The Numb Podcast
The Numb Podcast is a fun exploration of life in the Information Age, focusing on social media, cable news, dating apps, porn, and all of the other apps and devices that push and pull on our attention on a daily basis. Hosted by Dr. Charles Chaffin, The Numb Podcast includes researchers, therapists, sports and political figures, and guests from all walks of life who offer commentary and solutions for managing our attention in such a noisy world.
Episodes
41 episodes
Your Attentional Wallet
Dr. Charles opens the show by talking about 1972 Eastern Airlines Flight 401 and how it demonstrates the limits to our attention. He then talks about how we tend to be the genesis of many of our own digital distractions. He then outlines how to...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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40:40
The Productivity Episode
Dr. Charles opens the show talking about the challenges and misconceptions as it relates to productivity. He then shares several components of the new Productivity Resource document, walking through ways to address Email Overload and unproducti...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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33:52
The Distracted Organization
Dr. Charles opens the show by addressing some of the emails related to holiday arguments. He then outlines how costly distractions are for organizations, outlining some of the primary causes for both office employees and those working from home...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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35:16
If being wrong is wrong, I don’t want to be right
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing common family arguments during the holidays. He then discusses why being wrong is valuable to our growth and how focusing on our weaknesses leads to better productivity in our work and personal lives. He th...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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33:13
Distraction and the "Productivity Pirates"
Dr. Charles opens the show outlining the costs of distraction to both corporations as well as employees and how it impacts both our professional and personal lives. He then outlines 6 things we can do to be more focused in our work and fight-of...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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31:47
STRESS!
Dr. Charles opens the show talking about how people are so stressed these days and then dives into some of the root causes of this stress as it relates to the Information Age. He then talks about five ways we can better manage all of this stres...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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30:33
The Psychology of Texting
Dr. Charles opens the show answering some listener emails regarding goal setting. He then talks about texting and some of the challenges that come from it...including coining the phrase, "trash-texting." He then closes talking about texting eti...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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30:22
What's your motivation?
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the different forms of motivation and how they impact almost all aspects of our lives. He talks about good and bad phlebotomists before talking about how social media can help (and sometimes impede) our mot...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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30:02
Smoking two packs of Instagram a day...
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the historic 1964 Surgeon General's announcement of the dangers of smoking and draws a comparison between the negative impacts of smoking and social media use, specifically as it relates to regulation. He t...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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23:48
The Attention Economy
Dr. Charles discusses how we are currently living in an attention economy, the currency associated with it, and ways that we can thrive in this age when it seems as if everything is designed to hijack our attention. He then answers some listene...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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23:37
Avoiding information: “I don’t want to know!”
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the reasons why we avoid information, whether our financial information, health information, or our interpersonal relationships. He then talks about ways we can stop avoiding uncomfortable circumstances and...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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21:59
Pseudo-profound bullshit...and why we buy it.
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing some of the research behind pseudo-profound bullshit, including why some are susceptible to it as well as the implications of it as it relates to our work, personal lives, and fake news. He then dives into ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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24:08
INFOBESITY in the workplace
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing Urban Dictionary. He then talks about the challenges associated with information overload in the workplace and most importantly, what to do about it. He answers a few listener emails and closes this episode...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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30:19
35,000 choices per day...Decisions, Decisions!
Dr. Charles discusses the research about choice and how the nearly 35,000 choices we make per day are so taxing for us. He also compares the success of arranged versus non-arranged marriages as well as the distinction between satisfiers and max...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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24:11
People behaving badly
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the recent trend of bad behavior in society since the pandemic. He then welcomes author and psychotherapist Linda Bloom back to the show to discuss why we are experiencing all of this bad behavior, the stre...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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38:02
Digital Fatigue
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing California. He then shares a study that connects depression symptoms with susceptibility to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. He then outlines the causes, symptoms, and ways to alleviate digital fatigue.&nbs...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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21:48
Recency bias
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing his journey into the desert and the benefits of "being present" even during a difficult experience (running out of gas). He then talks about recency bias: How it impacts our investment decisions, behavior, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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21:51
Confirmation bias: "I bet you knew it all along!"
It is the confirmation bias episode. Dr. Charles opens Season 2 talking about how confirmation bias affects our personal lives, our work, and even medical diagnoses. He then answers listener email and quotes a song.
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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17:18
Season 1 Finale- "The Cliffhanger!"
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing everything from airport security lines to Hallmark Christmas movies. He then talks about the science of reflection as we consider this past year. Finally, he discusses New Year's resolutions and how we can ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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23:26
"If you're not where you are, you're nowhere."
Dr. Charles opens the show sharing details of his most recent trip. He then shares research regarding the use of multiple screens simultaneously and how it impacts both our stress level as well as our memory. He then responds to select li...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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14:53
EMAIL!
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing a situation he had in a bar. He then welcomes Dr. Gloria Mark from the University of California-Irvine to discuss email- the stress associated with it, how it impacts our attention, and whether or not it he...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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36:57
I love you, Neuroplasticity!
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing neuroplasticity and how it impacts our daily lives. He then opines about the Facebook name change before spending time catching-up on listener email.
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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18:42
The Digital Divide
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing some of the issues around teens and adolescents as it relates to Instagram. He then welcomes Dr. Christopher Ali from the University of Virginia and author of Farm Fresh Broadband to discuss the im...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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44:07
FOMO
Dr. Charles starts the show by discussing the power of immersing oneself in art as well as an interesting piece regarding the commemoration of 9/11. He then spends the duration of the show discussing FOMO, why we experience it and what to do ab...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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26:40
Attention and Risk and Choice...oh my!
Dr. Charles opens the show discussing the nature of attention and how it impacts our daily lives. He then welcomes Dr. Ross Otto, Assistant Professor of Psychology at McGill University to discuss some of his research related to factors that imp...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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49:55