Best Matthew Neff Podcasts (2025)

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What causes mass shootings? (with Ragy Girgis) 1:20:31

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6d ago1:20:31

1:20:31

Read the full transcript here. What do we miss when we treat public shootings as the whole story of mass murder? If public events are a small slice, how should prevention and attention shift? Does saturation coverage turn tragedy into aspiration for the fame-seeking few? Do school “active-shooter” drills protect kids—or seed fear and imitation? Sho…

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Contempt-free public discourse (with Robert Rosenkranz) 1:11:06

8d ago1:11:06

1:11:06

Read the full transcript here. What makes a forum truly open-minded rather than performative? When does listening change minds instead of just hardening identities? Are we teaching citizens to separate facts from frames? Do the best debates surface values as well as evidence? How can we reward calm argument over outrage economics? What reforms redu…

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Top 10 Guys That We Would Be Gay For 1:28:32

8d ago1:28:32

1:28:32

At this point it is pretty well known who one of the Inappropriates would gladly swing the other way for, but what about the other one? Will Time magazine's sexiest men alive make the list? Being comfortable with your sexuality is one thing, this list is a whole other thing. Bound to get inappropriate, listen to find out who is the male equivalent …

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Beyond the assumption that humans are rational (with Barry Schwartz) 1:21:44

15d ago1:21:44

1:21:44

Read the full transcript here. What does rationality mean when life won’t fit a spreadsheet? If models demand one common scale, what happens to values that can’t be compared? Are we optimizing choices, or narrowing them to what’s easy to count? When do toy problems stop teaching us about real ones? Can preferences be “mapped” if the act of asking r…

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Will AI superintelligence kill us all? (with Nate Soares) 1:24:17

26d ago1:24:17

1:24:17

Read the full transcript here. Are the existential risks posed by superhuman AI fundamentally different from prior technological threats such as nuclear weapons or pandemics? How do the inherent “alien drives” that emerge from AI training processes complicate our ability to control or align these systems? Can we truly predict the behavior of entiti…

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Top 10 90's Sitcoms 1:23:35

23d ago1:23:35

1:23:35

Have you ever heard someone say the 90's was the best decade? Well if you haven't, you will in this episode of the Inappropriates. Whether it was the music, the toys, the gas prices, or the shows they watched, these guys love the 90's. It is kind of hard to argue when you had shows like Full House, Friends, and Family Matters all airing, and those …

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Do facts have an expiration date? (with Samuel Arbesman) 1:15:37

1M ago1:15:37

1:15:37

Read the full transcript here. What does it mean to treat facts as drafts rather than monuments? If truth is something we approach, how do we act while it’s still provisional? When definitions shift, what really changes? How do better instruments quietly rewrite the world we think we know? Are we mostly refining truths or replacing them? When do sc…

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From prisoner to escaping inner prisons (with Shaka Senghor) 1:16:44

1M ago1:16:44

1:16:44

Read the full transcript here. What changes when we treat violence as a human problem rather than a demographic story? Are fear, anger, and shame the real levers behind sudden harm? How much agency can we ask of people shaped by chaos without ignoring that chaos? Where is the line between explanation and excuse? What would an honest narrative about…

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Top 10 NBA Players of All Time 1:36:39

1M ago1:36:39

1:36:39

There will always be a G.O.A.T debate or a top 50 list going around when it comes to sports. Most of the time the lists are very similar, but other times the individual putting the list together clearly knows nothing about the topic. Leaving Kobe off of the top 3 greatest basketball players of all time is ludicrous, leaving him out of the top 10 is…

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A new paradigm for psychology research (with Slime Mold Time Mold) 1:27:01

1M ago1:27:01

1:27:01

Read the full transcript here. What changes when psychology stops naming traits and starts naming parts - can “entities and rules” turn fuzzy labels into testable mechanisms? If the mind is a web of governors with set points, what exactly is being controlled - and how do error signals become feelings? Are hunger, fear, and status-seeking all negati…

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Beyond saving lives: happiness and doing good (with Michael Plant) 1:12:05

2M ago1:12:05

1:12:05

Read the full transcript here. Are we trying to maximize moment-to-moment happiness or life satisfaction? Can self-reports really guide policy and giving? What happens to quality of life metrics when we judge impact by wellbeing instead of health or income? How should we compare treating depression to providing clean water when their benefits feel …

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Top 10 Foods We Love to Eat 1:32:27

2M ago1:32:27

1:32:27

Pineapple on pizza. Chili on hotdogs. A nice medium rare prime rib. Mmmmm, getting hungry just thinking about it. The guys have covered the top ten things that they despise eating, so now they did a list of their ten favorite things they love to shove down their throats. Yeah, I can see how this one will get inappropriate. I really hope everything …

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Darwinian Demons: Climate Change and the AI Arms Race (with Kristian Rönn) 1:17:40

2M ago1:17:40

1:17:40

Read the full transcript here. Are existential risks from AI fundamentally different from those posed by previous technologies such as nuclear weapons? How can global cooperation overcome the challenges posed by national interests? What mechanisms might enable effective governance of technologies that transcend borders? How do competitive pressures…

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Seeing through cognitive traps (with Alex Edmans) 1:31:43

2M ago1:31:43

1:31:43

Read the full transcript here. How do we distinguish correlation from causation in organizational success? How common is it to mistake luck or data mining for genuine effects in research findings? What are the challenges in interpreting ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria? Why is governance considered distinct from environmental and so…

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Top 10 Theme Songs That Live Rent Free In Our Head 1:34:14

2M ago1:34:14

1:34:14

"Now this is a story all about how - My life got flipped - turned upside down - And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there." Do you know what show these lyrics come from? I bet you can continue the song if you do. I am also willing to bet that it will be stuck in your head now! This episode is all about the theme songs that we all know and…

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The most important century (with Holden Karnofsky) 1:48:10

2M ago1:48:10

1:48:10

Read the full transcript here. Has society reached ‘peak progress’? Can we sustain the level of economic growth that technology has enabled over the last century? Have researchers plucked the last of science's "low-hanging fruit?" Why did early science innovators have outsized impact per capita? As fields mature, why does per-researcher output fall…

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Should we try to live forever? (with Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston) 1:14:01

3M ago1:14:01

1:14:01

Read the full transcript here. Why do humans live as long as they do? Since whales have literally tons more cells than humans, why don't they develop cancers at much higher rates than humans? What can the genetic trade-offs we observe in other organisms teach us about increasing human longevity? Will we eventually be able to put people into some ki…

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Top 10 Active Male Singles Wrestlers That We Would Start a Promotion With 3:05:20

3M ago3:05:20

3:05:20

This podcast is definitely for the professional wrestling fans out there. If you had all of the money and other assets needed to start a professional wrestling promotion tomorrow, except the wrestlers, who would you be offering a contract? The Inapprorpriates being life long wrestling fans really dive into this one. For 3 hours to be exact! As usua…

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Trying to convince Spencer to be a utilitarian (with Tyler John) 1:29:06

3M ago1:29:06

1:29:06

Read the full transcript here. How has utilitarianism evolved from early Chinese Mohism to the formulations of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill? On what points did Bentham and Mill agree and disagree? How has utilitarianism shaped Effective Altruism? Does utilitarianism only ever evaluate actions, or does it also evaluate people? Does the "veil …

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A conversation with an autistic person (with Megan Neff) 1:35:19

3M ago1:35:19

1:35:19

Read the full transcript here. What does autism feel like from the inside? Do autistic people lack empathy? What is context insensitivity? What are some ways special interests can manifest in autistic people? What are some less common ways stimming can manifest? What are the main components of autism? Can you be diagnosed with autism if you meet al…

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Top 10 Foods That We Despise Eating 1:28:50

3M ago1:28:50

1:28:50

There are a lot of different types of foods all across the world and many of them are things that most people wouldn't eat. We aren't just talking about vegetarians and vegans here. The Inappropriates are both carnivores to the fullest but there are things that even they won't eat. Check out this episode to find out what food the guys absolutely de…

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AI: Autonomous or controllable? Pick one (with Anthony Aguirre) 1:31:28

3M ago1:31:28

1:31:28

Read the full transcript here. Is AI that's both superintelligent and aligned even possible? Does increased intelligence necessarily entail decreased controllability? What's the difference between "safe" and "under control"? There seems to be a fundamental tension between autonomy and control, so is it conceivable that we could create superintellig…

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How much does global population decline matter? (with Dean Spears) 1:07:33

4M ago1:07:33

1:07:33

Read the full transcript here. What is the current global birth rate? What factors have contributed, or are currently contributing, to this rate? What outcomes will we experience as a result, and when? How accurate are demographers' projections on this topic? How much of a problem is local over-population? Could a low global birth rate eventually b…

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Top 10 Immediate Turn Ons 1:29:55

4M ago1:29:55

1:29:55

You've heard the Inappropriates discuss their top 10 "icks." Now you get to hear them talk about their top 10 immediate turn ons. Do guys really only think about boobs and butts? How shallow can men really be? The real question, is just how inappropriate can the guys get on this one? From lipstick to legs for days, listen to the Inappropriates top …

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Is AI going to ruin everything? (with Gabriel Alfour) 1:19:00

4M ago1:19:00

1:19:00

Read the full transcript here. Is AI going to ruin everything? What kind of AI-related dangers should we be most worried about? What do good institutions look like? Should designing better institutions be a major priority for modern civilizations? What are the various ways institutions decay? How much should we blame social media for the current st…

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What listeners think Spencer's wrong about: steel-manning critiques 1:25:49

4M ago1:25:49

1:25:49

Read the full transcript here. What defines a cult? Is there such a thing as a good cult? Do Clearer Thinking's tools actually help people? Why does Clearer Thinking share its tools for free for everyone to use? How legitimate is the research Clearer Thinking does to create its tools? Is that research too reliant on self-report? Do Clearer Thinking…

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Top 10 Things That You Never Thought You Would Do or Say As a Parent 1:29:09

4M ago1:29:09

1:29:09

Believe it or not, the Inappropriates, Matthew and Nate are both parents. Whether they are good parents or not is still up for debate, they are parents nonetheless. In this episode, listen to the top 10 things that they never thought they would be doing or saying as a parent. "Please do not leave your diaper in the refrigerator next to the meatloaf…

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What do we know about psychology that matters? (with Paul Bloom) 1:21:09

4M ago1:21:09

1:21:09

Read the full transcript here. NOTE: The video version of this conversation is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hWNknrc23Fo In light of the replication crisis, should social scientists try to replicate every major finding in the field's history? Why is human memory so faulty? And since human memory is so faulty, why do we take eyewitness test…

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Bringing your "A-game" to your relationships (with Annie Lalla) 1:19:58

5M ago1:19:58

1:19:58

Read the full transcript here. What does it mean to bring your "A-game" to relationships? What is emotional "fitness"? What forces do relationships need to balance to remain stable and healthy? Are we attracted to a particular brand of heartbreak? What are "original attachment wounds"? Can Dark Triad traits be tamed? What emergent properties do rel…

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Top 10 Random Questions From Special Guest J 1:50:06

5M ago1:50:06

1:50:06

After a lot of red tape and obstacles, the Inappropriates were finally able to bring their first guest onto the podcast. Live from the Metropolitan Detention Center, it's Sean "Diddy" Combs. Just kidding, it's the closest thing that they could get. Their friend and fellow coworker, Will Call J joins them and delivers his top 10 random questions for…

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The rival philosophies to Stoicism that you've never heard about (with Greg Lopez) 1:08:46

5M ago1:08:46

1:08:46

Read the full transcript here. Do we still have a lot to learn from ancient Greco-Roman philosophies? What is telos? What is ataraxia? What is "dark" Stoicism? What is the "resilient asshole" problem? What is (or what has) value according to Stoicism? What are the similarities and differences between Stoicism and Buddhism? Why might someone prefer …

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What can we all agree on? (with Bradley Tusk) 1:04:38

5M ago1:04:38

1:04:38

Read the full transcript here. In times of such extreme political polarization, where can we find common ground? Should we require disclosure of AI authorship? Should AI companies be required to provide fingerprinting tools that can identify when something has been generated by one of their models? Should movie theaters be required to report when m…

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Top 10 Ways That We Would Like to Die 1:23:59

5M ago1:23:59

1:23:59

Everyone is going to die some day. If you could choose how you go out, what would it be? Would it be in a sky diving accident? What about in a peaceful slumber? Something tells me that those answers are too appropriate for the Inappropriate's. Find out Matthew and Nate's top ten ways to die in this episode. Talking about death, it's going to get me…

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Shamanism, witchcraft, and the power of narrative (with Manvir Singh) 1:32:43

5M ago1:32:43

1:32:43

Read the full transcript here. What do westerners misunderstand about "tribal" cultures? How does justice in very small communities differ from justice in large nation-states? Why do some cultures have bride prices (i.e., groom's family pays bride's family) and others have dowries (i.e., bride's family pays groom's family)? How do cultures differ w…

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Which Spencer is real? Spencer vs. his AI clone 39:56

5M ago39:56

39:56

Read the full transcript here. Can you tell which is the real Spencer and which is his AI clone? How irrational are people really? What do most people misunderstand about psychology? What are the best tools to use to accomplish various societal goals? How good are we at predicting the future? Why do we have such a hard time overcoming our tribal in…

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Top 10 Icks 1:49:35

6M ago1:49:35

1:49:35

Not sure that the Inappropriate's fully understand the icks trend, but it was suggested that they give their top 10 icks, so they took a stab at it. Find out just how shallow Nate is and what will send Matthew packing in this episode! Too much hair, speaking loudly, or maybe just not tipping the waitress can turn the Inappropriate's off quicker tha…

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Too many mental health challenges and not enough psychiatrists (with Jacob Appel) 1:18:35

6M ago1:18:35

1:18:35

Read the full transcript here. How big is the current mental health crisis? What's causing it? What do we know about the age distribution of people suffering from mental health issues right now? Is the crisis just that more people are suffering from anxiety and depression, or is there an increase in other disorders as well? Why are psychiatrists se…

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Misinformation from all sides (with Brian Dunning) 1:16:19

6M ago1:16:19

1:16:19

Read the full transcript here. Why is misinformation a never-ending problem? What fraction of misinformation is intentionally manipulative? What's the difference between bullshit and other kinds of misinformation? What are the various kinds of beliefs we hold? How do the political left and right (at least in the US) differ in their production and c…

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Top 10 Jobs That You Would Be Ashamed to Admit Having 1:04:47

6M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

If you collected garbage cans, cleaned the bathrooms of McDonalds, or was Trump's campaign manager, would you be ashamed to admit it? What about if you were in charge of collecting semen samples from inmates at a nearby federal prison? Protocol requires bare hands by the way. No Diddy. On this episode find out just how high of a salary it would tak…

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A conversation with a rigid perfectionist who has OCPD (with Darryl Rossignol) 1:15:15

6M ago1:15:15

1:15:15

Read the full transcript here. What is obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and how does it compare to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)? Why is it relatively prevalent and yet also relatively unheard-of? What can people with OCPD do well? What does OCPD feel like from the inside? Which fictional characters might have OCPD? How do pe…

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Simple and effective methods for helping people that nonprofits often ignore (with Kanika Bahl) 1:07:23

6M ago1:07:23

1:07:23

Read the full transcript here. Why do nonprofits often ignore the simplest, most obvious solutions for helping the world? Why do some problems get a lot of attention while others — often of equal or greater importance — go completely unaddressed? Why is behavior change so hard? When should or shouldn't NGOs collaborate with governments? Why are dew…

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Top 10 Live Action Villains 1:38:29

7M ago1:38:29

1:38:29

When you think of live action villains, who comes to mind? Who is your favorite? Does Heath Ledger's rendition of the Joker top your list? How about James Earl Jones and his child abandonment as Darth Vader. Does voice acting really count though? Find out who the Inappropriate's have on their lists, in their first ever true studio recording. Don't …

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How to unleash student potential in education (with Jack Despain Zhou) 1:18:52

7M ago1:18:52

1:18:52

Read the full transcript here. How bad are things in US education? Why does it seem that educational progress has stagnated? What parts of the US education system should be reformed? Is it better to group students by skill level or by age? How useful are standardized tests? Why is there so commonly a disconnect between what cognitive science tells …

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How f***ed is psychology? (with Adam Mastroianni) 1:43:03

7M ago1:43:03

1:43:03

Read the full transcript here. Is the bar for what counts as new knowledge higher in psychology than in other scientific fields? Why did the field of psychology formally start centuries later than other scientific fields? Why is it so hard to make progress in psychology? How useful are social science "mega-studies"? What actually helps people stick…

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Top 10 Inappropriate Conversation Starters 53:49

7M ago53:49

53:49

Have you ever been approached by a stranger and asked, "How many pubic hairs is too many pubic hairs to have?" Was that stranger one of the Inappropriates? Matthew and Nate are at it again, this time they give their top 10 most inappropriate ways to start a conversation. Inappropriate is in the title, but just how inappropriate can the boys get wit…

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A conversation with a multiple-time survivor of sexual abuse 1:06:16

7M ago1:06:16

1:06:16

Read the full transcript here. Why might being the victim of sexual abuse increase the likelihood of being re-victimized? What warning signs, if any, might an abuser exhibit before becoming abusive? How might trauma differ when caused by someone the victim knows versus by someone who is a stranger to them? Why might victims choose to continue inter…

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A story can change the world (with Elizabeth Cox) 1:10:46

7M ago1:10:46

1:10:46

Read the full transcript here. How important is story-telling for changing the world? What counts as a story? How closely should persuasive stories conform to the formula of "the hero's journey"? How much time do we spend on average thinking about stories? How can raw data be shaped into a story that's both true and compelling? What are some good e…

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Top 10 Toys From Our Childhood 1:45:12

7M ago1:45:12

1:45:12

You have probably heard, "They just don't make toys like they use to." Nostalgia is quite the drug. Listen to Matthew and Nate discuss their top ten toys from their childhood in this episode. Reminiscing about Tonka Trucks, My Little Pony, and even the Thrust Master 2000, um wait... That doesn't sound like a childhood toy. Well, they are called the…

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The heavy price you'll have to pay to have a healthy relationship (with David Burns) 1:37:28

8M ago1:37:28

1:37:28

Read the full transcript here. What are the main causes of problems in romantic relationships? What are the behaviors and patterns that lead to healthy relationships? What is the price of a good relationship? Are dark triad traits (i.e., psychopathy / sociopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism) treatable? What is outcome resistance? What is proce…

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The skills every adult human should have (with Raffi Grinberg) 1:22:04

8M ago1:22:04

1:22:04

Read the full transcript here. What life skills do most people fail to learn before adulthood? Why does this failure occur? What should constructive disagreement look like? When might it be impossible to overcome a disagreement? How can you appease your (or someone else's) "elephant"? What do many people get wrong about dating? How much exploration…