Decoding the Gurus

Avsnitt

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  Gurometer Triple Threat: Professor Jiang, Mel Robbins & Jimmy Carr *Patreon Preview* 14.09.2026 59min

  The rumours of the Gurometer's demise have been greatly exaggerated. We were simply collecting enough gurus to feed three into the sacred instrument at once. In this special Triple Threat edition, Professor Jiang brings angel-informed psychohistory, Jimmy Carr brings a head full of dubious historical factoids, and Mel Robbins just desperately wants to help you (for a price). Three potential gurus, eleven characteristics, and a brief disagreement over the nature of data. Let the highly rigorous scoring commence!Also... think you can do better? Rate Jiang, Mel, Jimmy, or any of the other gurus on our online Gurometer and compare your scores with ours. Ideally, do it before listening, lest Matt declare your numbers inadmissible.https://decoding-the-gurus-gurometer.netlify.app/
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  Supplementary Material 55: Nature Debates, Murder Drone Conspiracies, and Podcast Vibes 08.09.2026 34min

  Two academic windbags attempt brief discussions of the controversy at Nature, Bret’s newest conspiracy theory, and the latest vibe sessions in Podcastistan. It goes about as well as expected.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1hr 18mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 5500:00 Introduction: Science by Podcast04:04 Nature Joins the Arday Discourse Wave09:28 Activism and Science14:40 Academic Prestige Bias19:08 The Business of Academic Publishing23:43 Sasha Gusev Being Sensible and Culture War Brainrot29:04 Bret Weinstein and Jimmy Dore Investigate Charlie Kirk’s Death36:13 Anomaly Hunting42:27 Science Washing45:00 Conspiracy Discrimination and Reasoning Ability53:46 Academic Debate Norms59:16 Chris Williamson Promotes Professor Jiang01:01:01 Vibing Out in Podcast Panels: Hunter Biden x Nick Fuentes01:05:49 Dave Rubin and Andrew Gold Discuss Political Tribalism01:08:25 Heterodoxy in 2026: Zaid Jilani on Michael Tracey01:12:52 Hitler Was a Human and Had Motivations01:16:33 OutroLinksNature: The death of Jason Arday must prompt deep reflectionStuart Ritchie’s response to the Nature editorialMatthew Yglesias: Academia is cookedSasha Gusev’s response to Matthew YglesiasNature’s research and magazine editorial teamsDarkHorse: Was Charlie Kirk Killed With a Drone? Viva Frei and Jimmy DoreRobson, S. G., Martire, K. A., Pearson, S., Cosgrove, T. J., Jetten, J., Faasse, K., & Hornsey, M. J. (2026). Rejecting conspiracies doesn't necessarily mean that you're smart: The relationship between conspiracy discrimination and reasoning ability. British Journal of Social Psychology, 65(4), e70117.Modern Wisdom: WW3 DEBATE: “We’re On the Brink of Global Collapse”Mostly Wise #2: Hunter Biden, Matt McCusker & Duncan TrussellChannel 5: Nick Fuentes Interview (Ft. Hunter Biden)I Think You Should Leave: Hot Dog Car SketchThe Rubin Report: If This Isn’t Stopped, UK’s Fall Is Irreversible | Andrew GoldZaid Jilani on Michael Tracey’s contrarianismZaid Jilani’s World War II follow-upAdam Tooze: The Wages of DestructionDarryl Cooper’s introduction and foreword to Thomas Cyr’s World War II revisionist bookNext on Decoding Academia: Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside
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  Mel Robbins, Part 2: Matt & Chris manifest their fully actualised future selves 30.08.2026 1h 42min

  In Part Two of our decoding of Mel Robbins, things take a practical turn. But before we get to preoccupied with all that, why don't you pause, take a breath, and, in the context of your body, write down ten ways to make a bad situation worse. Your focus should then be on doing the exact opposite! For example, if one of your answers is to not listen to the podcast, then start listening, right now!Next, before hitting play, let's work on building a daily manifestation practice. Write down five things you want, then sit in your body, picture yourself doing all the annoying steps, and flood yourself with the feelings of future success. This needs to happen every day.One more thing: now imagine someone who is one million per cent behind you and ask them what is the best way for you to consume the podcast. They can be alive, dead, or fictional. Greek messenger Gods are permitted. You can even imagine your mother, if you like, but better. Alternatively, why not meet your future self at the front door and ask how listening to the podcast helped them to become so wise, slim, and successful?There are other options too. You can manifest a legion of ancestors, reconfigure a difficult afternoon by getting sushi, and even transcend the limits of possibility with an elephant murder themed visualization!You might think this sounds a bit like (too much) planning, mental rehearsal, and just trying to be a bit more positive. But it's much more than that. These mental activities are actually powered by very hard science. Ignore the tiny samples, one-tailed tests, and suspicious p-values... that all sounds like negative thinking.And now you are finally prepared so choose your technique, release the brake, and visualise the download button. Your future self is waiting. They have a cool scar and some bad news about your future children.LinksThe Mel Robbins Podcast: “World Leading Psychologist: How to Manifest Anything & Create the Life You Want” with Dr Cassandra VietenCassandra Vieten: Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of ImaginationInstitute of Noetic Sciences: Origins StoryHershfield, H. E., Goldstein, D. G., Sharpe, W. F., Fox, J., Yeykelis, L., Carstensen, L. L., & Bailenson, J. N. (2011). Increasing saving behavior through age-progressed renderings of the future self. Journal of marketing research, 48(SPL), S23-S37. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3949005/Robalino, J. D., Fishbane, A., Goldstein, D. G., & Hershfield, H. E. (2023). Saving for retirement: A real-world test of whether seeing photos of one’s future self encourages contributions. Behavioral Science & Policy, 9(1), 1-9. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23794607231190607
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  Supplementary Material 54:  Solarpunk Pecan Pie, Northern Irish Sushi, & the Discourse Meat Grinder 28.08.2026 41min

  We return from our holidays with an indulgent episode that starts light and ends up very dark as we turn to the unavoidable Jason Arday discourse.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 40 mins)Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSupplementary Material 5400:00 Pecan Pie Introduction04:10 Solar Punk Matt08:17 Ireland Trip Report15:24 Australian Burger Culture17:32 Manga Cafe Experiments24:10 Joe Rogan on AI Remote Viewing29:14 Parapsychology as a Research Field34:07 A One Man University Level Course in Bad Thinking36:58 The Young Info Turks40:53 More Credulity with Ryan Grim over Fauci42:14 Richard Ebright, Warning Signs, and Radicalisation Spirals48:28 Vinay Prasad jumping on the Anti-Fauci wagon for the Free Press52:31 The Jason Arday Affair54:28 The Surrounding Context58:18 Polemical Discourse Waves01:05:22 The Guru Factor01:08:25 A Realistic View of Universities as Imperfect Institutions01:12:17 Elite Prestige Bias01:21:33 Culture War Distortions01:25:04 The Ethics of Critical Journalism01:29:50 Inconsistent Standards01:38:36 OutroLinksThe Jack Nicholson Story from the Always Sunny PodcastThe Manga Cafes in QuestionDeposition of InfoWars Host Owen ShroyerAlex Jones And Roger Stone Interrupt The Young Turks Republican National Convention CoverageKen Klippenstein visits the War RoomAna Kasparian & Owen Shroyer: The UNEXPECTED Conversation on MAGA, DSA & the Uniparty!Bret Weinstein on InfoWarsRichard Ebright on one of his many Twitter spiralsJoe Rogan on AI Remote ViewingThe Free Press: Vinay Prasad- Anthony Fauci’s Vaccine DeceptionsRyan Grim being credulous over Fauci and VaccinesThe Guardian: Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor (Lanre Bakare)The Atlantic: The Jason Arday Truthers (Helen Lewis)Front Left: It sure looks like Jason Arday was horrifically wronged (based on citation data) (Jason Stanley)A Digital Lynching (Carol Cadwalladr)Tox Report: The Most Unfortunate Thing (Sarah Ditum)Byline Times: The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason Arday (Nafeez Ahmed)The Good Law Project: Stand in Solidarity with Jason ArdayAmnesty UK supporting “Arday’s Law”Simon Baron Cohen on BBC 4 Today talking about Jason ArdayNYT: A Top Scholar’s Fall Shows That Universities Don’t Get ItNYT: Professor’s Death Leaves Behind Hard Questions for Cambridge on Race and HiringThe Emancipator: The Media Lynched Kason Arday (Ibram X. Kendi)Gideon M.K.: The Jason Arday Saga Is Terrible And Everyone Involved Should Be Ashamed Of ThemselvesWays to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy: Cambridge’s youngest Black professor Jason Arday on Autism, racism, and learning to read at 18Open (supporting) letter on the suspension of Nathan Cofnas at Ghent UniversityBoard Member of Ghent University (Dries Bostyn) discussing the disciplinary case on TwitterNumb at the Lodge: The Carrion-Eaters (Sam Kriss)The Chronicle of Higher Education: Jason Arday & Me (Musa al-Gharbi)US Ambassador applies pressure to Ghent UniversityNathan Cofnas thanks the US Ambassador for interveningAcademia is Doing Fine, Actually (Nicholas Decker)Eric Turkheimer substack on Nathan Cofnas' viewsSasha Gusev thread on Nathan Cofnas' views
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  Mel Robbins, Part 1: The Hard Science of Manifestation 25.08.2026 2h 4min

  Are you tired, stuck, or inconveniently constrained by reality? Good news: you may simply be imagining the wrong one.In Part One of our decoding of Mel Robbins, we explore the world of a self-help mogul who is also just a simple mother of three in Vermont hosting a little ol' podcast with a HUGE global impact. Together with Cassandra Vieten, a psychologist who is (apparently) one of the world's leading researchers on imagination and consciousness, Mel explains how to begin to stop reacting and start imagining, visualising, and manifesting the life you truly deserve. This will lead to self-actualised transcendence through a variety of simple-to-implement techniques. But don't worry, the universe has also put in safeguards: manifestation only works if you use it for good, such as empowering your authentic self. So please manifest enthusiastically without any concern.In the episode, you will learn about the delicate art of rebranding common sense into complex (proprietary) theories and be shocked to discover that mystical intuitions are a core component of any fully holistic scientific research. Mel's HUGE media business, meanwhile, manifests itself as an intimate personal friendship with each of her millions of listeners.Expect the usual decorative scholarship, a new Five Second Rule and insights into how to Let Them and Let You, reality tunnels, obstacle courses, a thousand supportive women, lighthouses, tapestries, and the therapeutic potential of fire-breathing dragons. All of it is very hard science, as they repeatedly remind us.Chris and Matt attempt throughout to give the self-help genre a fair-minded assessment. They even concede that wearing colourful socks and being a bit less miserable are probably harmless, but ultimately their dark reductionist souls are beyond salvation.Part Two is coming next week. In the meantime, try to visualise it clearly, align your energy, and not to put one foot on the brake as you hit the download button.LinksThe Mel Robbins Podcast: “World Leading Psychologist: How to Manifest Anything & Create the Life You Want” with Dr Cassandra VietenA Bit Fruity with Matt Bernstein: “The Mel Robbins Griftpocalypse” with Princess Weekes and Kat TenbargeCBS News: Extended Interview with Mel RobbinsThe Mel Robbins Podcast: “Try It for 1 Week: 6 Small Ways to Bring Back the Happiness, Energy, and Fun”The New York Times: “Mel Schneeberger and Chris Robbins” by Lois Smith BradyUC San Diego profile: Cassandra Vieten, PhD
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  Jimmy Carr & Joe Rogan: The Jester & the Khan 17.08.2026 2h 54min

  Joe Rogan, the Great Khan of podcasting, is once again receiving a travelling jester at court. This time it is Jimmy Carr who arrives bearing gifts: pop evolutionary psychology, dubious history factoids, conservative "common sense", and an apparently bottomless appetite for telling Joe just how important he is.After listening to their three-hour conversation(!), we conclude there is nothing much of note beyond serving as a nice demonstration of popular "alternative" podcasting in 2026. What you get is a medley of sycophantic praise; regurgitated pop science and historical factoids; right-wing political positions presented as basic common sense; and shocked reactions to pseudo profundity and mundane observations.Along the way, you will also thrill as you learn Rogan and Carr's takes on motherhood, feminism, work ethic, astrology, religion, taxation, vaccines, human evolution, the Black Death, and stand-up comedy.As for Jimmy Carr himself, well, according to us: he's a very much your standard middle-aged conservative British person who happens to be a comedian. Rogan's level of crankery makes Jimmy look moderate by comparison, but as we know that's a very low bar.LinksJimmy Carr on The Joe Rogan Experience (2326)Jimmy Carr on Modern Wisdom #953Schulz, J. F., Bahrami-Rad, D., Beauchamp, J. P., & Henrich, J. (2019). The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation. Science, 366(6466), eaau5141. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau5141Robinson D. The Black Death and Clerical Prospects in England. In: Bothwell J, Hamilton JS, eds. Fourteenth Century England XII. Fourteenth Century England. Boydell & Brewer; 2022:129-150. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781800105904.008Xu, X., & Barrett, P. M. (2025). The origin and early evolution of feathers: implications, uncertainties and future prospects. Biology Letters, 21(2), 20240517. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0517
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  Lab Leak Groundhog Day: COVID Origins in 2026 with Worobey, Andersen, and Holmes 10.08.2026 1h 44min

  With the Trump administration’s newest political persecution of Anthony Fauci and three years after our first lab-leak special, now seemed like a useful time to return to the topic. Fortunately, you do not have to rely on our knowledge of viruses, as we have somehow managed to convince the same three esteemed virologists, Eddie Holmes, Kristian Andersen and Michael Worobey, to come back for an update.Mike, Kristian and Eddie return and offer us their read on where the scientific evidence on COVID’s origins stands in 2026. They take us through the main lines of evidence and the often overlooked role of the wildlife trade, explaining why the lab-leak story remains so appealing, and how their own assessments have shifted as more evidence has emerged. We also discuss the standard claim that the media suppressed the lab-leak narrative while noting that coverage across both alternative and mainstream outlets remains heavily skewed towards it (and almost entirely detached from the research literature).Finally, we end on a characteristically positive note by discussing the Trump administration’s attacks on science and the ongoing campaigns against high-profile scientists and public health figures. Our guests describe their experience of committing the heinous offence of following the scientific evidence and arriving at conclusions that contradict the preferred views of polemical politicians and prominent media pundits.In short, this episode is our modest attempt to drag the topic back towards the science, while also focusing on the price paid by the people who actually conduct the research and care about the evidence. We are not neutral when it comes to the ongoing attacks on science and scientists and do not pretend to be. LinksOur guests: Michael Worobey, Kristian Andersen, and Eddie HolmesOur previous interview with Worobey, Andersen and HolmesLab Leak Fever with Philipp MarkolinOur earlier interview with Stuart Neil on SARS-CoV-2Sam Harris, Alina Chan and Matt Ridley: Did SARS-CoV-2 Escape from a Lab?Bad Boy of Science: Is the COVID Lab Leak Hypothesis Dead?Kristian Andersen on his early emails, released messages and changing assessmentKristian Andersen’s congressional testimony and document collectionKristian’s thread responding to the use of his Slack messagesMichael Worobey on why his assessment changedWHO SAGO’s 2025 assessment of the origins evidenceThe July 2026 Senate release of the Slack messagesKevin Drum’s reading of the earlier Slack archiveThe current White House lab-leak pageThe July 2026 Fauci hearingNaomi Oreskes on scientific integrity and “ethical pessimism”Nature: Climate scientists report online attacksAlwine et al. on the harms to scientists, research and pandemic preparednessRelevant research papers and reviewsAndersen, K. G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W. I., Holmes, E. C., & Garry, R. F. (2020). The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nature Medicine, 26(4), 450–452.Crits-Christoph, A., Levy, J. I., Pekar, J. E., et al. (2024). Genetic tracing of market wildlife and viruses at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cell, 187(19), 5468–5482.Holmes, E. C. (2024). The emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Annual Review of Virology, 11(1), 21–42.Liu, W. J., Liu, P., Lei, W., et al. (2023). Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at the Huanan Seafood Market. Nature, 631(8020), 402–408.Pekar, J. E., Magee, A., Parker, E., et al. (2022). The molecular epidemiology of multiple zoonotic origins of SARS-CoV-2. Science, 377(6609), 960–966.Pekar, J. E., Moshiri, N., Lemey, P., et al. (2025). Recently reported SARS-CoV-2 genomes suggested to be intermediate between the two early main lineages are instead likely derived. Virus Evolution, 11(1).Pekar, J. E., Lytras, S., Ghafari, M., et al. (2025). The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Cell, 188(12), 3167–3183.Temmam, S., Vongphayloth, K., Baquero, E., et al. (2022). Bat coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2 and infectious for human cells. Nature, 604
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  Supplementary Material 53: Matthew the Succulent, Bin-faced Politicians, and Very Very Tired Economists 21.07.2026 31min

  We endure the ravages of time to deliver you this exhausted Supplementary Material. Bowed but never broken, the decoders persist.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 2hr 20 mins)Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSupplementary Material 5300:23 Introduction: Matthew the Succulent's Post-Holiday Report02:15 Pickle Ball Injuries & Bouldering Curses07:40 They Won't Let You Talk about Middle-Aged Sports Injuries08:37 New AI Models09:31 Cory Doctorow, Trevor Noah, and Confirmation Bias23:45 The Glorious Past and the Terrible Present28:28 The Horror of Tinned Asparagus30:26 The Collapse of Industries & Stores36:16 Negativity Bias37:11 AI Prompting 10144:30 AI and Research Applications50:28 Nigel Farage vs Count Binface59:10 Nigel Farage Knighted on Russia Today01:02:53 Hasan's Advice for Ukrainians01:07:51 Russian Apologetics01:13:32 Vlad Vexler and soft Anti-Vaxx rhetoric01:19:35 Guru Red Flags01:23:48 Bret Weinstein in 2020 on Vaccines01:28:53 Gary vs Piers Morgan01:30:58 Piers Morgan being a blustering idiot about Elon Musk01:36:55 Gary's Pitch01:41:55 Alternative Tax Proposals01:46:18 Matt and Chris' Economics01:47:22 Gary's Wealth01:52:07 Piers the sleazy liar01:55:25 Gary is the best inequality economist in the UK01:57:08 Gary's Predictions02:00:40 Gary is Very Tired02:07:14 A message from anyone else to finish?02:14:25 Final Takeaways02:16:55 Matt attempts to wrangle another holidayLinksThe Verge: China delivers a one-two punch to America’s AI dominance What Now? with Trevor Noah: Why Google, Apple & Big Tech Keep Making Everything Worse — Cory Doctorow and Trevor NoahBaumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of general psychology, 5(4), 323-370.Count Binface on BBC Morning Live — full interviewCount Binface on NewsnightHasan offers Ukraine his advice to “give peace a try”Report on polling from Ukraine in 2025 that does not show what Hasan claimsReport on more recent polling that still does not show what Hasan claimsVlad Vexler tweets about vaccinesBret’s Tweets in 2020 on Vaccines (and here)Chris noting Bret’s anti-vaccine rhetoric in 2020 (see the comments under the tweet)Kyiv International Institute of Sociology: Ukrainian views on exchanging Donbas for security guaranteesDecoding Academia 34: Matt and Chris’ EconomicsPiers Morgan Uncensored: “I’m QUITTING!” Gary Stevenson vs Piers Morgan on Wealth, Economic Growth & Elon Musk
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  Supplementary Material 52: Under-Optimized Academics, Tired Economists, and Bailiwick Clarifications 09.07.2026 22min

  Two absolutely shattered academic heroes heroically drag themselves through yet another supplementary episode to bring you the important guru news in between their restorative breaks.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 32 mins)Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus00:00 Introduction02:13 Eliot Paisley's Anatomy of an Optimiser08:52 Eric Weinstein wants a University Position and a Stipend16:09 The Failure of the Anti-Woke Quasi Universities19:19 Gary is Knackered Again20:45 Gary is the best inequality economist in the world24:36 How do I make a Documentary?33:04 The End of the Year Approaches37:44 Public Accountability40:13 The Neurodivergent Trump Card40:59 A clarification on bailiwicks42:43 Tucker Carlson & Chris Cuomo discuss Russian Apologetics48:53 Ukraine is selling weapons to Mexican Cartels54:54 Civility Porn Judo56:09 When Hasan met Prof. Jiang01:01:37 Conspiracy Theory Buffet01:07:24 Looking Good by Comparison01:11:21 Comparing Epstein Conspiracies01:24:03 Agreeable Conspiracism01:27:13 Outro and Piers Morgan InviteLinksEric Weinstein appeals to billionaires on TwitterElliot Paisley: Chris Williamson Is A Slave Gary’s Economics: My Documentary is Coming Out THIS WEEK!! – why you should watch itThe Times: Gary Stevenson: I want a wealth tax on the super-rich — like meNews Nation: Tucker & Chris Cuomo: The FULL ConversationHasan Debates Professor Jiang On His Wild Predictions | HasanAbi Archive
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  Decoding Academia 36: Revenge of the Chimpanzees *Patreon Series* 08.07.2026 27min

  In this Decoding Academia episode, we venture into comparative psychology, focusing on a fascinating line of work by Fumihiro Kano and colleagues on social intelligence and theory of mind in great apes. By showing apes short videos and tracking where they look, researchers examine whether they expect others to act based on what they have seen, what they know, or what they falsely believe. This approach offers a remarkable window into the evolutionary roots of human social cognition or, alternatively, the most elaborate way yet devised to explore what a chimp thinks of a man in a chimpanzee costume.We discuss what this kind of research might reveal about social intelligence across species: whether apes understand intentions, knowledge, and false beliefs; how their abilities compare with humans, dogs, and other animals; and why studying minds without language requires ingenuity, caution, and tolerance for participants who may simply decide the whole enterprise is beneath them.There is also some discussion of the usual complications: small samples, difficult data, flexible analyses, replication, and the gap between a beautifully designed experiment and a result we should treat as settled fact. But the main story is the genuinely intriguing attempt to study Theory of Mind beyond humans.Along the way, we discuss chimpanzee costumes, zoo life, dogs, and the disturbing possibility that crocodiles may be running more sophisticated cooperative hunting operations than most university committees.*The full episode is available on Patreon (57 mins)*00:00 Introduction03:57 Chimpanzee Theory of Mind & Eye Tracking13:03 Attention, Grabbing and Orientation24:03 The Role of Memory in Anticipation26:10 Revenge of the Researcher31:21 Statistical Concerns43:44 Comparative Psychology Thoughts49:13 Non-climbing Tigers and Cooperative Crocodiles51:20 Matt's New Friends and OutroRelevant papers for the episode:Kano, F., & Hirata, S. (2015). Great apes make anticipatory looks based on long-term memory of single events. Current Biology, 25(19), 2513-2517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.004Kano, F., & Call, J. (2017). Great ape social attention. In Evolution of the brain, cognition, and emotion in vertebrates (pp. 187-206). Tokyo: Springer Japan.
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  Professor Jiang, Part 2: Cosmic Jiang's Jenga Tower of Bullshit 04.07.2026 1h 31min

  We return for Part 2 of our coverage of “Professor” Jiang, the internet’s favourite new geopolitical prophet, secondary-school sage, and proud owner of an ever-expanding box of educational props. Having already treated us to multiple maps, chess pieces, and a sealed metal case of predictions, Jiang is back with more predictions, more props, and even higher-level insights.This time, we get the dramatic unveiling of a fresh batch of forecasts, including the forthcoming U.S. civil war, AI surveillance states, a grand bargain with China, the Greater Israel project, and the coming East Asian conflict. During all of this, we pause to consider Jiang’s status as a Beijing-based geopolitical commentator who manages to be just critical enough of Chinese surveillance to sound daring, but yet is most reliably focused on predictions of imminent Western collapse, American hubris, and the doom of the U.S. empire.But the real journey begins when Jiang sets the geopolitics aside and invites us into Plato’s Allegorical Cave, updating it for the modern era by linking it to Korean television melodramas. Out come ominous black blocks, stacked into a metaphorical tower of global control: the military-industrial complex, the financiers, the World Bank, the WTO, the media, Hollywood, schools, universities, and culture itself. What started as “predictive history” devolves into an Alex Jones-style conspiratorial rant about international financiers, globalist bankers, controlled media, and brave alternative truth-tellers seeing through the mainstream lies.The alternative media occupies a Schrödinger-like position in Jiang’s system: corrupted and controlled when it suits his narrative but also brave and rebellious when it is giving a platform to people like Jiang. Stephen Bartlett, meanwhile, fulfils his podcasting duty as a perfectly crafted avatar of the Diary of a CEO audience: curious, credulous and very receptive to the message that the system is rigged, the shadows are fake, and you, dear listener, are one of the brave truth-seekers with the courage to listen and look behind the curtain.Finally, we also reach Cosmic Jiang. The bankers are at war with the tech bros. Reality is consciousness. Matter is vibration. We are all fragments of God returning to Source. Hermetic philosophy explains Plato. Kabbalah explains the Middle East. Israel is trying to force the hand of God. The world will end; paradise will return. It turns out all of that geopolitical analysis was actually just a sideshow...So join us for the conclusion of Professor Jiang: a masterclass in massive domino-based reasoning, geopolitical dressing on bog-standard conspiracy theory, and the enduring appeal of intellectual junk food.SourcesDiary of a CEO: Professor Jiang: World War 3 Is About To Begin, Let Me Explain!Mehdi Hasan vs. “Professor” JiangProfessor Jiang talking about the Nephilim and Other Such Stuff: The World Is a Prison – The Secret Meaning of God And Creation | Prof. Jiang XueqinProfessor Jiang promoting creationism and denying evolutionThe National Security Strategy of the United States Document
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  Professor Jiang, Part 1: Geopolitical Pantomime 30.06.2026 2h 32min

  On Decoding the Gurus, we regularly get to hear a lot of truly “high-level” ideas, but the much-requested subject of this episode’s decoding is up there with the best of them. We are talking, of course, about “Professor” Jiang, the internet’s favourite new overly confident online guru, now that Jordan Peterson is indisposed. Jiang Xueqin is a secondary school teacher who has found an online audience thirsty for his particular style of confident bullshit, and he is more than ready to roll out his “predictive history” analyses on command.Be prepared for some serious professorial cosplay as Stephen Bartlett, from Diary of a CEO, spares no expense in his endless quest to indulge every modern online crank, offering a grab bag of props as well as his usual thoughtful pauses and awe-inspiring requests for definitions. Thrill as the honorary professor performs as a grand seer and geopolitical strategist, complete with a tabletop world map, wargame prop pieces, whiteboard flowcharts, coloured chess sets, and a dramatic metal briefcase full of sealed predictions.So get ready to experience his hit-parade of forecasts (Trump's 3rd term, endless war with Iran, eventual U.S. “loss”) along with his trademark conspiratorial mélange of real-ish facts, misstatements, and domino-chain inevitabilities. The end of Part 1 is a sign of things to come, featuring Jiang's post-apocalyptic advice on how the good people can rebuild society with the help of prophets and visionaries (AKA gurus) and soothe yourself with the knowledge that we are all ultimately just a God-derived fractal consciousness anyway.<And if you can't wait, Part 2 is already available on the Patreon!>SourcesDiary of a CEO: Professor Jiang: World War 3 Is About To Begin, Let Me Explain!Mehdi Hasan vs. ‘Professor’ JiangProfessor Jiang talking about the Nephilim and Other Such Stuff: The World Is a Prison– The Secret Meaning of God And Creation | Prof. Jiang XueqinProfessor Jiang promoting creationism and denying evolutionThe National Security Strategy of the United States Document
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  Supplementary Material 51: Parasitic Palate Cleansers, Selective Understanding, and the "Context" 20.06.2026 31min

  We exercise good faith and grapple with the ever-versatile context window in this unintentionally thematic episode.Supplementary Material 51 The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 18 mins)Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus00:00 Introduction01:40 Jordan Hall's Suspicious Semiotic Parasites08:52 A New Covenant for the American Republic14:33 Dave Rubin's support group after Jubilee14:52 Dr. K vs 20 Depressed People20:05 The Fifth Column Welcomes Batya Ungar Sargon (Again)21:18 Anti-Semitism isn't really an issue on the Right25:39 Moynihan agrees that Tucker Carlson is a Leftist30:40 I don't really know what he has said...37:38 When Taylor Lorenz met Brad Palumbo41:24 Taylor is a Good Faith Person who is often misrepresented44:32 Was Taylor cheering on the killing of healthcare CEOs?51:16 Suggesting Targets or Providing "Context"57:48 The Victimhood Pose01:01:01 Selective "Understanding"01:06:41 The Moral Grandstanding Escape Hatch01:12:10 Strategic Ambiguity across the Spectrum01:15:22 The Connecting Theme!LinksJordan Hall discussing his neo-Nazi interview with David Fuller: Sensemaking, Gatekeeping & the Propertarians, Jordan HallSensemaking & Gatekeeping: Talking with FascistsJordan Hall’s Markdown TweetDave Rubin Clip of him coping over his Jubilee PerformanceBatya Ungar-Sargon and the Status Revolution (Members Only #328)Brad CONFRONTS left-wing star journalist Taylor Lorenz!!DTG- Jordan Hall: Sensemaking, or the superficial pitter-patter on the neocortex?Taylor Lorenz: 'Somebody needs to do it'
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  Gurometer: Iain McGilchrist *Patreon Preview* 12.06.2026 39min

  In this Gurometer edition, Matt and Chris feed Iain McGilchrist into the sacred instrument to see where exactly refined country-parish-minister vibes land when combined with galaxy-brained hemispheres, civilisational decline narratives, decorative scholarship, and the other features of guruosity.Iain McGilchrist Gurometer00:27 Introduction01:00 Iain McGilchrist Reactions04:40 Galaxy Brain-ness06:39 Cultishness08:28 Anti-Establishmentarianism11:39 Grievance Mongering14:30 Self-Aggrandizement and Narcissism17:21 Cassandra Complex19:54 Revolutionary Theories20:48 Pseudo-Profound Bullshit24:10 Conspiracy Mongering25:08 Excessive Profiteering26:10 Moral Grandstanding27:15 Overall Score28:47 Bonus Round33:04 Guru Binary Scores37:18 Outro
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  Supplementary Material 50: The String Theory Mafia, Shameless Propagandists, and The Topography of Semantic Space 10.06.2026 48min

  We become highly effective at exploiting the gap between salience and relevance as we universalise semiotic capability and listen to more brave renegades talking about how amazing they are. Join us, won't you?Supplementary Material 50 (Full Episode: 2hrs 23 mins)00:24 Introduction02:07 British People Struggling with Compliments04:53 Matt loves SOME episode titles08:42 Nachos Pronunciation10:13 Brett Weinstein vs Michael Tracey29:08 Brett pivots to his Anti-Vaxx Hits42:32 The Hug Box World of Podcasting45:55 When Eric met Joe (again)47:29 Eric and Rogan re-litigate Sean Carroll's criticisms55:55 Eric's insatiable desire to be linked with Epstein01:14:36 Eric Weinstein is a Construct01:16:36 When Ana met Candace01:18:18 Useful Idiots and Shameless Propagandists01:19:59 Ryan Grim's reaction to being in Iranian Propaganda Videos01:26:22 Zeteo gets to the bottom of the Iranian Casualty Figures01:30:24 Ana and Candace's Hug Session01:36:31 A horse named shoe?01:47:26 The Holocaust Media Industry01:53:48 Jimmy Dore makes the Religious Pivot02:01:39 The Brave Renegade Narrative that Never Gets Old02:12:57 Horseshoe Populism02:16:23 Jordan Hall x AI Instructions02:21:46 Agent Hall infecting your MattrixLinksThe Romesh Ranganathan Show: Tom Davis On Success, Setbacks & Being a DadFULL PANEL: Should we abolish all podcasts? Michael Tracey, Bret Weinstein, Lauren SouthernJoe Rogan Experience #2503 - Eric Weinsteinhttps://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/candace-owens-tate-brothers-visit-russia-kremlin-touts-thaw-rcna348311Candace Owens x Ana KasparianFinancial Times - How China is breaking apart a people and its cultureZeteo: Where Did the 40,000 Iran Protests Death Toll Number Come From?Ana Kasparian repeating anti-semitic conspiracies about 9/11More fun tweets from AnaThe Young Turks: Tucker’s 9/11 Documentary Raises Some HUGE QuestionsJimmy Dore has tapped into God after stopping smoking PotJordan Hall Decodes AI
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  L. Ron Hubbard: Sleeping with Bandits, Hunting with Pygmies And So On 31.05.2026 2h 24min

  The Decoders wrap up cult season by dissecting a titan of the cult scene, the founder of Scientology, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard or L. Ron for short. A prolific science fiction author, L. Ron founded an alternative self-help movement and then developed it into his cosmic self-help 'religion' of Scientology.Scientology has now been the subject of multiple documentaries and even a fairly detailed South Park parody episode, so it feels like many are aware of the general 'deal' of Scientology. But how about L. Rob Hubbard as a guru... how many people have actually taken the time to sit down and just hear the guy out? Here at DTG HQ, we are all about the good-faith deep dives, so we decided to devote some time to analysing a 1966 Rhodesian TV interview with L. Ron Hubbard, in which a friendly Scientologist interviewer (not identified as such) politely tees up Hubbard to explain Scientology.So join us to find out how L. Ron invented a “workable science,” a “religion of religions,” and a self-help machine that raises IQ, fixes life problems, and proves life after death. By modern standards L. Ron can seem a bit quaint, but because of that, he serves as a useful primer in the core techniques of Guru manipulation, including narcissistic invented biographies, disdain for materialism, a persecution complex, flattery of followers, and anti-establishment disparagement. All of the classics are on display!So get ready to wake up to your true potential, process your engrams, and so forth.LinksSource Material Interview: Interview with L. Ron Hubbard in ZimbabweBehind the Bastards: L. Ron Hubbard SeriesGoing Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (Documentary)My Scientology Movie: Louie Theroux
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  Supplementary Material 49: Calibrated Podcast Expectations, The Great Consciousness Debate of 2026, and Russell Brand is a Bad Guy 12.05.2026 44min

  Matthew Browne, a high-profile advocate for pan-psychism, compels his reluctant co-host to endure a public struggle session on the topic of consciousness, hopefully for the last time.Supplementary Material 4900:00 Introduction02:47 Returning to the Emerald Isle03:44 Irish History Segment: The Titanic & Potato Famines10:45 McGilchrist Reflections12:51 Knowledge Fight has ended26:23 Podcasting Motivations34:37 Calibrated Expectations41:03 The Problem with the Patreon Members42:51 Shermer's Activist Skeptic Research47:24 Research on Support for Political Violence in the US54:35 Rob Henderson and Decorative Scholarship58:11 Ryan Holiday Stoically Flames MAGA01:04:41 Zuby and Motivated Reasoning01:07:15 Monocausal Explanations for Declining Birth Rates01:08:51 More credulity from Shermer01:10:25 Bryan Johnson and Testicular Optimisation01:14:41 Testicle Fixation Gurus01:15:24 Professor Jiang thinks Trump is Immortal01:19:57 When Dawkins Met Claude01:30:00 The Great Consciousness Debate of 202601:42:47 When Cladius met Claudia01:52:39 Chris's Concession01:54:23 Animal Minds and AI Consciousness01:56:31 Russell Brand vs Piers Morgan02:10:13 Thirsty Christian dunks on Dawkins02:13:18 Brand's Family's Response02:22:39 Hasan Piker is the one who knocks!02:27:44 Outro02:28:36 A final message of hope!LinksKnowledge Fight's Last Episode – The End of the RoadJordan's video on the OnionDan's blog on his next plansRob Henderson’s thread promoting the Shermer Skeptic StudyPolarization Research Lab- Low levels of support for partisan violencePolarization Research Lab - Did the 2024 Election Change American Attitudes About Democracy?Ryan Holiday’s response to the Shellenberger videoRyan Holiday responding to article that he is ‘fuming’ at IvankaZuby’s insights on Birth Rate DeclineVice article on the history of testicle transplants"Massive GRIFTER!" Piers Morgan Grills Russell Brand On Allegations, Prison, 'Truth' & ReligionUnHerd: When Claudia met Claudius- So are they really conscious?UnHerd: When Dawkins met Claude Could this AI be conscious?‘Professor’ Jiang on Trump’s ImmortalityMehdi Hasan dunking on Dawkins
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  Iain McGilchrist, Part 2: Hemispheres, Culture, and Cosmic Consciousness 04.05.2026 3h 10min

  In this episode, we return to Iain McGilchrist as he spirals upwards from his binary hemispheric model into full cosmic spirituality. The rule is simple: everything McGilchrist likes is due to the subtle, nuanced, and deeply sophisticated right brain, while the left brain (pffft) is responsible for reductionism, modernity, and most of the problems in your life.From this neuroscientific foundation, the theory expands with admirable ambition. Civilisations rise and fall depending on which hemisphere they inhabit. Ancient societies were properly attuned to the right brain, while the modern world has gone mechanical and spiritually bankrupt. The details are, of course, very complex, but the moral is clear.Scientific evidence features occasionally, mostly in a decorative capacity or as parables of scientists being baffled by mystical forces. Hence, we learn that decapitated worms retain perfect memories, Nobel Prizes have been awarded for demonstrating a mystical direction powering evolution, and near-death experiences establish that memories form when the brain isn't functioning.Alongside this hard science, McGilchrist also ventures into more spiritual realms, where we learn that artificial intelligence is likely to be channelling demons, schizophrenia might be caused by malign spiritual forces treating our brains as a luxury resort, and recently exorcised demons prefer to communicate via text message. No really...Ultimately, what matters is that McGilchrist's bespoke theology, bespoke metaphysics, bespoke biological teleology, and bespoke panentheist philosophy are really very impressive. And if you don't find any of it compelling, well, we are sad to inform you that this itself proves you are stuck in the wrong mode of thinking and failing to recognise true profundity.And if that doesn't work, then let's just say it was all a metaphor anyway!LinksAlex O' Connor: Why Evolution Gave You Two Brains - Iain McGilchristJonathan Pageau: Artificial Intelligence, Possession, and Mental Illness - Dr. Iain McGilchristThink Faith: Philosopher Iain McGilchrist DEBATES neuroscientist Anil Seth on God & minds | Uncommon GroundSpezio, M. (2019). McGilchrist and hemisphere lateralization: a neuroscientific and metaanalytic assessment. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 9(4), 387–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2019.1604416Corballis, M. C. (2014). Left brain, right brain: facts and fantasies. PLoS biology, 12(1), e1001767.Carson, A. (2010). The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. By Iain McGilchrist. Yale University Press. 2009. US $38.00 (hb). 608 pp. ISBN: 9780300148787. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 196(6), 498-498.De Haan, D. (2019). McGilchrist’s hemispheric homunculi. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 9(4), 368-379.Shomrat, T., & Levin, M. (2013). An automated training paradigm reveals long-term memory in planarians and its persistence through head regeneration. Journal of Experimental Biology, 216(20), 3799-3810.
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  Supplementary Material 48: Grey Beard's Council, Late-Stage Anti-Capitalism, and Demonic Mould Health Updates 25.04.2026 44min

  The hour grows late, and Matt the Grey-Haired rides once more from his quiet study, summoned by whispers from the ever-churning gurusphere. And so he goes, to seek counsel with Chris the Grey-Bearded, keeper of receipts, watcher of long-form content, and wielder of the sacred Gurometer. For the gurus stir again… and their nonsense must be decoded.Supplementary Material 48: Grey Beard's Council, Late-Stage Anti-Capitalism, and Demonic Mould Health Updates00:00 Greetings Old Friend02:22 Decoding the Gamers04:16 A Reckoning with Old Grey Hair06:19 Joe Rogan determining US Medical Approvals12:15 The Fall of Orban and the Silence of the Heterodox World17:09 The Hypocrisy of Peter Boghossian19:52 Dave Rubin and other Tenet Media Stooges21:43 The Dugin, Jiang and Sneako Brain Trust discuss the ultra-hyper-globalists.28:58 Trump attacks Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, & Megyn Kelly32:39 A Return to Weinstein World33:00 Bret's Moon Landing Conspiracies39:03 Eric and his Silicon Friend are still having problems42:47 Hasan Piker Discourse54:33 The Radicalisation Funnel?01:00:14 Hasan on Ukraine01:03:21 Hasan doing China apologetics01:14:03 More Apologetics01:16:37 Hasan on the Vietnamese MAGA supporter01:23:41 What about Destiny?01:26:58 Yale is full of Snakes and Badgers01:33:17 Micro Looting from the Corporations01:41:36 Cenk Uyghur's Rent Gouging Credentials01:44:47 Social Murder and Selective "Understanding"01:54:26 Late-Stage Capitalist Anti-Capitalism 01:56:22 Tucker Carlson is Selling Russell Brand's Guide to Becoming a Christian02:00:33 Sean Hannity chooses Trump over his Catholicism02:04:18 Russell Brand and the spiritual marketplace02:05:48 Postmodern Conservatism02:07:28 Taking a Long View02:10:14 AI Bouldering Gym Cages02:11:30 Taylor Lorenz is making good points on Twitter!02:19:52 Taylor's controversial take: AI is useful02:21:36 Adam Conover engages in revisionist history on tech02:24:14 Rotary Telephones and Typewriter Experiences02:26:41 The Onion takeover of Infowars?02:31:28 Knowledge Fight's Concerns02:35:56 Jordan Peterson Health Update02:40:07 Endlessly Misdiagnosed by "Experts"02:44:32 The Dietary Cures02:47:20 Experimental Stem Cell Treatments02:50:04 Pageau blames Peterson's lack of faith03:00:14 Letting the Pressure Out03:01:07 Outro03:02:01 We Must Join with the MouldThe full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (3 hours, 3 minutes).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusLinksJoe Rogan crowing about his role in the White House executive order on IbogaineFact Check of Rogan's claims on PolitiFactPancreatic cancer mRNA trial update: NBC report on six-year follow-upArticle on NIH grant cancellations/funding cuts at Washington PostAPHA release on lawsuit over politically driven grant terminationsBan on DEI words, including "polarization" by DOGEBBC Article on Orbán's lossBoghossian dodges criticism of Hungary in HardTalk interviewBoghossian avoids dealing with protests in HungaryDugin / Sneako / Professor Jiang interviewTrump attacks Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, and Megyn KellyBret Weinstein's moon landing / Artemis clip highlighted by Bad StatsEric Weinstein's tweets on commercial AI and theoretical physicsTucker Carlson's promotion for Russell Brand's new Christian-themed bookEzra Klein on Hasan Piker: RealClearPolitics mirror of the New York Times columnConduit: I Spent ONE WEEK Watching Hasan Piker ‪, And This Is What I LearnedA generational divide over Trump among Vietnamese-Americans – BBC NewsHasan reacts to the Vietnamese-American documentaryTwitter Thread with most of the viral Hasan clipsNoahpinion: Hasan Piker is bad for the DemocratsHasan's Yale Debate on YouTubeYair Rosenberg's article on the Atlantic: The Problem With Hasan Piker’s Einstein StoryNYT: ‘The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?' Why petty theft might be the new political protest’LA Times article on the Onion's Infowars Takeover BidAlex Jones clip of him roaming shirtless and complaining about the OnionMikhaila Peterson: Jordan Peterson Health Update and Psych Med Injury DiscussionJonathan Pageau explains Jordan's illness is due to his refusal to submit to GodTaylor Lorenz being correct about the past promotion of technology productsTech Dirt article on the recent court decisions against Meta and YouTubeSean Hannity endorses Trump over his CatholicismTaylor Lorenz: The Truth About the Social Media Addiction Trial
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  Iain McGilchrist, Part 1: Right-Brain Thinking 11.04.2026 2h 3min

  In this episode, we take a journey into the mind, traversing both the left and right hemispheres, but mostly the left, as we engage with the truly mind-bending insights of British psychiatrist-philosopher-neuroscientist-theologian-author Iain McGilchrist. Best known for his 2009 book "The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World" but also a much lauded academic and sensemaker.We outline McGilchrist’s extremely complicated thesis that the two hemispheres of the brain reflect fundamentally different “ways of being” and that this is reflected in individuals and civilisations that rely more on one side than the other. This is, of course, not merely a crude binary. As McGilchrist repeatedly emphasises, it would be quite wrong to suggest he is simply valorising everything he likes (religion, poetry, classic literature, wood-panelled interiors, sense-making chats) and attributing them to the products of a profound and integrative right hemisphere. Similarly, he does not simply want to denigrate materialists as reductive left-brain thinkers who cannot appreciate art, beauty, or love because they are too busy thinking about atoms. There is definitely none of that in his chat with Alex O'Connor (AKA CosmicSkeptic).Expect neuroanatomy, metaphysics, and extended reflections on the nature of love. In other words, a completely standard Decoding the Gurus episode.LinksAlex O' Connor: Why Evolution Gave You Two Brains - Iain McGilchristIain McGilchrist's website.Spezio, M. (2019). McGilchrist and hemisphere lateralization: a neuroscientific and metaanalytic assessment. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 9(4), 387–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2019.1604416Lamm, C., Decety, J., & Singer, T. (2011). Meta-analytic evidence for common and distinct neural networks associated with directly experienced pain and empathy for pain. Neuroimage, 54(3), 2492-2502.Stavrova, O., & Ehlebracht, D. (2019). The cynical genius illusion: Exploring and debunking lay beliefs about cynicism and competence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(2), 254-269.Lindquist, K. A., Wager, T. D., Kober, H., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). The brain basis of emotion: a meta-analytic review. Behavioral and brain sciences, 35(3), 121-143.