The Art of Manliness

About the podcast The Art of Manliness

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2022
How Your Expectations Can Change Your Life
During World War II, Henry Beecher, an anesthesiologist serving in the U.S. Army, noticed that 32% of the soldiers he treated for horrific battle wounds felt no pain. A further 44% experienced only slight or mild discomfort, despite the fact they had shrapnel embedded in their bodies. Beecher hypothesized that the euphoria of surviving battle resulted in the release of a natural painkiller. When morphine was running low in Europe, Beecher thought he could harness the mind’s seeming ability to produce natural painkillers in a different way by injecting soldiers who were about to undergo surgery with a simple saline solution, while telling the soldiers they were receiving morphine. About 90% of these patients underwent the surgery with little or no pain. Beecher’s field-expedient placebo treatments would go on to open up decades of research into the power of our expectations. On today’s show, my guest will walk us through that fascinating research, and how the connection between the body and the mind is a lot stronger and wilder than we know. His name is David Robson and he’s an award-winning science writer and the author of The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World. David and I begin our conversation with how and why the brain operates as a prediction machine, and how the expectations it generates can shape the reality we experience. We then discuss how even when someone’s pain or condition is very real, the placebo effect can have an equally real effect on their physiology — even when people know they’re taking a placebo. We also get into the “nocebo effect,” where your expectation that a drug will have negative side effects, in fact produces those side effects. From there we turn to how the expectation effect has powerful results beyond the medical world, and shows up in the areas of sleep, diet, and fitness, including how thinking of doing chores as exercise actually increases the health benefits of that activity, how reframing your anxiety can turn it into a performance-enhancing boost, and how your perception of getting older hugely affects how you will actually physically and mentally age. Resources Related to the Podcast Some of the studies mentioned in the show: Open-label placebo treatment in chronic low back pain Conditioning open-label placebo: a pilot pharmacobehavioral approach for opioid dose reduction and pain control Mind-set matters: exercise and the placebo effect Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging AoM Podcast #661: Get Better Sleep by Stressing About It Less AoM Article: Reframe for Resilience Connect With David Robson David’s Website David on Twitter
May 18, 2022
51 min
An Old-School Boxing Trainer on What It Means to Be a Man
Teddy Atlas was born to a well-respected doctor in a wealthy part of Staten Island. Most kids like him end up going to an Ivy League school to become some sort of white collar professional. Teddy? Teddy dropped out of high school, went to jail, and ended up becoming a trainer to 18 world champion boxers, including heavyweight champion Michael Moore, who defeated Evander Holyfield for the title in 1994. Today on the show I talk to Teddy about how and why he took the path he did in life. Teddy explains how he ended up boxing under legendary trainer Cus D'Amato, and how Cus guided Teddy towards becoming a trainer himself. Teddy then shares stories of training kids in the Catskills, taking them to unsanctioned amateur fights in the Bronx, and the lessons he learned from boxing and his father about personal responsibility, managing fear, overcoming resistance, and what is means to be a man. Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast Teddy's book, Atlas On Taking a Punch Cus D'Amato Kevin Rooney The 14 Best Boxing Movies A Manly History of the Sweet Science Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection In a Crooked World A Man's Search for Meaning Inside the Ring AoM's Boxing for Beginners series AoM's Boxing Basics The Power of Mentoring The Rise and Fall of the American Heavyweight Boxer
May 16, 2022
56 min
Stress-Free Small Talk
If making small talk makes someone anxious, it may just be because they have a fear of such interactions, and my guest today, Rich Gallagher, can help them overcome it through his practice as a therapist. Or, someone’s anxiety around small talk can be based in part on simply not knowing how to do it, and in that case, Rich helps them by teaching them the mechanics of conversation, which he shares in his book Stress-Free Small Talk, as well as on today’s show. Rich and I begin our conversation with how small talk is important as an on-ramp to bigger things, how it’s a skill that can be developed like any other, and how learning its mechanics can dampen the anxiety you feel about taking part in it. We then turn to these mechanics of making comfortable and effective small talk, including doing prep work, embracing tried-and-true openers, and avoiding talking too much yourself. We also discuss how to join conversations that are already underway, manage committing a faux pas, acknowledge others to build connection, and end a conversation gracefully. We end our conversation with small talk strategies for first dates and job interviews, and what to do when you go to a party where you only know the host. Resources Related to the Podcast Related AoM articles on small talk/social skills: How to Make Small Talk Series on overcoming shyness Your 4 Social Gifts How to Enter a Room Like a Boss What to Do at an Event Where You Don’t Know Anyone How to Think of Questions to Ask People How to Use Body Language to Create a Dynamite First Impression How to End a Conversation How to Make a Great Last Impression How to Recover from a Bad First Impression How to Ask Better Questions on a First Date How to Give a Compliment Sunday Firesides: Want to Solve Your Social Problems? Get Over Your Self Related AoM podcasts on small talk: #317: Why Your First Impression Matters & How to Improve It #406: Why You Need to Embrace Small Talk The Rotary’s 4-Way Test
May 11, 2022
42 min
The Cold Water Swim Cure
Have you ever driven along the coastline, or walked by a local pond or lake and thought about taking a dip, but felt hesitant about swimming in what you know is cold water? My guest today, who argues that cold water swimming is one of the very best things you can do for your mental and physical health, will inspire you to finally take the plunge. His name is Dr. Mark Harper and he’s an anesthesiologist and the author of Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure. We begin our conversation with how Mark’s research into the prevention of hypothermia during surgery led him to investigate the benefits of cold water exposure in managing the body’s overall stress response. We discuss the effect cold water has on the body, and the potential mental and physical benefits this effect can have, from reducing inflammation, to reducing depression caused by inflammation, to improving conditions from diabetes to migraines. We get into how long you need to be in the water to get these benefits, and the temperature the water needs to be, which may not be as cold as you think, and potentially makes, depending on where you live, cold water swimming viable as a year-round practice. Mark also explains how to get started with cold water swimming, and do it safely and effectively, including why you should start in the summer, and how best to prepare your body before you get in the water and recover after you get out of it. We end our conversation with whether or not you can get the same benefits of cold water swimming from taking an ice bath or cold shower. Resources Related to the Podcast AoM Article: Semper Virilis — A Roadmap to Manhood in the 21st Century AoM Podcast #585: Inflammation, Saunas, and the New Science of Depression Podcast #275: How Your Climate-Controlled Comfort Is Killing You On Airs, Waters, and Places by Hippocrates Richard Russell Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk Mike Tipton’s research BBC documentary, The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs AoM article on the benefits of cold showers Organizations Mark works with that promote cold water swimming: Mental Health Swims Chill SeaSure
May 9, 2022
45 min
The 5 Allies Every Man Needs
When it comes to improving our lives and reaching our goals, we often think of changing our personal habits and routines. We think about ourselves, but don’t look outside ourselves. But my guest would say that if we really want to change and make progress, we also need to surround ourselves with positive, strengthening people, and in particular, five types of “allies of glory” who can truly help us be our best. His name is Antonio Neves and he’s an author, speaker, podcaster, and success coach. Today on the show, Antonio and I discuss the importance of relationships in moving us forward in our personal and career goals, the difference between allies who facilitate that progress and the thieves who hinder it, and how to minimize the influence that the latter have on us. We then get into the five kinds of allies Antonio says we need in our lives, and he unpacks what each of these allies offers. We end our conversation with Antonio’s advice for how to find these allies and expand your social and professional networks. Resources Related to the Podcast Antonio’s previous appearance on the podcast: #676 — Stop Living on Autopilot and Take Responsibility for Your Life Sunday Firesides: Relationships Over Willpower AoM Article: How to Cut Toxic People Out of Your Life AoM Podcast #559: How to Handle Difficult Conversations AoM Podcast #403: A Better Way to Network AoM Article: The Cabinet of Invisible Counselors Connect With Antonio Neves Antonio’s Website Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!) Listen to the episode on a separate page. Download this episode. Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice. Listen ad-free on Stitcher Premium; get a free month when you use code “manliness” at checkout. Podcast Sponsors Click here to see a full list of our podcast sponsors. Transcript Coming Soon
May 4, 2022
46 min
Getting Along Is Overrated
A lot of people really dislike conflict and have a low opinion of it. They're uncomfortable with disagreements at the office, think there's no room for contention at church, worry that fighting with their partner means their relationship is destined to dissolve, and generally feel that heated arguments tear communities apart. My guest today, Ian Leslie, used to be one of these conflict-averse people. But as he discovered in researching his new book, Conflicted: How Productive Disagreements Lead to Better Outcomes, conflict not only brings us together, the lack of it, he says, just plain makes us stupider. Today on the show, Ian and I discuss why people get the idea that conflict is unproductive from watching online arguments and why these flame wars aren't actually indicative of the value of arguing offline. We then delve into this surprising value, from the way conflict makes us smarter, to how couples who have heated arguments are actually happier. Ian unpacks some of the myths around difficult conversations, such as the idea that they have to be done in a strictly rational and unemotional way to be fruitful, and he offers ways to approach conflict that will make it more productive, especially remembering to always prioritize the relationship above all. Resources Related to the Podcast AoM Article: The Rationality of Emotions AoM Podcast #559: How to Handle Difficult Conversations Podcast #648: Lessons in Building Rapport from Experts in Terrorist Interrogation (With Laurence Alison) reddit — Change My View Connect with Kevin Maurer Ian's Website Ian on Twitter
May 2, 2022
43 min
The Harrowing Life of a World War II B-17 Pilot
“We were young citizen-soldiers, terribly naive and gullible about what we would be confronted with in the air war over Europe and the profound effect it would have upon every fiber of our being for the rest of our lives. We were all afraid, but it was beyond our power to quit. We volunteered for the service and, once trained and overseas, felt we had no choice but to fulfill the mission assigned. My hope is that this book honors the men with whom I served by telling the truth about what it took to climb into the cold blue and fight for our lives over and over again.” So writes the 100-year-old World War II veteran John “Lucky” Luckadoo in the new book he co-authored with Kevin Maurer: Damn Lucky: One Man’s Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History. Kevin is my guest today, and will share Lucky’s story, and with it, the story of WWII’s famous B-17 bomber. During the war, airmen in the 100th Bomb Group could finish their combat service and return home after flying 25 missions. Yet with a 1 in 10 chance of becoming a casualty, few were able to reach this milestone. Lucky was one of the, well, lucky few who did, and Kevin traces how he got there, from trying to join the Royal Canadian Air Force as a teenager, to learning to fly the B-17 on the job, to his harrowing daylight bombing missions over Germany, to the life he made for himself after the war. Along the way, Kevin describes the brutal conditions inside a B-17 and the bomber’s role in winning the war. Resources Related to the Podcast The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell Memphis Belle Norden bombsight Video tour of B-17 G model Connect with Kevin Maurer Kevin’s Website
April 27, 2022
41 min
Overcome the Decision Traps Around Diet and Exercise
When it comes to making behavior change around diet and exercise, it's no secret that many people fail in their efforts. My guest would say that's because too often we only concentrate on the things that drive us towards that change — whether willpower, or motivation, or the rewards that turn behaviors into habits — and that we need to think more about the obstacles keeping us from making the decisions we desire. Her name is Michelle Segar and she's a behavioral science researcher and health coach, as well as the author of The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise. Today on the show, Michelle explains why exercise and eating aren't conducive to becoming habits — at least of the automatic variety — and why it's more helpful to think of these behaviors in terms of "life space" and "choice points." She makes the case for why we shouldn't just focus on what drives behaviors, but also understand what disrupts them, and unpacks four of these disruptors: temptation, rebellion, accommodation, and perfection. Michelle then offers a three-step decision tool for dealing with these disruptors, and explains how to develop the flexibility to choose the perfect imperfect option that keeps you consistent and even celebrate and enjoy the decision to do something instead of nothing. Resources Related to the Podcast Michelle's previous appearance on the show — Podcast #575: Counterintuitive Advice on Making Exercise a Sustainable Habit AoM Article: How I Finally Made Flossing a Habit AoM Podcast #782: Anxiety Is a Habit — Here’s How to Break It (With Judson Brewer) Kurt Lewin Freakonomics episode that includes Daniel Kahneman referencing Lewin Grounded cognition Affective–Reflective Theory of physical inactivity and exercise Connect With Michelle Segar Michelle's Website
April 25, 2022
44 min

About the podcast The Art of Manliness

Podcast by The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

About the podcast The Art of Manliness

Categories

How Your Expectations Can Change Your Life

An Old-School Boxing Trainer on What It Means to Be a Man

Stress-Free Small Talk

The Cold Water Swim Cure

The 5 Allies Every Man Needs

Getting Along Is Overrated

The Harrowing Life of a World War II B-17 Pilot

Overcome the Decision Traps Around Diet and Exercise

About the podcast The Art of Manliness

Categories