Episode 13 - How Algorithms Know You Better Than You Know Yourself

In this episode, I offer a personal tribute to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and the profound influence his teachings have had on my life. I reflect on how his words helped me think more deeply about faith, mental illness, suffering, belief, repentance, and the role of prophets and apostles in leading us to Jesus Christ. Elder Holland’s testimony, compassion, and conviction left a permanent mark on me, and this episode is a heartfelt expression of gratitude for the way his voice helped guide my own discipleship.

In this episode, I explore the intersection of digital behavior and psychology, using a hypothetical case study of a woman named Susan to illustrate how algorithms create detailed psychological profiles based on online activity. The discussion delves into various psychological frameworks and algorithms that analyze behavior, predict future actions, and influence decision-making. The episode raises critical questions about privacy, free will, and the implications of living in a world where our digital footprints are constantly monitored and analyzed.

Some friendships help you move.Some friendships make you laugh.And a rare few quietly throw you lifelines when you don’t even realize you’re drowning.In the latest Marrott Mindset, I use Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics to talk about those rare, “perfect” friendships—the ones that make life actually worth living.If someone came to mind while you listen to this, this episode is for you (and them).

In this episode, we discuss two separate visits to Chicago I experienced, both of which involved me attending psychological conferences. We talk about the Sky Deck, the River Cruise, the Field Museum of Natural History, Portillos, Ed Debevics, Sexual Harassment, Tacit Consent, and much more! Psychology, philosophy, and HR management are focus points.

Do you believe human nature is fundamentally good or fundamentally bad? Are people, by their nature, my selfless or are they selfish? In this episode, we will explore the philosophical perspectives of human nature by a famous British Philosopher named Thomas Hobbes. After dissecting his views, we will see how your views of human nature will influence your administration and experience of work.

Jaws is one of the best movies ever made. In this episode, I start off by talking about watching Jaws with my son, how Jaws impacted my childhood and my fears, and what classifies Jaws as a classic movie. Finally, I share three of my favorite scenes (no major spoilers) of this movie to hopefully inspire you to either watch it for the first time or go and watch it again!

Who is your favorite character in the Harry Potter Universe? If you're smart, you'll say Severus Snape. In this episode, I dive into the complexity of Severus Snape and why I think he is such a compelling and relatable character. We also get a little philosophical discussing things like love, friendship, ethics, and moral duties. Listen to my insight on why Snape is the best character in the Harry Potter universe!

The two most demanding roles in the world include your job and your family. Sometimes, these two compete for each other in a very aggressive way, and that can create a lot of problems for individuals, families, organizations, and society. In this episode, we discuss the nature of work life conflict, as well as a business's priority of making money. Should businesses focus on productivity or making their people happy? The research might surprise you. Finally, we explore how amazing industrial organizational psychology is and how it can help improve a significant portion of people's lives by the things it studies. We end with some practical feedback for employers and employees on how they can reduce work life conflict from their lives! https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/12/13/promoting-employee-happiness-benefits-everyone/?sh=9a66300581a1 http://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Social-Market-Foundation-Publication-Briefing-CAGE-4-Are-happy-workers-more-productive-281015.pdf#page=9 https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2017.0350 https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2115 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2156869318813006

Have you or someone you have known ever been injured at work? Are you aware of the laws in place that protect your rights as an employee? If the answer is no, then you should absolutely tune in for this overview of the development of worker's compensation. We discuss the history of worker's compensation and how difficult it was for employees who were not protected by worker's compensation. Then, we talk about worker's compensation fraud and I discuss some of my personal frustrations of having to work with workplace injury. Finally, I share a few practical things that will help enhance yours and your organization's experience through the worker's compensation process! References: https://www.thehartford.com/workers-compensation/history https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1888620/ https://insurance.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/WorkersCompFraudAmerica.pdf https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0300-fraud/0100-fraud-division-overview/25-wc-conv/

In this episode, we discuss the philosophical perspective called hedonism and how happiness is revered as worth pursuing for its own sake. Like most philosophical positions, we discuss the arguments against hedonism, including the paradox of hedonism, false happiness, and happiness and autonomy. Then we move on to discussing Viktor Frankl and his amazing book, "Man's Search for Meaning." Finally, we end on some psychological literature about the paradox of seeking happiness. Should we be happy? After hearing these the thoughts shared in this episode, I would be curious to hear your answer to that question! There is a book I used to get a lot of information from this episode. It's one of my favorite books. A link is attached for the Fundamentals of Ethics, Man's Search for Meaning, and the research that demonstrates the paradox of pursuing happiness. https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Ethics-Russ-Shafer-Landau/dp/0199997233 https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TFUB8BW0CAU8&keywords=man%27s+search+for+meaning&qid=1696219645&s=books&sprefix=man%27s+search+for+meaning%2Cstripbooks%2C120&sr=1-1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160511/#:~:text=Leading%20people%20to%20value%20happiness,be%20happy%20to%20one's%20circumstances.