People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast
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People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast
This is a podcast about deciphering human behavior and understanding why people do the things they do. I, Zach Elwood, talk with people from a wide range of fields about how they make sense of human behavior and psychology. I've talked to jury consultants, interrogation professionals, behavior resea...
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Is the internet a methamphetamine of the masses?
Is it possible that internet communication, by speeding up and distorting our interactions, is agitating us and deranging us? Is it possible that by p...
"They're the violent, crazy ones!": How polarization warps our views of our political opponents
A major barrier to reducing toxic polarization is that so many of us—especially those who are highly politically involved—see our current toxic confli...
Are you and I (and everyone) the same person? A talk on Open Individualism with Joe Kern
What if your sense of existence, your self-awareness, isn’t unique at all—but the very same “I” that exists in everyone, everywhere? What if you and I...
The psychology of Bad Vegan: Sarma Melngailis on narcissistic abuse and life after
The documentary "Bad Vegan" was about Sarma Melngailis’s nightmarish journey from successful New York City restaurant owner to Rikers inmate jailed fo...
The surprising power of nostalgia — and how it can be used on you
What does nostalgia do to our minds — and our wallets? In this talk with Jannine Lasaleta, we talk about her research into the surprising psychologica...
My life-changing experience with meditation
In the summer of 2024, I went on a five-day solo retreat in the mountains of New Mexico. It was the first time I’d ever really committed to meditation...
Are you a psychopath? Debunking myths and looking for nuance in "dark" traits
What does the word “psychopath” really mean—and how often are we getting it wrong? Can someone have some psychopathic traits and still be empathetic?...
Penalty kick mind games: Reading and using body language in sports
I talk with sports psychology and behavior researcher Philip Furley about how athletes' body language communicates far more than we realize — and how...
Madness explained: How trauma and stress can break the mind
I talk to psychologist Richard Bentall about psychosis, schizophrenia, and the psychological roots of mental illness. Bentall is the author of the wel...
Our memory and sense of self are full of illusions | with Anne Wilson
Psychologist Anne Wilson studies how we construct our identities over time—how we remember the past, imagine the future, and tell ourselves stories th...
Are you a narcissist? The psychology and spectrum of narcissism
What if we’ve been thinking about narcissism all wrong — and some forms of it are not only normal, but healthy? Why do we so often confuse genuine con...
The "deep whys" behind autistic behaviors | with Barry Prizant
I talk to Barry Prizant, author of the popular book "Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism," about the often misunderstood world of autism....
The psychology of how we react when our sense of meaning is threatened
Why do we feel so unsettled and agitated when the world doesn’t make sense? In this episode, I talk with psychologist Steven Heine about his Meaning M...
How blockchain tech could revolutionize journalism and reduce polarization
Can blockchain tech reinvent journalism—and reduce toxic political polarization in the process? In this episode, Zachary Elwood talks with Don Templem...
Can eye direction reveal a lie? Or is that psychology bullshit? | with Tim Levine
Maybe you’ve heard that you can get clues about whether someone is lying by what direction they look when they talk. The most common form of this idea...
Why some see liberals as the undemocratic ones: A talk about democracy and polarization with Elizabeth Doll
Many Americans think Trump is harming democracy; they see him as acting undemocratically in various ways. At the same time, Republicans and Trump supp...
On hypnosis and mind control: separating psychology fact from fiction | with Martin S. Taylor
A talk about hypnosis and mind control with Martin S. Taylor, a well known British hypnotist (hypnotism.co.uk). Martin is known for his stage hypnosis...
What happened to Keith Olbermann? A look at his descent.
In March of 2024, the newsman and sports commentator Keith Olbermann tweeted that the “Supreme Court had betrayed democracy” and called for it to be “...
Mirror selfies, duck faces, and party pics: The psychology of dating app communication
I talk to Dr. Jess Snitko, who has researched online dating and other online communication, about the signals and messages we send, intentionally and...
Is the left-right political spectrum concept a false illusion? A talk with Hyrum Lewis
What if I told you the left-right political spectrum was an illusion? What if I told you there is no “left” or “right”? My guest is Hyrum Lewis, co-au...
Does Trader Joe's pressure its employees to talk to customers?
Every time I go in Trader Joe's, the checkout person asks me a question of some sort. I used to think everyone there was just happy and friendly, but...
Psychology and influence charlatan Chase Hughes promoted by gullible popular podcast hosts
The fraud Chase Hughes, whose major lies and unethical behaviors I’ve examined in past episodes, continues to succeed in getting popular podcasts with...
The polarization of Elon Musk: His high-contempt approach to political disagreement
In June of 2024, I got an op-ed published in TheHill.com about Elon Musk's polarization -- specifically his affective polarization, which refers to ho...
Explanations for those UFO videos released in 2017 (Gimbal, GoFast, others)
Brian Dunning, creator of the podcast Skeptoid, made a documentary that brings a skeptical, analytical eye to the recent UFO craze – including those t...
Reading faces: A dumb 1960s book on reading physical facial traits
I thought it'd be interesting to read a very dumb book from 1969 called "Face Reading: A Guide to How the Human Face Reveals Personality, Sexuality, I...
I interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and other creatures
I ruthlessly interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and other magical creatures.
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The psychology behind the self-reinforcing nature of conflict and polarization
A piece I wrote for my Defusing American Anger Substack (learn more at american-anger.com) about the psychological aspects of how toxic conflict grows...
Many take Trump's words out of context: How this relates to toxic polarization
In a recent Fox News interview, Trump was asked whether he thought there would be chaos and violence if he won the election, and his response included...
Analyzing the behavior of Peter Todd, who's accused of being Bitcoin creator | Jeremy Clark
In the documentary Money Electric, filmmaker Cullen Hoback put forth the theory that developer Peter Todd was Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator...
Scammer on Nextdoor gets my personal info: Tips for spotting online marketplace scam tells
On the Nextdoor app, a fake account succeeded in getting some personal info from me before I realized they were a scammer. I discuss how that scam wen...
What’s the problem with the Myers-Briggs personality test?, with Randy Stein
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test is used by many organizations and consultants, but it's been criticized by many as pseudo-scie...
Some useful and reliable poker tells: A talk with Zach Elwood
This episode includes part of a poker tells webinar that I, Zach Elwood, did with Terry Wood, owner of PokerRailbird.com. I'm the author of three resp...
Chase Hughes, NLP, & hypnosis: A "top-secret" military spin on old NLP seminar ideas
This is my third episode about Chase Hughes, the self-titled “#1 expert in behavior and influence.” My first episode about him examined his early dece...
We’re MASSIVELY overstating our political violence problem — and that’s dangerous! | Sean Westwood
Many surveys and headlines have claimed there's a large percentage of Americans who support political violence. Some estimates have been around 25% –...
Angry Chase Hughes’ fans lash out after his lies are revealed
This is a follow up to my last episode, in which I shared information about the many lies of Chase Hughes, the self-described “#1 expert in behavior a...
The many lies of Chase Hughes, the "#1 expert in behavior" and Behavior Panel star
An examination of the deceptive and strange background of Chase Hughes, who refers to himself as the “#1 expert in behavior and influence.” A popular...
An astrology non-believer talks to an astrologist
I talk to a professional astrologist named Ophira Edut. I myself don't believe in astrology but I was interested in asking her questions I've wanted t...
Fake psychology/behavior expert Jack Brown analyzes Trump's behavior
I talk again about fake behavior expert Jack Brown, whose pseudoscientific behavior analysis work I devoted a past episode to. Brown got some recent a...
A cry for help from failed podcast host and author Zachary Elwood
Apologies for the sad clickbait-y title. I'll be okay. I was trying to be a little funny. This is just some updates on things I've been working on and...
Psychological tactics magicians use to misdirect attention and manipulate audiences | Anthony Barnhart
Psychologist and magician Anthony Barnhart discusses some behaviors magicians use to misdirect attention and manipulate an audience. Other topics incl...