Two Guys on Your Head
by KUT & KUTX Studios, Dr. Art Markman & Dr. Bob Duke
Latest episode
Why Cramming for Tests Works, But Doesn’t
Why Cramming for Tests Works, But Doesn’t
About this podcast
Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain how our brain works.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 299 episodes
- Why Cramming for Tests Works, But Doesn’t · 8 minCramming the night before a test might get you through the exam, but chances are that information will be gone by next week. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art…
- How To Crush Writer’s Block (Rebroadcast) · 7 minWriter’s block! That phrase might induce panic and a recollection of a familiar experience. It’s a very common phenomenon. So what is it? When in the beginning stages of…
- Brain Building · 8 minFiguring something out intellectually can be a struggle, but when you finally get there, you feel a sense of accomplishment, maybe even joy. That joy is a big part of learning…
- Annoyance Part II: Pain and Expectations · 8 minWe deal with annoyances every day, but why do some things annoy us a lot more than others? In part two of this two-part Two Guys on Your Head series on the psychology of…
- Annoyance Part I: Predictability and Risk · 8 minWhy is it that some things really annoy us while others we couldn’t care less about? It turns out it has a lot to do with predictability and attention: we get annoyed when…
- Threatening Punishment (Rebroadcast) · 8 minIn the moment, threatening punishment might seem like a good idea, but does it work? It turns out it depends on your goal. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art…
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy · 8 minThere are times when we feel out of sync with what we want in the world and how we act in the world. Say you’re longing for close, lasting relationships, but you are acting in a…
- When To Use AI: An Opportunity · 8 minAI tools can help us extend our capabilities and our capacity, but what about our brains? When is using AI beneficial, and when can it be detrimental to our ability to learn and…
- When To Use AI: The Problem · 7 minAI tools are ubiquitous and, let’s be honest, mind-blowing in their capabilities. But when is it healthy and productive to use them, and when is it not? What impact does relying…
- Back To School: Teachers · 8 minIt’s that time of year again when fresh-faced little ones with new backpacks and clean shoes head back to school. On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr…
- Back To School: Kids and Parents · 8 minIt’s that time of year again when fresh-faced little ones with new backpacks and clean shoes head back to school. On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr…
- Fahrenheit 451 · 7 minFahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel, follows Guy Montag, a “fireman” whose job is to burn books, as he turns into an outlaw set on restoring memory, reclaiming…
- Growth Mindset and Self-blame · 8 minHaving a growth mindset, the belief that you can get better with effort alone, is supposed to push you to keep trying when things get hard, and often it does. But new research…
- Growth Mindset and Its Discontents · 8 minA growth mindset about intelligence, the belief that you can get smarter with effort, is supposed to push you to keep trying when things get hard. And often it does. But what…
- Navigating Uncertainty: Gratitude and The Swartz Value System · 8 minNo one can control everything that happens, but we can adapt to a changing environment, even when that means shifting our perspective. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head…
- Managing Discontinuous Predictions · 8 minMost people, most days, deal with variation pretty well, but how do we psychologically prepare for the times when big things happen that change the course of our lives, our…
- How to Disconnect and Why It’s Important (Rebroadcast) · 8 minIt’s summertime, and for some, that means it’s time for a vacation. But how do you get the most out of your time off and truly vacate? In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head…
- Personality Traits, Moderation, and Longevity · 8 minA new study confirms that personality traits are associated with longevity, or lack thereof, but while behavior matters, there’s more to the story. In this episode of Two Guys on…
- Protect Your Boredom (Rebroadcast) · 9 minIt seems that people today carry with them the constant mantra, “I’m so busy.” And as it can be tough to juggle work, kids, and life in general, a lot of that feeling of being…
- How Old Do You Feel? (Rebroadcast) · 8 minWhy is it that we can feel a lot younger or older than we are? What does it mean to feel our age? In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and…
- Fighting Back · 8 minWhen someone attacks your character, the urge to fire back is almost irresistible. But defending yourself in the heat of the moment often does more harm than good, so why do we…
- Oration Part III: The Conversation · 8 minAny form of oration is communication, and that communication is often not just a one-way street. In our third episode in our Two Guys on Your Head series on oration, Dr. Art…
- Oration Part II: Some Tips · 8 minGraduation season brings a flood of commencement speeches, but most fall flat. In this episode of our Two Guys on Your Head series on oration, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and…
- Oration Part I: On Slowing Down · 8 minGraduation season brings a flood of commencement speeches, but most fall flat. In this first episode in our Two Guys on Your Head series on oration, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob…
- How We Learn Language · 8 minIf we can learn a language in our infancy, why is it so difficult to learn a second language later in life? On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob…
- Déjà vu · 7 minHave you ever traveled to a new place and suddenly, randomly, you experience this overwhelming sense of familiarity with what you’re seeing, like you’ve already seen it, even…
- Graduation · 7 minIt’s graduation season, and that comes with a lot of joy, tears, expectations, and relief. But it turns out, as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy explore in this…
- Easter Eggs · 8 minWhen we discover a hidden secret in a song, a movie, or a book, we can feel a sense of joy and connection. Those little gems are referred to as “easter eggs,” and we look for…
- Schadenfreude · 8 minWe’ve all felt a little spark of satisfaction when someone who wronged us stumbles, or when a rival fails. That feeling has a name: schadenfreude, a German word for the pleasure…
- The Failure Gap & Its Discontents · 8 minIn a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Eskreis-Winkler and colleagues describe what they call “the failure gap” — the consistent finding that…
- The Failure Gap · 8 minIn a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Eskreis-Winkler and colleagues describe what they call “the failure gap” — the consistent finding that…
- The Psychology of Memory · 8 minOne of the greatest features of our brains is that we can forget things, but why is it so difficult to forget some things but not others? It turns out, our brains absorb…
- Reading vs. Listening (Rebroadcast) · 8 minEver caught yourself saying “I’m reading a great book” only to awkwardly correct yourself with “…well, actually I’m listening to it”? That guilty pause says a lot. But you have…
- Dignity · 8 minDignity is core to our humanity and woven into our sense of agency, authenticity, and the way others treat us, yet what it looks and feels like shifts across cultures…
- Neuroticism Part III: Support · 8 minPeople high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative than positive feelings each day. In this final episode of our three-part series on…
- Neuroticism Part II: Social Media and Personality Tests · 8 minPeople high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative than positive feelings each day. In this second episode of our three-part series…
- New Research in Neuroticism · 8 minPeople high in the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism generally experience more negative feelings and fewer positive feelings each day. In this first episode of a…
- Compliments · 8 minWe may think that giving someone a compliment just makes them feel good, yet as Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy discuss in this episode of Two Guys on Your…
- Theory · 8 minA theory serves as an analytical tool to explain “why” and “how” events occur, rather than just describing them. Yet, all too often, the way we use the idea of a theory…
- Psychological Safety, Safety, and Trust · 8 minThere is a difference between being safe and thinking you are safe, and the bridge between those two things is built on trust. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art…
- Compensation · 8 minCompensation is about more than just a paycheck. It’s about feeling valued, secure, and supported, but we don’t always think about it that way. In this episode of Two Guys on…
- Desensitization · 8 minWhy do things that once felt exciting, delicious, shocking, or even frightening start to feel… ordinary? In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke…
- The Psychology of Healthy Ambition · 8 minWorking toward goals can give our lives direction and meaning. But psychology shows that when we focus too narrowly on outcomes, we can undermine both our well-being and our…
- Early Specialization? · 8 minIf your child shows exceptional talent early, it may be tempting to cultivate it immediately. However, an overload of lessons and practice may not be the most effective approach…
- Protecting Your Boredom (Re-broadcast) · 8 minSomeone once said, “I like to do nothing if I can avoid doing something.” For many of us, doing nothing is surprisingly hard. It asks us to generate our own thoughts rather than…
- Stupidity · 8 minWe often use the word stupidity to cover a wide range of mistakes. But on closer inspection, what makes something “stupid” may have less to do with what “stupid does” and more to…
- Are Holiday Traditions The Fountain of Youth? (Rebroadcast) · 8 minFor many of us, the holidays bring us back to our families and the traditions we’ve carried through the years. And while that can come with its fair share of stress, it can also…
- Grief, Work and The Gig Economy · 8 minWhen we are grieving, having a supportive work environment can be helpful, but what about when we are working remotely or in a gig job? In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head…
- Grief and Work · 8 minGrief is difficult, exhausting, and slow, but our daily routines, including work, still continue during the grieving process. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art…
