
Free Daily Podcast Summary
by Kurt Nelson, PhD and Tim Houlihan
Stories, science and secrets from the world’s brightest thought-leaders. Behavioral Grooves is the podcast that satisfies your curiosity of why we do what we do. Explanations of human behavior that will improve your relationships, your wellbeing, and your organization by helping you find your groove.
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
What does it really take to change a habit? Charles Duhigg, journalist and author of The Power of Habit, joins us to explore how our understanding of habits has evolved and why lasting change may start with changing how we see ourselves. From the “habit window” and keystone habits to habit chaining and identity shifts, we challenge long-held assumptions about willpower and explore how small changes in behavior and perspective can lead to lasting transformation. Topics [0:00] The Food Noise and GLP-1s [10:47] Speed Round with Charles Duhigg [16:50] The Habit Loop: What We Get Right and Wrong [22:34] The Hidden Cues Behind Our Habits [27:23] Keystone Habits, Habit Chaining, and Identity [35:51] Temptation Bundling and Making Habits Easier [40:07] How GLP-1 Medications Change Our Relationship With Willpower [49:02] Why Researchers Should Work With Businesses [55:09] Desert Island Music: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones [59:34] Groove Session: Why Your Actions Shape Your Identity ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Charles The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Music Links The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night The Rolling Stones - Beast of Burden
Have we misunderstood two of psychology’s most famous experiments? We revisit the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Robbers Cave experiment with science historians Thibault Le Texier and Gina Perry, who uncovered a much messier story behind the research we learned about in school. What can these experiments actually tell us about human behavior, and what happens when researchers become more invested in a specific conclusion than challenging their own assumptions? Topics [0:00] Two Famous Experiments, One Bigger Problem [6:47] Part One: The Stanford Prison Experiment [12:26] Were the Guards Coached to Be Cruel? [18:14] Is the Real Lesson About Leadership? [19:22] Part Two: The Robbers Cave Experiment [24:04] The Forgotten Middle Grove Experiment [28:38] Engineering the Robbers Cave Experiment [32:38] What Can We Actually Learn From These Experiments? [36:09] When the Story Gets in the Way of the Science [41:36] What Happens When a Story Sounds Too Tidy? ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links Investigating the Stanford Prison Experiment: History of a Lie by Thibault Le Texier About Gina Perry Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves
Why do we do what we do? Behavioral Grooves explores the science of human behavior with researchers, authors, and thinkers who help us make sense of ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Horse meat, kidneys, prostitution. What happens when the things people want to buy, sell, and trade collide with what society has deemed “off-limits”? Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin “Al” Roth joins us to explore the behavioral science behind controversial markets, from repugnance and social norms to black markets, incentives, and informed consent. We also dig into his work redesigning the kidney exchange market and how asking a different question can open up new possibilities for solving seemingly impossible problems. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Alvin “Al” Roth [9:21] What Is a Market? [13:10] Repugnance vs. Disgust [20:00] How Social Norms Shape Markets and Morality [24:12] Do Laws Change Morality, or Does Morality Change Laws? [28:25] Drugs, Hitmen, and the Social Support Behind a Ban [34:23] Rethinking the Market for Prostitution [38:12] Can Money Be Coercive? [46:12] Redesigning Kidney Donation With Incentives [50:42] What Do We Do When the Data Can't Change Minds? [52:47] “Ought Implies Can” and the Limits of Moral Rules [1:03:05] Grooving Session: What We Learned From Al Roth ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Alvin E. Roth Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Music Links Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man
What happens when behavioral science leaves the classroom and enters the real world? In this special episode, we explore the past and future of the Behavioral Science & Policy Association with founders Sim Sitkin and Craig Fox and incoming leader Crystal Hall. We talk about bridging the gap between research and practice, the growing importance of interdisciplinary behavioral science, and why understanding the human side of AI may be one of the field's biggest opportunities. Topics [0:00] What Is the Behavioral Science & Policy Association? [7:45] BSPA's First Big Breakthroughs [12:12] How BSPA Helped Legitimize Applied Behavioral Science [17:14] What AI Gets Wrong About Behavioral Science [25:06] The Next Frontier for Behavioral Science [32:34] Why Behavioral Science Is at a Critical Moment [42:19] What AI Means for Behavioral Science [46:20] A New Vision for BSPA [49:10] How to Get Involved With BSPA ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links BSPA Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves
What if work didn’t have to be something we simply “get through” five days a week? This week, we sit down with Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun, to explore how small changes in the way we interact, communicate, and lead can make work more human and mostly fun, most days. We talk about work-life balance, chronic overwork, psychological safety, AI, and the importance of protecting the relationships, health, creativity, and small moments of joy that make our lives meaningful. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Bree Groff [9:45] Treat your brain like a Stradivarius [13:18] Why this isn't a typical business book [19:52] The five-minute check-in [27:41] The benefits of psychological safety and cognitive offloading [30:55] The hidden cost of chronic overwork [36:16] Why “love what you do” is an exhausting goal [43:09] Why work should be mostly fun, most days [49:07] The truth about AI at work [53:45] What happens when we outsource thinking? [54:37] Bree's writing soundtrack [59:45] Grooving Session: Making work fun ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Bree Today was Fun by Bree Groff Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Vulfpeck - Back Pocket Qveen Herby - The Fool
This week, Dr. Jeremy Pollack joins us to explore the neuroscience of conflict, trust, mistakes, uncertainty, and psychological safety. We discuss how these obstacles and miscommunications can affect our work environments, what to do when you notice them, and how to build healthier teams by breaking old conflict patterns before they start. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Jeremy Pollack [9:20] Can our brains rewire conflict patterns? [14:21] The neuroscience behind conflict resolution [19:50] How organizational systems can fuel conflict [32:32] Creating psychological safety at work [38:55] Why our brains crave certainty [42:09] How to rewire the nervous system after trauma [49:04] Desert Island Music Picks [50:36] Grooving Session: Self-regulation techniques for leaders ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Jeremy Wired for Peace by Jeremy Pollack, Ph.D. Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Grateful Dead - Friend of the Devil Phish - Sample in a Jar
Disagreements are inevitable, but they don’t have to become conflicts. Harvard Kennedy School professor Julia Minson joins us to explore why we struggle to see perspectives different from our own and how openness, curiosity, and humility can lead to more productive conversations. We also get practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations, from asking better questions to understanding what we actually know versus what we’re simply assuming. Topics [0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Julia Minson [6:16] Does Feeling Heard Make Us More Receptive? [19:23] Why Context Matters in Conflict [21:13] What Is Naive Realism? [37:37] Why Receptiveness Isn't Weakness [42:00] What Is "Boomer Asking"? [44:39] How to Start a Difficult Conversation [47:23] What Do You Actually Know? [49:30] Asking Better Questions [51:12] Are You Actually Being Curious? [52:30] Using Notes to Have Better Conversations [57:19] Grooving Session: Practical Tips for Better Disagreements ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Julia How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Music Links Taylor Swift - august Noah Kahan - The Great Divide
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Listeners also like.

Stanford Psychology Podcast
Students interview psychologists about recent research and its real-world applications.

Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Explores the science behind lasting self-improvement through psychology, neuroscience, and timeless wisdom traditions.

The Psychology Podcast
Explores human potential and possibility through conversations with scientists, thinkers, and self-actualized individuals.

People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast
Explores human behavior through interviews with experts in psychology, law, sports, and poker.

Huberman Lab
Explores neuroscience and science-based tools for understanding and improving brain function, behavior, and health.

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
Two researchers examine leadership, connection, and change by combining qualitative and quantitative insights.

Choiceology with Katy Milkman
Explores how behavioral science and real-life decisions reveal ways to improve judgment and make better choices.

Habits and Hustle
Explores the daily habits and personal routines of successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders through candid interviews.

Science of Perception Box
Neuroscientists explore how beliefs, emotions, and neural processes shape human perception and reality.

Hidden Brain
Explores human behavior and the unconscious patterns that shape our decisions, relationships, and society through science and storytelling.

Speaking of Psychology
Explores recent psychological research and its applications to daily life.

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Explores how values, religion, and culture shape individuals and society through interviews and lectures.
Stories, science and secrets from the world’s brightest thought-leaders. Behavioral Grooves is the podcast that satisfies your curiosity of why we do what we do. Explanations of human behavior that will improve your relationships, your wellbeing, and your organization by helping you find your groove.
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Get key takeaways from Behavioral Grooves Podcast in a 5-minute read.
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Behavioral Grooves Podcast as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Kurt Nelson, PhD and Tim Houlihan.
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
Behavioral Grooves Podcast publishes 2x weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
Behavioral Grooves Podcast covers topics including Science, Business, Management, Fitness, Health & Fitness, Social Sciences. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.