Podcasts by Bad Decisions

Mini episode 25: Why do good companies stay with bad software? from 2022-12-07T05:00

Liam from Albert Park wants to know why bad software is wearing us down

Mini episode 24: Why do we love celebs with dad bods? from 2022-11-16T05:00

Emma from Canberra wants to know why we dread the shred and go jelly for the belly

Mini episode 23: Why do I keep paying for insurance that I never use? from 2022-10-21T05:00

Francis from Carlton wants to know why she feels so unsure about staying insured.

Mini epsiode 22: Why did my pay rise buzz wear off so quickly? from 2022-10-09T05:00

Jenny from Sandringham wants to why her pay rise has left her feeling flat

Mini epsiode 21: Why have I stopped (compulsively) checking my investments? from 2022-09-17T05:00

Jonathan from Lightsview wants to know why he's suddently less invested in investing

Mini episode 20: Why don’t waiters just write down my order? from 2022-08-31T05:00

Katrina from East Gardens wants to know why waiters love to wait to complete your order

Mini episode 19 - Why is it 11:11 every time I look at my watch? from 2022-08-05T09:27:38

Ross from Holland Park wants to know if his watch is broken or if it's a sign from above

Mini episode 18 - Why does everyone think they’re a great driver? from 2022-07-20T05:00

Marcie from Docklands wants to know why we we're all racing laps like Ricciardo

Mini episode 17 - Why do smart people believe dumb horoscopes? from 2022-07-06T05:00

Millie from Coogee wants to know why we can't help but look into the crystal ball.

Mini episode 16 - Why do groups of adults argue over who gets to pay the bill? from 2022-06-22T05:00

Gerard from Cremorne wants to know why the gloves have to come off when the cheque arrives?

Mini episode 15 - Why do these things always happen to me? from 2022-05-25T05:00

Elliot from Preston wants to know why he's always such a disaster

Mini episode 14 - Why does everyone remember Kodak as a failure? from 2022-05-07T05:00

Nicole from Chatswood wants to know why the Kodak moment was one worth forgetting?

Mini episode 13 - Why did I buy so many pairs of sweatpants? from 2022-03-11T09:30:34

Holly from Brighton wants to know why counting her sweats has got her sweating

Mini episode 12 - Why do I keep paying for a gym membership I never use? from 2022-02-25T04:45

Richard from Annandale wants to know why his wallet's getting a bigger work out than his gym membership

Mini episode 11 - Why do people stay in jobs they hate? from 2021-12-17T05:00

Amanda from Paddington wants to know why it’s so hard for ‘her friend’ to quit her joyless job.

Mini episode 10 - Why aren’t we shopped out by Boxing Day? from 2021-12-02T16:15:09

Lauren from Prahran wants to know why people still shop after Christmas drops.

Mini episode 9 - Why do people pay so much for diamonds? from 2021-11-19T04:00

In this episode of Bad Decisions, Jeremy from Kooyong wants to know why people are willing to cough up big for carats.

Mini episode 8 - Why is there a $140 option at my local car wash? from 2021-11-05T04:00

Dustin in Fairfield wants to know why people splash out more than $100 for suds and water.

Mini episode 7 - Why do people pay $7 for toast at a cafe? from 2021-10-22T04:00

Lydia in Claremont wants to know why cafes can charge big bucks for a little bread

Mini episode 6 - Why won’t anyone pay me what my car is actually worth? from 2021-10-08T04:00

Sophia in Glenelg wants to know why nobody seems willing to 'pay the cost to be the boss' of her "really awesome little Mazda".

Mini episode 5 - Why do i get so many notifications about the status of my parcel? from 2021-09-24T05:00

Marcel in Camberwell wants to know why DHL insists on telling him every intricate detail about his new tennis racquet's cross continental journey.

Mini episode 4 - Why do I keep ordering the same burrito? from 2021-09-10T05:00

Adam from Bondi wants to know why he cant say no to that bur-ri-to

Mini Episode 3 - Why do cans of Coke, diet Coke and Coke Zero all suddenly look the same? from 2021-08-25T06:00

Bianca from Prahran wants to know what's behind Coca Cola's gigantic packaging u-turn.

Mini Episode 2 - Why do people queue up outside full restaurants? from 2021-08-13T14:42:17

A very hungry Laurence from Elizabeth Bay wants to know why more people don't just cross the street.

Mini Episode 1 - Why do we keep the boxes from expensive shoes and handbags? from 2021-07-26T05:00

Carli from Melbourne gets us rolling with a listener question that's way too close to home.

An update from the Bad Decisions team from 2021-07-26T04:00

We've got some big news from Dan and Dr Mel (OK fine, mainly just Dr Mel). What's happening? When? Why? How? Then what? Great questions. Invest the seven minutes (or three and a half at double s...

Authority bias: Why nine in ten dentists recommend this episode from 2021-04-12T06:00

Doesn't it seem strange that from the moment we're born, we're taught that following instructions is the right thing to do? In this episode, Mel and Dan discuss the authority bias, and why carry...

The Scarcity Bias: why you always want what you can’t have from 2021-02-20T05:00

Given the choice between two items, why do our brains try to convince us to choose the rarer one? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the Scarcity Bias, and why people line up for days to buy s...

Commitment Bias: Why you should shout it out loud from 2020-12-24T13:27:06

Ever stuck to your guns even though you knew deep down you were wrong? In this episode, Mel and Dan unpack the Commitment Bias and how to make sure your New Years Resolution actually sticks this...

A special announcement from Bad Decisions from 2020-11-19T05:00

Dan shares some big news on the launch of the first ever Built on Behaviour Bootcamp.

Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why you might know just enough to be dangerous from 2020-10-31T04:00

Ever notice how novices tend to be highly opinionated, while those with more experience are a little less sure? In this episode, Mel and Dan unpack the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and why your social...

Pratfall Effect: Why you can afford to make a mistake from 2020-09-22T06:00

People and brands often go to great efforts to manage the impressions others form of them, but what if we stopped trying to be perfect, and instead owned our flaws? In this episode, Mel and Dan ...

Reciprocity Bias: Why you should always buy the first coffee from 2020-08-18T06:00

It might not always feel like it, but we’re wired with an inherent desire to cooperate and collaborate with others. That means when someone does us a favour, we can’t help but want to settle the...

Ostrich effect: Why you really should just go to the doctor from 2020-07-02T06:00

If information can help us make good decisions, why would we sometimes actively avoid it? In this episode, Mel and Dan discuss the ostrich effect, and how brands can overcome the tendency we hav...

Zero Risk Bias: Why there’s so much value in nothing from 2020-05-08T06:00

Turns out that one of the most ‘sure things’ in life, is people’s likelihood of picking a ‘sure thing’. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at how we make choices around risk, and why our desire t...

Barnum Effect: Why smart people believe ridiculous things from 2020-01-03T05:00

Do you generally feel like you’ve got your life together, but sometimes wonder what the hell you’re doing? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the Barnum effect and why 'clairvoyant' could stil...

Halo Effect: Why judging a book by its cover is pretty much unavoidable from 2019-10-24T05:00

Why is it that the baddies in cartoons are always so ugly? And why do we assume that handsome people are also going to be charismatic? In this episode, ...

Mere Exposure Effect: Why turning up is half the battle from 2019-09-11T09:25:21

What is it that makes retro fashion take off, and is the Eurovision completely rigged? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore what happens when we see, hear or experience the same thing over and o...

Status Quo Bias: Why old, stubborn people kind of have a point from 2019-07-29T06:00

Everybody loves change, right? Hell no! And it’s not entirely our fault. In this episode, Mel and Dan explore why we'll often go to huge lengths just to make sure everything stays exactly the sa...

Projection Bias: Why shopping whilst hungry is a terrible idea from 2019-06-17T06:00

We all know that empathy is in short supply, but we often don’t realise how hard it is to be empathetic towards our future selves. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at what happens when we try t...

Effort Bias: Why you should let them see you sweat from 2019-04-22T06:00

Why do we teach kids that it's all about the effort, when as adults, we're far more concerned about the outcomes. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at why 'quicker and easier' could be the exact...

Spotlight effect: Why nobody else notices the ketchup stain on your shorts from 2019-03-01T05:00

Ever wondered why making the smallest faux pas can ruin your entire day? In this episode, Mel and Dan discuss the spotlight effect, and how it influences our perception of how much attention peo...

Zeigarnik effect: Why you want to know what happens in this episode from 2018-12-19T06:54:07

What happens when memories or tasks are unfinished, and why is it that they seem to stick in our heads? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the Zeigarnik effect and how we can use it to create ...

Focusing illusion: Why we don’t really need a pay-rise from 2018-11-21T05:00

If you won the lottery, would you be happier? Although the answer may seem obvious, our perceptions of what’s important to us don’t always match the reality. In this episode, Mel and Dan conside...

Ben Franklin effect: Why we should all be asking for way more favours from 2018-10-02T17:31:26

Social convention suggests that if you want to make a new friend, you should do something nice for them. But according to Ben Franklin, we’ve been doing it all wrong. In this episode, Mel and Da...

Framing effect: Why we like our milk fat-free and our luxury cars full price from 2018-06-06T06:00

Would you enjoy your beef more if it was 75% lean or 25% fat? That’s weird. In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the framing effect - and how what we’re presented with is far less important than...

Hot Hand Fallacy: Why we love seeing hot streaks from 2018-05-23T08:00:44

You’ve just made your last three shots, won your last three hands or closed your last three deals. What do you think will happen next? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the fallacy - and real...

Planning Fallacy: Why the best laid plans always go awry from 2018-05-09T06:00

Do you find that things always take longer than you thought? Are you always running late? What if we told you it was all because you’re an irrational optimist? Chances are, you wouldn’t change a...

Mental Accounting: Why we’ll probably die broke from 2018-04-25T06:00

A hundred dollars is a hundred dollars is a hundred dollars, right? Well, no. Not according to our brains. In this episode, Mel and Dan explore how mental accounting influences the way we spend ...

Peak-End Rule: Why we all love a lolly bag from 2018-04-11T07:53:36

We’d like to think it’s all about the journey, but our brain prefers to remember the outcome. In this episode, Mel and Dan discuss the peak-end rule, and how neglecting to pay attention to the e...

Sunk Cost: Why we behave so badly at the buffet from 2018-03-28T06:00

Everybody makes bad decisions, but how do we make amends? Turns out our instincts often guide us to follow bad decisions with worse decisions. In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the sunk cost ...

Default Bias: Why Australians take their organs to the grave from 2018-03-14T07:26:25

With thousands of decisions to make every day, wouldn’t it just be way easier if some of them were made for us? In this episode, Mel and Dan unpack how the default bias influences everything fro...

Licensing Effect: Why we order Diet Coke with our large Big Mac meals from 2017-12-27T05:55:19

Ever gone shopping for someone else and decided you deserved a gift too? In this episode, Mel and Dan explore the dark side of altruism, and how the decisions we make are often guided by a desir...

Temporal Discounting: Why we want $10 today, not $15 tomorrow from 2017-12-13T07:20:34

Despite our best intentions, selecting options that provide sensible, long term benefits over impulsive, short term ones, seems pretty much impossible. In this episode, Mel and Dan explore how o...

Anchoring: Why we spend too much on BBQs from 2017-11-29T07:16:42

When we’re trying to determine the value of something, we tend to place far too much reliance on the first piece of information we stumble across. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at ways that ...

Confirmation Bias: Why black Jeeps are everywhere from 2017-11-15T07:07:15

Turns out we really love being right. So much so that our brains systematically ignore things that don’t fit with what we already believe to be true. In this episode Mel and Dan look at how mark...

Social Proof: Why we knowingly make stupid choices with our friends from 2017-11-01T07:17:36

If all of our friends jumped off a cliff, chances are we would too. Same goes if that cliff is a new restaurant, movie or fashion label. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at how our innate desir...

Endowment Effect: Why we always sit in the same damn seat from 2017-10-18T06:27:14

Cars, homes, pens, mugs - it doesn’t matter what it is - if it’s ours, chances are we'll think it's more valuable than it really is. In this episode, Mel and Dan look at why we're always going t...

Choice Paradox: Why it’s so hard to choose a hamburger from 2017-10-04T07:59:13

We all want more choices, right? Well, no. Not according to the data anyway. In this episode Mel and Dan look at how choice can adversely affect our ability to make decisions, as well as what go...

Availability Bias: Why we massively overestimate our chances of success from 2017-09-17T17:08:26

Of all the mental tasks we suck at performing, estimating the likelihood of something really good or really bad happening is right up there. In this episode, Mel and Dan unpack the ingredients t...

Intro to Bad Decisions from 2017-09-17T17:06:39

Welcome to Bad Decisions, the podcast that helps marketers understand why we choose what we choose, why we think what we think, and how to exploit this stuff for fun and commercial gain.

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