35. Acting on Algorithms: Mental Shortcuts & the Absence of Deep Thought, with Xavier Bonilla
12/12/22 • 87 min
In today’s modern world, we are constantly fed mental shortcuts that can influence our thoughts and ideas. We aren’t required to do a lot of deep thinking into what we’re consuming, because all too often, an algorithm does that for us. Where does the responsibility lie? How reliant are we on mental shortcuts and the absence of deep thought? Are we satisfied with only being shown part of the whole picture? Are we getting full on what Xavier describes as the “junk food mental diet”?
In this thought-provoking conversation, we investigate how topics such as social incentives, groupthink, and heuristics, can all have an impact on our mental health, behavior and relationships.
We shift our conversation to explore different strategies and questions we can ask ourselves to counteract our natural cognitive biases.
Xavier Bonilla holds a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) and has been a licensed clinician doing mental health work for 15 years. He has worked in various inpatient and outpatient settings and has numerous experiences working with individuals that have serious mental illness. He is a former seminarian and is also a podcaster. His podcast, Converging Dialogues, is a podcast designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thought and opinions from a wide-range of guests.
You can follow Xavier on Twitter @xavierbonilla87
Xavier's podcast, Converging Dialogues: https://linktr.ee/convergingdialogues
Xavier’s opinion pieces on centrism, nationalism, and Latinos: https://xavierabonilla.medium.com/
To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!
Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.
Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.
Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.
Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.
Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
In today’s modern world, we are constantly fed mental shortcuts that can influence our thoughts and ideas. We aren’t required to do a lot of deep thinking into what we’re consuming, because all too often, an algorithm does that for us. Where does the responsibility lie? How reliant are we on mental shortcuts and the absence of deep thought? Are we satisfied with only being shown part of the whole picture? Are we getting full on what Xavier describes as the “junk food mental diet”?
In this thought-provoking conversation, we investigate how topics such as social incentives, groupthink, and heuristics, can all have an impact on our mental health, behavior and relationships.
We shift our conversation to explore different strategies and questions we can ask ourselves to counteract our natural cognitive biases.
Xavier Bonilla holds a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) and has been a licensed clinician doing mental health work for 15 years. He has worked in various inpatient and outpatient settings and has numerous experiences working with individuals that have serious mental illness. He is a former seminarian and is also a podcaster. His podcast, Converging Dialogues, is a podcast designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thought and opinions from a wide-range of guests.
You can follow Xavier on Twitter @xavierbonilla87
Xavier's podcast, Converging Dialogues: https://linktr.ee/convergingdialogues
Xavier’s opinion pieces on centrism, nationalism, and Latinos: https://xavierabonilla.medium.com/
To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!
Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.
Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.
Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.
Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.
Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Previous Episode
34. Paved with Good Intentions: How Human Rights Got Hijacked, with Leor Sapir
Society is divided over how to conceptualize “human rights,” particularly when it comes to transgender medicalization and school policies. Political scientist Leor Sapir is uniquely qualified to help us understand how we got here. He explains how the laudable legacy of the civil rights movement shaped Americans’ vulnerability to deceptive narratives about “social justice;” how the Office of Civil Rights’ attempts to address bullying in schools led to the erosion of Title IX protections for girls; and how the American Civil Liberties Union turned against its own mission.
This comprehensive deep-dive then shifts from politics to philosophy and psychology. Leor and I explore matters such as virtues and values, rights and responsibilities, hubris and corruption, good and evil, the sexual revolution, and moral instincts. We also do a Q&A, presenting Leor with some of our Twitter followers’ questions.
Leor Sapir is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. A driven researcher with a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College, Dr. Sapir previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Program on Constitutional Government at Harvard University. His academic work, including his dissertation on the Obama Administration’s Title IX regulations, has investigated how America’s political culture and constitutional government shape public policy on matters of civil rights.
Similarly, at the Manhattan Institute, Dr. Sapir applies his knowledge of political theory and American government to policy issues, honing in particularly on issues of gender identity and transgenderism. His inaugural essay in the Winter 2022 issue of City Journal explores a series of recent court rulings surrounding transgenderism, demonstrating how bad ideas translate from fringe academic theory into law and policy. Previous web pieces for City Journal have explored evolving athletic guidelines and media coverage surrounding transgender issues. He discussed these pieces in a recent episode of City Journal’s 10 Blocks podcast.
You can follow Leor on Twitter @leorsapir.
Resources mentioned in the show:
Leor recommended Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse, by Mary Ann Glendon
I recommended The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century, by Louise Perry.
We also mentioned my conversation with Robin Atkins, Two Therapists Debate Abortion (episode 27), as well as the episode I did with Oliver Davies, Healing Through Detransition (episode 22). I alluded to my conversation with Matt Osborne, but this has yet to come out; it will be released as a future episode.
During the Q&A, I recommended listeners follow these Twitter accounts:
@couragehabit - Alvin Lui, president of Courage is a Habit, will be a guest on a future episode of this podcast.
@buttonslives - Christina Buttons
@SEGM_ebm - Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine
To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!
Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.
Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.
Check out my shop for book recommendations + wel...
Next Episode
36. Is American Education Broken? with Deb Fillman
The twentieth century saw enormous gains in our understanding of children’s psychological development. So why is our school system still designed as if children are miniature adults?
Education expert Deb Fillman fills us in on what’s broken in the American education system today. We examine the vital role of promoting embodied, experiential, naturalistic and age-appropriate learning that support the student taking ownership of their own mind. We explore the risks of teaching abstract concepts to concrete thinkers, enforcing one-size-fits-all curriculum, expecting children to sit still and be quiet for 7 hours a day, emphasizing reading and math at too young ages, and forcing everyone to be “friends.” We compare the different needs of male-typical and female-typical children when it comes to learning styles, socialization, aggression, and conflict resolution. Deb shares her concerns at how teachers’ roles are rapidly evolving into uncharted territory, such as taking on the role of untrained counselors, violating children’s emotional boundaries, and using inappropriate methods misleadingly called “social and emotional learning.” And we explore: should teens really be encouraged to think they can (and should) change the world?
Deb Fillman is a homeschooling mother of three with a Masters Degree in Education, and a background in teaching and tutoring. After spending the past decade studying, and monitoring the impact of current trends and practices in American K12 education, Deb concluded parents needed an advocate; someone to help them take charge of their children’s education.
Over the past three years, her knowledge, passion and experience have helped thousands of families to understand why their children are struggling, and to help them find effective, innovative ways to give their kids the best K-12 education possible.
She offers private consulting for families of home-based learners, parent educator coaching, and custom course development for families committed to independently educating their children. Deb is also available for public speaking engagements and media appearances. She can most easily be found on her YouTube, Substack, Locals channel and website of the same name, The Reason We Learn. You can follow Deb on Twitter @deb_fillman and @reasonwelearn.
Find Stephanie’s guest appearance on Deb’s channel here: Are We Pathologizing Childhood & Adolescence?
During this episode Stephanie recommended several books by Leonard Sax. You can purchase those links and support the show through her bookshop or these Amazon affiliate links:
Leonard Sax: Why Gender Matters
Leonard Sax: Girls on the Edge
Stephanie also mentioned her conversation with Michael DC Bowen. You can listen to episode 16, The Wisdom in World-Bridging with Michael DC Bowen, here.
To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!
Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.
Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.
Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.
Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
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