Why do I feel stuck? How can I become more creative? What can I do to improve my relationships? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone. On Hidden Brain, we help you understand your own mind — and the minds of the people around you. (We're routinely rated the #1 science podcast in the United States.) Hosted by veteran science journalist Shankar Vedantam.
This podcast episode features Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast, discussing the launch of Hidden Brain Plus and reflecting on human behavior. Shankar emphasizes the complexity of human behavior and his own experiences with the mother-daughter relationship. Hidden Brain Plus is introduced as a podcast s...
This podcast episode explores the intricacies of incentives, showcasing their diverse implications on human behavior. The discussion examines real-world examples, such as government policies, charity fundraising strategies, and employee motivation techniques, to underscore the significance of carefully designing incent...
This podcast explores the concept of success and its key ingredients, including grit, determination, and the often-overlooked role of LinkedIn ads for B2B marketers. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychology of quitting, recognizing when to quit, and making decisions based on potential gains rather t...
This podcast episode explores various psychological phenomena that influence human behavior, including the bystander effect, the prosociality paradox, and the transformative power of gratitude and empathy. Personal anecdotes and real-life stories are used to illustrate these concepts and highlight the importance of kin...
This podcast episode delves into the complexities of memory, explores various memory-related phenomena, and offers practical strategies for effective memorization. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of memory, acknowledging its fallibility, and implementing effective learning techniques to retain...
This podcast episode delves into the concept of the virtuous victim effect, in which individuals who present themselves as victims are perceived as more morally good than their non-victim counterparts. By crafting a backstory as a gay, Jewish man, Arthur experienced increased confidence, protection, and influence withi...
This podcast episode delves into the dynamics of spreading processes, from viruses to information and ideas, in social networks, highlighting the concepts of strong and weak ties, complex and simple contagions, and their distinct roles in shaping social change. It explores case studies like the civil rights movement, t...
This podcast episode examines the art of persuasion and its challenges. It underscores the complexity of crafting convincing arguments and the significance of effective communication, especially during crises. The dilution effect, the weakening of an argument by including weak or trivial information, is analyzed, along...
This Hidden Brain episode interviews Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji about the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and its implications. The discussion explores the IAT's initial promise of revealing a strong link between implicit bias and behavior, then examines subsequent research showing a weak correlation at the ...
This Hidden Brain episode interviews Mahzarin Banaji, a social psychologist, about her life and research on implicit bias. The interview begins with Banaji recounting her childhood experiences with asthma and how this shaped her observational skills and interest in research. It then details her discovery of implicit m...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores how fundamental beliefs shape our perception of reality, impacting our lives and interactions. The interview with psychologist Jer Clifton uses the example of a subway rescue to illustrate how differing perspectives arise from underlying beliefs, introducing concepts like the...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the emotion of awe and its impact on well-being, featuring an interview with psychologist Dacher Keltner. Keltner discusses his personal experiences with awe, including encounters with nature, music, and significant individuals, and how these experiences helped him cope with ...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the relationship between memory, anticipation, and happiness, particularly concerning experiences versus material possessions. The interview features psychologist Liz Dunn, who recounts a miserable Arctic road trip that became a cherished memory, illustrating how experiences,...
This podcast episode explores the concept of purpose and its profound impact on our lives. Purpose provides a sense of direction and meaning, and research has consistently shown that it is strongly associated with better health outcomes, cognitive benefits, and higher income. Having a sense of purpose helps individuals...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores how to cope with distress and unhappiness, interviewing psychologist Todd Kashdan. The interview details Kashdan's personal experiences with grief and avoidance, contrasting them with his later research and therapeutic approaches. Kashdan advocates for distress tolerance and...
This Hidden Brain episode explores the paradox of pursuing happiness, interviewing psychologist Iris Mauss. Mauss discusses research showing that striving intensely for happiness can ironically lead to lower well-being and higher depressive symptoms, due to inflated expectations and self-consciousness about one's emot...
This Hidden Brain episode explores cognitive dissonance, the mental discomfort experienced when beliefs clash with reality. It uses two parallel narratives: the story of Dorothy Martin's followers who believed in an impending flood and awaited alien rescue, illustrating how commitment to a belief can lead to rationali...
This Hidden Brain episode interviews psychologist Robert Cialdini about his seven principles of persuasion. The discussion begins with Cialdini's college experience and progresses through several principles, including social proof (demonstrating that others are doing something to encourage compliance), authority (defe...
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