A Load of BS music
Many of you have asked me what the story is behind my opening and closing music. Well, it’s the first movement of Mendelssohn's concerto for violin, piano and string orchestra in D minor, recorded by my wife Tamsin Waley-Cohen. And her beautiful sound is the solo violin accompanied by the also beautiful Huw Watkins on the ivories, with the support of the Orchestra of the Swan. I think it starts each show off with the right amount of zing and zip. I am limitlessly proud of Tamsin! 🎻❤️
Introducing Dan Ariely
Back to matters of state and it's a cracker this week on A Load of BS as I welcome BEworks co-founder, behavioural science leading light, writer, practitioner and speaker, Dan Ariely.
Beyond his numerous entrepreneurial ventures, Dan is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics at Duke University and has written seminal books like Predictably Irrational and Irrationally Yours. He's a multi time TED speaker and recognised globally as one of behavioural science's most foremost, original thinkers.
If you like this episode with Dan and me, please give me a 5 star review on whichever platform you listen. And why not pass it onto a friend! 🙏
My partner BEworks
I'm proud to say that I’m publishing ‘A Load of BS: a practitioner's guide to the BS galaxy’ in harness with my partner BEworks, one of the very best behavioural science consultancies in the world, co-founded by both Dan Ariely and Nina Mazar.
BEworks is a multidisciplinary team of behavioural scientists and psychologists working on complex challenges across financial services to healthcare to sustainability, helping businesses reimagine a future in which individuals flourish and prosper. If you're interested in what they're up to, you might check out their BEcurious blog.
Take a look at our full line-up of guests here.
Show notes
The story of Dan’s half beard, how he accepts and understands himself
Persecution by the COVID deniers (joining the Bill Gates club)
Translating BS stories into the real world: tinkering and rethinking techniques
What if we don’t know how to eat, exercise, sleep, have a good relationship? What would you do differently? Gaps of understanding, pools for improvement
End of life: how do we make that chapter the best of the lives?
When spouses have a joint checking account, they spend and fight less
The anticipation of getting a kiss from your favourite movie star
Insurance and misaligned incentives: a cycle of distrust and abuse
Removing conflicts of interest
Loss of value in truth telling in society
ROI in cash handouts in international development: trust is the lubricant of the world
Crypto currency concerns: takes trust out of the equation
Next time on A Load of BS: A Practitioner's Guide to the BS Galaxy
Next week, I welcome Clémence Quint, co-founder at Magenta Consulting to the show. Clémence and her team are using behavioural science principles to solve some of the toughest social development challenges in places like Nigeria, Tunisia, Afghanistan and Lebanon. More great stories from the field.
Sharing is caring
If you have an interest in how behavioural science is applied in real life, and you think others would benefit from listening to these conversations, then please share the podcast with friends and on social media. Your support is what makes us tick! Thank you ❤️
Till next time,
Daniel
Dan Ariely on trust, tinkering and half beards