PsyberSpace® - we help you understand your world

Dr. Leslie Poston, Research Psychologist: Applied Psychology, Media Psychology, Organizational Psychology
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated Weekly

PsyberSpace® is a weekly psychology podcast for curious people who want to understand why the world feels the way it does, online and offline. The show helps you name what you’re seeing and feeling, understand the science behind it, and figure out what to do next. If you've ever wondered what makes "reply guys" tick, why we fall for emotionally manipulative language in politics, why meetings suck, why comfort can keep us stuck, why limerence hits so hard, or how music and media reshape your brain, you’re in the right place. New episodes drop every Monday to help you understand your world a little better each week. PsyberSpace looks at how psychology, media, and big systems shape everyday life. Some weeks it’s algorithms, AI, and social platforms; other weeks it’s work culture, gender and power, climate anxiety, grief, or the way capitalism sets the baseline for what “normal” looks like. Each episode breaks down how these patterns show up in real people’s bodies and minds—and what you can do to respond with more clarity, care, and agency in your own life, work, and community. 2025 Webby Award Honoree 2026 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee 2025 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee

  1. 3d ago

    Be Cringe, Be Free: The Psychology of Refusing to Perform

    Be Cringe, Be Free: Authenticity, Shame, and the Cost of Performing the Self "Be cringe, be free" sounds like a joke about dancing badly in public. Dr. Leslie Poston makes the case that it's actually a question psychology has been thinking about for decades: why does being yourself in public feel so dangerous, and can dropping the performance actually change anything beyond your own life? This episode draws on Goffman's front stage and back stage selves, Winnicott's true self and false self, Brehm's reactance theory, Gilbert's social rank theory, Tangney's research on shame and guilt, Gilovich's spotlight effect, Meyer's minority stress theory, Keltner's work on embarrassment, and Deci, Ryan, and Neff on autonomy and self-compassion, to ask what it actually costs to keep performing, and what it takes to stop. 00:00 Be Cringe Be Free01:07 Life as Theater02:48 True vs False Self04:37 Reactance and Pushback06:14 Where Cringe Fear Comes From08:04 Spotlight Effect Reality Check09:03 Minority Stress and Real Risk10:23 Embarrassment vs Defiance11:57 Autonomy and Self Compassion13:57 Freedom as Collective Change14:33 Outro and Research Invite LINK TO PARTICIPATE IN DR. POSTON'S NEXT RESEARCH STUDY: https://bit.ly/4fCx52d (linked form will deactivate when study is full) ★ Support this podcast ★

  2. Jul 30

    Gotcha Culture: Why Catching an AI Cheater Feels So Good

    The Psychology Behind AI Call-Outs and False Certainty Dr. Leslie Poston examines why people react with such gleeful certainty when an AI detector flags someone's writing, even though these tools are wrong often enough to falsely implicate one in five students in a single class. The satisfaction people feel rarely tracks whether the accusation is true. It tracks something else entirely, and this episode breaks down five distinct psychological motives hiding underneath that feeling, from protecting a shaky self-image to genuine hypocrisy to anger that belongs somewhere else altogether. Along the way: why detectors fail the way they do, what several centuries of public exposure rituals have in common with a modern callout post, and how to catch yourself doing this before you hit send. 00:00 Why AI Callouts Feel Good01:08 Schadenfreude and Deservingness03:10 Algorithms Reward Accusations04:19 Five Motives Behind Callouts04:27 Downward Comparison Relief05:31 Imposter Syndrome Trigger06:28 Secret Users and Hypocrisy08:08 Moral Grandstanding Performance09:00 Misdirected Anger at AI10:03 Why Detectors Fail12:12 Historical Parallels and Exposures14:33 How to Respond Responsibly17:06 Closing and Subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

  3. Jul 23

    Coded to Exhaustion: The Hidden Cost of Outsmarting the Algorithm

    Algospeak and the Cost of Speaking Under Algorithmic Suppression When millions of creators have to say 'unalive' instead of suicide and use a grape emoji instead of talking about rape, something has gone wrong. In this episode, Dr. Leslie Poston discusses her dissertation research on the psychological impact of algospeak, the deliberate language modifications social media creators use to evade algorithmic content moderation, where those strategies actually come from, what happens when they spread, and what it costs the people who need them most. Portions of this research are currently being prepared for peer-reviewed journal publication. Dissertation successfully defended June 2026, in process for publication July 2026, available to public mid-to-end August 2026. 00:00 Welcome and Setup00:44 What Is Algospeak02:40 Origins and Raciolinguistics04:13 Why I Studied This05:28 Methods and Dataset07:03 Emotional Toll08:54 Cognitive Load12:50 "Neutralization Lifecycle"15:11 Beyond Algorithms Harassment16:10 What Needs to Change17:53 What Changed Since Study19:31 Key Takeaways and Sign Off Note: had some trouble with the audio leveling this week on a word or two, if I have time I'll re-record and replace those segments this weekend. ★ Support this podcast ★

  4. Jul 16

    What We Lose When Knowledge Has to Pay Rent

    Education’s Value Beyond Jobs: Critical Thinking, Humanities, and the Real Jobs Crisis Host Dr. Leslie Poston argues that education’s value is not defined by whether it leads directly to a job, criticizing the “elite overproduction” framing that treats employment outcomes as the only metric and shift systemic economic failures onto individuals. She emphasizes that a good education builds durable capacities like critical thinking, tolerance for ambiguity, and empathy (traits tied to better judgment in civic life, relationships, and work) supported by research on intrinsic motivation, liberal arts outcomes, and longitudinal gains in reflective learning and need for cognition. In medicine, humanities-linked interventions measurably improve empathy and uncertainty tolerance, reducing unnecessary tests and stress. She cites evidence that employers inflated degree requirements as a screening filter, worsening credential gaps, and explains cultural bias toward individual-blame narratives. She concludes that labor-market reform and valuing knowledge should be treated as separate fixes. 00:00 Education Beyond Jobs01:16 The ROI Framing Trap03:27 Critical Thinking Core05:57 Intrinsic Motivation Wins07:24 Medicine Needs Humanities09:27 AI Ethics Training Gap11:51 Who Caused Credential Creep13:36 Bias Toward Blame14:56 Two Problems Two Fixes16:57 Closing Values Call ★ Support this podcast ★

  5. Jul 10

    Love Languages Were Never Scientific

    Why Love Languages Went Viral Without the Science to Support Them Millions of people can name their love language. Almost none of them know the man who invented the concept wasn't a psychologist, never ran a study, and built the whole thing from his own irritation with how his wife loaded the dishwasher. Host Leslie Poston traces "The Five Love Languages" back to its actual origins, checks Gary Chapman's core claims against three decades of relationship research, and asks a harder question: who benefits when a framework this thin gets treated as settled science, and who ends up doing the work of proving it. 00:00 Love Languages Phenomenon 01:18 Who Is Gary Chapman 02:47 Pastoral Origins Story 04:13 Brand Expansion Machine 04:59 Putting The Theory To Test 05:40 What The Research Finds 07:15 Why It Still Spreads 09:19 A Closer Look At Who Does The Work 11:43 The Physical Touch Question 13:04 When It Becomes A Shield 16:27 What Holds Up Instead 18:38 Closing Thoughts And Sign Off **Note: We had some technical difficulties during recording this week. If there is a problem with your audio, please let us know** ★ Support this podcast ★

  6. Jul 2

    Why We Keep Falling For Moral Panics

    Moral Panics as Effort Shields: Why Outrage Replaces Action Why do we grab onto moral panics so eagerly, and then quietly drop them the moment they stop being convenient? In this episode, host Leslie Poston, Ph.D., introduces the concept of the 'effort shield' and argues that moral panics serve a psychological function most people never examine. Drawing on Stanley Cohen's foundational work, system justification theory, and the Semmelweis effect, she walks through four case studies spanning technology and policy to show how the pattern repeats, who profits from it, and what it costs us. If you've ever wondered why the same cycle of outrage keeps happening without anything actually changing, this one's for you. 00:00 Stranger Danger to Uber01:04 What Moral Panics Do02:24 Effort Shields Explained05:14 Stranger Danger Myth07:58 Video Games Scapegoat10:44 Social Media Panic12:29 KOSA and Policy Fallout13:50 Anti Abortion Effort Shield16:42 Pattern Across Examples18:01 Why Panics Persist18:29 Spotting the Shield19:17 Closing and Subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

  7. Jun 25

    Why We Reject New Evidence That Could Directly Help Us: The Semmelweis Effect

    The Semmelweis Effect, COVID Cognitive Decline, and Why Evidence Struggles to Spread Host Leslie Poston explains the Semmelweis effect (reflexively rejecting strong evidence because it threatens identity or established norms) through Ignaz Semmelweis’ 1840s discovery that chlorinated handwashing slashed childbed-fever deaths, despite fierce professional backlash and decades-long delay before adoption. She distinguishes the effect from confirmation bias and links it to cognitive dissonance, status quo bias, and identity-protective cognition. The episode then connects this pattern to research showing COVID-19 infection is associated with measurable, cumulative cognitive deficits (memory, reasoning, executive function), limited protection from vaccination, and brain changes, with reinfection worsening decline and older or severe cases at higher risk. Poston argues these impairments may reduce society’s ability to update beliefs, compounding the typical 17-year medical translation gap and polarized trust in science, and suggests bias awareness, infection prevention, living guidelines, better evidence infrastructure, and transparent communication. 00:00 Semmelweis Effect Intro01:05 Deadly Maternity Mystery01:38 Handwashing Breakthrough02:21 Why Evidence Gets Rejected03:30 Bias Mechanics Explained05:58 Not Just Skepticism07:11 COVID Cognitive Decline Data08:37 Brain Changes And Reinfection11:22 Translation Gap In Medicine13:33 Trust Polarization Problem14:38 Three Forces Collide15:30 Practical Ways Forward18:20 Closing Reflection And Signoff ★ Support this podcast ★

  8. Jun 18

    The Age of Uncertainty: What Workplace Instablity is Doing to Your Brain

    Sustained Uncertainty at Work: Why It Hurts Your Brain and What Helps Host Leslie Poston discusses sustained workplace uncertainty and its psychological effects, citing an APA Monitor on Psychology article and survey data showing widespread job insecurity, low engagement, and feelings of being replaceable or invisible—especially among workers under 25. She explains research finding peak stress at maximum uncertainty and connects it to ongoing “maybe” conditions created by economic instability, policy shifts, AI restructuring, and layoffs at profitable companies, which sever the link between effort and security and contribute to survivor syndrome, reduced collaboration, and morale gaps between HR and executives. Declining trust and weak communication—highlighted by Edelman and Gallup findings—intensify uncertainty, while workplace ostracism can activate pain-related brain regions and disproportionately affects women of color. She offers limits-aware coping ideas: reduce self-blame, assess whether uncertainty is temporary or permanent, diversify identity beyond work, and evaluate whether leadership will tell the truth. 00:00 Welcome and Setup00:21 Workplace Uncertainty Data01:48 Why Uncertainty Hurts02:37 Living in Maybe04:03 Profit Driven Layoffs06:30 Survivor Syndrome Fallout08:01 Trust Makes It Bearable10:03 Manager Pipeline Breakdown10:40 Invisibility and Ostracism12:25 What You Can Do13:09 Action Steps That Help15:46 Closing Thoughts ★ Support this podcast ★

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About

PsyberSpace® is a weekly psychology podcast for curious people who want to understand why the world feels the way it does, online and offline. The show helps you name what you’re seeing and feeling, understand the science behind it, and figure out what to do next. If you've ever wondered what makes "reply guys" tick, why we fall for emotionally manipulative language in politics, why meetings suck, why comfort can keep us stuck, why limerence hits so hard, or how music and media reshape your brain, you’re in the right place. New episodes drop every Monday to help you understand your world a little better each week. PsyberSpace looks at how psychology, media, and big systems shape everyday life. Some weeks it’s algorithms, AI, and social platforms; other weeks it’s work culture, gender and power, climate anxiety, grief, or the way capitalism sets the baseline for what “normal” looks like. Each episode breaks down how these patterns show up in real people’s bodies and minds—and what you can do to respond with more clarity, care, and agency in your own life, work, and community. 2025 Webby Award Honoree 2026 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee 2025 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Nominee

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Leslie Poston, Research Psychologist: Applied Psychology, Media Psychology, Organizational Psychology
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Leslie Poston, All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    PsyberSpace® - we help you understand your world

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