A Bit More Complicated

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 Dylan interviews Manny about his first first-author paper! The paper investigates how people’s socioeconomic status relates to health (it’s a bit more complicated!). Manny’s paper (not pay walled!): ⁠https://academic.oup.com/abm/article/57/11/929/7281567⁠ Kraus episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/29DVydMRzGb Muscatell episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/p6g2VKPRzGb Why does everyone think they are middle class (not pay-walled!)? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1948550620934597 Robert Sapolsky writes about health and social hierarchy in primates: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.1106477?casa_token=IpGOTg0oFBwAAAAA%3AX3ig2zog-8VbsVcjnw6Cx_xzupulg4Xf4p-Te35XBdwvnY9Mk6EQZhVj8rCV1Bycb6t2535Bpfc9Fw Marmot writes about health inequality and decision latitude: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1674771/ Peter Ennes write about how the rich generally determine the political decisions in the US: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bM8fEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT5&dq=info:nOJ4vybD5BoJ:scholar.google.com&ots=_snYeRC9S4&sig=XZCZYUofAmyMZArXoYdtNXlHAU4#v=onepage&q&f=false GINI coefficient (a measure of inequality) among countries that are similar to the US: https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm Wage inequality is lower in worker cooperatives compared to traditional firms: https://ejce.liuc.it/18242979201702/182429792017140207.pdf Direct democracy initiatives support well being: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-015-1085-4 Age and voting behavior: https://medium.com/@PollsAndVotes/age-and-voter-turnout-52962b0884ef

As Manny mentioned at the top of our previous episode (#30) featuring Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, we continued the conversation a bit to discuss some topics related to gender dysphoric youth, as well as societal attitudes/prejudice towards transgender individuals. Manny and Dylan discuss how we can interpret polling data and what schools should do to support gender diverse students (and their parents). Support for sex change goes down: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/support-national-centre-for-social-research-ehrc-bsa-great-britain-b2415501.html Prejudice against Trans people goes up: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/new-report-tells-us-how-public-actually-feel-about-trans-people https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/attitudes-transgender-people https://news.stv.tv/world/support-for-self-id-on-birth-certificates-for-transgender-people-falls-survey#:~:text=Looking%20at%20how%20attitudes%20have,in%202019%20to%206.4%25%20last Olympics: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/nbc-out-proud/olympic-champion-quinn-ushering-new-era-visibility-trans-athletes-rcna28794 UK laws: https://www.scottishtrans.org/our-work/gender-recognition-act-reform-2022/what-is-the-gender-recognition-act/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40709420 Trans people in sports: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/29/sports-trans-participation-transgender-women-swimming#:~:text=one%20of%20them.-,Misinformation%20is%20being%20used%20as%20a%20core%20element%20of%20this,drastically%20underrepresented%20in%20women's%20sports. Trans people in prisons: https://aninjusticemag.com/are-50-of-trans-women-in-prison-sex-offenders-512f949c365a They/Them video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ehrFk-gLk&ab_channel=TomScott LGBT hate crimes: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/new-data-rise-hate-crime-against-lgbtq-people-continues-stonewall-slams-uk-gov- Hate crimes in general: https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/hate-crimes https://fairforall.substack.com/p/fair-news-standing-for-parents-constitutional Gallup Polling on LGBTQ identity

We're back! We're kicking off a new season of episodes with an interview with Dr. Paul Bloom to discuss his new book Psych. We discuss science communication, the limits and value of psychology, whether researchers should be siloed in academia, the problem with empathy, if kids are little bigots, and if social psychology isn't paying enough attention to policy. Psych: The Story of The Human Mind Paul’s webpage (with links to other books), Substack “Small Potatoes” and Twitter Research cited by Kiley Hamlin and Karen Wynn: Hamlin, J. K., & Wynn, K. (2011). Young infants prefer prosocial to antisocial others. Cognitive development, 26(1), 30-39. Hamlin, J. K., Mahajan, N., Liberman, Z., & Wynn, K. (2013). Not like me = bad: Infants prefer those who harm dissimilar others. Psychological science, 24(4), 589-594.

In this episode we spoke with 2 experts on the topics of mental health, mindful self-compassion, and leadership. These are topics that are not only important for people’s general well-being, but also for how people function in their workplaces, and in other areas of life. On the research side, we have Dr. Remy Jennings and on the practitioner side, we have Janine Johnston. Dr. Jennings is an Assistant Professor in the College of Business at Florida State University. Janine Johnston is an executive & mindfulness consultant as well as a facilitator, a teacher, and a coach, who specializes in mindful self-compassion. Papers: Self-compassion at work: A self-regulation perspective on its beneficial effects for work performance and wellbeing Reflecting on one's best possible self as a leader: Implications for professional employees at work When leader self-care begets other care: Leader role self-compassion and helping at work. Leadership Styles Remy on TwitterJanine’s webpage and LinkedIn

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 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 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 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.   Steven Roberts 2020 paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620927709 Steven Roberts pre-print commentary outlining his experience at PoPS: https://psyarxiv.com/xk4yu Hommels critique: https://psyarxiv.com/hvgrm/ Stanovich’s commentary: http://keithstanovich.com/Site/Essays_files/Stanovich_Commentary_on_Hommel.pdf Stroebe’s commentary: https://psyarxiv.com/prj36/ 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 Jussim’s blog: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/notes-from-a-witch-hunt One of the field experiments showing discrimination in academia: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-15680-001 Meta-analysis of hiring discrimination studies: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1706255114 Meta-analysis of housing discrimination studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1489223 Study showing that URM scholars often have prosocial goals in their research: Manny’s article about the psychological roots of racism: https://www.thepipettepen.com/rejecting-the-roots-of-racist-research/ Letter in support of Steven Roberts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O212esQJDYVuiuvN3OQLg7YOD58PbhlmFjfYV3nREU4/mobilebasic Counter-letter: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/invitation-to-sign-letter-protesting

In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. Kalynda Smith about her work on body image and health. Dr. Smith presents a nuanced view on this topic. We acknowledge that while obesity is a significant factor in physical health, at the same time we cannot judge people’s health just by looking at their bodies. Dr. Smith also advocates for focusing on behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exercise, rather than an oversimplified focus on body weight. Dr. Smith’s faculty webpage Dr. Smith’s article on Scienceofsocialproblems Facts on obesity CDC page on obesity

We discuss Dr. Higginbotham's interesting approach to psychological research: using history as a guide. Specifically we discuss his paper which found that racially resentful White Americans were less supportive of gun rights when Black (vs. White) Americans showed greater use of their gun rights. The studies results harken back to how gun control legislation (Mulford Act of 1967) was used to undermine the gun rights of The Black Panther Party in California. Social Psychological Research on Racism and the Importance of Historical Context: Implications for Policy: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/09637214221114092 When an irresistible prejudice meets immovable politics: Black legal gun ownership undermines racially resentful White Americans’ gun rights advocacy: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-88684-001?doi=1 Dr. Trawalter’s article on “psychologizing racism”: https://virginiaequitycenter.org/sites/virginiaequitycenter.org/files/Trawalter%2C%20Bart-Plange%2C%20%26%20Hoffman.pdf Twitter people being stupid about the NFL: https://twitter.com/GadSaad/status/1593422136101814272 Interest in purchasing firearms in the United States at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-22091-001 From Backlash to Inclusion for All: Instituting Diversity Efforts to Maximize Benefits Across Group Lines: https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sipr.12040 Dr. Higginbotham’s paper on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xavkog/new_research_shows_racially_resentful_white/

In the beginning of the episode we discuss the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP): https://spsp.org/events/demonstrating-our-commitment-anti-racism-through-programming-and-events We reference a statement written by Jonathan Haidt and Lee Jussim complaining about this policy: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/mandatory-diversity-equity-and-inclusion Finally, we quickly discuss a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2210412119 Dr. Muscatell's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCvLXtMqiw&ab_channel=TEDxTalks Social status and stress: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d17e77b8a79bfa4e31641d/t/5e8e35ba40223918dabc35e5/1586378180841/Cundiff%2C+Boylan%2C+Muscatell_2020_Current+Directions.pdf Social status and inflammation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6814496/

We welcome Dr. Michael Kraus to the podcast to talk about his research on the psychology of racial inequality. We discuss the fact that people can't solve a problem if they don't know it exists, and strategies to help people see the ways in which inequality manifests. We also talk a bit about sports and research on physical touch in basketball (Dr. Kraus is a Warriors fan).  Episode 2 featuring Dr. Kraus's research Manny’s blog article outlining the many forms of racial inequality in the US People misperceive racial inequality Black-White wealth inequality Misperception of the Black-White income gap Neighborhoods and perception of inequality Perceptions of economic equality Interventions to reduce misperceptions Misperception of racial progress Narratives and DEI Teammate touching in the NBA Image by Michael Reichelt from Pixabay