Posts in Spooky

233 | Why We Bury Our Dead

Halloween season 2021! Time to lay this Halloween season to rest. Shane and Abraham close out this spooky series with a discussion about the history and rational for why we bury our dead. There are both practical and mythological reasons. A question you might not have thought to ask is: what does “burial” mean? Because, only humans bury our dead… if you define it that way.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

SpookyWWDWWDOctober 27, 2021Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Halloween, context, Burial, Bury Our Dead, Bury Your Dead, Caves, Intention, Casket, Coffin, Sky Burial, Mausoleum, FormaldehydeComment

232 | What Makes Something "Creepy?"

Halloween season 2021! I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it… We all have felt creeped out in some capacity at some point. But what is this feeling? What makes something creepy? There are a lot of different elements for things that tend to be creepy. But it includes things that are not contextual, unexpected, sexual, or violent, or all of those. Hopefully we weren’t creepy…

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

SpookyWWDWWDOctober 20, 2021Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Halloween, Creepy, Creepiness, Pencil Mustache, Sexual predator, decontextualized, context, Being watched, Odd jobs, Politics, Mitch McConnell, Bugs, Cryptids, Emotions, Feels, FeelingsComment

231 | Vampires

Halloween season 2021! Where do we find vampires in the real world? We dive into the history and lore of vampirism and explore some plausible conditions that may have inspired this myth.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

SpookyWWDWWDOctober 13, 2021Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Halloween, History, Vlad the Impaler, Vampires, Rabies, porphyria, twilight, cryptids, politicsComment

230 | History of Halloween

Halloween season 2021! Shane and Abraham crack open the history books to learn about where the traditions and history of halloween come from. Amazingly, if you traveled back in time to witness this tradition, you might recognize many contemporary practices that are still around. Despite being hailed as demonic, Christians are largely responsible for bringing Halloween to modern culture, establishing many of the current traditions, and even coming up with the name. Also, we bust some myths and provide recommendations, like we do.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

181 | The Dead Preserved

Tied up deep beneath layers of wraps and chemicals and oils and lotions is a practice the dates back thousands of years—mummification. This practice has mystified historians and found a special place in entertainment in many forms, but how exactly did the process work and for what purposes? This episode will detail the careful procedures performed by embalmers to preserve the body in a unique state that was believed to maximize the dead individual’s chance for a fruitful afterlife.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Spooky, How To, The BrainScott Abraham MillerOctober 28, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Egypt, Mummies, Mummification, Halloween, Under wraps, embalming, historyComment

180 | Possessed: Exorcisms

This Halloween season is well underway and we have this, and one episode left after this one. In this episode, we review the process of exorcisms. But much more importantly, exorcisms are dangerous and ethically questionable at best. We dive into why people believe them and the effect that they have had on the culture at large.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Spooky, ChildrenScott Abraham MillerOctober 21, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Skepticism, Catholocism, Exorcisms, Exorcism, Possession, Demons, Priests, Emily RoseComment

179 | Witch Trials

The second installment of our spooky psychology month! Witches and witchcraft have a long and complex lore. But one of the creepiest things about witches is how the fear of witches was used to bring harm against so many people for so long. This episode explores the terrifying history of the persecution of people accused of practicing witchcraft. Also, turns out “witch hunts” aren’t as outdated as they might seem….

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Spooky, Human Bias, Psychological HistoryScott Abraham MillerOctober 14, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Witches, Skepticism, Chauvinism, Misogyny, Catholocism, Witch Hunt, Conspiracy Theories, The Skeptic's Guide to the UniverseComment

178 | Afraid of the Dark

It’s time for spooky psychology month! We are kicking off our creepy topics with a discussion about what gives us the creeps about the darkness! Like many things, we have reasonable hypotheses but little firm evidence. Nevertheless, it is worth digging into what we think we know and why!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Children, Diagnosis, SpookyScott Abraham MillerOctober 7, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shane Spiker, Shanebraham, Darkness, Nyctophobia, Specific Phobia, Systematic Desensitization, EvolutionComment

128 | Zombie Bugs | Why We Do What We Do

Although the idea of zombies comes from folklore and mystical traditions, there are real zombies in the world. Specifically, the cordyceps fungus that infects insects such as ants, kills them, and then drives their “reanimated” corpse around to find a place to spread spores to infect more insects. It is diabolical and creepy! But how does this brainless organism understand how to move the ant’s body? How does it know how to spread to other insects? We do our best to unpack what is understood and what might be happening.

ATTENTION! We are doing a special promotion! If you complete a listener survey, you will earn a WWDWWD sticker in the mail and get entered to win a free t-shirt! The survey shouldn’t take longer than 3-10 minutes and is completely private. We will NOT share your data or information with anyone else. Follow this link https://forms.gle/ogarcXvK7RFZXytS8 to receive a sticker, be entered to win a free shirt, and to help us make the best show for you!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Links for Today:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ (narrative description of the cordyceps fungus taking over ants)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/cordyceps-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants/ (mostly images of insects infected with cordyceps fungus)
https://youtu.be/XuKjBIBBAL8 (video documentary of the cordyceps fungus in ants)
https://www.livescience.com/51764-wasp-spider-zombies.html (zombie spiders! When wasps plant their larva in spiders)
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/mind-controlling-wasps-enslave-zombie-spiders-build-them-perfect-nest/ (elaboration on wasps turning spiders into zombies)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/08/zombie-flies-mind-control-fungus-animals/ (video of flies being zombified by fungus; gross)

127 | Sleep Paralysis: Demons and Ghosts in the Night | Why We Do What We Do

Experiencing ghosts, aliens, curses, or a demon sitting on your chest while you sleep are common reports from people who have experienced sleep paralysis. Although distressing, sleep paralysis is not indicative of some cognitive or neurological disorder. We try and set the stage for why this process feels so frightening, who experiences it, why we experience, and how often we experience it. Whether you have heard about it or not, there is probably something new for you to learn!

ATTENTION! We are doing a special promotion! If you complete a listener survey, you will earn a WWDWWD sticker in the mail and get entered to win a free t-shirt! The survey shouldn’t take longer than 3-10 minutes and is completely private. We will NOT share your data or information with anyone else. Follow this link to receive a sticker, be entered to win a free shirt, and to help us make the best show for you!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

126 | Where Our Superstitions Come From | Why We Do What We Do

Knocking on wood, blessing a sneeze, crossing your fingers for luck, and the belief that saying something will happen jinxes the likelihood of that happening are all examples of just a few of the crazy superstitions people have. Some culture-specific superstitions have the opposite meaning across cultures. What you may not know is that most of us have superstitions we don’t even recognize that we have! What are your superstitions? Listen in as Shane and Abraham explain where our superstitions come from, that is, why people become superstitious, as well as revealing our own silly superstitions, at least the ones we know about…

ATTENTION! We are doing a special promotion! If you complete a listener survey, you will earn a WWDWWD sticker in the mail and get entered to win a free t-shirt! The survey shouldn’t take longer than 3-10 minutes and is completely private. We will NOT share your data or information with anyone else. Follow this link to receive a sticker, be entered to win a free shirt, and to help us make the best show for you!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

125 | Why People Like Horror Movies | Why We Do What We Do

Welcome to spooky psychology month! Shane and Abraham are choosing 5 topics in psychology that related to horror or Halloween themed topics. The next entry in the saga of creepy psychology is understanding why we like scary movies. What is it about being creeped out that keeps people coming to the movie theaters and directors making these movies? There are many different theories that we discuss, but primarily we will reveal that it is a combination of factors including our social groups. Do you love or hate scary movies or fall somewhere in between? Let us know how you feel and which theory you relate to.

ATTENTION! We are doing a special promotion! If you complete a listener survey, you will earn a WWDWWD sticker in the mail and get entered to win a free t-shirt! The survey shouldn’t take longer than 3-10 minutes and is completely private. We will NOT share your data or information with anyone else. Follow this link to receive a sticker, be entered to win a free shirt, and to help us make the best show for you!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

124 | Crying Wolf: Clinical Lycanthropy | Why We Do What We Do

Welcome to spooky psychology month! Shane and Abraham are choosing 5 topics in psychology that related to horror or Halloween themed topics. The first entry is about the psychological condition called Clinical Lycanthropy in which people believe that they turn into non-human animals. Although werewolves are common, beliefs range across just about every known animal or human-animal hybrid. But how common is this? How is it diagnosed? How is it treated? Unfortunately, little is known. But we were able to dig up some dirt on this mysterious affliction!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Diagnosis, Myth-Busting, SpookyScott Abraham MillerOctober 2, 2019Abraham, Shane, Science, Shanebraham, Werewolves, Clinical Lycanthropy, October Spooky Psychology 2019, Delusions, Skepticism, Psychological WerewolvesComment

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