Behavioral Grooves Podcast

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

What if constraints could actually make us more creative? This week, we use behavioral science to explore how limits on our time, resources, and choices can focus our attention, spark creativity, and help us make better decisions. With author David Epstein, we look at how creatives like Bach and Dr. Seuss used constraints to generate new ideas, and how identifying bottlenecks at work can help us focus on the problems that matter most. We’ll also share practical ways to embrace constraints, think differently, and get more done.

Topics
[0:00] Intro and speed round with David Epstein

[15:00] Choice overload and endless options

[22:31] How constraints can unlock creativity 

[29:53] Innovation and limitations

[36:14] Great thinkers and the obstacles that met them

[43:55] The Green Eggs and Ham Effect

[51:10] AI and creativity

[59:40] Finding the Bottleneck

[1:04:02] Knowing your own constraints

[1:11:13] Bach: the maestro of constraint

[1:18:43] Grooving Session: Exploring the power of constraints

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
About David Epstein

Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

Support Behavioral Grooves

Music Links
Bach - Air on the G String (Orchestral Suite No. 3)

London Grammar - Hey Now

What happens when we enter a conversation with someone we assume is different from us? Social psychologist Claude Steele argues that the tension and nerves we feel may have less to do with prejudice than we think. In his new book, Churn, Claude explores how identity threats can affect our performance and relationships, why we fear being misjudged, and how empathy, listening, and understanding can help reduce that tension and foster trust. We discuss why context matters, how our attitudes can follow our behavior, and why “colorblindness” can make it harder to understand another person’s experience.

Topics
[0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Claude Steele

[11:28] Does attitude follow behavior?

[15:02] What exactly is “churn”?

[20:12] The fear of being stereotyped

[30:21] Trust as the antidote to tension

[35:31] Can you really be “colorblind?”

[47:48] Barack Obama and the cross-identity bridge to understanding

[53:40] Why you need to look at circumstances

[1:01:58] Desert Island Music

[1:07:05] Grooving Session: Why our brains churn

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
About Claude

Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

Support Behavioral Grooves

Musical Links
Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Duke

Stevie Wonder - Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing

How does culture shape the way we think, behave, and interact with one another? In this episode, anthropologist Oliver Sweet explores the hidden social rules that influence human behavior, from communication and cultural norms to social media, artificial intelligence, and changing generational values. We discuss the psychology and anthropology of culture, how "vibe shifts" emerge, whether technology is making us more narcissistic, and what AI could mean for collaboration, empathy, creativity, and human connection.

Topics
[0:00] Intro & Speed Round with Oliver Sweet

[7:54] Can You Be Too Fat for an Imaginary Boat?

[13:08] The Hidden Rules That Shape Our Behavior

[18:47] How Social Norms Change Over Time

[21:14] What Is a "Vibe Shift"?

[28:23] AI, Social Media & Culture

[32:37] The Return of Subliminal Messaging

[36:53] AI and the Rise of Digital Narcissism

[46:51] How Technology Changes Risk-Taking

[52:17] Can Counterculture Predict the Future?

[58:56] What Happens When AI Replaces Human Connection?

[1:09:33] Grooving Session: The Reality and Illusions of AI

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Links
About Oliver

The Rules That Make Us: How Culture Shapes the Way We Act, Think, Believe, and Buy by Oliver Sweet

Join us on Substack!

Join the Behavioral Grooves community

Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube

Support Behavioral Grooves