Advertise on podcast: If Books Could Kill

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. Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The Tragedy of HeterosexualityWhy men (still) love bitchesSystematic review on converting online contact into a first dateA Meta-Analytical Review of the Demand/Withdraw PatternGender-Related Predictors of Change in Marital Satisfaction and Marital ConflictThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Michael and Peter discuss Climategate, the scandal that rocked the climate science world. With scientists on one side, and paid lackeys for the fossil fuel industry on the other, how are we supposed to know who to trust?

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? Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators, and GuardiansCreator of Lie Detector Test Dies; Lecturer and Author Produced Comic StripOne of Sweden's biggest scientific bluffs Pseudoscience and the Claim of Practical Utility: The Case of Thomas Erikson's Surrounded by IdiotsThomas Erikson accepts being called a pop psychology writerFour personality types may be neither robust nor exhaustiveSpuriouser and spuriouser: The use of ipsative personality testsReconsidering the use of personality tests in personnel selection contextsUsing Personality Tests in Pre-Employment ScreeningEmployment Tests and Selection Procedures The Cult of Personality TestingA 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 SelectionPsychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part III: The Resurgence of Personality TestingACLU Files Discrimination Complaint Against CVS Target Corporation to Pay $2.8 Million to Resolve EEOC Discrimination FindingPersonality Tests Are the Astrology of the OfficeThe $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at WorkThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Peter and Michael discuss Ross Douthat, lifelong conservative pundit and fascism's number one PR agent.

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."  Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival."  Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode! Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Three Cups of Deceit“60 Minutes” expose3000 Cups of DeceitBooks vs Bombs? Humanitarian development and the narrative of terror in Northern PakistanDelusional StatesCan't Get There From HereNobel Prize Nominee’s Charity Wins No Award for AccountabilityDavid Oliver Relin, Adventurous Journalist, Dies at 49What Mortenson Got WrongThree Cups of Tea: The Pakistan and Afghan side3 Lessons to Learn From Greg Mortenson Mortenson returns to AfghanistanThe naive republic of aid: Grassroots exceptionalism in humanitarian memoirReligious School Enrollment in Pakistan: A Look at the DataIf you build it, will they come?What Really Works to Improve Learning in Developing Countries?The madrassa scapegoatThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

The boys answer listener questions about fatherhood, the literacy crisis, and whether we're capable of reflecting on our mistakes.

Peter and Michael discuss the slow death of The Washington Post at the hands of its billionaire owner, and dive deep into the Post's truly terrible new podcast.

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. Thanks to Emi Nietfield, Keith Cox, Lisa Starr, Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode!  Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets WrongTrauma: A GenealogyRemembering TraumaAdvocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing Tell Me Why It Hurts‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain scienceYour Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside  PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviewsWhat Does It Mean When 38% Forget?Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive PerspectiveThe Brain Is Adaptive Not TriuneThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Did Sarah Palin fake her 2008 pregnancy? Or is Andrew Sullivan just a lunatic? The boys discuss in the inaugural edition of the If Books Could Kill Conspiracies of Yore series.

Peter and Michael discuss "Think And Grow Rich," the 1937 classic written by a lifelong fraudster who finds his final mark: You. Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All TimeA Lifetime of RichesHow to Lose Friends and Alienate PeopleHow a Different America Responded to the Great DepressionThe Psychic Scandal How Trump Turned The Power of Positive Thinking Into DelusionThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk. Special thanks to Marcus Credé!  Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Much Ado About GritWhat Shall We Do About Grit?Grit under attackTeaching “Grit”The Problem With GritThe Limits of “Grit”Grit: The power of passion and perseveranceIs 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem?Measurement MattersUsing Psychological Science to Help Children ThriveSelf-Control and Academic AchievementCognitive and noncognitive predictors of successShould non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems?Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of SchoolingGrit: A Short History of a Useful ConceptTeaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage."Grit" RevisitedCharacter Education: A Cautionary NoteWhat if the Secret to Success Is Failure?The Effects of the EITC on Child AchievementAcademic Performance And Food StampsThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Peter and Michael update each other on Zohran Mamdani, who's doing normal mayor stuff in New York, and Bari Weiss, who's doing weird reactionary stuff at CBS News.

Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The 4-Hour BodyDoes 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 YourselfThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Trump took America to war and the nation's pundits took readers to the dumbest recesses of their brains. Note: We recorded this almost two weeks ago, so if you're curious why we don't mention very much after the initial bombing, that is why!

Peter and Michael discuss "B******t Jobs" by anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. The result: two professional podcasters debating which jobs are real and which jobs are fake. Where to find us:  Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: On the Phenomenon of B******t Jobs: A Work Rant37% of British workers think their jobs are meaninglessAverage Annual Hours Worked by Persons Engaged for United StatesThe times they are not changin’: Days and hours of work in Old and New Worlds, 1870–2000‘B******t’ After All? Why People Consider Their Jobs Socially UselessAlienation Is Not ‘B******t’: An Empirical Critique of Graeber’s Theory of BS JobsMany people feel they work in pointless ‘b******t’ jobs, research confirmsThe Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure Study: Leisure Time DeclinesUSA Consumption as percent of GDPThe Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational Mechanisms, and Boundary ConditionsTask significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal studyAmericans’ job satisfaction in 2024Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod