A Load of BS on Sport: The Behavioural Science Podcast with Daniel Ross and Liam Botham artwork

A Load of BS on Sport: The Behavioural Science Podcast with Daniel Ross and Liam Botham

102 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago -

A Load of BS on Sport: The Behavioural Science Podcast dives deep into the psychology of what makes elite performers tick; how they think about success and failure, how they find and maintain peak performance, how they manage fear and adversity, how they make decisions under pressure, how they deal with risk and uncertainty.

Daniel is a behavioural science and sports fanatic while Liam is an ex-professional Rugby Union and cricket player, part of a family dynasty of sporting greatness. Together, we talk to top athletes, coaches and psychologists.

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Episodes

004: Ben Stookesberry on the Edge: Navigating the World's Wildest Waters

March 27, 2024 04:00 - 47 minutes - 33 MB

This week, we are joined by Ben Stookesberry, legendary white water expedition kayaker whose death defying exploits on some of the most extreme rapids in the world are nothing short of awe inspiring. “In the last 4 years alone I’ve made dozens of first descents on six continents from the tropics to the Arctic with long time kayaking partners Chris Korbulic and Pedro Oliva,” says Ben. “In total I have over 130 first descents and counting.” SEE BEN IN ACTION! Show notes: Facing fear and ad...

003: Pat Nevin on the beautiful game and far beyond

March 20, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 43.3 MB

This week, we are joined by former professional footballer, now broadcaster and author Pat Nevin. Pat had a long and successful career on the pitch, but his hinterland is arguably richer. He was a darting winger for Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers and Scotland, but also chairman of the Professional Footballers Association, player/CEO at Motherwell, an ardent anti-racism campaigner as well as lover of music and the arts. He has a deep understanding and appreciation for the psychology of sp...

002: Mo Bobat on unlocking peak performance

March 13, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

This week, we are joined by Mo Bobat, until recently Performance Director at the English Cricket Board, now fulfilling the same role with IPL team the Royal Challengers Bangalore. We discuss how elite athletes and teams harness mental strength and innovative strategies to achieve greatness. From the art of managing maverick talents to the science behind creating cohesive, high-performing teams, Mo shares his insights, experiences, and the cutting-edge techniques that make him a sought-after ...

001: Cricket as a Canvas - Ed Smith on Sport, Art, and the Science of Decision-Making

March 06, 2024 04:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MB

In this first in a new series, we talk to former England international, Kent and Middlesex cricketer Ed Smith. Ed is also a prolific writer and broadcaster, past England national selector and now founder of the Institute of Sports Humanities which teaches a unique degree in sports leadership. We talk about: What sport and cricket mean to Ed What the study of history has taught Ed about sport The problem with team talks Emotionally intelligent coaches Team selection and risk taking How...

062: Dr Grace Lordan on thinking big about your career

May 24, 2023 11:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MB

Dr Grace Lordan is an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science. She is also Founding Director there of The Inclusion Initiative which focuses on bringing together teaching, research and practice to build more inclusive work environments. She has also written a book which I personally took huge value from, 'Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Career You Want', which uses behavioural science to give really practical...

061: Patrick Fagan on psychology in business

May 16, 2023 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MB

I welcome this week the behavioural scientist Patrick Fagan, described by comedian David Mitchell as a "Mother Superior in nipple tassels". He's also a former Cambridge Analytica man, if your minds can take you back to that scandal and time in history. Patrick is the author of Hooked whose by-line is 'Why cute sells and other marketing magic we just can't resist. And by the way, he is soon to publish a new book Free Your Mind: The New World of Manipulation and How to Resist It in collabora...

060: Dave Blakely on risk taking, storytelling and the invention of Scrabble (Part 3)

March 09, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MB

We're back and firing with the final part in my mini-series with the wonderful Dave Blakely, Executive VP at venture builder Mach49, talking innovation, design and creativity in organisations. In this episode, we talk about risk taking, storytelling, how we live in partnership with AI and the invention of Scrabble. And plenty more. Show notes Do corporations take enough risk? What do we mean by acceptable failure? How Alfred Butts invented Scrabble TS Elliot’s answer to the problem with...

059: Dave Blakely on the behavioural science of discipline (Part 2)

February 09, 2023 11:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MB

Today is the second in my A Load of BS on Best Behaviour with Dave Blakely, Executive VP at venture builder and super growth builder Mach49, who I continue to be delighted to collaborate with on this mini-series of conversations on innovation, design and creativity in organisations; answering questions on how we move leaders and teams to change their behaviour, to lose their conservatism and scepticism and experiment wisely. Today Dave and I talk about discipline. We argue that leaders shou...

058: Dave Blakely on building, design & Andy Grove's innovation cliche (Part 1)

February 02, 2023 11:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MB

Today is the first in a 3-part series with Dave Blakely, an extraordinarily talented, sharp-witted and humble man whom I’m so happy to be collaborating with and indeed his company Mach49 where he is Executive Vice President. We talk innovation, creativity, design and the vagaries of the human condition. Check out some of the amazing work Mach49 does driving growth and building new ventures with some of the greatest brands around. Dave was a leader at design agency IDEO for many years and h...

057: Edward Slingerland on getting drunk & the evolutionary history of alcohol

December 15, 2022 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MB

Please leave a review if you like the podcast; and share with friends. Your support makes us very happy! Get the podcast in your inbox every week by subscribing here Access our exclusive speaker events by subscribing here Follow Daniel on Twitter Podcast music: Tamsin Waley-Cohen's Mendelssohn's violin concerto

058: Edward Slingerland on getting drunk & the evolutionary history of alcohol

December 15, 2022 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MB

Check out my partner BEworks Subscribe for more here Follow me on Twitter Podcast music: Tamsin Waley-Cohen's Mendelssohn's violin concerto

056: Nate Barr & Shannon O'Malley on what needs to change in behavioural science

December 01, 2022 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MB

I welcome Nate Barr and Shannon O’Malley to wrap up my series with the BEworks team. We share our highlights of the series and what the future holds for BS and BEworks. Show notes Surprises and learning: what does it really mean to be a behavioural scientist practitioner? Issues at the centre of our zeitgeist: our money, healthcare, sustainability Meeting the drop in the bucket challenge Understanding the Anthropocene: our human epoch and disruptions to earth’s systems Language affect...

055: David Thomson on behavioural science for sustainability

November 24, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MB

I welcome David Thomson, VP and Head of the Sustainability Practice at BEworks. Dave is a cognitive experimental psychologist working with large multinational corporations and governments on behaviour change challenges such as electricity consumption reduction, adoption of energy efficient technology and food waste reduction; all of which we touch on in the podcast. Show notes How do we bridge the values-action gap in sustainability? Who’s responsibility is it – companies’ or consumers’? ...

054: Alex Chesterfield on behavioural change at NatWest Group

November 17, 2022 11:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MB

Alex is Head of Behavioural Risk at NatWest Group  where she and her team develop innovative data-led ways to reduce the risk of poor outcomes for the bank, and customers, resulting from behavioural root causes. She has also just regained her student card; as of September she started a part-time PhD at The London School of Economics! She is also the author of the highly acclaimed ‘Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together’, clearly a book for our times...

053: Michelle Hilscher on behavioural science in financial services

November 10, 2022 11:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MB

Name one thing that we all think about or discuss every single day… money. We carry so many unconscious biases when it comes to looking after our finances. You probably think you’re the exception… Michelle Hilscher leads the financial services practice at BEworks and, armed with a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Toronto, is particularly interested in applying behavioural science to bring about improvements in financial decision-making and financial well-being. Show notes...

052: Preeti Kotamarthi on behavioural science at Grab

November 03, 2022 11:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MB

Preeti KS set up and leads the BS team at Grab in Singapore. Grab is the super app which provides users with transportation, food delivery and digital payments. Think the Uber of SE Asia, approximately! It is Southeast Asia's first decacorn and the biggest technology startup in the region. Show notes Grab’s motivation for getting into behavioural science How Preeti set up a BS practice from scratch and what were the objectives How Preeti built credibility and convinced colleagues to take...

051: Ada Le and Mousumi Sannigrahi on behavioural science in healthcare

October 27, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MB

This week we’re diving into healthcare; what could be more critical? To help me understand how behavioural science is impacting this field, I’m joined by Dr. Ada Le, healthcare expert at BEworks and Dr. Mousumi Sannigrahi, newly installed as Head of Commercial for Innovative Medicines at Fosun Pharma US, having spent the last 8 years at Novartis Pharma. Show notes What’s happening at the intersection of behavioural science and the pharma industry? How behavioural science plays out at Fosu...

050: eMBeD at the World Bank on behavioural science in complex environments

October 20, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MB

Introducing Zeina Afif, Renos Vakis and Ana Maria Muñoz Boudet I’m privileged to welcome to A Load of BS the core team at eMBeD, the Mind, Development and Behaviour Unit at the World Bank. Zeina, Ana Maria and Renos are working on the front lines, alongside governments and policy makers, challenging standard policy design and trying to change behaviour in complex, unpredictable environments and solving the thorniest of problems in gender, inequality and poverty among other. They have worke...

049: Clémence Quint on behavioural change & shifting gender norms in a war torn world

October 13, 2022 10:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

Clémence is Director and co-founder at Magenta Consulting where she and her team use behavioural insights to make sustainable and scalable change in some of the poorest, war torn and least developed parts of the world, seeking to to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of communications interventions in support of social impact; in places like Nigeria, Tunisia, Afghanistan and Lebanon. The focus of their projects so far has been civic education, governance and stabilisation, preventing...

048: Dan Ariely on trust, insurance & conspiracy theories

October 06, 2022 11:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MB

It's a cracker this week on A Load of BS as I welcome my partner BEworks' co-founder, behavioural science leading light, writer, practitioner and speaker, Dan Ariely. Beyond his numerous entrepreneurial ventures, Dan is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics at Duke University and has written seminal books like Predictably Irrational and Irrationally Yours. He's a multi time TED speaker and recognised globally as one of behavioural science's most foremost, origi...

047: Cerita Bethea on hand towels, Metaverse & the next behavioural science frontier

September 26, 2022 13:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

In partnership with BEworks, one of the very best behavioural science consultancies globally. Cerita Bethea is Director of behavioural science at The Coca-Cola Company, and a practitioner of over 30 years standing, having also worked at Kimberley-Clark, Toyota and Ford. Listen in for a lovely case study about washing hands; a nostalgic trip down Covid memory lane. We also project towards the next frontier; behavioural science in the metaverse. Your guess is as good as mine. Show notes Ce...

046: Wardah Malik on the future of behavioural science

September 22, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MB

I’m thrilled to be launching my partnership with BEworks today. Co-founded by Dan Ariely and Nina Mazar (previous guest on the show alongside Dilip Soman), BEworks is a multidisciplinary team of behavioural scientists and psychologists working on complex challenges across financial services to healthcare to sustainability, helping businesses reimagine a future in which individuals flourish and prosper. And so today starts a 10-part series of short, sharp and very digestible conversations wi...

045: John List on the Voltage Effect & life at Uber, Lyft and Walmart

September 01, 2022 10:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MB

My guest today is sports nut, almost pro golfer but primarily Professor at the University of Chicago and Chief Economist at Walmart John List. Just when you thought we were about to dive into the politics of diverging golf tours, instead we're going to turn our attention to ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft, where John was also Chief Economist. What was Travis Kalanick really like to work for? John also recently published ‘The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas...

045: John List on the Voltage Effect & life at Uber, Lyft and Walmart

September 01, 2022 10:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MB

My guest today is sports nut, almost pro golfer but primarily Professor at the University of Chicago and Chief Economist at Walmart John List. Just when you thought we were about to dive into the politics of diverging golf tours, instead we're going to turn our attention to ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft, where John was also Chief Economist. What was Travis Kalanick really like to work for? John also recently published ‘The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas...

044: Steve Martin on influence, persuasion and delivering the right message

August 30, 2022 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MB

Steve Martin is a behaviorial science practitioner and a leading member of Dr Robert Cialdini's consultancy Influence at Work, where he heads up the UK practice.  Steve is a Royal Society nominated author and a co-author with Bob Cialdini on a number of books, including their most recent tome, alongside Dr Noah Goldstein, Messengers, Who We Listen to, Who We Don’t and Why. This is a timely exploration of why some people in society are listened to and why others are ignored regardless of th...

043: Sir Michael Barber on the science of delivery in politics

August 27, 2022 14:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MB

Returning from the Summer, this week I'm talking to Sir Michael Barber, the man who Tony Blair appointed to create and then run his Delivery Unit at No. 10. While not overt, there's lots of behavioural science going on here: creating repeatable routines, fear of and resistance to change, influencing and persuading intransigent individuals. A great part of Michael's work after all is understanding people, with all their biases and preconceptions, and then reorganising them. Show notes Wha...

042: Bri Williams on being predictably irrational

July 28, 2022 10:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MB

Bri Williams is one of the foremost behavioural scientists in Australia. She’s obsessed with application rather than theory, and I buy that approach 100%. She majored in accounting and psychology (a rare but actually quite sensible combination), built a corporate career in product design and marketing, the BS switch was flicked in 2008 when she read Dan Ariely’s ‘Predictably Irrational’; a book that would change her life. It crystallised why she had been experiencing a nagging irritation th...

041: David Robson on expectation effects and our predictive brain

July 14, 2022 07:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MB

Scientist and writer David Robson has written the definitive book on expectation effects. We're going to talk about his fascinating book The Expectation Effect and how our brain plays clever games with us. David graduated with a degree in maths from Cambridge University then worked as a features editor at New Scientist before moving to the BBC. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Men’s Health amongst other.  Show notes The brain as prediction machine: how the brai...

040: Jenny Kleeman on adventures at the frontier of birth, sex, death & vegan meat

June 28, 2022 20:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MB

Jenny Kleeman is a broadcaster, journalist and author of the book Sex Robots & Vegan Meat: Adventures at the frontier of Birth, Sex and Death. She is an award winning narrator of true stories across print, audio and TV and writes regularly in the Guardian, the Times, the New Statesman and Tortoise. She's reported for BBC One's Panorama, HBO's Vice News Tonight and Channel 4's Dispatches, as well as making films for Channel 4’s Unreported World. On radio, she launched Weekend Breakfast on Ti...

039: Professor Paul Dolan on happiness

June 16, 2022 07:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MB

Today I'm talking with Paul Dolan, Head of BS at the LSE. Paul knows what makes us feel good. It's all about what we pay attention to. He wants us to choose to spend our time doing things that bring us pleasure or give us purpose… and ideally both. He will tell us how we can redesign our lives to be happier. He will also explain why we care so much about what other people do, and how we can learn to listen more to those that disagree with us. Show notes Balance between happiness and miser...

039: Professor Paul Dolan on happiness

June 16, 2022 07:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MB

Today I'm talking with Paul Dolan, Head of BS at the LSE. Paul knows what makes us feel good. It's all about what we pay attention to. He wants us to choose to spend our time doing things that bring us pleasure or give us purpose… and ideally both. He will tell us how we can redesign our lives to be happier. He will also explain why we care so much about what other people do, and how we can learn to listen more to those that disagree with us. Show notes Balance between happiness and miser...

038: Bill Browder on Putin the skilled psychologist and psychopath

June 01, 2022 08:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MB

Today I'm talking with another titan, the inspiring Bill Browder. If all Bill had achieved was hedge fund success, he would be regarded, as the most significant foreign private investor in Russia, as standout. But it's Bill work as a human rights activist over the last decade that marks him out as a man of great courage and conviction; for he has fought Russian corruption, and by proxy Vladimir Putin, in the name of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was brutally tortured and murdered for sta...

037: Sir Martin Sorrell on deal making, motivation & holding power in advertising

May 25, 2022 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MB

I like to take the odd risk with my guests. I like to stretch beyond the realms of the beh sci academics and veer into business, sport, perhaps politics. This pod is a little different in its genre is that it is striving to get to the heart of human motivation. Why do we do the things that we do? Martin Sorrell is one of the titan's of global capitalism over the last 40 years and that's Sir Martin Sorrell, who made his name building the WPP advertising empire before departing acrimoniously...

036: Dave Trott on Rebels and Rejects

May 11, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 46.5 MB

We're revisiting what creativity is, how to express it and find it, with a legend of the advertising industry Dave Trott. Just as John Cleese wrote brilliant sitcom and sketches, Dave created brilliant advertising over a career in which he founded five agencies including Gold Greenlees Trott, Bainsfair Sharkey Trott and Chick Smith Trott. What I think you're going to love about this conversation is Dave's to the point, sharp witted, no BS worldview. David Ogilvy’s greatest creation is David...

036: Dave Trott on 30 years of advertising creativity

May 11, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 46.5 MB

We're revisiting what creativity is, how to express it and find it, with a legend of the advertising industry Dave Trott. Just as John Cleese wrote brilliant sitcom and sketches, Dave created brilliant advertising over a career in which he founded five agencies including Gold Greenlees Trott, Bainsfair Sharkey Trott and Chick Smith Trott. What I think you're going to love about this conversation is Dave's to the point, sharp witted, no BS worldview. David Ogilvy’s greatest creation is David...

035: Dilip Soman & Nina Mažar on Behavioural Science in the wild

April 27, 2022 14:00 - 59 minutes - 41.1 MB

I'm excited to welcome Dilip Soman and Nina Mažar to the podcast to talk about their new book 'Behavioural Science in the Wild' which is hitting the virtual and physical shelves on May 15th. Dilip Soman is a Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics, and serves as a Director of the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman [BEAR]. As well as his imminent release, he is also the author of 'The Last Mile' and 'The Behaviourally Informed Organisation'. He teach...

035: Dilip Soman & Nina Nina Mažar on BS in the wild

April 27, 2022 14:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MB

I'm excited to welcome Dilip Soman and Nina Mažar to the podcast to talk about their new book 'Behavioural Science in the Wild' which is hitting the virtual and physical shelves on May 15th. Dilip Soman is a Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics, and serves as a Director of the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman [BEAR]. As well as his imminent release, he is also the author of 'The Last Mile' and 'The Behaviourally Informed Organisation'. He teach...

034: Chris Rawlinson on education

April 13, 2022 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MB

In this episode I talk with Chris Rawlinson about his online education company 42 Courses and how behavioural science has influenced its formation and growth. Show notes What is 42 Courses and the BS principles behind it Chris’s unusual background: vineyard owner, commercial pilot, then at Ogilvy revamping digital training programmes Weaknesses of most e-learning platforms Chris’s dyslexia & love of learning Matt Mullenweg and other random connections Influence of Sir Ken Robinson, h...

034: Chris Rawlinson on behavioural science in education

April 13, 2022 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MB

In this episode I talk with Chris Rawlinson about his online education company 42 Courses and how behavioural science has influenced its formation and growth. Show notes What is 42 Courses and the BS principles behind it Chris’s unusual background: vineyard owner, commercial pilot, then at Ogilvy revamping digital training programmes Weaknesses of most e-learning platforms Chris’s dyslexia & love of learning Matt Mullenweg and other random connections Influence of Sir Ken Robinson, h...

033: John Cleese & Rory Sutherland on creativity and play

March 30, 2022 12:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MB

Since launching this podcast, it's been my ambition to interview John Cleese, in part because he has plenty of no BS clear thinking on what it means to be creative and in part because he is my comedy hero. But instead of just interviewing John, I thought I'd add an extra shot of brandy to the conversation and invite behavioural science's very own flame throwing alchemist Rory Sutherland, who also knows a thing or two about creativity. Show notes 5.45 mins: understanding creativity and its...

032: BONUS episode - Human Risk podcast

March 21, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MB

A personal story in which Christian Hunt, host of the excellent Human Risk podcast, interviews me about: - My interest in and understanding of BS - Why I started A Load of BS - My goals and ambitions - Where next? I hope you enjoy it! Do check out Christian's other pods as well. Human Risk brings behavioural science to ethics and compliance and there are some fascinating conversations in the archive. You can find all my articles and pods here, so do subscribe if you haven't done so already.

032: Daniel Ross on the Human Risk podcast - My Story in Behavioural Science

March 21, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MB

A personal story in which Christian Hunt, host of the excellent Human Risk podcast, interviews me about: - My interest in and understanding of BS - Why I started A Load of BS - My goals and ambitions - Where next? I hope you enjoy it! Do check out Christian's other pods as well. Human Risk brings behavioural science to ethics and compliance and there are some fascinating conversations in the archive. You can find all my articles and pods here, so do subscribe if you haven't done so alread...

031: Guillem Balague on the sports psychology of Pep Guardiola and Diego Maradona

March 14, 2022 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MB

I'm talking football and psychology with Guillem Balague, someone whose work I admire and whose commentary on the game of football is eloquent, thoughtful and profound. Like me, Guillem is endlessly curious about what makes people tick, the psychology of sport, how players and coaches become successful, and also why they go wrong. Guillem has written superb biographies of some of the most iconic players in history: Pep Guardiola, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi; and Mauricio ...

031: Guillem Balague on Pep and Maradona

March 14, 2022 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MB

I'm talking football and psychology with Guillem Balague, someone whose work I admire and whose commentary on the game of football is eloquent, thoughtful and profound. Like me, Guillem is endlessly curious about what makes people tick, the psychology of sport, how players and coaches become successful, and also why they go wrong. Guillem has written superb biographies of some of the most iconic players in history: Pep Guardiola, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi; and Mauricio ...

030: Jeff Kreisler on the behavioural science of money - investing, saving and spending

March 03, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MB

If you’re wondering why you constantly make flawed, emotional decisions and what’s going on in that jelly in your head, please subscribe or follow A Load of BS  wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave me a 5 star review. Your support is always appreciated! Introducing Jeff Kreisler When it comes to money, we make absurd decisions about how to spend it all the time. Whether this is buying a £3.50 latte at Starbucks while we price compare groceries to save 10 pence on apples, bolting on a...

030: Jeff Kreisler on the value of money

March 03, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MB

If you’re wondering why you constantly make flawed, emotional decisions and what’s going on in that jelly in your head, please subscribe or follow A Load of BS  wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave me a 5 star review. Your support is always appreciated! Introducing Jeff Kreisler When it comes to money, we make absurd decisions about how to spend it all the time. Whether this is buying a £3.50 latte at Starbucks while we price compare groceries to save 10 pence on apples, bolting on a...

029: Dr Dimitris Xygalatas on rituals

February 16, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MB

This is a conversation with anthropologist and cognitive scientist Dr Dimitris Xygalatas, who is an expert in rituals, whether religious, sporting, tribal, individual, collective or otherwise. Rituals are part of all our lives, unconsciously so sometimes. Whether it's birthdays, pre-match warmup exercises or religious ceremonies, we're familiar mainly with low intensity, repetitive ones. It's the more intense, extreme rituals, in particular, which fascinate me for their arousing nature, the...

029: Dr Dimitris Xygalatas on the behavioural science of extreme rituals

February 16, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MB

This is a conversation with anthropologist and cognitive scientist Dr Dimitris Xygalatas, who is an expert in rituals, whether religious, sporting, tribal, individual, collective or otherwise. Rituals are part of all our lives, unconsciously so sometimes. Whether it's birthdays, pre-match warmup exercises or religious ceremonies, we're familiar mainly with low intensity, repetitive ones. It's the more intense, extreme rituals, in particular, which fascinate me for their arousing nature, the...

029: Dr Dimitris Xygalatas on the behavioural science of extreme rituals

February 16, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MB

This is a conversation with anthropologist and cognitive scientist Dr Dimitris Xygalatas, who is an expert in rituals, whether religious, sporting, tribal, individual, collective or otherwise. Rituals are part of all our lives, unconsciously so sometimes. Whether it's birthdays, pre-match warmup exercises or religious ceremonies, we're familiar mainly with low intensity, repetitive ones. It's the more intense, extreme rituals, in particular, which fascinate me for their arousing nature, the...

028: Melissa Hogenboom on motherhood penalties (Part 2)

February 02, 2022 12:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MB

Welcome to A Load of BS for the 2nd instalment of my conversation with Melissa Hogenboom, BBC science journalist and author of The Motherhood Complex. Today's show Today, we're talking about the good mother stereotype, the lean in movement, the prohibitive cost of child care, maternal gatekeeping, the motherhood penalty, the lean in movement, the secrecy of miscarriage, women's cognitive labour load, pre and post natal depression, the positive and negative effects of technology on family li...

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