This is an ABC podcast.

Scientists across across the globe are declaring a climate emergency.

It's been labelled the worst fire season ever recorded, an apocalypse, a nightmare and like looking into the gates

of hell.

For many of us, the past few years have been full of stress and uncertainty.

If not in our personal lives, then certainly in the world around us.

What is quickly turning out to be a crash for global share market.

With the nation struggling through its first recession in a generation.

The World Health Organization declares the coronavirus a pandemic.

It has many, understandably, searching for answers, explanations and solutions.

Enter the guru phenomenon.

As psychology professor Matthew Brown and cognitive anthropologist Chris Kavanaugh describe it.

With their podcast decoding the gurus, they've been analyzing the characteristics shared among figures that act as modern-day secular gurus.

People who espouse ideas on all kinds of topics, not necessarily

related to their area of expertise, or sometimes any expertise at all.

So what makes a guru and how skeptical should we be?

You're listening to All in the Mind.

I'm Sana Khadar, and today, the Guru Playbook and why we should get smart to

their tactics.

So I'm Professor Matthew Brown. I work at CQ University in the psychology department and

based in Queensland, Australia.

I'm Christopher Kavana. I'm a cognitive anthropologist slash social psychologist, and I do research at Oxford University. Professor Brown and Dr. Kavanaugh started looking into gurus last year,

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