Behavioral Grooves Podcast

What actually stops crime? Economist Jennifer Doleac joins us to explore the behavioral science behind safer communities, revealing why certainty of consequences, not harsher punishments, is the key to changing behavior and how evidence can lead to smarter criminal justice policy.

Topics
[0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Jennifer Doleac

[9:15] How an economist found criminal justice

[13:56] Why DNA databases reduce crime

[16:53] Certainty vs. severity of punishment

[21:11] Redemption, incentives, and justice

[25:05] Second chances for first-time offenders

[30:50] Jobs, criminal records, and Ban the Box

[37:57] When good intentions backfire

[44:08] Rethinking prisons and parole

[50:24] Why evidence struggles to shape policy

[57:58] Desert Island Music

[1:00:30] Grooving Session - Reforming our criminal justice systems

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
About Jennifer

The Science of Second Chances

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Musical Links
Miley Cyrus - Used to Be Young

Zach Bryan - I Remember Everything

AI can make us more efficient, but it can also change how we think, collaborate, and trust one another. As we continue to groove on AI, we dig into the concepts of cognitive surrender, creative convergence, trust erosion, and the new challenges facing managers as the race to adopt AI takes over corporate America. If you want to improve human connection and navigate AI's impact thoughtfully, take a listen to this episode. We have a few ideas that just may help.

Topics
[0:00] Intro: What is cognitive surrender?

[4:15] How to use AI without giving up critical thinking

[9:33] Why teams become less innovative

[15:25] How AI quietly erodes workplace trust

[20:42] Why AI-generated communication feels disingenuous

[24:06] The growing strain on frontline managers

[30:39] Helping organizations build healthier AI practices

Links
The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking

Climate change conversations often focus on sacrifice, but what if the path to a healthier planet also made us happier? We sit down with Leave the Lights On authors Liz Dunn and Jiaying Zhao to explore how behavioral science can help us focus on the environmental choices that matter most, why social influence is more powerful than guilt, and how small, joyful decisions can create lasting change.

Topics
[0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Liz Dunn & Jiaying "JZ" Zhao 

[9:03] Why Your Neighbors Influence You More Than Climate Facts 

[13:09] High Impact Climate Choices That Actually Matter 

[17:05] Scarcity, Happiness, and Enjoying More by Having Less 

[24:00] Leave the Lights On: The Carbon Math That Changes Everything 

[27:05] Why Where You Live Matters More Than You Think 

[31:17] Remote Work, Happiness, and Carbon Emissions 

[37:34] Everyday Climate Decisions That Make the Biggest Difference 

[42:10] Creating Upward Spirals of Joy 

[44:49] Why Sharing Your Choices Influences Others

[47:57] The Environmental Cost of AI 

[50:58] Desert Island Music Picks 

[53:42] Grooving Session: Show Don't Tell Leadership 

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
Leave the Lights On by Liz Dunn and Jiaying Zhao

About Liz

About JZ

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Join the Behavioral Grooves community

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Music Links
Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do

Counting Crows - Round Here

Justin Bieber - Daisies

Mozart - Symphony No. 40

AI is making work faster, but at what cost? It's weakening collaboration, eroding culture, and spawning new problems and costs that most organizations didn't see coming. In Part 1 of our deep-dive into modern AI, we're exploring the behavioral science behind AI adoption, why "work slop" is becoming a growing problem, and how you can use AI to strengthen, rather than damage, your workplace and teams.

Topics
[0:00] We need to talk about AI

[5:19] How AI changes collaboration and mentoring

[10:14] Cultural Thinning and Work Slop

[15:10] Slop in action

[20:20] What happens when AI is implemented poorly

[25:14] Mitigating AI's Negative Impacts

[26:55] Coming next: Trust, leadership, and cognitive surrender

Why do so many organizational change initiatives fail? This week, we’re joined by behavioral economist Julia Dhar, co-author of How Change Really Works, to explore the behavioral science behind successful change. From curiosity and anxiety to psychological safety, AI, and the difference between change fatigue and change disappointment, Julia shares practical strategies that help leaders turn good ideas into lasting change.

Topics
[0:00] Introduction and speed round with Julia Dhar

[10:34] The "cockpit" metaphor for leadership

[17:28] Why "if you build it, they will come" doesn't work

[22:13] Communication, alignment, and executive blind spots

[29:08] Curiosity and anxiety during change

[32:15] Gathering honest employee feedback

[36:47] Leadership's role in successful transformation

[38:52] Change fatigue vs. change disappointment

[44:47] Why endings matter more than leaders realize

[49:14] AI adoption and organizational behavior

[53:27] Jazz, orchestras, and the art of change

[58:09] Desert island music picks

[1:04:14] Grooving Session: Turning anxiety into engagement

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
About Julia

How Change Really Works by Julia Dhar, Kristy Ellmer, and Philip Jameson

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

Support Behavioral Grooves

Musical Links
Imagine Dragons - Believer

Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride