Alle afleveringen
80 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Why Men Love Bitches
5 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 12 min
A 2002 dating guide has found new popularity on Tiktok using an old fashioned method: Have a catchy title and four pages of good advice. Lees meer
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Sources:
The Tragedy of Heterosexuality
Why men (still) love bitches
Systematic review on converting online contact into a first date
A Meta-Analytical Review of the Demand/Withdraw Pattern
Gender-Related Predictors of Change in Marital Satisfaction and Marital Conflict
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Surrounded By Idiots
1 september 2026 · 1 uur 9 min
Peter and Michael discuss "Surrounded by Idiots," a book that dares to ask: Can the mystery of human relationships be unraveled by a workplace personality assessment? Lees meer
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators, and Guardians
Creator of Lie Detector Test Dies; Lecturer and Author Produced Comic Strip
One of Sweden's biggest scientific bluffs
Pseudoscience and the Claim of Practical Utility: The Case of Thomas Erikson's Surrounded by Idiots
Thomas Erikson accepts being called a pop psychology writer
Four personality types may be neither robust nor exhaustive
Spuriouser and spuriouser: The use of ipsative personality tests
Reconsidering the use of personality tests in personnel selection contexts
Using Personality Tests in Pre-Employment Screening
Employment Tests and Selection Procedures
The Cult of Personality Testing
A history of the early days of personality testing in American industry: an obsession with adjustment
Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part II: The Refinement of Methods and Standards in Employee Selection
Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part III: The Resurgence of Personality Testing
ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint Against CVS
Target Corporation to Pay $2.8 Million to Resolve EEOC Discrimination Finding
Personality Tests Are the Astrology of the Office
The $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Three Cups of Tea
5 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 52 min
In 1993, a desperate man stumbled into a remote village in the foothills of the Karakoram mountains. After the residents nursed him back to health, he placed his hands on the village elder's shoulders and made a sacred promise. "Somehow," he said, "I am going to get some private jet reimbursements out of this." Lees meer
Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival."
Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode!
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Sources:
Three Cups of Deceit
“60 Minutes” expose
3000 Cups of Deceit
Books vs Bombs? Humanitarian development and the narrative of terror in Northern Pakistan
Delusional States
Can't Get There From Here
Nobel Prize Nominee’s Charity Wins No Award for Accountability
David Oliver Relin, Adventurous Journalist, Dies at 49
What Mortenson Got Wrong
Three Cups of Tea: The Pakistan and Afghan side
3 Lessons to Learn From Greg Mortenson
Mortenson returns to Afghanistan
The naive republic of aid: Grassroots exceptionalism in humanitarian memoir
Religious School Enrollment in Pakistan: A Look at the Data
If you build it, will they come?
What Really Works to Improve Learning in Developing Countries?
The madrassa scapegoat
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Body Keeps The Score
18 juni 2026 · 1 uur 50 min
You know that book your friend recommended? The one that rigorously describes the science of trauma, de-stigmatizes abuse and promotes effective treatments? Well here’s the thing: It doesn't actually do that. Lees meer
Thanks to Emi Nietfield, Keith Cox, Lisa Starr, Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode!
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong
Trauma: A Genealogy
Remembering Trauma
Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing
Tell Me Why It Hurts
‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain science
Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside
PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviews
What Does It Mean When 38% Forget?
Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive Perspective
The Brain Is Adaptive Not Triune
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Think And Grow Rich
21 mei 2026 · 1 uur 3 min
Peter and Michael discuss "Think And Grow Rich," the 1937 classic written by a lifelong fraudster who finds his final mark: You. Lees meer
Where to find us:
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time
A Lifetime of Riches
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
How a Different America Responded to the Great Depression
The Psychic Scandal
How Trump Turned The Power of Positive Thinking Into Delusion
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Grit
30 april 2026 · 1 uur 19 min
In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk. Lees meer
Special thanks to Marcus Credé!
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Much Ado About Grit
What Shall We Do About Grit?
Grit under attack
Teaching “Grit”
The Problem With Grit
The Limits of “Grit”
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem?
Measurement Matters
Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive
Self-Control and Academic Achievement
Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success
Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems?
Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling
Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept
Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage.
"Grit" Revisited
Character Education: A Cautionary Note
What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?
The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement
Academic Performance And Food Stamps
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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CROSSOVER EVENT: Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body"
16 april 2026 · 1 uur 8 min
Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Lees meer
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Sources:
The 4-Hour Body
Does Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence
New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life!
The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called Yourself
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Bullshit Jobs
5 maart 2026 · 1 uur
Peter and Michael discuss "Bullshit Jobs" by anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. The result: two professional podcasters debating which jobs are real and which jobs are fake. Lees meer
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Sources:
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant
37% of British workers think their jobs are meaningless
Average Annual Hours Worked by Persons Engaged for United States
The times they are not changin’: Days and hours of work in Old and New Worlds, 1870–2000
‘Bullshit’ After All? Why People Consider Their Jobs Socially Useless
Alienation Is Not ‘Bullshit’: An Empirical Critique of Graeber’s Theory of BS Jobs
Many people feel they work in pointless ‘bullshit’ jobs, research confirms
The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure
Study: Leisure Time Declines
USA Consumption as percent of GDP
The Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions
Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study
Americans’ job satisfaction in 2024
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Millionaire Next Door
5 februari 2026 · 1 uur 11 min
It turns out that the key to wealth is buying the right kind of watch, marrying the right kind of wife and being the right kind of white. Lees meer
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Uneasy Street
A Century of Wealth In America
Family, Education, and Sources of Wealth among the Richest Americans, 1982–2012
Wealth Elite Moralities
The insane growth of America’s millionaire class
The Extraordinary Rise In The Wealth Of Older American Households
Planning & Progress Study 2025
Striking Out on Their Own: The Self-Employed in Bankruptcy
How Many Households Meet The Net Worth Guidelines Of The Millionaire Next Door?
Paying Tribute to Thomas Stanley and His ‘Millionaire Next Door’
Pity the Billionaires
What Rich Women Want
The deserving or undeserving rich?
The Evolution of Top Incomes
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Worst Takes of 2025 [TEASER]
29 december 2025 · 50 min
The boys catalog the definitive worst takes of the year, from the pundits who misunderstood our political moment to a guy who wants to have sex with a computer. Lees meer
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Elon Musk Part 2
18 december 2025 · 1 uur 31 min
The boys continue their discussion of Walter Isaacson's "Elon Musk." This is the part where Elon loses his mind. Lees meer
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Sources:
From self-proclaimed ‘socialist’ to Team Trump and DeSantis: Elon Musk’s curious politics revealed
The Quiet Political Rise of David Sacks, Silicon Valley’s Prophet of Urban Doom
Elon Musk biographer admits suggestion SpaceX head blocked Ukraine drone attack was wrong
Elon Musk's Daughter on Dad's Biography: 'Sad Excuse for a Puff Piece'
Character Limit
Twitter fulfilling more government censorship requests under Musk
Elon Musk booed for nearly 5 minutes straight at Dave Chappelle show in San Francisco
New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite
Research finds more than 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues, including more than 4 million children under five
What the data says about Social Security
Trump Administration, DOGE Activities Risk SSA Operations and Security of Personal Data
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Elon Musk
9 december 2025 · 1 uur 28 min
A biography that dares to ask: Is a lifetime of worker abuse and narcissism worth it to experience robot butlers? Lees meer
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Sources:
What Elon Musk Gets Wrong about South Africa
Elon Musk’s Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather
Elon Musk claims he was once one of the best Quake players around
Watch Elon Musk Talk About Being an ‘Illegal Immigrant’ in Video From 2013
Elon Musk’s dad Errol says he can ‘prove’ existence of emerald mine in new bombshell claim revealing its location
How Elon Musk Went from Superhero to Supervillain
The Believer
Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow
How Elon Musk Plans on Reinventing the World (and Mars)
Tesla factory workers reveal pain, injury and stress: 'Everything feels like the future but us' | Tesla
Hundreds of Tesla workers tested positive for the virus after Elon Musk reopened a plant, data shows
Inside Tesla as Elon Musk Pushed an Unflinching Vision for Self-Driving Cars
Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies
Elon Musk Says His 'Running Robot' Will 'Actually Eliminate Poverty' As He Shares Video Of Tesla Optimus Jogging
Elon Musk Wants ‘Strong Influence’ Over the ‘Robot Army’ He’s Building
There’s a Very Simple Pattern to Elon Musk’s Broken Promises
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Sapiens
20 november 2025 · 1 uur 38 min
How do you tell the entire history of humanity in a single book? Whatever you do, do not open a browser window. Lees meer
Thanks to Dorsa Amir, Duncan Stibbard Hawkes and David Perry for help researching and fact-checking this episode!
Where to find us:
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Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
A Response to Yuval Harari
Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever
How Humankind Conquered the World
The revolution that wasn't
Advances In The Study Of The Origin Of Humanness
21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a banal and risible self-help book
Are Human Rights Western?
Bonaparte in Egypt
Ship of Fools
The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari
A Reductionist History of Humankind
Harari, Sapiens and historical accuracy
The Broad Spectrum Revolution at 40
The Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East
Was the Agricultural Revolution a Terrible Mistake?
The Darker Side of the "Original Affluent Society"
Harari's world history
Compassion with Justice: Harari’s Assault on Human Rights
Reconsidering the link between past material culture and cognition
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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How To Win Friends And Influence People
2 oktober 2025 · 1 uur 10 min
Live like Dale Carnegie, neg like Calvin Coolidge. Lees meer
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Sources:
Self-help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern America
The Positive Thinkers
Age of industrial violence 1910-1915 : the activities and findings of the United States commission on industrial relations
Representation and Rebellion: The Rockefeller Plan at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1914–1942
Dale Carnegie and the Problem of Sincerity
New York Times review from 1937Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Summer of Our Discontent"
11 september 2025 · 1 uur 32 min
Peter and Michael discuss a book that's light on facts and long on sentences. Lees meer
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Sources:
Book Review: ‘Summer of Our Discontent,’ by Thomas Chatterton Williams
Police shootings database 2015-2024
From the archive, 22 March 1991: President Bush sickened by Rodney King case
Barack Obama Public Approval
Letter To Christopher L. Eisgruber, President Princeton University
Police give additional details in beating of machete-wielding man amid Dallas protest
In City After City, Police Mishandled Black Lives Matter Protests
RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES: Challenger; Nation Needs Healing, Clinton Says
Median household income by race and ethnicity U.S. 1967-2023
Majority of college students support Israel/Gaza campus protests, 1 in 10 actually participate in them
Thomas Chatterton Williams on Race, Identity, and “Cancel Culture”
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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He's Just Not That Into You
31 juli 2025 · 1 uur
How one comedian's offhand advice launched a decent TV episode, a mediocre book and a terrible movie. Lees meer
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Sources:
Susan Faludi's "Backlash"
For Women Who Count on Men to Be Jerks
Bridget Jones’s Legacy
Single Women in Popular Culture
A Decade of Advice for Women and Men in the Best-Selling Self-Help Literature
The gendered nature of self-help
Single Women in Popular Culture
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"
17 juli 2025 · 58 min
Did you know that in the split-second it took you to read the title of this episode, your subconscious already figured out that it was going to be extremely good? Lees meer
Peter and Michael talk about Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink," a book that is mostly cute scientific anecdotes but also indirectly resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on fraudulent science.
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Sources:
Unconscious influences on decision making: A critical review
Half a Minute: Predicting Teacher Evaluations From Thin Slices of Nonverbal Behavior and Physical Attractiveness
'Thin slices' of life
Conditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree
Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Processes
Magic at the marketplace: Choice blindness for the taste of jam and the smell of tea
False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant
Reading Lies: Nonverbal Communication and Deception
Behavioral Science and Security
TSA Should Limit Future Funding for Behavior Detection Activities
TSA Does Not Have Valid Evidence Supporting Most of the Revised Behavioral Indicators Used in Its Behavior Detection Activities
Telling Lies: Fact, Fiction, and Nonsense
TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists
A Review of 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]
1 juli 2025 · 1 uur 2 min
This is most of the episode but if you want to hear the last 20 minutes, support us on Patreon! Lees meer
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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"In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right
19 juni 2025 · 1 uur 10 min
Last episode we met two Princeton political scientists who are bad at virology. Today we learn that they are also bad at political science. Lees meer
Where to find us:
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Sources:
Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”
Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected”
How the Pandemic Defeated America
COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions
US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic Deaths
Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions
Policy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
The Impact of Vaccines and Behavior on US Cumulative Deaths
Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates
Report for the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry
The Effectiveness Of Government Masking Mandates
School closures during COVID-19
COVID-19–Related School Closures
The Effects of School Closures on COVID‑19
Higher COVID-19 Deaths with Later School Closure in the United States
Reopening America’s Schools
Reading literacy decline in Europe
DeSantis vs. Newsom
Red States Have Seen Less Learning Loss
Political partisanship and mobility restriction
Republicans Aren’t New To The Anti-Vaxx Movement
KFF poll on anti-vaxx beliefs
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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"In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns
17 juni 2025 · 58 min
Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?" Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”
The 2019 WHO report
30‐day mortality following COVID‐19
COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions
Policy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United States
What we can learn from Sweden
A review of the Swedish policy response to COVID-19
How Sweden approached the COVID‐19 pandemic
The first eight months of Sweden’s COVID‐19 strategy
The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster
Excess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic
Comparing drivers of pandemic economic decline 2020
How Sweden approached the COVID-19 pandemic
Comparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regions
Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected.”
Deaths: Leading Causes for 2021
Stay-at-home orders associate with subsequent decreases in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States
Did the Timing of State Mandated Lockdown Affect the Spread of COVID-19?
US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic Deaths
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream
5 juni 2025 · 1 uur 21 min
By popular demand we are releasing last month's Patreon bonus episode on the main feed! We chart the transformation of the lab leak from an unfounded theory promoted by right-wing cranks to an unfounded theory promoted by liberal journalists. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Let Them Theory
23 april 2025 · 54 min
Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency. Lees meer
Where to find us:
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Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
How to stop screwing yourself over
Mel Robbins and Plagiarism
Let her? Army wife claims Mel Robbins stole her idea for blockbuster self-help book
Mel Robbins’s “Let Them” theory: really that simple?
Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature
Polarization in America
The 5 Resets
Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysis
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Josh Hawley's "Manhood" [TEASER]
31 maart 2025 · 53 min
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Lees meerSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man"
28 maart 2025 · 59 min
Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Of Boys And Men
6 maart 2025 · 1 uur 23 min
Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regime. And on the left, users of social media are often very irritating to people who write airport books. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement
Gender Differences in Scholastic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis
Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States
Where The Boys Aren’t
The gender achievement gap in grades and standardised tests
The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents
Highlights of women’s earnings in 2023
The gender gap in educational outcomes in Norway
Social Influences And The Gender Gap In Disruptive Behavior
Family Disadvantage and the Gender Gap
What might interrupt men's suicide?
As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops
The Cost of Caring
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children’s Academic Achievement
The Effect of Age at School Entry on Reading Achievement Scores
Beyond the Pros and Cons of Redshirting
Self- Control and the Developing Brain
Importance of Sex Differences in Impulse Control and Addictions
It is a myth that boys lag behind in brain development
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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You Are A Badass
23 januari 2025 · 59 min
Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? Featuring a surprise digression about Sincero's other, even worse books. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Savy Writes Books
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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What's The Matter With Kansas?
6 december 2024 · 1 uur 6 min
In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a broken thesis? Unfortunately it turns out he is a secret third thing that takes one hour and six minutes to explain. Lees meer
Special thanks to Julia Valdés for her help with this episode!
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Thesis That Drove American Politics Crazy: The Emerging Democratic Majority
What’s the Matter with What’s the Matter with Kansas?
Class is Dismissed
The White Working Class and the Democratic Party
It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.
How the diploma divide came to dominate American politics
The 'Diploma Divide': Does It Exist for Racial and Ethnic Minorities?
Blind Retrospection: Why Shark Attacks Are Bad For Democracy
Nationally poor, locally rich: Income and local context in the 2016 presidential election
Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government
Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America
Political Landscapes of Donald Trump
The White Working Class and the 2016 Election
Partisanship by family income, home ownership, union membership and veteran status
The Elites Had It Coming
What Explains Educational Realignment Among White Americans?
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"
4 november 2024 · 1 uur 10 min
Peter and Michael discuss the book that launched the phenomenon of New Atheism and asked the question: What if we hated Muslims, but in a secular way? Lees meer
Where to find us:
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Sources:
Views of Violence
Carnival Booth: An Algorithm for Defeating the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening System
The same motive for anti-US 'terrorism' is cited over and over
Does intuitive mindset influence belief in God?
Terrorism science: 5 insights into jihad in Europe
Analytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal belief
What Is "Islamophobia"?
Essays In Defense of Profiling
To Profile or Not to Profile
Chapter 2 The Making of Jihadist Social Actors in Europe in
Who are the new jihadis?
Disbelief - Prometheus Books
God and the Ivory Tower
Religion’s evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communion
The Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition Generate
Talking to the Enemy
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Who Moved My Cheese?
10 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 9 min
What should workers do when they get laid off? In 1998 a bleak, asinine bestseller told them to find another whey. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America
Downsizing in America
Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary
The Disposable American
Spencer Johnson, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ Author, Dies at 78
What was the New Economy?
Boss, Employees Share Large Cheese Platter
Tarpon's big cheese has aides reading
Why doesn’t downsizing deliver?
On the Battlefields of Business, Millions of Casualties
Shareholder Value and Workforce Downsizing, 1981-2006
Long-Term Earnings Losses Due to Job Separation During the 1982 Recession
Does Employee Downsizing Really Work?
Layoffs, Top Executive Pay, and Firm Performance
Emerging Conceptions of Work, Management and the Labor Market
A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Why Organizations Downsize
Organizational Downsizing: Constraining, Cloning, Learning
The Decline and Fall of the Conglomerate Firm in the 1980s
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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UNLOCKED: Eric Adams
26 september 2024 · 59 min
New York’s favorite criminal is in the news, so here is our episode about his ridiculous life. Lees meer
To hear all of our bonus episodes, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Glenn Kessler Retire B*tch [TEASER]
26 september 2024 · 36 min
Is fact-checking a legitimate enterprise? Is America's most famous fact-checker nothing more than a dweeb? Michael and Peter discuss. Lees meer
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
24 september 2024 · 56 min
A memoir about parenting very badly and then getting weirdly defensive when anyone asks you about it. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior, Child Development
Types of Parenting Styles and Effects On Children
Does “Tiger Parenting” Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Americans and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes
Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis
Do the associations of parenting styles with behavior problems and academic achievement vary by culture? Results from a meta-analysis
Parenting Styles: A Closer Look at a Well-Known Concept
Impact of Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Style on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems from Early Childhood through Adolescence
The One Weird Trait That Predicts Whether You’re a Trump Supporter
Investigating Correlates of Self-Regulation in Early Childhood with a Representative Sample of English-Speaking American Families
Amy Chua thinks identity politics on both sides are to blame.
How the 'Tiger Mom' Convinced the Author of Hillbilly Elegy to Write His Story
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Anxious Generation
8 augustus 2024 · 2 uur
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated! Lees meer
Thanks to Emily Weinstein, Amy Orben, Andrew Przybylski, Dean Burnett, Michael Mullarkey and Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz for help researching and fact-checking this episode!
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Emily Weinstein's book, "Behind Their Screens"
Positive and negative uses of social media among adolescents hospitalized for suicidal behavior
The Sisyphean Cycle of Technology Panics
The Relationship Between Online Social Networking and Depression: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies
Online "predators" and their victims
The Coddling of the American Parent
No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression
How technology is transforming the ways in which children play
Banning mobile phones in schools in Spain
No One Knows Exactly What Social Media Is Doing To Teens
Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media
Smartphones are bad for some teens, not all
How Smartphones Affect the Social-Emotional Development of Adolescents
Social media use and its impact
Time Spent on Social Network Sites and Psychological Well-Being
A School-Level Analysis of Adolescent Extracurricular Activity
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Breaking News Re-Release: "Hillbilly Elegy"
17 juli 2024 · 51 min
To celebrate ("celebrate") Donald Trump choosing JD Vance as his running mate we are re-releasing our "Hillbilly Elegy" episode. Enjoy! Lees meer
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Richard Hanania's "The Origins of Woke"
11 juli 2024 · 1 uur 2 min
Peter and Michael discuss "The Origins of Woke," a glimpse into the dark aspirations of the Republican Party and the mind of a very unusual man. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
What Speech Does "Hostile Work Environment" Harassment Law Restrict?
Tunis v. Corning Glass Works, 698 F. Supp. 452 (S.D.N.Y. 1988)
Pakizegi v. First Nat. Bank of Boston, 831 F. Supp. 901
Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit With Former Factory Worker - The New York Times
Menial Tasks, Slurs and Swastikas: Many Black Workers at Tesla Say They Faced Racism - The New York Times
Diaz v. Tesla, Inc.
Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American
Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination
Meta-analysis of field experiments shows no change in racial discrimination in hiring over time | PNAS
Systemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Columbia Protests [TEASER]
16 mei 2024 · 27 min
Peter and Michael discuss the media coverage of the protests at Columbia — from the crazed, bloodthirsty ravings of right-wing media to the more muted, respectful bloodthirst of centrist media. Lees meer
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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"Going Infinite": Michael Lewis Takes On Sam Bankman-Fried
2 mei 2024 · 1 uur 16 min
Peter and Michael discuss Michael Lewis’s bestselling book about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, a young prodigy whose only flaw was that he dreamed too big. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Michael Lewis Is Buying What Sam Bankman-Fried Is Selling
Michael Lewis Likens Critics of His New Book on Sam Bankman-Fried to a 'Mob'
The SBF trial is a reminder that crypto is a rotten business
Review: Michael Lewis's Going Infinite
The Curious Case of FTX’s ‘Company Therapist’ (vice.com)
FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an Accident
Going Infinite by Michael Lewis review – falling for the antihero
The Second FTX Asset Recovery Report Is Packed With Bombshells
Takeaways From a New Book on Sam Bankman-Fried
Caroline Ellison Testifies Against Sam Bankman-Fried, Blaming Him for Crimes
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 2: Campus Lies, I.Q. Rise & Epstein Ties
11 april 2024 · 1 uur 24 min
2 Better 2 Angels Lees meer
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Jeffrey Epstein’s Science of Sleaze
Pinker’s response to Epstein allegations
How Jeffrey Epstein Captivated Harvard
Jeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNA
It’s Official — Steven Pinker Is Full of Shit
Pinker, Epstein, Soldier, Spy
A century of sexual abuse victimisation: A birth cohort analysis
The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added
Have Sexual Abuse and Physical Abuse Declined Since the 1990s?
Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Why Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined?
Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing Pain
Were There Really More Hate Crimes Last Year?
Hate Crime Reported by Victims and Police
The Sexual Victimization of College Women
The "Discovery" of Child Abuse
A Short History of Child Protection in America
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Who's Afraid of Naomi Wolf? [TEASER]
28 maart 2024 · 30 min
We're finally discussing a good book! Naomi Klein's "Doppelgänger" chronicles the long, steady descent of another Naomi — Wolf (buddy oof) — from feminist icon to crank conspiracist. Lees meer
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Lean In
14 maart 2024 · 57 min
In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg became an icon for women who wanted to move from middle management at a tech company into upper management at a tech company. Today, Peter and Michael examine the contents of her bestselling book, survey the wreckage of corporate feminism and ask whether women will finally find liberation in the Metaverse. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Facebook Feminism, Like It or Not
Feminism's Tipping Point: Who Wins from Leaning in?
One Cheer for Lean In
Is there an implicit quota on women in top management? A large‐sample statistical analysis
Female tokens in high-prestige work groups: Catalysts or inhibitors of group diversification?
Want Equal Pay? Get a Union.
The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and Explanations
What Was the Girlboss?
New Research: Women Who Don’t Negotiate Might Have a Good Reason
Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap
What’s It Like Inside the Hive? Managerial Discretion Drives TMT Gender Diversity of Women-Led Firms
I asked Facebook if I could work part-time from home after I had my baby. They said no—so I quit
Women in the Workplace 2023
Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome
Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole
22 februari 2024 · 1 uur 38 min
This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over the last 10,000 years. Was it an indeterminate mixture of politics, economics, technology and serendipity? Or did some European guys write some books that said murder was bad? Lees meer
Special thanks to Philip Dwyer, Eleanor Janega, David M. Perry and Doug Thompson for help researching and fact-checking this episode!
Where to find us:
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Darker Angels of Our Nature
Getting Medieval On Steven Pinker
The Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural History
Pinker’s (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and Violence
Herding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves Hypothesis
Peace in Our Time
John Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and war
The business class doesn't understand the Enlightenment
Delusions Of Peace
Pinker And Progress
Norbert Elias and the History of Violence
Modernization, Self-Control And Lethal Violence
Explaining Long Term Trends in Violent Crime
The Enlightenment’s Dark Side
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Art of the Deal
11 januari 2024 · 52 min
Before Donald Trump became America's most prominent politician and birth certificate inspector, he spent his days making everyone in New York City slightly uncomfortable. Michael and Peter discuss "The Art of the Deal," Trump’s 1987 bestseller chronicling his exploits as a celebrity slumlord. Lees meer
Where to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
When Donald Trump Took Down Holiday Inns
The Lost City of Trump
Who Runs New York Now?
How Donald Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos, but Still Earned Millions
Doer and Slumlord Both
Donald Trump Gets What He Wants
Donald Trump was a nightmare landlord in the 1980s
Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]
21 december 2023 · 28 min
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Lees meerSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Identity Trap
14 december 2023 · 1 uur 47 min
"There are two kinds of political scientists: The types who deal with noisy data and post on Twitter with a bunch of caveats. And then there are the types who write books about identity politics." Lees meer
Where to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Sam Huneke's "Yascha Mounk’s Woke Straw Man"
Jacob T. Levy's "The Defense of Liberty Can’t Do Without Identity Politics"
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's "Elite Capture"
Aaron Huertas's "We Need to Talk About Reactionary Centrists"
Mary Lin Elementary under federal investigation
Parents refute claims of segregation at Mary Lin Elementary School
School Segregation in Metropolitan Regions, 1970–2000
60 Years After Brown
School choice and racial segregation in US schools
Student Population Has Significantly Diversified, But Many Schools Remain Divided Along Racial, Ethnic, and Economic Lines
U.S. public school students often go to schools where at least half of their peers are the same race or ethnicity
The Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’ Partisan Preferences
Why The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 Years
Widespread misperceptions of long-term attitude change
Trump, the 2016 Election, and Expressions of Sexism
Changing Norms Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: The Trump Effect on Prejudice
Changes in Americans’ prejudices during the presidency of Donald Trump
The CDC slide presentation
Model-informed COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]
28 november 2023 · 30 min
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Lees meerSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
21 november 2023 · 46 min
You stare, mouth agape, at the bookstore display. It’s a self-help book, but with curse words in the title?! This must be a revolutionary new framework, not simply the same dull, reactionary ideas repackaged as hip and new. Lees meer
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (Blog Post)
Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009
We’ve Been Handing Out Participation Trophies for 100 Years
Positive Disintegration‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!’ Review: A Blunt PhilosophyThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The 48 Laws of Power
2 november 2023 · 1 uur 6 min
In 1996, a frustrated screenwriter got a fellowship in Italy. Twenty years later, Beyoncé released "Lemonade." Lees meer
Content warning: This episode includes a mention of suicide.
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Rebecca Solnit’s “A Paradise Built in Hell”
Kelly Link's "White Cat, Black Dog"
The Half-Century in Bullshit: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power”
A Book of Anecdotes, 1957
The Little Brown Book Of AnecdotesFear Nothing: Self-Fashioning and Social Mobility in 50 Cent’s The 50th Law
The fear of conflict leads people to systematically avoid potentially valuable zero-sum situations
The Immigration Dilemma
You Can Win But I Can't Lose
If you rise, I fall: Equality is prevented by the misperception that it harms advantaged groups
Zero-Sum Thinking and the Roots of U.S. Political Divides
A Genesis of Conflict: The Zero-Sum Mindset
Forbes Winslow’s Physic and Physicians
The role of masculinity in men's help-seeking for depression: A systematic review
The Strange, Sad Story of Joe Orton, His Lover, and 72 Stolen Library Books
A Failure Of Initiative
New Orleans reaches settlements for police shootings after Hurricane Katrina
Post-Katrina, White Vigilantes Shot African-Americans With Impunity
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The "Organized Retail Crime" Panic [TEASER]
26 oktober 2023 · 31 min
Retailers have been sounding the alarm about a shoplifting epidemic driven by organized criminal syndicates. In a shocking twist, it turns out that their story is mostly made up. Join us as Peter tries to figure out where this panic originated and as Mike finally comes clean about his criminal past. Lees meer
To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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San Fransicko
19 oktober 2023 · 1 uur 1 min
This week we're tackling "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities," a book that dares to ask: What if everything that experts think about homelessness is wrong, and everything that one crank on Twitter thinks about homelessness is right? Lees meer
Thanks to Ned Resnikoff for helping us with the research for this episode!
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Inflection Points in Community-level Homeless Rates
How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness
The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report To Congress
The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness
San Francisco Homelessness Benchmarking Report
Homelessness is a Housing Problem
A randomized trial of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with high use of publicly funded services
San Francisco Department of Public Health Update Report on Mental Health Reform
Civil Commitment in the United States
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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The 4-Hour Workweek
21 september 2023 · 56 min
Have you ever wanted to escape the grind and follow your dreams? This week we're discussing "The 4-Hour Workweek," which reveals that all you need is a plan, a willingness to take risks and a modestly sized fraud operation built on Third World labor. Lees meer
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us:
Twitter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Fraud and the Four-Hour Workweek
Revisiting "The 4-Hour Workweek"
New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life!
From Productivity to Psychedelics: Tim Ferriss Has Changed His Mind About Success
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod