Trash talk is a deeply ingrained human behavior that has been around for centuries. It draws us in by raising the stakes of competition and creating a sense of identity and belonging. We talked with Author Rafi Kohan about all things Trash Talk covered in his new book Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn’t Total Garbage including:,
* The origins of trash talk
* Muhammad Ali as the OG of modern trash talk, bringing a new flavor to the practice
* Trash talk being more prevalent in basketball due to the face-to-face interaction and constant pressure of the game
* How trash talk can affect performance by manipulating attention and focus.
* How psychological profiles can be leveraged to exploit vulnerabilities and disrupt an athlete's skill set.