The History and Psychology of Underdogs

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Peter Harms, PhD, a Frank Schultz Professor of Management at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, to talk about the history and psychology of underdogs. World history is littered with stories and legends of people or groups of people who have defied the odds in the face of almost sure defeat, making them the closest thing to immortal a human being can fathom outside of religion and deities. But how do they accomplish these incredible feats? How do they find a way to make the impossible possible? Peter and Ryne have been interested in the topic of underdogs for quite some time, and they unpack their thoughts and theories in this episode.

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Kevin Mitchell, PhD, the Talent and Organizational Development Manager at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, to talk about developing technical experts into leaders. In theory, any high performer regardless of their area of expertise should at some point be rewarded with a leadership position. But sometimes what makes someone a great software developer or network engineer might not translate to success once they ascend to a managerial role. In this episode, Kevin, who has a wealth of experience in this area, talks about how to successfully develop these high performers into effective and strategic leaders.

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by new Hogan Assessments CEO, Allison Howell, to discuss the pros and cons of gossip in the workplace. Gossip is common in all facets of our everyday lives but, in the workplace, gossip is often viewed as disruptive and unproductive. However, more recently gossip has been seen in a more positive light. What was once perceived as an organization’s worst enemy is now often its biggest ally. This is a topic Allison explored in depth over the past year and that’s why we thought she would be the perfect guest to discuss the positives and negatives of gossip in the workplace. 

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake continue their annual tradition of breaking down the top derailers of the year. Who made the list in 2025? Give it a listen to find out.

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake discuss the topic of workplace freeloaders. This is a topic that has been their minds recently based on an interview Ryne did with the media outlet, Quartz. That interview went so well that they wanted to do an episode specifically on freeloaders and how they show up in the workplace.

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne is joined by special guest host Valerie Stone, Hogan’s marketing director, who interviews Ryne to discuss his life, his role at Hogan, and his career journey. 

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Blake is joined by special guest host Valerie Stone, Hogan's marketing director, who interviews Blake to discuss his life, his role at Hogan, and his career journey. Many listeners probably noticed that there was not a new episode last week, and that was for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is that Ryne has had an extensive international travel schedule in the second half of 2025. The other reason is that this time of year is extremely busy at Hogan as we look to wrap up the year. But that got me thinking. How well do you, our listeners, know Ryne and Blake? In this special episode you get an in-depth look at Blake's life, and a similar episode featuring Ryne will be published in the coming weeks. Cheers!

In the final spooky season episode of The Science of Personality in 2025, Ryne and Blake are joined by Christopher Bader, PhD, professor and chair of the department of sociology at Chapman University, to talk about why people believe in the paranormal. Christopher has studied the paranormal for more than 20 years, and he also takes his work out into the field, having participated in several ghost hunts, observed support groups for UFO abductees, and joined in on bigfoot investigations. In addition, he is the author of the book Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture and the book Paranormal Britain, which will be released in Spring of 2026. 

Spooky season is back! In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and I are joined by Chris French, PhD, professor emeritus and former Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London, to talk about the psychology of demonology, possession, and exorcism. With his primary area of research being the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences, Chris is a frequent radio and television guest who casts a skeptical eye over paranormal claims, and is also the author of multiple books on the paranormal, including his most recent one from earlier this year, titled The Science of Weird Shit. For our loyal listeners, you are well aware by now that Ryne and I dedicate our episodes in October to topics like this to celebrate Halloween and the spooky season. Because demonology, possession, and exorcism are at the core of some of history’s best horror films and literary works, we thought it would be a fun topic to cover, and Chris is the perfect guest to join us for this special episode.

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Nadine Maliakkal, PhD, a consultant on Hogan's Talent Analytics team, to talk about the work Hogan has been doing in the world of sports. Over the past five years, Hogan has experienced a huge uptick in work with some of the world’s leading sports teams and organizations. Whether it’s helping teams predict performance of NBA basketball players or helping NFL teams draft the best American football players, organizations are really starting to understand the importance of personality in sports. Nadine has been at the forefront of Hogan’s research in this realm, and is the perfect guest to talk about this fascinating topic.