Behavioral Grooves Podcast

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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Music Links
Taylor Swift - august

Noah Kahan - The Great Divide