Talking “Conversational Doorknobs” & Broken Science with the Funniest Man in Psychology, Adam Mastroianni

What if the hardest problems in psychology aren’t about data or statistics—but about how we talk, think, and decide what counts as truth?In this episode of Neural Compass, psychologist, writer, and internet favorite Adam Mastroianni joins Jimini’s Mark Jacobstein for a wide-ranging conversation about conversation itself. Drawing from experimental psychology, improv, and lived experience with anxiety and depression, Adam explores why good conversations feel rare, why science struggles to study the most important questions, and why mental health progress may require ideas that don’t fit into academic boxes. Along the way, he reflects on leaving academia, rethinking peer review, and what happens when you try to tell the truth instead of writing for journals. They cover:Why great conversations rely on “doorknobs,” not just questionsHow anxiety, status, and speed shape the way we talk to each otherWhat’s broken in modern science—and why legibility can be the enemy of discoveryWhy therapy works even when we don’t fully understand howHow imagining that “things could be better” fuels both progress and dissatisfactionLearn more: jiminihealth.com