Science Fictions

The podcast delves into cognitive decline in 2024 US Presidential candidates, the impact on campaigns and Presidency. It explores research on cognitive tests for different ages and questions received wisdom about cognitive aging. The hosts discuss cognitive abilities, cultural perspectives on decline, and challenges in practical assessments. They also touch on human challenge trials, vaccine trial hurdles, and debate between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on cognitive aging.

Mistakes were made. By us. In this Mea Culpa episode we discuss several of them, big and small, from multiple previous episodes. If you’ve noticed us make a mistake on The Studies Show, please do get in touch on thestudiesshowpod@substack.com, and we’ll include it in a future Mea Culpa!Show notes* Eiko Fried’s research on the definition of depression (we’ll do a whole episode on this!)* The new BMJ meta-analysis on exercise and depression that came out literally one day after we discussed that topic on the show* Mark Pack’s book on the uses and abuses of opinion pollingCreditsThe Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Climate models and predictions are discussed in depth, exploring the accuracy and complexities of climate sensitivity. The podcast delves into media representation of climate change, false balance in reporting, and the importance of scientific expertise. It also touches on the historical role of carbon dioxide in global warming, feedback loops, and advancements in climate science. The reliability of climate models is scrutinized, comparing past predictions to observations.

Join Tom and Stuart in this paid-only episode as they unravel the shocking tale of Hans Eysenck and his questionable studies. Explore the controversial link between negative thoughts and cancer risk, learn about Eysenck's career, and delve into the debate around his work on IQ and personality differences.

In this podcast, the hosts explore the myths surrounding exercise, including whether stretching before exercising actually helps and if exercise helps alleviate depression. They also discuss the reliability of sports science and the need for reliable studies. The hosts share personal experiences and perspectives on the topics discussed, adding an entertaining touch to the conversation.

The podcast discusses the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for treating depression. It explores the challenges of conducting studies on therapy, expresses skepticism towards Freudian theories, and highlights the importance of talking about personal issues. The chapter also compares the effectiveness of CBT and psychotherapy and recommends exploring these options for individuals with depression symptoms.

The podcast explores the impact of smartphones on teen mental health, including proposals to ban them. It discusses the link between smartphones and mental health problems, suicide rates among different demographics, and skepticism about global mental health data. The hosts also delve into the effects of phone use on mental health, the correlation between technology usage and mental well-being, and skepticism towards the mental health crisis caused by social media and smartphones.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.comEither there are massive differences between the brains of men and women, or there aren’t any notable differences at all - and people who think differences exist are “neurosexists”. It’s easy to find well-qualified scientists making each of these arguments. They can’t all be right. What’s going on? What do the biggest and best MRI studies of brain sex differences tell us? Do we know what causes them, or how they might affect our psychology? And what does “sexual dimorphism” even mean, anyway? In this paid-only episode of The Studies Show, Tom and Stuart try to sort through some of the diametrically-opposed scientific claims.To listen to the full version of this episode and see the show notes, you’ll need to be a paid subscriber to The Studies Show podcast on Substack. Go to www.thestudiesshowpod.com/subscribe to see the options. If you’re already a paid subscriber: thank you!

Why do some people love parties and others prefer to stay at home with a book? Why do some people worry endlessly about all the bad things that might happen, while others breeze through life with supreme confidence? Why is Stuart such a nice guy and Tom far less so?In this episode of The Studies Show, Tom and Stuart discuss personality and the personality tests that are supposed to measure it. They discuss whether it might be the Big Five or the Big Six, what measuring personality is good for, and whether “Grit” is even a thing. Not only that, but for the many, many people who are desperate to know, they both reveal their own personality test results.The Studies Show is sponsored by Works in Progress magazine. We absolutely love reading its beautifully-written, well-researched essays on science, technology, and human progress, and if you’re a listener to this podcast, we’re pretty sure you will, too. Take a look at the whole collection of articles—all available for free—right here.Show Notes* Free site to calculate your Big Five personality profile* Free site to calculate your Big Six (HEXACO) personality profile* Tom’s Big Five personality profile:* Stuart’s Big Five personality profile:* Is it the Big Five or the Big Six? An example of a paper that supports the latter option* Razib Khan’s podcast interview with personality psychologist Brent Roberts* Example of a study on personality and job performance* Paper by Christopher Soto testing the replicability of personality’s associations with life outcomes* Paper showing how “Grit” is really just a re-description of “Conscientiousness”* Severe critique of the Big Five by “a literal banana” (also read the comments!)* Story of the Hans Eysenck personality-and-health fraud (also see this meta-analysis of personality and health)* Meta-analysis of how personality factors change over time* Meta-analysis of interventions that can change personality factorsCreditsThe Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

The podcast discusses statistical significance and p-values, exploring misconceptions and ways to prevent p-hacking. It also covers the problem of false positives, the controversy around power posing, and the link between reading on an e-reader and delayed sleep onset. The hosts highlight the importance of interpreting p-values correctly and consider potential solutions such as pre-registration and Bayesian statistics.