People Who Read People: A Behavior Podcast
Hosted by Zach Elwood
A skeptical host interviews experts to debunk pseudoscience and understand the real mechanics of human behavior, from interrogation to online life.
This is an interview show where a skeptical, investigative host methodically unpacks the science of human behavior. Zach Elwood brings his background as a poker-tells analyst to conversations with academics, OSINT investigators, and law enforcement veterans. The show consistently punches above its weight, dismantling pop-psychology myths around body language and lie detection with rigorous, evidence-based discussion.
“Unlike many interview shows, the host is an active investigator who often brings his own deep research to the table, sometimes having investigated the same topics as his guests. The show is defined by its firm, almost academic, stance against behavioral pseudoscience.”
Who hosts this show
Zachary Elwood is a former professional poker player who translated his expertise in reading opponents into a career of investigating human behavior. He is the author of a respected trilogy of books on poker tells and other books on political polarization. On this podcast, he interviews researchers, law enforcement, and other experts to dissect the science behind how people think and act, with a strong focus on debunking myths about deception detection.
Credentials & credits
- Former professional poker player
- Author of 'Reading Poker Tells' book trilogy
- Author of 'Defusing American Anger'
- Author of 'How Contempt Destroys Democracy'
- Poker behavior consultant for World Series of Poker finalists
Other ventures
- Reading Poker Tells (book series and website)
- American Anger (book and website)
- whoischasehughes.com (investigative website)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) and other science-based interrogation approachesJun 20, 2026 · 53 min
- 02
- 03
- 04Station One News: FAKE NEWS YouTube channel from con artist CHASE HUGHESJun 3, 2026 · 12 min
- 05
- 06How an anti-fraud recruiter spots deceptive job applicants, with Dani TepedjiyskaMay 14, 2026 · 53 min
Notable episodes
- 01Investigative strategies you can use: Craig Silverman on exposing digital lies and fake news
Demonstrates the host's own investigative depth, as he and the guest had independently worked to unmask the same fake news creator.
- 02Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) and other science-based interrogation approaches
A core example of the show's mission: two experts in law enforcement and research debunking common interrogation myths and presenting a science-based alternative.
- 03The Traitors: Behavioral patterns/clues in social deduction games, with Zack Davies (UK season 2)
Applies the show's analytical framework to a popular reality TV show, making its concepts of social deduction and behavioral analysis highly accessible.
What you'll be asked on this show
Episodes are typically one-on-one remote interviews, presented as split-screen video calls. Elwood provides a detailed, scripted introduction to the topic before the interview begins. The conversations are structured and focused on analyzing specific behavioral patterns and psychological concepts in real-world contexts.
Questions Zach Elwood keeps coming back to
- “What are the most common and counterproductive practices you see in your field?”
- “What are your thoughts on this specific behavioral pattern?”
- “Can you think of other cases where a particular strategy or clue was key to success?”
- “What do you think of the use of [specific tactic, e.g., swearing an oath] as a behavioral indicator?”
- “Where can people find you and your work online?”
Signature segments
- · Introductory montage of key interview clips
- · Detailed host introduction to the episode's topic
- · Focus on debunking behavioral pseudoscience
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are primarily academics and practitioners with deep, verifiable expertise in their fields. This includes psychology researchers, veteran law enforcement and intelligence officers, investigative journalists, and occasionally individuals with unique experiences in high-stakes social environments, like contestants from 'The Traitors'.
- Maria Hartwigon Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) and other science-based interrogation approaches
- Christian Coryon Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) and other science-based interrogation approaches
- Zack Davieson The Traitors: Behavioral patterns/clues in social deduction games, with Zack Davies (UK season 2)
- Craig Silvermanon Investigative strategies you can use: Craig Silverman on exposing digital lies and fake news
- Brad Beeleron Secret Service agent talks people-reading, rapport-building, and polygraphs | with Brad Beeler
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Based on a review of multiple episodes, the podcast does not appear to feature any third-party sponsorships or advertisements.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's background?
- The host, Zachary Elwood, is a former professional poker player and the author of well-regarded books on poker tells (behavior) and political polarization.
- Is this podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes regularly, typically on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is an interview-based podcast where host Zach Elwood has long-form conversations with experts in fields related to psychology and behavior.
- What is the podcast's main focus?
- The podcast focuses on understanding human behavior through a scientific and skeptical lens, often debunking popular myths about lie detection and body language.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Episodes are available on YouTube, the podcast's official website (behavior-podcast.com), and major podcast platforms.
- How can I contact the show?
- The podcast's official website, behavior-podcast.com, has a contact form for questions and feedback.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Podcast Websitebehavior-podcast.com
- [02]Zachary Elwood - Author Bioaudible.com
- [03]Reading Poker Tells - Official Book Sitereadingpokertells.com
- [04]Defusing American Anger - Official Book Siteamerican-anger.com
- [05]People Who Read People - Podnewspodnews.net
- [06]Zachary Elwood - Beyond Intractabilitybeyondintractability.org
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