Reading audience reactions as a standup ...

Can machines spot a lie better than we can? I talk with psychology researcher Bennett Kleinberg, whose work brings together psychology, machine learning, natural-language processing, and deception detection. We explore why humans are bad at identifying lies, which verbal clues ma ... Show More

Former Scientologist Chris Shelton spent thousands of hours using the e-meter to "audit" fellow members of the Church—but what does the device actually measure, and why do Scientologists trust it as an infallible guide to the truth? Chris takes us inside a typical auditing sessio ... Show More

In a 2014 deception detection study, Pete Blair made 33 judgments—and got all 33 right. That paper was titled “Expertise in deception detection involves actively prompting diagnostic information rather than passive behavioral observation.” I ask Pete about what the factors were i ... Show More

<p>Alex Falcone is making it happen! A Portland comedian who now lives in LA because that's the next step for comedians just released his album "Vanilla" that you can enjoy on streaming services everywhere! How is this a real job? Scott talks to Alex about the creative process, r ... Show More

Alex is a comic who feels perfectly comfortable commanding a packed, rowdy audience, but consistently submits to what other people want in everyday life. This week, a look at how uncomfortable feelings about power can backfire on ourselves and the people we love. We get the help ... Show More

On the podcast today I am in conversation with Alex Love, who you might remember from some previous episodes of this podcast. Alex Love regularly performs stand-up comedy gigs in London and in Manchester where he now lives. At this moment he's preparing for the Edinburgh Festival ... Show More

Comedian Alex Edelman stops by to talk with writers Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell about getting friendly heckled during his first Conan set, being Modern Orthodox, achieving a UK following after a successful solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, working on Saturday Night ... Show More

This week Kevin sits down with Alex Goldman from Reply All. Alex has a voice and career marked by curiosity. Together him and Kevin talk about what it means to work well with a partner, why doing a labor intensive show is still rewarding, and reveal the special secret method for ... Show More

We have a fun one for you! Comedian Alec Flynn joins us to talk about The Performative Male (Are they a red flag? Is there a spectrum? How do you spot the "bad ones"?) as well as Black Cat Boyfriends vs. Golden Retriever Boyfriends. We also break down an email from a male listene ... Show More

<p>Father Cooper is here with a Sunday session. Alex kicks things off with a much-awaited life update, sharing stories from her summer travels and dishing on the behind the scenes of the Zayn Malik interview. Big Al is dishing out advice, tackling the topic of "situationships" an ... Show More

<p>Join Big Al for a Sunday Session filled with storytimes and fatherly advice. Alex recounts a recent drunk night where she developed a vision to launch her singing career and the hilarious texts she discovered on her phone the next morning. She exposes her dentist for ghosting ... Show More

Comedian Alex Edelman is having a moment in the spotlight. Yet, he admits his 8-year-old self would never believe he works in an industry that requires talking in front of so many people. The writer, producer, and comic joins Sophia to talk about how he got his start in comedy an ... Show More