1072: Past Regrets Foster Clear and Present Threats | Feedback Friday

University of Sussex cognitive philosophy professor Andy Clark joins us to discuss how our brains experience and manipulate the reality that surrounds us. What We Discuss with Andy Clark: How your brain operates as a prediction machine that constructs an estimation of reality based on available data rather than relaying an entirely precise narrative of the outside world. The problems that arise when the senses through which your brain gathers data don't always convey an accurate picture of reality. What phantom vibration syndrome and auditory hallucinations may indicate about your brain's capacity for prediction. How your brain fills in the gaps when sensory information is missing or incomplete. Why placebos are often effective — even when you know they're placebos. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/887 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

29 Aug 20231h 9min

Why do some insist Earth is flat despite thousands of years of evidence to the contrary? Dave Farina joins us for Skeptical Sunday to round up some answers! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Belief in a flat Earth rejects historical knowledge, distorts observations, denies gravity, and originates from a mix of misguided ideas and online interactions. Flat Earth proponents misrepresent scale and ignore basic principles of grade school science in their arguments against a spherical Earth. The origins of modern flat Earth belief are uncertain, possibly beginning life as a meme or a conspiracy theory and gaining traction among the gullible for the benefit of disinformation peddlers. Debunkers have exposed flaws in flat Earth belief with easily observable facts, thankfully contributing to a recent decline in its popularity. Flat Earth belief exemplifies the broader issue of science denial in modern society and reminds us to do our part to promote critical thinking. Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Connect with Dave Farina on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, and check out the Professor Dave Debates podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts. Dave’s book, Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online is out now! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/886 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27 Aug 202350min

Are you right to cut ties with your grandpa now that his sociopathic, incestuous, and pedophilic history has come to light? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: Some people in your family disagree with your decision to cut ties with Grandpa now that his sociopathic, incestuous, and pedophilic history has come to light. What should you do? [Thanks to  Maria Socolof and Brad Watts for helping us with another heavy one!] Six months off weed during a manic period brought you artistic success and closeness to your wife and kids. Now, in a 'down' time, an urge to resume communion with the righteous herb has returned — much to the chagrin of your wife. Is it worth it? Your father gave you and your siblings each $100,000 to use for investing in real estate. While you did use much of it to put a down payment on a house, you wasted about half self-soothing while dealing with a depressing, friendless work assignment in the middle of nowhere. Though you know your dad would be disappointed, should you come clean? Management at your company has become toxic since a recent merger, and they want you to jump through the hoop of finishing your bachelor's degree to make an extra $10,000 in your current position. Unfortunately, a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis has you worried you might not be up to the challenge. What's your best move?[Thanks to HR professional Joanna Tate for helping us with this one!] Is there value in platforming divisive figures like RFK Jr. on this show? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/885 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Aug 20231h 7min

Join Jordan and Gabe for this deep dive into the lessons we can learn when we enlist envy as a teacher rather than a bitter reminder of what we don't have. What We Discuss: Merriam-Webster defines envy as "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage." Envy is rooted in evolutionary psychology as an aid to our survival, but modern life amplifies and distorts it into an overwhelming compulsion that can hurt more than help. When envy crops up in our lives, it often contains two different desires within it: a desire for the thing we wish we had, and a desire to "beat" the person who has it. Envy could be about wanting something we don’t have, or it could be about being someone we wish we were — or maybe it’s both, and wanting the thing is really just a clever way of trying to become the person who has it. Envy can teach us about our genuine desires and goals, helping us focus on what truly matters to us. By practicing gratitude, distinguishing between sources and objects of envy, and acting on insights to overcome it, we can transform envy into a driving force for self-improvement and collaboration, shifting from "this joy is mine" to "this joy is ours." And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/884 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Aug 202350min

Video editor Annie Ikpa explains how she galvanized a movement to ban child sacrifice in Uganda, and what's in store for the fight ahead. What We Discuss with Annie Ikpa: Why child sacrifice is so common in Uganda that Annie Ikpa had to spend seven years campaigning for a law against it. Who hires the exploitative witch doctors who perform these sacrifices in the name of fortune or other earthly delights? How children are selected for sacrifice because they're relatively easy to abduct, less likely to fight back, and are regarded by true believers as spiritually more "pure" than adults. Why even a child who is "lucky" enough to survive a sacrifice is left mentally and physically traumatized — often with brutal scars across their bodies, missing limbs, and/or mutilated genitals. What you can do to help raise awareness and put a stop to this barbarous practice that continues in spite of positive strides in preventative legislation. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/883 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Aug 202351min

Is homeopathy an effective alternative medicine or an unproven, unscientific sham? Comedian Michael Regilio joins us for Skeptical Sunday to find out! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Homeopathy is an alternative medicine with a long history, relying on the principle of "like cures like" and the idea that water has memory. Despite lacking scientific proof, homeopathic products are widely marketed and sold, even though they're required to carry warnings of unproven efficacy. Homeopathic practices have faced criticism, and DNA testing has even revealed mislabeled or diluted ingredients and dangerous products on the market. Some people turn to homeopathy for stress relief and placebo effects, but many are unaware of its lack of scientific basis. While there's pushback against homeopathy, it continues to thrive due to marketing, endorsements by celebrities, and regulatory gaps. Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Connect with Michael Regilio at his website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and make sure to check out the Michael Regilio Plagues Well With Others podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/882 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Aug 202345min

When the circle of trust between you, your best friend, and his girlfriend accidentally turns into a covert love triangle, it might be Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: The circle of trust between you, your best friend, and his girlfriend has accidentally turned into a covert love triangle. Now what happens? Your gaming group decided to officially ostracize its most annoying member, and you've wrestled with guilt and anxiety over the way it was done. Is there a way to smooth things over with him as a friend even if the group doesn't necessarily want to give him a second chance? A man 11 years your senior abruptly ended a one-month long-distance relationship two days after you first became physically intimate, and all you can wonder is: why? As a high school freshman with a small group of close friends, you're devastated to discover your best friend is moving away with his family to another state. How do you find and connect with new people? How do you create long-lasting relationships? Sometimes, it's the biggest betrayals delivered by the people we thought we could trust most during our lowest point that set us on a course of radical self-improvement — provided we find the strength to survive them, as our very own Jase can testify. Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/881 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Aug 20231h 3min

The Power of Crisis author Ian Bremmer rejoins us to assess the top threats facing our world today and the difficult choices they may force us to make. What We Discuss with Ian Bremmer: The effective unified Western response to Ukrainian invasion has transformed Russia from a would-be China into a massive Iran. China's Xi Jinping has been concentrating his power — which will allow him to make bigger mistakes that affect billions of people even more quickly. The unchecked proliferation of AI can move markets and effortlessly generate mountains of disinformation on social media to further the agendas of extremists. The growing partisan polarization of the American electorate continues to erode the legitimacy of core federal institutions and the peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections. While the consequences of water scarcity will worsen, unprepared governments' ability to handle them seems unlikely to improve. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/880 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

17 Aug 20231h 25min