Curious About...

Danny Beiruti and Evelina Bereni
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated weekly

Why do we do the things we do, and what does the science actually say about it? Curious about... is the podcast where your co-hosts broadway performer & counsellor Danny and psychologist & musician Evelina dig into human behaviour — the stuff that shapes how we think, feel, and occasionally completely baffle ourselves. Expect real research woven in so naturally you'll barely notice you're learning something. Just two genuinely curious cats, a lot of laughs, and fresh perspectives on being human. LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelinabereni/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-beiruti-b4a719

  1. 4 hr ago

    Curious About Friendship (and Shame Cheese)

    What if your brain only has room for five close friends, and your spouse already takes up two of those seats? Evelina and Danny start with a Toy Story sing-along gone rogue and end up somewhere much more tender: why so many of us never learned how to actually be a good friend. Both Evelina and Danny grew up in households where friendship wasn't exactly encouraged, immigrant families, protective instincts, and a whole lot of "go home straight after school." They get into how that shaped their adult friendships, why proximity matters less than effort, and the exact number of hours research says it takes to move from acquaintance to true close friend (spoiler: it's a lot more than you'd think). Danny gets vulnerable about ending a 20 year friendship, and Evelina wrap everything up with some things for listeners to try. In this episode: The Harvard study that ran for 85 years and found the one thing that predicts happinessWhy your dad brokering a friendship in the front yard might explain a lotThe three ways friendships actually end (one of them you're probably doing right now)Danny's 20-year friendship breakup, and the "ugh" feeling that finally ended itThe dinner table question Evelina asks her kids instead of "how was your day"Why "dormant volcano" friendships are easier to reignite than you'd expect Sneaky science alert: Harvard's longest-running happiness study, Jeffrey Hall's 50/90/200-hour friendship research, the Mendelson and Gable friendship quality framework, and the 4:1 positivity ratio all make an appearance, sandwiched between a Toy Story impression and a full confession about "shame cheese." Curious About… is hosted by psychologist Evelina Bereni and Broadway performer and counsellor Danny Beiruti.

  2. 25 Jun

    Curious About Money (Part 2) - Ev & Danny are STILL on FIRE

    How much money are you accidentally handing over to big banks and insurance companies every month? We get into the savings rate conversation that absolutely nobody wants to have, but spoiler: it doesn't have to feel depressing. In fact, we make a sport of it. We start with an unexpected detour into animal intelligence, then land on the psychology of why we spend when we earn more. The real stuff: what happens when you ask your mortgage lender for a better rate, why your subscriptions are bleeding you dry, and how to think about "future you" without feeling deprived. In this episode: Why we both became obsessed with spreadsheets (for different reasons)The immigration mentality nobody talks about anymoreWhat your credit card company doesn't want you to knowThree big money moves that actually workWhy saving feels better when it's a gameThe government benefits you've probably missed Sneaky science alert: Behavioural economics, customer inertia, lifestyle creep, and an unexpected lesson from a very strategic cow.

  3. 19 Jun

    Curious About Money - Danny & Ev are on FIRE (Part 1)

    What if the way you handle money has nothing to do with maths, and everything to do with a story your family told you without ever meaning to? In Part 1 of a two part money series, we dig into the money scripts they inherited and never chose and work through the four money belief patterns psychology has actually mapped (and figure out which one they both keep landing in). We take a rapid fire tour through money sayings like "money talks" and "put your money where your mouth is," and pick apart the famous $75K happiness study everyone still quotes. The back half turns into a ultra useful crash course on the FIRE movement, savings rates and how an ETF works, with a detour into the ethical headache Ev didn't see coming once SpaceX hit the stock market. In this episode: The four money belief patterns researchers identified, and the one Evelina and Danny both landed inA rapid fire run through money sayings and where they actually came from (Ancient Greece makes an appearance)The famous $75K happiness plateau study everyone quotes, and the newer research that quietly demolished itA plain English breakdown of the FIRE movement, savings rates and how an ETF actually worksWhy SpaceX's record-breaking IPO put Danny in an unexpected ethical bind with his own super fundSneaky science alert: Klontz and colleagues' four money belief patterns, Kahneman and Deaton's famous $75K plateau, and the newer Killingsworth research that overturned it all make an appearance, wedged somewhere between a Mary Poppins reference and Ev's failed day trading career.

  4. 12 Jun

    Curious About Self-Sabotage - and Why We Keep Getting in Our Own Way

    Ever cleaned your entire house the night before something important? Changed your sheets, watered the plants, watched just one more episode? You weren't being lazy. You might have been self-sabotaging, and the reason why is fascinating. In their 10th episode, Evelina and Danny get into one of the most sneakily relatable topics yet: self-sabotage. They break down what it actually means, why it tends to show up right when things are going well, and how our brains can interpret success as a threat worth neutralising. Danny opens up about his procrastination patterns and what it took to actually receive compliments from an Emmy-winning actor and one of the original cast of Rent. Evelina shares why she put her ukulele down just as she was getting good, and what a 19th century chess prodigy reveals about the lengths we'll go to protect our egos. In this episode: A chess grandmaster who gave himself a handicap before every game (and why Danny called it the most narcissistic thing he'd ever heard)Five self-sabotage scenarios scored 0-10, including the "mistake cluster," the excuse on the record, and the fight that appears out of nowhere when everything's going greatWhy self-sabotage is more likely when you're at your cognitive peak, not your lowest pointThe "upper limit problem" and why your brain treats unfamiliar success like a threatHow household chaos in childhood can wire us to recreate dysfunction as adultsBridesmaids and Black Swan as accidental masterclasses in self-fulfilling prophecyWOOP: the research-backed alternative to manifesting that actually requires you to do something Sneaky science alert: Ed Hirt's cognitive peak hypothesis, Gay Hendricks' upper limit problem, a meta-analysis linking childhood household chaos to adult procrastination, and the WOOP framework (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan), all woven in between Danny's Cherry Lane Theater memory and a very relatable luteal phase confession.

  5. 5 Jun

    Curious About Senses & Sensory Processing Sensitivity

    Have you ever been told you're "too much"? Or wondered why you seem to feel everything at a higher volume than the people around you? This episode is for you. We get into two things that turn out to be completely connected: the fact that humans have way more than five senses (yes, really), and the science behind what it actually means to be a highly sensitive person. Danny is, by his own admission, a man on a mission. He wants to blow up the idea that sensitivity is a weakness and rebuild it as exactly what the research says it is: a biological trait, a processing style, and in a lot of contexts, a superpower. In this episode: Why you have somewhere between 10 and 100 sensesWhat proprioception, interoception, and your vestibular sense actually are, and why they matter more than you'd expectThe DOES framework: a practical way to understand sensory processing sensitivity in yourself or your kidsWhy being highly sensitive shows up in 20-30% of humans AND over 150 animal species (including a very relatable percentage of orchids)A live quiz, several aha moments, and a sequinned top that had to come offWhy empathy as your baseline is a gift that also needs managing Sneaky science alert: Elaine and Arthur Aron's 1997 research on sensory processing sensitivity, the serotonin allele, and the DOES framework all make an appearance, alongside a dog SPS questionnaire a quote about the limits of language that sent us both into a philosophical spiral. Want to take the HSP test yourself? Find Elaine Aron's official Highly Sensitive Person self-test here: https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

  6. 28 May

    Curious About Learning - Why You Won't Remember This

    You spent thousands on that conference and can't remember a thing two weeks later. The problem is that nobody taught you how your brain actually works and retains information. Evelina and Danny explore why people forget more than 70% of what they learn in 24 hours, and more importantly, what actually sticks. They break down the four types of learners, unpack the Feynman Technique, explain why sleep is essential for memory, and introduce Danny's "Rule of the First Time". In this episode: The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve (why 70%+ disappears in 24 hours)The four learner types and which ones actually rememberWhy sleep restriction harms memory formationThe Feynman Technique and how it reveals gaps in understandingDanny's "Rule of the First Time" - no assumed knowledge, everWhy spaced learning beats crammingA quiz on study methods with surprising answers Sneaky science alert: Crowley and colleagues (2024), Ebbinghaus, the Feynman Technique, and Sepeda's spaced learning research - all sandwiched between boat safety trauma and Mary Poppins memes. Curious About… is hosted by psychologist Evelina Bereni and Broadway performer and counsellor Danny Beiruti.

  7. 21 May

    Curious About The Ick - When You Just Can't Unsee It.

    What's your primary Ick? Take the ICK QUIZ here: https://curiousaboutpodcast.com/resources-and-stuff --- Dating should be an open mind and an open heart, right? So why does one wrong word, one questionable outfit, or one terrible smell turn potential partners into absolute no-gos? Evelina and Danny dive into "the ick" - that sudden, visceral aversion that makes you want to run. It's real, it's universal, and it might be sabotaging your dating life. In this episode, Evelina and Danny unpack the psychology of disgust and decode five unexpected categories of ick. They get personal about their own deal-breakers, tackle why Gen Z is walking away from dates faster than ever, and interrogate the research showing that women experience icks more than men. They also explore the "paradox of choice" on dating apps. Why endless options leave us paralysed and less likely to commit - and break down the biggest icks people report: negativity in bios, overly filtered photos, materialistic vibes, and low effort profiles. In this episode: Why disgust is actually a protective mechanism that kept humans alive (and why it still matters)The difference between an ick, a turn-off, and a deal-breaker (they're not the same)Danny admits he was probably the ick: deep conversation and intense questions on first dates didn't land wellEvelina's very specific aversion to Aldi dishwashing tablets and why she'll rewash an entire plate to avoid the smellThe Jam Study: why having 24 choices makes you less likely to choose anything at allHow to tell if your dating profile is screaming "negative energy" to potential matchesA custom Curious Cats quiz to identify your primary ick and where it came fromSneaky science alert: The Three Domains of Disgust Scale (Altunji et al., 2012) breaks down pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust—but Evelina adds behavioural, pattern, and presence icks to the mix, all while the hosts debate whether no-socks-with-loafers is truly a deal-breaker or just a fashion preference. Curious About… is hosted by psychologist and enter-trainer Evelina Bereni and Broadway performer and counsellor Danny Beiruti.

  8. 14 May

    Curious About Time Intolerance: Be Where Your Feet Are

    You're late. Someone needs help. What do you do? Evelina and Danny explore why we're always rushing, and what happens to us when we are. They dig into the gap between feeling busy and actually being productive, trading personal stories (a McDonald's moment that shouldn't have been a thing, Danny's risky on-stage confession, Evelina's morning spiral). There's research that hits different. There's a checklist you'll recognise yourself in. And there's a four-word mantra (borrowed from a fabulous EGM!) that might change how you move through your day. In this episode: A famous study with an uncomfortable answerWhy your brain can't do two things at once (even though it feels like it)What's actually making you impatientThe antidote to a life of busyinessSneaky science alert: Attention spans, urgency bias, flow states, and one very uncomfortable research finding about good people making bad choices when rushed. Curious About… is hosted by psychologist and keynote speaker Evelina Bereni and Broadway performer and counsellor Danny Beiruti.

See All (13)

About

Why do we do the things we do, and what does the science actually say about it? Curious about... is the podcast where your co-hosts broadway performer & counsellor Danny and psychologist & musician Evelina dig into human behaviour — the stuff that shapes how we think, feel, and occasionally completely baffle ourselves. Expect real research woven in so naturally you'll barely notice you're learning something. Just two genuinely curious cats, a lot of laughs, and fresh perspectives on being human. LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelinabereni/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-beiruti-b4a719

Information

  • Creator
    Danny Beiruti and Evelina Bereni
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Danny Beiruti and Evelina Bereni
  • Show Website
    Curious About...