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 episode explores the significance of "connective labor"—the often-overlooked act of truly seeing and hearing others—in various settings. Against the backdrop of numerous anecdotes illustrating moments of being unseen or misseen, the interview delves into the emotional impact of this lack of connection. More signif...
This episode explores the challenges of making decisions about the future, particularly when considering how much we might change as individuals over time. The host interviews philosopher L.A. Paul, who studies transformative experiences and how they reshape our identities. Against this backdrop, the discussion uses ...
This podcast explores the phenomenon of false confessions, interviewing psychologist Saul Kassin. Kassin details his research on why innocent people confess to crimes they didn't commit, categorizing confessions as voluntary, compliant, or internalized. He discusses his experiments demonstrating how police interrogati...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the concept of inflection points in business and life, using the examples of Coca-Cola's New Coke failure, Gillette's struggle against Dollar Shave Club, and Kodak's missed opportunities. The interview with Rita McGrath details how companies often miss inflection points due t...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the concept of "covering," where individuals subtly mask aspects of their identities to fit societal expectations. The interview with legal scholar Kenji Yoshino uses examples like FDR hiding his disability and Margaret Thatcher downplaying her working-class background to ill...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores why people comply with unjust rules and authority, featuring an interview with psychologist Sunita Sah. The episode uses personal anecdotes (Sah's experiences with a medical procedure and a friend's massage) and case studies (a McDonald's hoax involving a strip search) to ill...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the science of difficult conversations, focusing on avoidance and strategies for improvement. The interview with behavioral scientist Alison Wood Brooks covers common avoidance tactics, the importance of recognizing one's emotional responses, and techniques like conversationa...
This Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the science of conversation, interviewing behavioral scientist Alison Wood Brooks. The episode uses anecdotes from Brooks' personal life (a disastrous blind date and a challenging conversation with a friend) to illustrate common conversational pitfalls, such as a lack of reci...
This interview podcast explores the psychology of grudges and their impact on well-being. The host interviews psychologist Fred Luskin, who discusses case studies illustrating how holding onto grievances affects individuals' mental and physical health, impacting sleep, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. Lus...
This interview podcast explores the significant role of randomness and chance in shaping our lives and the world. The host begins by recounting anecdotes illustrating how seemingly insignificant events have had profound consequences, such as a lost beach ball saving a man's life and a vacation influencing the atomic b...
This interview podcast explores the psychological impact of overwhelming global issues like climate change, particularly on young people. The host interviews Sarah Jaquette Ray, who discusses her research on students experiencing intense emotions like guilt, despair, and even eco-suicide due to the scale of environmen...
This interview podcast explores the science of goal setting and how to choose a life path aligned with one's values. The host interviews psychologist Ken Sheldon, who discusses his research on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and the challenges of aligning personal goals with societal expectations. Sheldon recounts...
In this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, the focus is on crisis leadership psychology, contrasting the failures of Captain Francesco Schettino during the Costa Concordia disaster with the successes of Coach Ek from the Thai cave rescue and pilot Tammy Jo Schultz during the Southwest Airlines incident. The discussio...
In the first episode of the "Wellness 2.0" series from the Hidden Brain podcast, the focus is on authenticity and its role in fostering well-being. Host Erica Bailey, a social scientist, shares her insights into the detriments of living inauthentically—such as stress, fatigue, and unethical behavior—as well as the bene...
In this episode of Hidden Brain, the podcast delves into the science behind creativity and invention, revealing that those “aha” moments are not mere luck but the product of a thoughtful process. This process involves keen observation, recombining existing knowledge, and a healthy dose of persistence and curiosity. Thr...
The Hidden Brain podcast delves into how our digital footprints—essentially the data we leave behind online—can uncover more about us than we might think. Through a range of studies, the episode shows that even seemingly harmless data like social media posts, buying habits, and location tracking can reveal insights int...
In this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, the psychology behind gift-giving is examined, highlighting why many gifts fall short. Research indicates that gift-givers often focus on the immediate excitement and their own creativity, paying more attention to the moment of giving than to what the recipient will truly en...
In this episode of Hidden Brain, we delve into the life and work of Philip Zimbardo, a prominent psychologist best known for the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment. The podcast juxtaposes Zimbardo's bold and sometimes reckless exploration of human evil with the careful, precise work of cartographers who strive to...
In this episode of Hidden Brain, the focus is on how family stories shape our identities and contribute to our well-being. Research indicates that families who share both uplifting and challenging experiences together create stronger connections, boost self-esteem, and enhance resilience in both children and adults. Th...
In this episode of Hidden Brain, the focus is on "wild red rage"—those moments of intense, instinctive anger. Through stories of people reacting violently to minor annoyances or remaining surprisingly calm in life-threatening situations, the podcast uncovers that this seemingly irrational anger is actually a quick, evo...
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