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Over the last couple years?
Didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people?
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This Black History Month, the podcast Selective Ignorance with Mandy B unpacks black history and culture with comedy, clarity and conversations that shake the status quo.
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I'm Bowen Yang.
And I'm Matt Rogers.
During this season of the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast, in the lead up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends.
Hi, Bowen.
Hi, Matt.
Hey, Elmo.
Hey, Matt.
Hey, Bowen.
Hi, Cookie.
Hi.
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Now the Winter Olympic Games are underway and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears.
Listen to Two Guys Five Rings on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
What if mind control is real?
If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?
When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.
I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.
NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.
Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both?
Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Ben Higgins.
This show is for you.
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Hello, everybody.
I'm Gemma Spike and welcome back to The Psychology of Your 20s, the podcast where we talk through the biggest changes, moments and transitions of our 20s and what they mean for our psychology.
Hello, everybody.
Welcome back to the show.
Welcome back to the podcast.
It is so great to have you here back for another episode.
I think this is the first episode in like five episodes where I am no longer sick and you guys don't have to listen to like a disgusting nasal noise come into your ears.
So for that, I am grateful.
And for that, I am excited for today's episode.
We have another, well, I
Have another mini episode for you today.
If you are not familiar with our mini episodes, they're basically kind of smaller, bite sized episodes where we break down a certain phrase, a certain psychological concept that gets thrown around a lot online in YouTube.
TikToks in dating discourse in group chats and essentially we dissect what it actually means according to the psychology rather than according to the pop culture.
And today we are tackling, let's be honest, the most requested topic, the most weaponized and probably the most misunderstood term and label of them all.
We are talking about narcissism.
I'm not going to waste any time today because we have so much to talk about, but narcissism is such a fascinating term when you scratch even below the, a tiny inch below the surface.
And it's also such an ancient term which I think a lot of people might not know probably maybe know, given its modern day popularity.
So you may have heard of the Greek myth of narcissist before.
Basically, this is where the term comes from.
Narcissist was this incredibly handsome, striking young man who who just really cruelly rejected all of his admirers.
So he didn't want anything to do with any of them, all these beautiful women.
This led to the goddess Nemesis punishing Narcissus with an all-consuming love for nothing but his own reflection.
So much so that the story goes.
He drowned, staring at his reflection, in a pond like, so consumed by it, wanting so much more of it.
This is where the term basically gets his name from this man, Narcissus.
It didn't actually become a psychological term until much, much later in the 1800s.
In 1898, a theorist his name was Havlock Ellis was the first to use the narcissist myth to describe a particular kind of client or or person.
He was seeing people who were basically just obsessed with themselves, and for him they were really obsessed with themselves, like sexually, like they truly thought that they were the hottest thing out.
They were really consumed by themselves, and he was seeing this pattern of individual.
He also knew the story.
That is where narcissism originally got its label and And from there, psychoanalysts like Otto Rank and Sigmund Freud expanded on this to say that narcissism was more of a normal characteristic of someone's personality rather than something that was exclusively sexual.
And it was a spectrum that we all kind of sat upon.
All of us can be a little bit narcissistic, or all of us can have quite a low ego that makes us not narcissistic at all.
When it becomes a little bit unbalanced and skewed and when somebody has a bigger, higher dosage, higher level of narcissism compared to all their other traits, that creates the type of person that we are familiar with.
The one who we would say has a disordered way of seeing the world and engaging with others because they are a narcissist.
So, in simple terms, narcissism is a personality trait made up of a cluster of behaviors and smaller traits, like One a heightened sense of self-importance.
Two, entitlement to special treatment.
Three, a strong need for admiration.
And four, low empathy and exploitative behavior.
More broadly, narcissism is often described as closely tied to the pursuit of status.
No matter what, there is this drive within this individual to be impressive, to be the center of attention, to be kind of socially emotionally, physically untouchable in some kind of way.
And that's one of the key points I think gets mixed up pretty often.
Narcissism is not just high self-esteem and thinking that you are incredible because some people are really incredible.
Some people are just really cool and they're successful and they know that and they don't actually need to be humble about it.
Healthy self-esteem is this, you know, this is what we would label healthy self-esteem.
The basis for their positive kind of assumptions about themselves are based in evidence.
They are actually an incredible person.
But also, these people can accept criticism and they can bounce back from failure and they can bounce back from not being chosen.
They can bounce back from not needing to be the best at something.
Narcissists, on the other hand, yes, may present as incredibly confident.
Yes, may be successful.
But what's underneath that is a deep doubt. deep fragility that gives them an incredibly unhealthy self-esteem that is tied to equal parts their own sense of self-importance and then equal parts the need for everybody else in the room to see them as important.
And this fragility, this fragility is what fuels defensiveness, blame, control, contempt for others.
They need to maintain their self-image at all costs, because without it, they are just this very fragile, very weak, very scared individual underneath it all.
Let's talk about really quickly the distinction between having narcissistic personality disorder and having something that we call basically like having trait narcissism.
So just a high level of narcissistic attributes because they are quite different.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a very real diagnosis.
Somebody can get this label in their file and it was first introduced, as we said, in the 80s but it's actually not that common anymore.
Narcissistic personality disorder.
I think it has a prevalence of anywhere between 02 to like 06 percent of the population and that's mainly based on US population studies.
It is actually around 50 to 75 percent more common in males than females and But some people have said that's just because women may be better at hiding it than men are, because of this socially social conditioning to be more humble, even if that's not the way they truly feel.
The key thing that the American Psychiatric Association highlights though, is that again, to get to this point of being like you are disordered, you have a serious problem with Something.
It has to be very drastic.
Most people don't get this diagnosis unless they've experienced several marriage breakdowns.
They've come into contact with the court system.
They have been an abusive partner.
It's quite difficult actually to get that label.
In most cases, when we encounter somebody who thinks very highly of themselves is very desperate to seem successful and admirable.
They may not have a diagnosis.
They may not be worthy of a diagnosis, but they may be high in this thing that I just mentioned called trait narcissism.
Trait narcissism is not a disorder, it's basically a personality style.
It is a set of tendencies you can kind of score higher or lower on and doesn't automatically mean that again you have a disorder.
Trait.
Narcissism, the thing that we are more commonly encountering, basically shows up in two very broad forms.
The first is grandiose narcissism.
So this is the typical idea of narcissism that we see.
Grandiose narcissism is the big inflated ego.
It's social dominance.
It's this larger than life personality.
Sometimes these people can come off as really charming and really persuasive, but they can also be very aggressive and very entitled.
This is the idea again, we know most often.
I'm sure you can think of a couple of political or cultural examples going on at the moment.
The second distinct form of narcissism is vulnerable narcissism.
This is the person that we don't always notice but who is a lot more insidious and sometimes harmful Because their pattern of behaviors doesn't look like arrogance.
Really, it's about emotional insecurity and defensiveness.
They are easily hurt.
They are easily embarrassed.
They're easily threatened.
And so what they end up doing is trying to put you down, trying to emotionally manipulate their surroundings so that They are always the victim, so that they always get special treatment, so that, no matter what, they are at the center of attention.
But it's this interesting thing where the reason they're at the center of attention isn't always because of their achievements.
Sometimes it's because of their pain and suffering.
Sometimes it's because they're the one who always has the most dramatic story that they need to one-up everybody else in the room with.
This is vulnerable narcissism.
Now here's where it gets even more interesting, because Psychologists have basically realized that just saying grandiose versus vulnerable trait narcissism still doesn't fully explain it.
So more recent models break it down into three core components.
The first component of what makes somebody's narcissistic personality is antagonism.
And this tends to show up in both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism models.
Antagonism is that entitlement, that exploitativeness, that desire to get what you want.
It's when there is an assumption from somebody that the rules don't apply to me.
I can get away with whatever I want to, and the people around me?
They're not just people.
They are resources.
They are status symbols.
They are threats.
They are something that can be manipulated.
I can antagonize them.
I can manipulate them into doing what I want them to.
Component two is something called agentic extroversion.
And this is more commonly and closely linked to grandiose narcissism.
Basically, social dominance, assertiveness, charisma.
This, again, looks like somebody who needs to be the leader.
They need to be the most impressive, successful person, the loudest person, the smartest person in a very specific kind of way.
And then the final and third and final component is narcissistic neuroticism.
And this is where I know I'm really drilling home this point.
But this is where vulnerable and grandiose narcissism differ.
Because somebody with vulnerable narcissism might not have that extroversion.
But what they will have is this real sensitivity to criticism.
And almost this split, I don't want to say split personality because that's not what it is.
But it does give that appearance of...
This person is really nice.
They're so innocent.
They're so kind.
They're so lovely.
They've had such a hard time.
And then, when somebody does criticize them, when they are not the center of attention, they go in for the kill.
They see you now as a threat.
They need to annihilate your character.
They become very defensive.
They become angry.
They become resentful.
They become withdrawn.
And this is why both those types of individuals have trait narcissism, but they look so different.
And I think that vulnerable narcissism we're talking about is the kind that, again, is so insidious.
You maybe can notice it in the relationship you have with family members or a friend, that Where you are having this very different experience to what other people are having with this person, because they haven't been able to see through this kind of mask yet and see what these behaviors and this personality, this pattern of personality really is, which is that this person needs to be the most important.
And going about it the grandiose way maybe hasn't worked for them.
So this is the new way they're going to do it.
Equally through emotional manipulation, but through a different kind of emotional manipulation.
So how do you actually spot a real narcissist?
I want to be really careful here.
You cannot diagnose narcissistic personality disorder from the outside, you cannot diagnose it from one argument and you definitely can't diagnose it from somebody just being a little bit frustrating or a little bit egocentric.
We all mess up in public spaces sometimes.
We all have moments of being a little bit grandiose.
We all have moments where we've definitely dominated a conversation or we've been a little bit selfish.
That doesn't necessarily give somebody a disordered way of thinking and And it doesn't necessarily make them high in trait narcissism, unless it is a continued pattern.
And even then, I would be very wary of saying this person has NPD.
I would probably say this person is high in narcissistic traits.
But here are some questions to ask yourself if you genuinely think somebody is this and is this kind of force in your life.
Number one, do you think this person actually cares about you?
Or do they care about what you can do for them?
Do you believe this person sees you as their equal?
Very easy.
Number three, are they always at the center of things or do they let people tag in to the spotlight?
Number four, do different rules apply to them compared to everybody else?
And can you see that in their behavior?
Number five, do they always need to be superior to be admired or do they always have to be right?
Even if it costs you your dignity and your reputation and your wellbeing.
Basically, do you believe that you have a genuine relationship or are you just a pawn?
Let's pause here.
Those questions are useful.
I also know what a lot of you guys are thinking.
Oh my God, what if that's me?
Am I a narcissist?
I can relate to sometimes not taking criticism well.
I can relate to sometimes wanting the spotlight.
I like to be right.
Every time I talk about narcissism, I always think that I'm a narcissist.
Always.
I don't know why.
And every time I make an episode or I mention narcissism, I always get questions and comments from people being like is that me?
Can you can you diagnose me?
Can you tell me if I'm one of these people?
So I'm going to give you a little bit of a personal checklist as well.
To rule out or rule in.
Maybe you are a narcissist.
You're probably not.
But to rule out that you are probably, probably not.
Can you apologize without adding, but you made me?
Yes or no.
When you are criticized, do you genuinely care about why?
Do you genuinely try to change your behavior?
Or do you just attack and deflect?
Do you treat people as whole humans or just as an audience?
When you feel insecure in a situation, at work, do you try and repair the situation?
Do you try and take time away and examine your insecurity, or do you just try and dominate other people in the space?
Can you be wrong Can you be wrong?
Have you been wrong in the last little while?
It's a good, it's a great litmus test.
Are you actually interested in other people's lives?
That is the litmus test.
Those are the questions that I always give people or always think of when that thought comes into my head.
I also know.
Even just questioning, am I a narcissist?
Shows me, shows you guys, that you're probably not.
Because if you were a narcissist, your ego most likely wouldn't even let you consider that as a possibility.
So it's this funny irony, right?
Thinking that you are probably means that you aren't.
You are very much safe here.
Okay, let's take a short break, because after this we need to zoom out and talk about why this word has exploded culturally and whether we are actually becoming more narcissistic as a society.
So stay with us.
In the middle of the night, Saskia awoke in a haze.
Her husband, Mike, was on his laptop.
What was on his screen would change Saskia's life forever.
I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing.
And immediately, the mask came off.
You're supposed to be safe.
That's your home.
That's your husband.
To keep this secret for so many years, he's like a seasoned pro.
This is a story about the end of a marriage, but it's also the story of one woman who was done living in the dark.
You're a dangerous person who preys on vulnerable and trusting people.
Your predator might go up in good.
Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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If you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you.
Listen to, If You Can Hear Me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Bowen Yang.
And I'm Matt Rogers.
During this season of the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast, in the lead up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends.
Hi, Bowen.
Hi, Matt.
Hey, Elmo.
Hey, Matt.
Hey, Bowen.
Hi, Cookie.
Hi.
Now the Winter Olympic Games are underway and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears.
Listen to Two Guys Five Rings on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
What if mind control is real?
If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?
Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?
When you look at your car, you're gonna become overwhelmed with such good feelings.
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?
I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.
Can you get someone to join your cult?
NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.
NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics and psychology.
Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.
It's about engineering consciousness.
Mind Games is the story of NLP.
It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits.
He stood trial for murder and got acquitted.
The biggest mind game of all?
NLP might actually work.
This is wild.
Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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So we are obviously hearing the term narcissism a whole lot more.
Is that because narcissism is actually increasing in society?
Or just because it's become a bit of a phenomena?
Because it's just become a source of fascination?
The thing is, researchers aren't really that sure because society has become more individualistic.
It has become more narcissist friendly with the rise of social media.
Is that just meaning that narcissistic voices or narcissistic individuals, they are getting more of a spotlight, or is the underlying prevalence actually increasing?
So In 2008, researchers from San Diego State University, they published their decades long findings on this very question.
They had a sample of over 16000 people that they basically looked at between the years of 1979 and 2006.
They wanted to see across these, quick my math, 30 years, let's say.
Across these 30 years, are we seeing an increase or is it something else at play?
That's a lot of people.
And what they found was that there was a 30 increase in narcissistic traits based on the earlier year's average.
So every year they were seeing a slight 30% uptick.
Now you have to remember that's not 30 on like.
Already half of this population had narcissism or had high narcissistic traits.
This was like a 30 uptick on like 02 and then on 05, and then on 1 and then on 2, so it still was quite minor, but when you hear 30, you really your eyes kind of go wide of like oh my god, does that really mean like one in three people around me are high?
And in narcissism not necessarily.
That is just one finding and And it definitely gets more complicated as to whether narcissism is just more visible or more prevalent.
A more recent 2024 large-scale meta-analysis challenged this idea that we have a narcissism epidemic.
Researchers.
They pulled results from over a thousand papers looking at narcissism scores using that same measure they used in the San Diego study.
And they looked at it globally from... a little bit of a longer period, 1982 to 2023.
And what was important about this study is that it also included, you know, the 2010s and the early 2020s, where social media really blew up.
They actually found that narcissistic traits were pretty stable in the 80s and 90s.
They then actually decreased in the 2000s and in more recent decades, which completely contrasts the previous study.
Here is my take that nobody asked for, but I'm going to give it to you in the spirit of self-centeredness and narcissism.
I just think that our culture has made narcissism and the It's not actually increased it.
The genuine level of true narcissism in people who truly have narcissistic personality disorder is pretty stable.
They're definitely still out there.
It's just given us much more visibility of people who may have higher rates of this trait, especially because those kinds of people who do like attention and who do like being the center and who do have a strong ego, they thrive in online spaces.
They really do.
Like being a narcissist, not being a narcissist.
Having high narcissistic traits Wouldn't make social media a lot easier for you.
I think it would also make it a lot harder for you as well, because obviously you get to a certain level of fame and you are going to get criticism.
And that's when we see people get really reactive and very angry.
That's like a very big sign.
But, you know, we have built this world where it's easier than ever to manage your self-worth properly externally, through metrics, through visibility, through likes, through follower account through, you know, a curated identity.
And that self-presentation is rewarded.
Now, again, let's be careful here.
Wanting attention, wanting to blow up online, wanting to post more content.
Liking yourself does not make you a truly, very manipulative and do not want to change, and who cause a whole lot of pain.
So we have to be really careful with overusing this term.
If everyone is a narcissist, if it continues to be this casual phrase, that then the word stops holding as much power and needing as much attention in cases where someone is genuinely problematic, maybe even dangerous.
I think the other issue with that overuse is that it can invalidate people who have lived through a genuine pattern of narcissistic abuse or narcissistic control and they just want to be taken seriously.
They just want people to really see the pattern that they have gone through, without people assuming that they're just being dramatic or they're just latching on to the new buzz hype word.
Think about cases of, again, narcissistic abuse or workplace harassment.
This overuse can turn their experience into just another internet buzzword.
And it makes it easier again for outsiders to dismiss it as, oh, it's just another bit of breakup.
Or it's, you know, everybody's boss is a little bit narcissistic.
Everybody's boss is a little bit terrible.
Rather than recognizing that for some people it was prolonged manipulation, prolonged character assassination coercion, psychological harm, and And they are paying the price, whether it was in a relationship, whether it was with a parent, with a sibling, with a friend, with a boss, with a coworker.
Because of this, I would honestly say we need to widen our vocabulary a little bit for why somebody we may think is a narcissist, why it was that their behavior is so off or so painful, without just slapping on the easiest label we can find.
I think this also may help us privately understand what we've been through and understand our pain.
But the narcissist label, it may be a shortcut that does a disservice.
What were you actually experiencing?
What about this person was truly... you know, difficult to endure?
Were they manipulative?
Were they domineering?
Did they never let you speak?
Did they never let you control the friendship or control the relationship?
Did they never ask you how your day was?
Did they never consider your life?
Did they make you something to manipulate to make others like them?
Were they hostile, cruel, unthinking, dismissive?
Again, Widen that vocabulary.
I think it's actually a very healing thing to not just use that label but actually be able to articulate why someone's behavior is harmful, not just for you, but for them as well.
So that if they aren't actually a narcissist, they can change and they can identify themselves hopefully, or have some self-awareness as to what exactly you were bothered by, rather than just hearing you call them a narcissist and being like well, that person doesn't know what they're talking about.
The more specific, I think the more power.
Let's circle back to that thing I said that I've kind of just completely glazed over.
Can true narcissists change?
That is our final question of the day.
If you just looked online, the general consensus would be no, and I get why that idea is really popular.
If you've been hurt by somebody who repeatedly denies your reality, who has twisted blame back onto you, who has treated your feelings like an inconvenience, the idea that they're incapable of change is really comforting, because it makes the chaos make sense, right.
And it makes the outcome feel inevitable, not personal.
As some people would speculate.
It doesn't make it easy.
The first thing to understand is that narcissistic behaviors often function like a protective system.
And this isn't to say you have to have empathy for this person who has hurt you.
You have to understand why they are the way they are.
But, you know, these aren't just random bad habits.
These are patterns of self-protection, which is why they are so stubborn, because you're not just asking somebody to stop being arrogant.
You are asking them to tolerate emotions that their ego and their self finds unbearable.
Things like shame, inadequacy, a sense of worthlessness, vulnerability.
So that is why forcing change, or even asking a narcissist to change, does seem so impossible, because it requires two things.
Number one being insight that they actually have to see that there is a problem with their behavior and acknowledge that they have hurt people.
That's difficult for anybody to admit, but especially hard when your identity is built around being right and being special and being untouchable, and The other thing they need is motivation.
You know many people with more entrenched narcissistic patterns.
They don't seek help because they don't actually experience themselves as a problem.
So yes, they may be able to look back and see this pattern of broken relationships and this pattern of people being very angry with them, but they don't have the motivation to change because on another level, they're very successful.
They're making a ton of money.
They are a leader.
They believe they have respect.
So this trait is also helping them.
Often what therapists will find, when they do encounter the rare individual with narcissistic personality disorder in a clinical setting, is that often it's somebody else dragging them to the table.
A relationship is going to end.
This marriage is going to fall apart.
You have done something terrible at work.
Your reputation has taken a huge hit.
They're in the prison setting.
They have committed a crime.
In other words suffering, and the disordered nature of this has become so undeniable that either through some miracle they have brought themselves in, or a system or a person has pushed them into a therapy setting.
That is how they end up there.
Let's say this even if this person is able to change and is able to develop empathy and a stable sense of self and is able to see the issue with their behavior, it's not going to happen quickly and it may not happen at all.
But there is a chance, there is a small chance.
And it's kind of this thing, this dilemma, where it's like people who genuinely have narcissistic personality disorder.
What are we meant to do with them in society?
You know, hope that they get what they want.
Hope that like, they are skillful enough to not hurt people in their manipulation.
No like, if there is this one percent, let's say, of people who just operating out there um, what do we do with them?
And people have to believe there has to be the sense that they can change.
There has to be some kind of optimism for the role of therapy.
And The thing is, and what is always going to come up in this discussion is, with somebody who truly has these traits, do they change or do they just learn a new way of operating?
Do they just learn a new set of behaviors that are equally manipulative, which is to fake humility and to fake self-deprecation and and to fake empathy as a disguise for true self-awareness which is that they are aware they have a problem or they are at least aware that people don't enjoy their behavior they want to be liked so the manipulation or the i guess their behavior then tells them that this is the better way to act in this new situation to continue being liked, which is to basically fake the behaviors that others want to see in them.
And you know what?
How do we know?
How do we ever know that somebody who has been through therapy for narcissistic traits or narcissistic personality disorder has genuinely changed, or they are faking it?
And the thing is we don't like, we don't really until moments of like vulnerability, or until moments of outrage when like, somebody is pushed really really far.
I guess that's the point where we can tell.
And those situations often happen. so rare for a narcissist to be in.
So, as we wrap up this episode, I hope that it has given you more of a psychological insight into the different ways that narcissism, narcissistic traits, narcissistic personality disorder shows up in our society.
It is not as straightforward as it TikTok or social media or the internet might make it seem.
And I think that's really important to acknowledge for people who have genuinely endured really terrible behaviors and really terrible manipulation from people who kind of blur the lines and who don't outright look like narcissists, don't outright have a diagnosis but still have done terrible things.
And also for people.
I also think hopefully it's given you some clarity around why it's important to use a more specific label for people's behavior rather than just jumping to the narcissistic conclusion.
People with true narcissistic personality disorder are quite rare in society and often actually, they are very hard to identify because of how intense their condition is and how great they are at manipulating us.
So I think, and I hope it's just given you something to think about you know what is a narcissist?
When does somebody deserve that label?
Should I be using that label as often as I do or as I want to?
And what are kind of the alternatives?
Thank you as always for tuning into this episode.
Thank you to our researcher, Libby Colbert, for her help on this episode as well and for looking through all of those meta-analysis for such interesting data.
Make sure as always that you are following us wherever you are listening.
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We will talk very, very soon.
In the middle of the night, Saskia awoke in a haze.
Her husband Mike was on his laptop.
What was on his screen would change Saskia's life forever.
I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing.
And immediately, the mask came off.
You're supposed to be safe.
That's your home.
That's your husband.
Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Over the last couple years?
Didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by Black people?
Because of what happened in Alabama.
This Black History Month, the podcast Selective Ignorance with Mandi B unpacks Black history and culture with comedy, clarity and conversations that shake the status quo.
The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019 and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.
To hear this and more, listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Bowen Yang.
And I'm Matt Rogers.
During this season of the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast, in the lead up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends.
Hi Bowen, hi Matt.
Hey Elmo.
Hey Matt, hey Bowen.
Hi Cookie.
Hi.
Now the Winter Olympic Games are underway and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears.
Listen to Two Guys Five Rings on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
What if mind control is real?
If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?
Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?
Can you get someone to join your cult?
Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka Neuro Linguistic Programming.
Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both?
Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Ben Higgins.
This show is for you.
Listen to if you can hear me on my heart radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
This is an I heart podcast guaranteed human.