The Jordan Harbinger Show

1279: The Gold Standard | Skeptical Sunday

Could returning to the gold standard fix inflation? Nick Pell explains why this shiny solution might not be all it's cracked up to be on Skeptical Sunday.Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1279On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:The gold standard wasn't some ancient monetary relic — it only emerged in 1821 when Britain pegged the pound to gold, with most industrialized nations hopping on board by the 1890s. It was abandoned during World War I because governments simply couldn't fund the war while maintaining gold convertibility.Today's global economy is roughly $115 trillion, while all the gold ever mined is worth about $28.5 trillion — roughly a quarter of global GDP. This massive mismatch means returning to gold would require either revaluing it to astronomical prices or causing catastrophic deflation.The appeal of the gold standard isn't really about the metal itself — it's about trust. People are drawn to money that doesn't depend on government promises or political whims. Gold represents certainty in an uncertain world.A return to gold would likely benefit net exporters like China while punishing net importers like the United States. Trade imbalances would transform into gold hoarding, creating constant liquidity crises that global commerce simply couldn't survive.The desire for "sound money" isn't misguided — it's the solution that's flawed. Better monetary policy rules, multi-asset pegs, or systems like Switzerland's debt-repayment requirements could provide the discipline people crave without nuking the world economy.Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: Hiya: 50% off first order: hiyahealth.com/jordanThe Perfect Jean: 15% off first order: theperfectjean.nyc, code JORDAN15Quiltmind: Email jordanaudience@quiltmind.com to get started or visit quiltmind.com for more infoHomes.com: Find your home: homes.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1278: Afraid You Could Lose Her Off-Grid with Abuser | Feedback Friday

Your sister's husband has a history of abuse, and just bought a shack in the middle of nowhere for them and the kids. What can you do? It's Feedback Friday!And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1278On This Week's Feedback Friday:Your abusive brother-in-law dragged your sister by her hair, has a traumatic brain injury linked to violence, and just bought a remote shack 5,000 kilometers from civilization — now he wants to move your sister and her kids out there. Are you overreacting, or is this a true-crime doc waiting to happen?You and your wife adopted four kids from foster care — all with special needs from drug exposure and trauma — and your parents keep blaming their behavior on your parenting. Now they're sharing their opinions with other family members. How do you stand your ground while keeping the peace?Your friend Lily started asking if you're better friends with her or Mary, accused Mary of "stealing friendships," and has confronted multiple people about their personalities. When you suggested therapy, she insisted she's already doing everything right. What do you do when someone's spiraling?Recommendation of the Week: SlimFold Nano Soft Shell Minimalist WalletYou read about the value of keeping goals to yourself — how silence can protect dreams from premature deflation — but at some point, you need to open up while networking and building relationships. So where's the line between strategic silence and sharing what you're working on?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: CookUnity: 50% off first week: cookunity.com/jordan or code JORDANChime: Open an account in two minutes: chime.com/jhsBombas: Go to bombas.com/jordan to get 20% off your first orderAudible: Visit audible.com/jhs or text JHS to 500-500See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1277: Isabelle Boemeke | The Rad Future of Nuclear Electricity

Nuclear power could save the planet — so why are we terrified of it? Here, Rad Future author Isabelle Boemeke breaks down the science behind the stigma.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1277What We Discuss with Isabelle Boemeke:Nuclear energy is the cleanest major power source available — producing no greenhouse gas emissions or particulate matter during electricity generation — yet public perception remains trapped in Cold War-era fears and Hollywood disaster imagery rather than modern scientific reality.The math on safety is staggering: fossil fuels cause roughly four million premature deaths annually from air pollution, while even the most generous estimates attribute around 4,000 deaths to history's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl — meaning you'd need 200 Chernobyls every year for nuclear to match fossil fuel fatalities.Nuclear fuel is approximately one million times more energy dense than coal — a gummy bear-sized pellet of uranium contains the same energy as 2,000 pounds of coal — which translates to dramatically less mining, less land use, and a lifetime of personal energy consumption producing only a soda can's worth of spent fuel.Germany's post-Fukushima decision to phase out nuclear power backfired spectacularly, leaving the country dependent on Russian gas (effectively funding the Ukraine war), while China's critiques of Fukushima's tritium release were pure theater — their own nuclear plants routinely emit more tritiated water during normal operations.The infrastructure for a nuclear transition already exists — coal plants share nearly identical turbine and cooling systems with nuclear facilities, meaning workers can be retrained and sites repurposed, creating jobs in communities devastated by fossil fuel shutdowns while building genuine energy independence.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: BetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterhelp.com/jordanFitbod: 25% off: fitbod.me/jordanHexClad: 10% off: hexclad.com/jordanProgressive: Free online quote: progressive.comHomes.com: Find your home: homes.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1276: Coltan Scrivner | The Evolutionary Logic of Morbid Curiosity

Why do we rubberneck accidents and binge true crime? Behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner explains the surprising psychology behind our morbid curiosity.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1276What We Discuss with Coltan Scrivner:Morbid curiosity isn't a character flaw — it's an evolutionary feature. The same instinct that makes us rubberneck at accidents helped our ancestors learn about threats without becoming victims themselves. It's your brain's built-in threat-assessment system, gathering intel from a safe distance.Horror movies work because of a specific formula: an overwhelmingly powerful villain versus a vulnerable protagonist. That imbalance — think Pennywise hunting kids or Jason stalking camp counselors — triggers our threat-detection systems in ways action films simply can't replicate.True crime's massive female audience isn't random. Women face threats primarily from people they know, so their curiosity focuses on spotting danger signals and understanding how predators operate. Men, who historically face violence from strangers, gravitate toward watching combat simulations like UFC.Decades of research and millions of dollars confirm: violent video games don't create violent people. The Mortal Kombat moral panic of the nineties produced the ESRB rating system — but the generation raised on those pixelated fatalities turned out just fine.Engaging with scary play — whether horror films, spooky games, or even childhood tag — actually builds emotional resilience. Kids who experience controlled fear learn to regulate anxiety, giving them psychological tools to handle real-world stress as adults. So don't skip the haunted house.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: HelloFresh: Get $80 off your first order at hellofresh.com/jhs80Bombas: Go to bombas.com/jordan to get 20% off your first orderDeleteMe: 20% off: joindeleteme.com/jordan, code JORDANAudible: Visit audible.com/jhs or text JHS to 500-500Homes.com: Find your home: homes.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1275: Incels | Skeptical Sunday

Are "incels" dangerous radicals or just lonely guys punching walls online? Nick Pell takes us to the basement to find out here on Skeptical Sunday.Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1275On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:The term "incel" was originally coined by a woman in the late 1990s as a gender-neutral, supportive community for lonely people — but it transformed over time into something darker as those who improved their lives left, leaving behind increasingly bitter participants.The "blackpill" philosophy — the belief that genetics predetermines your romantic fate — functions as a psychological trap that offers simple answers to complex pain while simultaneously absolving incels of responsibility to change their circumstances.Despite media portrayals, incel violence is statistically rare — only 12 incidents of "misogynist terrorism" worldwide over 40 years — though the broader phenomenon represents a warning sign about male loneliness and social disconnection at scale.A UK Home Office study revealed surprising demographics: 25% screen positive for autism spectrum traits, 42% are non-white, most identify as politically moderate, and 80% are neither employed nor in education — complicating the simplistic "angry white basement dweller" stereotype.Ex-incels exist and lead normal lives — they escape by building social skills, joining communities, finding purpose, and focusing on self-improvement like fitness, therapy, or hobbies rather than fixating on dating failures — proving that the "blackpill" worldview is a choice, not destiny.Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: BetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterhelp.com/jordanWayfair: Start renovating: wayfair.comQuiltmind: Email jordanaudience@quiltmind.com to get started or visit quiltmind.com for more infoHomes.com: Find your home: homes.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.