Welcome to Biz-Souls, where two people sit down to talk about business and somehow end up discussing the WNBA, soap operas, hockey fights, social media, dictatorships, Canadian violence, Hollywood explosions, potato chips, and Jeffrey’s apparently magnificent legs.

Basically, a normal episode of Biz-Souls.

This time, Rona and Jeffrey tackle ‘the business of outrage’ and the uncomfortable possibility that outrage has become one of the most successful products in the modern attention economy.

It starts with the media frenzy surrounding the WNBA, Caitlin Clark, Sophia Cunningham and all the apparent ‘us versus them’ drama. Is the league deliberately creating controversy? Not necessarily. But the media certainly knows conflict gets attention. And attention, as we all know, is where the money lives. The hosts point out that WNBA viewership has been soaring, raising a deliciously awkward question: if outrage works, why would anyone in the attention business stop selling it?

And then the conversation gets considerably more complicated, because this isn't just about sports.

Rona and Jeffrey wonder whether we're becoming so accustomed to outrage, violence and sensationalism that yesterday's shocking event barely registers today. So, turn up the volume. The conflict gets bigger. The explosions get louder. The body count gets higher. Hollywood does it. Social media does it. News media does it. And all of this seems to be affecting people in a terrible way.

The episode takes the particularly interesting turn when the hosts ask whether social media is actually influencing behavior rather than simply showing us more of the behavior that has always existed.

And that's where the Biz-Souls prescription arrives: Critical thinking.

Before sharing the outrage, ask why you're being shown it. Before jumping into the fight, ask what happens next. Before believing the headline, ask whether there's another explanation. And perhaps most importantly, ask whether history has anything useful to say about the brilliant new idea currently screaming at you through your phone.

The hosts also admit something refreshingly human: they've gotten things wrong, jumped onto trends and been susceptible to the same forces they're talking about. Because apparently even professional commentators occasionally discover that the internet has opinions. Lots of them. And then, because this is Biz-Souls, the solution to the outrage economy apparently involves being polite, wearing dresses, abandoning hoodies and flip-flops, and possibly putting Jeffrey in a kilt permanently.

Whether this is critical thinking or not that’s your call.

The bigger takeaway, though, is serious. If outrage becomes normal, outrage has to keep escalating to get our attention. What shocked us yesterday becomes background noise today, which means tomorrow needs to be even louder.

Until eventually we're all sitting around covered in metaphorical fake blood wondering, ‘Was that supposed to upset me?’

So, tune in, think critically, question the algorithm, and remember…

Just because it is on the internet doesn't mean it is true.

Still like, follow, share, and subscribe.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

Episode 201: Bayes, Brains, and the Breakdown of Internet Illusion**

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/13dd3134-f399-48e8-bd34-1c7027fe191e

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 151: Bias in the Media

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20151%20Bias%20in%20the%20Media

Episode 126: The Truth About Lying

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20126%20The%20Truth%20About%20Lying

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 139: Play for Better Living!

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg

Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain with Kelley Raleigh

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who walk into a movie theater and order a reasonable amount of popcorn… and people who look at the largest bucket and think, ‘Well, obviously.’

Welcome back to Biz-Souls, where Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler once again set out to discuss business and somehow end up questioning our entire relationship with capitalism, marketing, food portions, critical thinking, influencers, subscriptions, and whether a human being really needs a Coke large enough to require its own zip code.

This week, we're talking about the decoy effect’, the sneaky little psychological trick that makes the bigger choice suddenly look like the smart option: Small $4, Medium $6, and Large $6.50. Well, hell. We’re getting the large one.

Never mind that you only wanted a drink. Never mind that the large holds enough liquid to hydrate a small village. The pricing structure has spoken, and we are now entrepreneurs in the beverage acquisition business.

As the episode explains, the decoy effect works by changing how we perceive the choices in front of us. Add an option that makes another option look like a better deal, and suddenly we're not making the decision we originally intended to make. We're making the decision the menu quietly encouraged us to make.

And once Rona and Jeffrey get rolling, the conversation gets considerably bigger than popcorn.

They explore how the same basic principles of influence show up in fast food, movie theaters, cars, coffee shops, Costco, subscription pricing, software packages, AI services, bundling, social media and the increasingly impressive number of ways companies can convince us that we desperately need something we weren't even thinking about five minutes ago. Then comes the bigger question: ‘Has the manipulation aspect of marketing gotten out of control?’

That's where things get interesting. The conversation moves from pricing psychology into the broader issue of how people are influenced by advertising, political messaging, social media, influencers, news and the constant stream of information competing for our attention. The hosts argue about where accountability belongs and come back to one increasingly important skill, critical thinking.

And yes, Jeffrey has opinions – which seem to have taken over his perspective. Rona, meanwhile, demonstrates the ancient Biz-Souls survival technique of waiting until Jeffrey runs out of gas.

There is also a particularly entertaining detour into portion sizes and the American obsession with bigger. Our drinks aren't the only things that have experienced a growth strategy. Bananas, tomatoes, restaurant portions and popcorn have all apparently attended the same business seminar, If Bigger Is Better, Why Stop There?

The real takeaway, though, isn't ‘don't buy the large’, it’s ‘take back your ability to choose’.

And with any decision, please enjoy your popcorn. You earned it.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

Episode 201: Bayes, Brains, and the Breakdown of Internet Illusion

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 227: Confidence vs. Intelligence: Why the Loudest Person Isn’t Always the Smartest

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20227

• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Biz-Souls+Episode+227+Confidence+vs+Intelligence

Episode 180: Besting AI With Soul

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20180%20Besting%20AI%20With%20Soul

• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Biz-Souls+Episode+180+Besting+AI+With+Soul

Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain with Kelley Raleigh

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

Episode 139: Play for Better Living! Why Play Makes Every Life Better

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg

You would think being smart would protect you from making dumb decisions.

You would be wrong.

In this episode of Biz-Souls, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler take on one of the great mysteries of human behavior: Why do intelligent people sometimes make spectacularly stupid decisions?

And, because this is Biz-Souls, the discussion begins with Jeffrey limping into the conversation with an injured foot. Apparently, nothing - not pain, not common sense, and certainly not Jeffrey’s ability to stay on topic - is going to stop this podcast.

The real subject, however, is much more serious.

Smart people aren't necessarily better at avoiding bias. Sometimes they're simply better at defending the bias they've already chosen.

That's where things get interesting.

Rona and Jeffrey dig into confirmation bias, ego, overconfidence, rationalization, analysis paralysis, stress, fear of being wrong, and the wonderfully human tendency to surround ourselves with people who agree with us.

Because apparently one of the most dangerous sentences in business is, I already know I'm right.’

The conversation moves into leadership, where intelligence can become particularly dangerous when it's combined with ego and a lack of feedback. The hosts point to the Challenger disaster as a sobering example of very smart people participating in a very bad decision.

Then there's the social-media problem.

Give the algorithm one opinion you already hold and surprise! It can enthusiastically feed you 90 million more reasons why you're right. Soon you're not researching an idea. You're assembling a personalized evidence department whose only job is to agree with you.

And here's the uncomfortable part: Nobody is immune to cognitive bias. Not CEOs. Not scientists. Not doctors. Not podcasters. Not Jeffrey. Not Rona. And definitely not the person who just nodded vigorously while reading that last sentence.

The episode ultimately comes back to a deceptively simple leadership skill of self-awareness.

• Are you willing to question your own assumptions?

• Are you willing to hear information that disagrees with you?

• Are you checking yourself or merely looking for evidence that confirms what you already believe?

Because intelligence and rationality aren't the same thing. Being smart can help you solve problems. It can also make you remarkably creative at explaining why your bad idea wasn't actually a bad idea.

As Rona and Jeffrey discover, the goal isn't to eliminate bias—we're wired for it. The goal is to recognize it, challenge it, and occasionally admit that the person sitting across the table might actually have a point.

So, grab your favorite cognitive bias, put it in a nice little leadership suit, and join us for a conversation about smart people, dumb decisions, ego, algorithms, and the uncomfortable possibility that the person who needs to rethink the decision might be you.

And yes, Jeffrey's foot is still hurting. Apparently, even critical thinking has a deductible.

Make him feel better and like, subscribe, follow, and share this episode for medicinal purposes.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

Episode 61: Bias, Business, and Bad Ass Chris Rock

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain with Kelley Raleigh

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

Episode 136: Mature Gnome with Ego

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SrTBRzWZ9MbhycJw5Nkwv

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6sKzNUWTo

Episode 137: Just Say No! Maybe.

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O9pVnMLtrVRHfSrkE3dZn

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ffpbkA2n8

Episode 151: Bias in the Media

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 201: Bayes, Brains, and the Breakdown of Internet Illusion

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926