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PsycHacks

Orion Tarabanoriontaraban.podbean.com
Presented by Orion Taraban, Psy.D. PsycHacks provides listeners with a brief, thought-provoking episode several days a week on a variety of psychological topics, inspired by my clinical practice. The intention is for the core idea contained within each episode to inspire listeners to see something about themselves or their world in a slightly different light.
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Episodes

Episode 418: How to not be part of the problem (your anger isn't helping)

It very easy to get upset at the state of the world today. However, I'm here to tell you -- in no uncertain terms -- that the last thing the world needs right now is another angry person. Apparently, we have collectively forgotten that it isn't necessary to have an opinion about everything. In fact, until you've sufficiently examined something, it's ethically imperative that you defer judgment. In this episode, I discuss a psychological tool for doing just that: the cognitive shelf. Book a paid ...

Apr 08, 20249 minEp. 427

Episode 417: You don't need money to get women (the three things that work)

In today's episode, I expose that old attraction proxy: money. Many men erroneously believe that they need money in order to access women, and that simply having money will attract women to them. Neither of these is true. On the other hand, there are three things that actually do work to attract women -- and none of them cost you a dime. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newsletter: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com Social Media Facebook: https://fac...

Apr 05, 20248 minEp. 426

Episode 416: Responding to my female critics (the importance of intentional sexuality)

While the overwhelming majority of my feedback has been positive, a small contingent of (mostly female) viewers has proven quite negative. And the overwhelming majority of that negativity is in response to some of my advice on how "to hook" a man. In this episode, I respond to that criticism and emphasize the importance of using sexuality intentionally and strategically. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newsletter: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com ...

Apr 01, 202412 minEp. 425

Episode 415: How to be confident without success (be your own prophet)

If people need success in order to feel confident, and if confidence makes success much more likely, then how does anyone get confident to begin with? We all have to start somewhere, and the world doesn't wait until we're ready. In this episode, I share a mental hack to facilitate confident action before you have "a stack of proof." @AlexHormozi Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newsletter: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com Social Media Facebook: htt...

Mar 29, 202411 minEp. 424

Episode 414: Women do the right things with the wrong men (the good times-to-hassle ratio)

Women often complain that the men they're not really interested in always seem to come back, while the men they'd really like to have relationships with never seem to reciprocate their feelings. This is because women do the right things with the wrong men. In this episode, I'll discuss how this influences the good times-to-hassle ratio that is instrumentally related to which women men decide to pursue. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newslette...

Mar 25, 202411 minEp. 423

Episode 413: Men do the right things with the wrong women (the importance of a system)

Men often complain that it's always the women they don't particularly like who seem to pursue them for relationships, while the women they want to engage always seem to slip through their fingers. This is because men do the right things with the wrong women. In this episode, I'll discuss a number of ways this occurs in the courtship process, while providing a general prescription for this difficulty. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newsletter:...

Mar 22, 202411 minEp. 422

Episode 412: The price of living your own life (lack of understanding is a test of your character)

The fact of the matter is that the conventional roadmap provided by culture isn't going to work for a lot of people. If you want a custom-tailored life, you have to be prepared to build it for yourself. The issue is that the more you deviate from the well-trodden path, the less you will be comprehensible to those around you. This means that the cost of living your own life is the approval of others. I discuss more in this episode. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultati...

Mar 18, 202410 minEp. 421

Episode 411: Why some people get so upset with my content (responding to haters)

While the overwhelming response to my channel has been exceptionally positive, a small proportion of the feedback I receive is extremely negative. And this feedback invariably concerns my views on intrasexual dynamics. This doesn't necessarily bother me, but it is an interesting phenomenon. In this episode, I attempt to explain why this particular content can be such a bitter pill for some people to swallow. Most people are not very self-aware. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd....

Mar 15, 202412 minEp. 419

Episode 410: How to handle relationship jealousy (act like the king that you are)

Jealousy is like a powerful spice: just a little bit can make your food more interesting, but any more than that will probably ruin the dish. So it's a good idea to learn how to handle the experience of jealousy so as not to create unnecessary problems in your relationship. The key is to understand that jealousy functionally communicates the perception of a legitimate threat -- which can create unintended consequences if expressed. The antidote is to remember your position and to act like the ki...

Mar 11, 202410 minEp. 418

Episode 409: What people fail to understand about depression (your life could be better)

"The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence": https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0 Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses on the planet. Unfortunately, most people misunderstand it. They believe that it exists solely between the ears of the individual in question. This gives rise to the "intrapsychic fallacy", which maintains that depression is either in the brain (the monoamine hypothesis) or the mind (the cognitive hypothesi...

Mar 08, 20249 minEp. 417

Episode 408: How to keep a woman (the past is prologue)

If you're a man considering going down the path of marriage and children, it is essential that you learn how to maintain a woman's long-term commitment. This is because the more you invest in any one woman, the more leveraged you are and the riskier that relationship becomes, especially in contemporary society. The key to maintaining that commitment is to understand that everything you've ever done for a woman is irrelevant. I explain more in this episode. Book a paid consultation: https://orion...

Mar 04, 20249 minEp. 416

Episode 407: How to keep your cool with women (the sandwich strategy)

Learning how to keep your cool when women become difficult or provocative is an emotional survival strategy. Failing to master this skill is an invitation to hardship and regret. The strategy is simple: no matter what woman you're dealing with, and no matter what a woman tells you, to the extent that she becomes emotional, you need to mentally create a verbal sandwich around her words. I'll demonstrate what this looks like in today's episode. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.co...

Mar 01, 202412 minEp. 415

Episode 406: Body count and sexual jealousy (moving beyond the number)

The number of a woman's previous sexual partners is often of interest to the men she dates. However, it's not immediately apparent why that should be the case. I argue that the sheer number might not be as important as many men believe, as this is actually being used as a heuristic to gauge other attributes of the woman in question, namely: her attraction and her ability to pair bond. I also discuss a surprising way in which a woman's sexual history comes to bear on relationship longevity. Book ...

Feb 26, 202413 minEp. 414

Episode 405: How to save your mind (learn what no one teaches you)

Because of the way human beings develop, people only truly gain the capacity for critical, independent thought when they're 25 years-old. Unfortunately, by the time people reach this age, their minds are so full of nonsense that they could literally spend the rest of their lives sifting through the concepts, beliefs, and ideas that were functionally put there without their consent. And -- if you want to be an actual individual -- this is precisely what you have to do. In this episode, I'll discu...

Feb 23, 202411 minEp. 412

Episode 404: What to do if you're bored in a relationship (the sure-fire trick that always works)

The causal agent of relationship boredom is always the same. At some point -- and for whatever reason -- the two of you stopped telling each other the truth. I guarantee that if you start telling the truth in your relationship, you won't be bored for very much longer. So why does this happen? It turns out most people don't really want to know the truth -- and that's generally not why they entered into the relationship anyway. This is because telling the truth almost always disrupts the status qu...

Feb 19, 202410 minEp. 411

Episode 403: Virtue only makes you good (but it is still worth cultivating)

Many folks start out on the path of virtue when they're young, but get sidelined into worldly pursuits by middle age. Why is this so common? In my opinion, this phenomenon is due to the fact that many people inappropriately expect more of virtue than it can deliver. Virtue only makes you good. Expecting wealth or beauty or status or sex or success or health simply because you are virtuous is foolish. However, I believe that virtue is still worth cultivating for two reasons, as I discuss in this ...

Feb 16, 20249 minEp. 410

Deep Dive 008: Dr. Robert Glover (authenticity, attraction, and nice guy syndrome)

I was very happy to be able to sit down with Dr. Robert Glover ("No More Mr. Nice Guy") for a long chat the other day. When he wasn't cracking me up with his off-color honesty, we touched on a number of topics in our collective wheelhouse, including: love, attraction, authenticity, and men's need for a "tribe". My sexy grumble is my throat recovering from the flu. Enjoy. Dr. Glover's men's community: https://integrationnation.net/ Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultati...

Feb 14, 20241 hr 15 minEp. 413

Episode 402: Politics and sexual withholding (why it doesn't work)

Throughout my dating history, I've been punished many times with sexual withholding for not endorsing a woman's beliefs. I call this the "Lysistrata Protocol", as it is inspired by the behavior of the Greek women in Aristophanes's play of the same name. However, while the women were successful in changing society on stage, this tactic is self-defeating in an open and diverse sexual marketplace. In this episode, I explain why. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations S...

Feb 12, 20248 minEp. 408

Episode 401: Listen to yourself (you likely already know the answer)

At this stage of my career, I conduct consultations with men from all walks of life from all over the world. One of the most frequent reasons men book my time is to receive an objective, third-party gut check on their relationships: should they continue to invest or cut their losses? After only a few minutes, it often becomes clear that these men already know the answer to their question -- though they may not want to face the consequences it entails. It's important for men to listen to themselv...

Feb 09, 20249 minEp. 407

Episode 400: Why men make more than women (understanding the gender pay gap)

If you're like me, you grew up hearing (over and over again) that women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man. However, it turns out that this is a third-grade statistic coupled with an equally elementary interpretation. When the analysis is appropriately controlled, the pay gap between the sexes shrinks in insignificance. That said, men still continue to earn more than women in both absolute and relative terms. In this episode, I will discuss why this will always be the case. Book a pa...

Feb 05, 202411 minEp. 406

Episode 399: What should I do with my life? (why you can't think it out)

I've worked with hundreds of young men, many of whom are paralyzed with the prospect of answering the titular question: "what should I do with my life?" This is obviously an important inquiry; however, most have never been taught how to go about arriving at an answer. This often means that they will spend months -- if not years -- thinking through a solution through a process I can "chessing." Unfortunately, this effort is entirely wasted, as the only way to answer this question is by taking act...

Feb 02, 202410 minEp. 405

Episode 398: How women train men to be angry (don’t reward what you don’t want)

Most women find male anger terrifying -- which is why it is both tragic and ironic that they often play a part in encouraging it in their primary relationships. In effect, women inadvertently train men to be angry when they ignore, disrespect, or invalidate men who first attempt to communicate non-aggressively. If women only take men's complaints seriously when they escalate to aggression, then they reward men for aggressiveness, making it more likely that aggression will be utilized in the futu...

Jan 29, 202410 minEp. 404

Episode 397: How women disrespect men without realizing it (bursting the bubble)

This is the second installment of my two-part series on unintentional disrespect. The intention is to help prevent women from sabotaging the relationships they want with the men they want to have them with. In this episode, I identify two other ways in which women place themselves above men with their words and behavior, thereby enacting an assumed superiority. I also suggest that men are more sensitive to cues of disrespect given their relative preference for hierarchical arrangements and their...

Jan 26, 20249 minEp. 403

Episode 396: How women disrespect men without realizing it (understanding power)

This is an episode for the ladies. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the one thing you must never do to the man with whom you want to have a relationship is disrespect him. Unfortunately, respect can mean different things to men and women -- so it's important for women to appreciate respect through the masculine lens so that they can stay on the sunny side of the unbreakable rule. The fact of the matter is that women unintentionally sabotage their relationships when they disrespect men without realiz...

Jan 22, 202411 minEp. 402

Episode 395: Hire slow, fire fast (understanding the selection process)

One of the tenets of corporate human resources is to hire slow and fire fast. In today's episode, I'll discuss how the same advice holds true when vetting a woman for a relationship. Hiring slow means that you resist the urge to emotionally invest in a woman until you've collected many different data points across a significant time horizon. On the other hand, firing fast means that you terminate the relationship (or silo into a casual affair) at the first signs of trouble. Both steps are facili...

Jan 19, 202410 minEp. 401

Deep Dive 007: Shawn T. Smith

Gatekeeper: https://www.amazon.com/Gatekeeper-Tactical-Commitment-Shawn-Smith/dp/0990686469 I'm very excited to have Dr. Shawn T. Smith ("The tactical guide to women") back on the show. After briefly discussing his newest book ("Gatekeeper") and why it is important for men to appropriately vet their relationships with women (over and above the women, themselves), we discuss a number of questions culled directly from the PsycHacks community. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Boo...

Jan 17, 20241 hr 34 minEp. 409

Episode 394: The servant takes the money (the double-edge of hypergamy)

Because of their hypergamous tendencies, women generally mate and date for gain -- and they typically have no qualms about passing over men who are not in a position to provide benefit. However, in every culture on the planet, it is the servant who takes the money. The servant is the one who is paid. One of the most over-looked consequences of hypergamy is the creation of a relational indebtedness that was historically discharged in domestic service. This does not interest most modern women; how...

Jan 15, 20249 minEp. 400

Episode 393: Overpaying is the cost of winning (why getting what you want is disappointing)

Whether we like it or not, life -- in its particulars -- is often a zero-sum game. In order to get what you want, it is often the case that no one else can have it. And getting what you want typically involves winning out against your competition. As a general rule, overpaying is the cost of winning: you will need to give more than anyone else in order to secure the desired good. One of the unintended consequences of this is that getting what you want tends to be disappointing. This is because -...

Jan 12, 202411 minEp. 399

Episode 392: Women’s greatest enemy (overcoming pride)

The one thing that most prevents women from having the relationships they want with the men they want to have them with is pride. In this episode, I discuss three ways in which this pride tends to manifest in the game of mating and dating: in misappraising their value, in disparaging male attraction, and in deprecating the domestic. For women, humility is the pathway to more satisfying relationships with men. Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Social Media Faceb...

Jan 08, 202411 minEp. 398

Episode 391: How to resist becoming emotionally attached (get a poker face)

It is extremely important that men resist becoming emotionally attached to any given woman until she has been appropriately vetted for a relationship. If they allow their attraction to dictate their emotional involvement, then they might eventually have to choose between what is right and good for them, and what they have already decided to love. This is a painful choice that can be avoided with a little restraint and discernment. In this episode, I'll talk about how to do this. Book a paid cons...

Jan 05, 202410 minEp. 397
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