Counterflow with Buck Johnson

Ep. 408 - The Gut and the Soul: Health, Habit, and the Passions, with Dr. Mark Faries

April 7, 2026·1h 3m
Episode Description from the Publisher

In this episode, Buck sits down with Dr. Mark Faries, professor at Texas A&M and researcher in behavior change, to explore one of the most frustrating realities of modern life: Why do we know what's healthy… and still fail to do it? Dr. Faries breaks down the science behind human behavior—why people change, why they don't, and why most attempts at improving health fall apart over time. The conversation moves beyond surface-level advice and into the deeper issue of self-regulation failure—the internal battle between what we know and what we actually do. But this isn't just a conversation about health science. Drawing from his own journey into Orthodoxy, Dr. Faries connects modern research with the wisdom of the Church Fathers, showing how ancient teachings on the passions—especially gluttony—line up strikingly well with what we now understand about behavior, habit formation, and even gut health. From more from Dr Mark, go here: http://markfaries.com/  Orthodox Youth and young adult Ministries - Removing the Veil  Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

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