90596)

Links and References:

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Facilitated Communication Pt. 3: The Damage

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 • Duration 01:03:57

In this third and final installment of our discussion about Facilitated Communication, we explain why Facilitated Communication is not only ineffective, it is actively harmful, even fatally. Facilitated Communication is dangerous and does not work.
WARNING: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse and violence.

Recommendations

Rick and Morty season 6 (https://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty/solaricks)
Shane: Evolve Modern Vegan Kitchen (https://www.evolvemodernvegankitchen.com/)

Links and References

https://neuroclastic.com/logical-fallacies/
https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/
https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/organizations-opposing-fc
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience science working group on facilitated communication. American Psychologist, 50(9), 750–765. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.9.750
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/facilitated-communication#:~:text=Facilitated%20communication%20is%20based%20on,they%20can%20use%20these%20tools.
https://notanautismmom.com/2022/01/04/asha-position-statement-fc-rpm/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/01/02/autism-center-specialist-autistic-symptoms-spectrum-disorder-spell-to-communicate/4077034002/

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Facilitated Communication Pt. 2: The Science

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 • Duration 01:00:26

The follow-up to the history of Facilitated Communication. How can we determine if the messages typed by an individual with little or no previous language experience is coming from them or their facilitator? Simply. This episode describes the experiments that cleverly demonstrated the nature of the Facilitated Communication dynamic. It was very one-sided. Only one-sided in fact. Check out part two of the FC trilogy.

Recommendations

Abraham: Join a Book Club
Shane: Transmetropolitan (https://www.dc.com/graphic-novels/transmetropolitan-1997/transmetropolitan-book-one)

Links and References

https://neuroclastic.com/logical-fallacies/
https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/
https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/organizations-opposing-fc
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience science working group on facilitated communication. American Psychologist, 50(9), 750–765. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.9.750
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/facilitated-communication#:~:text=Facilitated%20communication%20is%20based%20on,they%20can%20use%20these%20tools.
https://notanautismmom.com/2022/01/04/asha-position-statement-fc-rpm/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/01/02/autism-center-specialist-autistic-symptoms-spectrum-disorder-spell-to-communicate/4077034002/

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Facilitated Communication Pt. 1: Magic Keyboard History

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 • Duration 01:01:48

Being as charitable and honest as we can, facilitate communication is an ineffective pseudoscience. We explore the history, the claims, and a careful discussion of the general procedures. We handle this first discussion gently. Next episode, the gloves come off.

Recommendations

Abraham: Vindication (board game; https://www.orangenebula.com/product/vindication/)
Shane: Everything Everywhere All At Once (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474/)

Links:

https://neuroclastic.com/logical-fallacies/
https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/
https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/organizations-opposing-fc
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience science working group on facilitated communication. American Psychologist, 50(9), 750–765. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.9.750
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/facilitated-communication#:~:text=Facilitated%20communication%20is%20based%20on,they%20can%20use%20these%20tools.
https://notanautismmom.com/2022/01/04/asha-position-statement-fc-rpm/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/01/02/autism-center-specialist-autistic-symptoms-spectrum-disorder-spell-to-communicate/4077034002/

Become a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Seizure Alert Dogs

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 • Duration 56:10

Seizure alert animals, like dogs, help during and after seizures and require training and upkeep. They aren't just pets and may stay with their owner for 8-9 years. The animals recognize seizures through sudden shifts in behavior and intense pacing, whining, or licking. Researchers also explore capturing seizure-associated scents. So, if you see a dog licking you intensely, it might be detecting something more exciting than just sweat or crumbs.

Recommendations

Abraham: We Have a Ghost (https://www.netflix.com/title/80230619)
Shane: The Stand (So Far; https://stephenking.com/works/novel/stand.html)

Links
How to Train a Seizure Alert Dog - Medical Mutts Service Dogs Inc.
Seizure Alert Dogs | Epilepsy Foundation
Seizure Alert Service Dogs | Epilepsy Warning Dogs | CPL https://k94life.org/seizure-alert/(k94life.org)
*Dog alerting and/or responding to epileptic seizures: A scoping review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6279040/pdf/pone.0208280.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: .Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Ancestral Hallucinations: The Bicameral Mind

Episode 304

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 • Duration 57:13

A highly controversial speculative hypothesis. Julian Jaynes read ancient texts and arrived at a unique and wholly original hypothesis: Our ancestors did not have consciousness. He reasoned that their brains did not work in concert as ours do today and instead they "hear" the messages from one hemisphere as the ethereal voice of gods. Is there evidence for this? Have we learned something knew about human psychology? We weigh in on the relatively utility of Jaynes' bicameral mind, for what it's worth.

Recommendations

Abraham: Track your miles per gallon
Shane: Gift cards

Links:

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Why We Do What We Do – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Why We Do What We Do – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Youtube99+

ncbi.nlm.nih98

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Youtube99+

ncbi.nlm.nih98