KN

Kurt Nelson

Things Kurt Says on Podcasts

Where to Find Them

Kurt Nelson hosts and writes Behavioral Grooves Podcast and writes Behavior Shift . They have also been a guest on Remodelers On The Rise (2 times) , The Human Risk Podcast (2 times) , The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics and The Behavioral Design Podcast .

Recently: “How Social Media Manipulates You | Jay van Bavel” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (November 2026); “The #1 Thing That Gets People to Vote” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (October 2026); “Throwback Thursday: The Spooky Science of Superstition” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (October 2026); “Throwback Monday: Why Willpower Fails (and What Actually Work)” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (October 2026); “The Science of Violence | Dr. Gary Slutkin” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (October 2026); “The Psychology of Habits | Charles Duhigg” on Behavioral Grooves Podcast (October 2026).

What They Said

After the interview, Kurt notes that we discount flattery from people when we suspect a motive. Chatbots flatter us too, he says, but don't set off the same suspicion.

Behavioral Grooves Podcast · 2026-11-02 Permalink → Listen →
Behavioral Grooves Podcast Around 1:03:04 into the episode
Kurt Nelson

Right.

Tim Houlihan

Yeah.

Kurt Nelson

And AI has a motive. And we just, but it doesn't trip that alarm that that motive is that we it wants you to keep using it.

Speaker 4

Right.

Kurt Nelson

That's what the people that's like, the more we can get you to use this AI. And granted, there's real good reasons to use AI. And, you know, as much as I bash AI and all the hidden costs that it has and all the potential downsides, AI is a really powerful tool that, when used well, is really good.…

Speaker 4

But I just have to say, my favorite is when I challenge AI. It's like, no, that was a bunch of bullshit that you just told me. So you need to make this correction. And then AI comes back and says, good catch, good catch. Oh, man, just want to murderize it. Okay. So here's the deal. There's a…

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.