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Spencer Greenberg

Clearer Thinking is a podcast about ideas that truly matter. If you enjoy learning about powerful, practical concepts and frameworks, wish you had more deep, intellectual conversations in your life, or are looking for non-BS self-improvement, then we think you'll love this podcast! Each week we invite a brilliant guest to bring four important ideas to discuss for an in-depth conversation. Topics include psychology, society, behavior change, philosophy, science, artificial intelligence, math, economics, self-help, mental health, and technology. We focus on ideas that can be applied right now to make your life better or to help you better understand yourself and the world, aiming to teach you the best mental tools to enhance your learning, self-improvement efforts, and decision-making. • We take on important, thorny questions like: • What's the best way to help a friend or loved one going through a difficult time? How can we make our worldviews more accurate? How can we hone the accuracy of our thinking? What are the advantages of using our "gut" to make decisions? And when should we expect careful, analytical reflection to be more effective? Why do societies sometimes collapse? And what can we do to reduce the chance that ours collapses? Why is the world today so much worse than it could be? And what can we do to make it better? What are the good and bad parts of tradition? And are there more meaningful and ethical ways of carrying out important rituals, such as honoring the dead? How can we move beyond zero-sum, adversarial negotiations and create more positive-sum interactions?

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Read the full transcript here. 

What have we learned about UBI from recent, large-scale studies? What factors contribute to differential attrition in (especially long-term) studies? How much does it cost to run large UBI studies? Where else in the world have major UBI studies been run? What's the difference between "guaranteed income" and UBI? How do people in cash transfer studies tend to spend their money? Should restrictions be placed on what people can spend their study money on? How long does it take to see various effects of UBI or guaranteed income on a large scale? How does guaranteed income affect the nature of work in recipients' lives? How does guaranteed income affect a person's net worth in the long run? What are the effects on well-being? How does topical knowledge affect prediction accuracy in a given area? How good are subject-matter experts at making predictions about the outcome or utility of a study? How can such predictions in aggregate be used to shape future research? To what extent should reseachers express uncertainty when making proposals to policy-makers? How much of an effect does the publishing of academic papers have on the world? What kind of person should try to build a career in academia? How can non-experts assess the rigor and significance of academic papers?

Eva Vivalt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Vivalt's main research interests are in investigating stumbling blocks to evidence-based policy decisions, including methodological issues, how evidence is interpreted, and the use of forecasting. Dr. Vivalt is also a principal investigator on three guaranteed income RCTs and a co-founder of the Social Science Prediction Platform, a platform to coordinate the collection of forecasts of research results. Find out more about her on her website, evavivalt.com.

Further reading

"The Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers on Consumption and Household Balance Sheets: Experimental Evidence from Two US States", by Alexander W. Bartik, Elizabeth Rhodes, David E. Broockman, Patrick K. Krause, Sarah Miller, and Eva Vivalt 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

What effects does guaranteed income have on U.S. citizens? (with Eva Vivalt)

Read the full transcript here. 

Are narcissists born with narcissism? What are the core components of narcissism? To what extent do narcissists have their own personality that isn't shaped by what others think of them? Are narcissists overly confident or overly insecure? How are grandiosity and vulnerability related? Why might narcissists be offended by compliments? Would narcissists relinquish their narcissism if given the opportunity? Do most narcissists know that they suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)? How long of a questionnaire is needed to diagnose NPD? In what professions are narcissists overly represented? How should people deal with the narcissists in their lives? How can narcissists be successfully integrated into society? What can people do if they think they might be a narcissist?

Jacob Skidmore, also known as "The Nameless Narcissist", is a social media personality who has made the effort to explain his diagnosis, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, from his perspective. Following being diagnosed with NPD, he craved to understand himself and others, and he's taken to using his platforms to describe his realizations. It's taken him as far as to speak at international conferences and universities. His reflections can be found on most social media, primarily YouTube and TikTok, under the name "The Nameless Narcissist".

Further reading

Pathological Narcissism Inventory • (online free assessment)
Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed, by Wendy T. BeharyUnmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life, by Mark Ettensohn 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

A conversation with a narcissist (with Jacob Skidmore)

Read the full transcript here. 

What do schools do well and not so well? In what contexts is memorization most effective? What's the value in teaching something that will probably be forgotten by most students after graduation? How should educators balance time spent on building skills versus acquiring knowledge? Why do students so often fail to apply the skills learned in school (e.g., fractions, solving for unknown quantities, etc.) to problems encountered in everyday life? What is "transfer of learning"? What is educational "directness"? How can we learn languages more efficiently? How does review compare to other forms of study or exam prep? How can we forget less of what we read? Is it really true that "practice makes perfect"? How can we best set ourselves up emotionally for optimal learning? What should people do when they hit plateaus in their learning?

Scott H. Young is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Ultralearning, a podcast host, computer programmer, and an avid reader. Since 2006, he has published weekly essays to help people learn and think better. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Pocket, and Business Insider, on the BBC, and at TEDx among other outlets. He doesn't promise to have all the answers, just a place to start. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. Follow him on Twitter at @scotthyoung, email him at personal@scotthyoung.com, or read his blog posts on his website, scotthyoung.com/blog.

Further reading

Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career, by Scott Young 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

How can you learn more efficiently? (with Scott Young)

Read the full transcript here. 

Which of the world's hardest problems can be solved merely by gathering more data? Why are social problems harder to solve than biological problems? How should power between business owners and unions be balanced? Why do people so often misinterpret research results — sometimes even to the point of concluding exactly the opposite of what the results show? What heuristics should people use when reading research papers? How are culture wars affecting the reliability of research? Should there be any limits on what can be researched and published? When might left-leaning researchers actually end up causing harm to the groups whose causes they're trying to defend? How much does it matter that we know what sorts of traits are heritable? How important is IQ for predicting life outcomes? In what kinds of situations is skill more important than IQ, and vice versa? Is there value in knowing your own IQ?

Learn more about Cremieux at their website, cremieux.xyz.

Further reading

"A Focus in Oncology and Immunology and Inflammation" — 23andMe 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Are the culture wars harming science? (with Cremieux)

Read the full transcript here. 

What kinds of things really distort our ability to think clearly when making decisions? What is "psychological distance"? What is construal level theory? How can we intentionally increase or decrease psychological distance for ourselves or others who are making decisions? What are "decisionscapes"? When giving toddlers choices, we often artificially limit the number of available options to help smooth out the decision process and avoid decision paralysis. When might the imposition of this kind of artificial limitation be useful for adult decision-makers? What should we do with the productivity gains we've reaped (and will presumably continue to reap) from AI? Is it possible to show someone that you really care about them without making any kind of sacrifice? What has AI done to the value of art? Which individuals and companies currently own the means of digital production? How can we break free from algorithms that drive engagement by triggering negative emotions and promoting conflict? Is survivorship bias the ultimate cognitive bias? What are some lesser-known or lesser-used framing devices for making better decisions?

Elspeth Kirkman is the Chief Programmes Officer at Nesta, overseeing missions in early childhood development, obesity reduction, and net-zero emissions. She previously held senior roles at BIT, including establishing the company's North American office. Elspeth is the author of two books: Behavioral Insights (2020), co-written with Michael Hallsworth, and Decisionscape: How Thinking Like an Artist Can Improve Our Decision-Making (2024). Follow her on TikTok at @Karminker or on Bluesky at @karminker.bsky.social.

Further reading

"Clearer Thinking's Study: Can astrologers truly gain insights about people from entire astrological charts?" 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Making better decisions by thinking like an artist (with Elspeth Kirkman)

Read the full transcript here. 

Is the placebo effect bullshit? Are "open-label" placebos just as effective as "closed-label" placebos? How do placebos differ from dummies? Is the placebo effect just a kind of scientific-sounding "woo"? How does social priming differ from word priming? Why is it important in research to have both placebo and no-treatment groups? What is the Hawthorne effect? What is the John Henry effect? When is it useful to express effect sizes using Cohen's d? If there's not a placebo effect, then what's really going on in cases where it seems like there is one? Is meditation a kind of placebo treatment for mental states? How can researchers believe that people's mental states are important and yet that the placebo effect doesn't exist? What is stress-induced analgesia? Does the nocebo effect (if it exists) provide reason to think that the placebo effect exists? Where do psychosomatic effects fit into this picture? What have animal studies found about the placebo effect?

Literal Banana is literally a banana who became interested in human social science through trying to live among them. After escaping from a high-tech produce delivery start-up, she now lives among humans and attempts to understand them through their own sciences of themselves. Follow Literal Banana on Twitter at @literalbanana.

Further reading

"A Case Against the Placebo Effect", by Literal Banana"Placebo interventions for all clinical conditions", by Asbjørn Hróbjartsson and Peter Gøtzsche"Tears", by Kevin Simler 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Could the placebo effect be bullshit? (with Literal Banana)

Read the full transcript here. 

What is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? Why is it so stigmatized relative to other mental health issues? What does it mean to be the "favorite person" of someone with BPD? Can people with BPD have multiple favorite persons, or no favorite person at all? What is "splitting"? Why are people with BPD more prone to engage in risky, reckless, or impulsive behaviors? How might BPD overlap with the "dark triad" personality traits (i.e., machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy)? Is BPD more common among women? How should we treat people who may not meet the threshold for a particular mental illness diagnosis but who nevertheless exhibit some of the symptoms of that illness? How can partners form good relationships with people suffering from BPD? How can you help a person suffering from BPD in a moment of crisis? Why is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) the best treatment option for BPD? What does DBT teach? What are some DBT techniques that work especially well for people with BPD? What is "quiet" BPD? What is "emotional reasoning"? What should you do if you think you might have BPD?

Kayla Spicer is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario and an online educator specializing in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). With a Master's in Counseling Psychology, she combines clinical expertise and lived experience to create accessible learning resources for individuals, particularly women, who struggle with high sensitivity, perfectionism, and emotion regulation challenges. Through her YouTube channel and other online platforms, Kayla offers evidence-based strategies, practical tools, and empowering advice to guide people toward self-compassion and long-term well-being. To learn more, visit the YouTube channel called On the Line.
 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

A conversation about Borderline Personality Disorder (with Kayla Spicer)

Read the full transcript here. 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? What are the "cognitive" and "behavioral" parts of CBT? What are some of its most common techniques? What are "negative core beliefs"? What does CBT have to say about situations in which problems come from a person's environment rather than from within the person's mind? What makes a particular belief or behavior "good"? How do we know how effective various psychotherapeutic treatments are? How much can we rely on meta-analyses about psychotherapy treatments? Is CBT the most evidence-based psychotherapy treatment? What are CBT's main competitors? Is CBT significantly better than its competitors in all respects, or are there situations in which other treatment types have a significant advantage? How can you figure out exactly what a therapist does when they list a dozen different treatment modalities on their website? Can all treatment modalities be similarly effective if they have the right set of core components? How do antidepressants compare in efficacy to CBT? When should one, the other, or both in conjunction be used to treat a patient?

Dr. Matthew Smout is a clinical psychologist in private practice and the Senior Clinic Supervisor of the University of South Australia Psychology Clinic, where he teaches and trains postgraduate students in clinical psychology. His research interests focus on psychotherapy, especially in making routine practice more effective. He has published on schema therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and the development of questionnaires for evaluating psychotherapy. Email him at matthew.smout@unisa.edu.au, or learn more about him at his website, drmatthewsmout.com.
 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

What's the most effective type of therapy? (with Matthew Smout)

Read the full transcript here. 

What does it take to start a new city, especially one designed to be a special economic zone (SEZ)? What are the advantages and disadvantages to having a private company as manager of a city? Should governments be profit-maximizing? Can people choose to live in one of the Zonas de Empleo y Desarrollo Económico (ZEDE) cities in Honduras while also opting out of its specific government services? What are some legitimate reasons governments should regulate businesses? Are medicines produced in SEZs safe? How do ZEDE investors make money? To what extent can (or should) a SEZ's laws override state and federal laws? What do the ZEDEs in Honduras look like right now? How many people live in them? Why has there been pushback against them? Are SEZs considered "political" projects? Can a SEZ take land from private owners? Is anyone allowed to move into a SEZ?

Erick Brimen is a finance professional, team leader, and serial entrepreneur who is passionate about investing in life-enhancing opportunities that further human flourishing. He has led Honduras Próspera Inc.'s ongoing development of the Próspera ZEDE free zone in Honduras, raising nearly $110 million to advance his vision of eliminating poverty through delivering free market governance as a service. Erick started his career in private banking, working at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He later moved to investment banking as a mergers and acquisition sell-side advisor for AG Edwards & Sons (now Wells Fargo). After investment banking, Erick joined Ernst & Young's London consulting practice, where he advised buy-side private equity clients as they considered acquisition targets. Soon after, he was recruited by the Borealis Group to join as CFO of Latin American operations, leading the creation of multiple business units. When the time was right, Erick started his entrepreneurial career in the world of financial intermediation as a founder of ComparaMejor.com. In late 2013, Erick sold another of his tech companies to start NeWay Capital. NeWay Capital LLC is globally-focused and seeks to identify free zone opportunities with partner host countries throughout the world. As Chairman and CEO of NeWay Capital LLC's affiliate Honduras Próspera Inc., Erick is focused on replicating the success of Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore in a Honduran free zone located primarily on the beautiful island of Roatán. He has three young children with his wife, Colleen Brimen. He was born Venezuelan and is a U.S. Citizen by choice. Learn more about him at his website, erickbrimen.com.
 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Creating a new city from scratch (with Erick Brimen)

Read the full transcript here. 

What are the biggest mistakes people make when investing? What's the best thing to do with extra savings? How can we overcome emotional biases that might negatively impact our investment strategies? What is "hyperbolic discounting"? How can you know when to pull your money out of an investment? How can journaling help with investing? Is it irrational to invest only in companies based in your country? What's the optimal mix of stocks and bonds? Are short-term bonds better than long-term bonds, or vice versa? How can you tell genuine growth from too much hype? How predictable is the stock market? If you find an investment strategy that works, should you tell others about it? What's the best way to cope with bubbles? Who should apply for ventures?

Jim O'Shaughnessy was in quantitative asset management for most of his career until selling his company, O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, to Franklin Templeton in 2021. In 2023, he formed O'Shaughnessy Ventures, which is engaged in book publishing, filmmaking, and partnering with podcasters, Substack writers, and other new media ventures. Their venture capital arm invests in companies that they think have winning business strategies in regards to what Jim calls "The Great Reshuffle". O'Shaughnessy Ventures also gives equity-free fellowships and grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Learn more about Jim at O'Shaughnessy Ventures's website, osv.llc.
 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
WeAmplify • — Transcriptionists

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Avoiding major investment mistakes (with Jim O'Shaughnessy)

Read the full transcript here. 

​What is utilitarianism? And what are the different flavors of utilitarianism? What are some alternatives to utilitarianism for people that find it generally plausible but who can't stomach some of its counterintuitive conclusions? For the times when people do use utilitarianism to make moral decisions, when is it appropriate to perform actual calculations (as opposed to making estimations or even just going with one's "gut")? And what is "utility" anyway?

Nick Beckstead is a Program Officer for the Open Philanthropy Project, which he joined in 2014. He works on global catastrophic risk reduction. Previously, he led the creation of Open Phil's grantmaking program in scientific research. Prior to that, he was a research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. He received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Rutgers University, where he wrote a dissertation on the importance of shaping the distant future. You can find out more about him on his website.
 
Staff

Spencer Greenberg • — Host / Director
Josh Castle • — Producer
Ryan Kessler • — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram • — Factotum
Janaisa Baril • — Transcriptionist

Music

Broke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.com
Affiliates

Clearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Utilitarianism and Its Flavors (with Nick Beckstead)

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