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Hidden Brain
Description

Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

Episodes
  • 2024 / 3 / 25
    Are You Listening?

    Have you ever sat across from your spouse, colleague or friend and realized that while they may be hearing what you're saying, they aren't actually listening? Poor listening can lead to arguments, hurt...

  • 2024 / 3 / 11
    Escaping the Matrix

    A little more than a decade ago, researchers began tracking an alarming trend: a dramatic uptick in anxiety and depression among young Americans. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, like many other researchers, says...

  • 2024 / 3 / 4
    Fear Less

    Fear is a normal and healthy response to things that may harm us. But fear can also hold us back from doing the things we want to do. This week, we talk to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Arash Javanbakht...

  • 2024 / 2 / 26
    US 2.0: Lincoln's Dilemma

    Over the past few weeks, we've been exploring the psychology of partisanship, and how to effectively handle disagreements with those around us. This week, we conclude our US 2.0 series by turning to the past....

  • 2024 / 2 / 19
    US 2.0: Not at the Dinner Table

    We typically divide the country into two distinct groups: Democrats and Republicans. But what if the real political divide in our country isn’t between “left” and “right”? What if it’s between those who care...

  • 2024 / 2 / 12
    US 2.0: Living With Our Differences

    Conflicts are inevitable — both at a global scale and in our personal lives. This week, in the latest in our US 2.0 series, psychologist Peter Coleman explains how minor disagreements turn into major rifts,...

  • 2024 / 2 / 5
    US 2.0: Win Hearts, Then Minds

    There's a saying that's attributed to the Dalai Lama: in the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. It's a nice idea, but in reality, when people don't share our values, it's hard for us to...

  • 2024 / 1 / 29
    US 2.0: What We Have In Common

    The United States, we’re told, is increasingly a house divided. Conservatives and progressives are so alienated from each other that conversation is virtually impossible. But are we really as divided as we’re...

  • 2024 / 1 / 22
    Are Your Memories Real?

    We rely on our memory to understand the world. But what if our memories aren't true? This week, we talk to psychologist Elizabeth Loftus about the malleability of memory — what we remember, and what we think...

  • 2024 / 1 / 15
    Finding Focus

    We spend more and more of our lives staring at screens. Our cellphones, smartwatches and laptops allow us to communicate instantly with people across the globe, and quickly look up obscure facts. But our...

  • 2024 / 1 / 8
    Where Do Feelings Come From?

    Most of us feel that our emotions are reactions to those outside of us. Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we say that the other driver made us upset. A friend brings over food when we're sick, and we say...

  • 2024 / 1 / 1
    Making the Most of Your Mistakes

    When we're learning, or trying new things, mistakes are inevitable. Some of these mistakes provide us with valuable information, while others are just harmful. This week, we kick off the new year with...

  • 2023 / 12 / 25
    What Would Socrates Do?

    Humans have wrestled with questions about identity and purpose for millennia. So it’s no surprise that the insights of people who lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago have stood the test of time....

  • 2023 / 12 / 11
    The Ugly Side of Beauty

    We like to tell kids, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But from a very early age, we humans are doing just that — judging others based on how they look. This week, we bring you the second part of our look...

  • 2023 / 12 / 4
    The Mystery of Beauty

    Think about the last time you were struck by a gorgeous painting in a museum, or heard a song that brought you to tears. All of us know what it’s like to be stopped in our tracks by a beautiful sight. But...

  • 2023 / 11 / 27
    Healing 2.0: The Power of Apologies

    Why is it so hard to say 'I'm sorry?' In the final episode of our Healing 2.0 series, we talk with psychologist Tyler Okimoto about the mental barriers that keep us from admitting when we've done something...

  • 2023 / 11 / 20
    Healing 2.0: Disrupting Death

    In 2019, Justin Harrison's mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But by the time she died, he had figured out how to keep a part of her alive...forever. This week, the strange and provocative story of a man...

  • 2023 / 11 / 13
    Healing 2.0: Life After Loss

    You've probably heard that people who lose a loved one may go through what are known as the "five stages" of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But many people find that their grief...

  • 2023 / 11 / 6
    Healing 2.0: What We Gain from Pain

    We’ve all heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” But is there any truth to this idea? This week, we explore the concept of post-traumatic growth with psychologist Eranda Jayawickreme....

  • 2023 / 10 / 30
    Healing 2.0: Change Your Story, Change Your Life

    We all tell stories about ourselves, often without realizing we’re doing so. How we frame those stories can profoundly shape our lives. In the kickoff episode to our month-long series on healing, psychologist...

  • 2023 / 10 / 23
    The Enemies of Gratitude

    One of the mysteries of human behavior is that it’s often easier for us to focus on what’s going wrong than on what’s going right in our lives. Why is that? Psychologist Thomas Gilovich studies the barriers...

  • 2023 / 10 / 16
    Follow the Anomalies

    As we move through our lives, we have to make decisions both big and small. Some are banal: What will I eat for breakfast today? Should I drive or bike to work? Others are more complicated: How much should I...

  • 2023 / 10 / 9
    How to Spot a Scam

    We like to think that con artists only prey upon the weak, or gullible. But psychologist Dan Simons says all of us can fall victim to scams, because the best scammers know how to take advantage of our biases...

  • 2023 / 10 / 2
    Escaping Perfectionism

    Perfectionism is everyone’s favorite flaw. It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to academic, athletic, and professional success. But psychologist Thomas Curran says perfectionism has...

  • 2023 / 9 / 25
    The Secret to Great Teams

    It's easy to think that the best teams are collections of highly accomplished or talented individuals, working under a skilled leader. But that's no guarantee of success. Psychologist Anita Woolley says the...

  • 2023 / 9 / 18
    Outsmarting Yourself

    After we make a decision, we often tell ourselves a story about why our choice was the right one to make. It's a mental process that psychologist Elliot Aronson calls self-justification. These...

  • 2023 / 9 / 11
    How We Live With Contradictions

    Think about the last time you did something you knew was wrong. How did you explain your actions to yourself? All of us tell stories about why we do the things we do. We justify our failures, and come up with...

  • 2023 / 8 / 28
    You 2.0: Make the Good Times Last

    Sorrows have a way of finding us, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Joys, on the other hand, are often hard to notice and appreciate. This week, we continue our conversation with psychologist Fred...

  • 2023 / 8 / 21
    You 2.0: Slow Down!

    It’s understandable that we sometimes dwell on things that upset us. But our negative emotions can keep us from savoring the good things in our lives. This week, we continue our You 2.0 series with...

  • 2023 / 8 / 14
    You 2.0: Your Future Is Now

    Have you ever set a goal and had a really difficult time sticking to it? Maybe you decide you want to save more money, or go to the gym more often. This week on the show, psychologist Hal Hershfield explains...

  • 2023 / 8 / 7
    You 2.0: How to Break Out of a Rut

    There are times in life when the challenges we face feel insurmountable. Authors succumb to writer's block. Athletes and artists hit a plateau. People of a certain age fall into a midlife crisis. These are...

  • 2023 / 7 / 31
    The Truth About Honesty

    Think about how often you hold back honest opinions of someone else because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. But there are times when this well-intended restraint can be a mistake. This week, in the...

  • 2023 / 7 / 24
    Learning From Your Mistakes

    No matter who you are, it's guaranteed that at some point in life you'll make a mistake. Many of us find failures to be uncomfortable — so we try our best to ignore them and move on. But what if there was a...

  • 2023 / 7 / 17
    The Path to Enough

    This week, we bring you the second part of our conversation on the perils of too much pleasure. Psychiatrist Anna Lembke explains the neuroscience behind compulsive consumption, and how it alters our brains....

  • 2023 / 7 / 10
    The Paradox of Pleasure

    All of us think we know what addiction looks like: it’s the compulsive consumption of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. But psychiatrist Anna Lembke argues that this definition is far too narrow — and that a...

  • 2023 / 7 / 3
    How Others See You

    It's not easy to know how we come across to others, especially when we're meeting people for the first time. Psychologist Erica Boothby says many of us underestimate how much other people actually like us....

  • 2023 / 6 / 26
    The Best Years of Your Life

    Aging isn’t just a biological process. Our outlook and emotions also change as we age, often in ways that boost our well-being. Psychologist Laura Carstensen unpacks the science behind this surprising...

  • 2023 / 6 / 19
    When to Eat the Marshmallow

    Think about the last time you resisted watching yet another episode of your favorite TV show, or decided not to have a second piece of cake at a friend's birthday party. In many societies, self-discipline is...

  • 2023 / 6 / 8
    Seeking Serenity: Part 2

    In the second part of our series on the science of meditation, Richard Davidson continues his endeavor to unite seemingly opposite ways of understanding the mind. Plus, he shares the latest research on...

  • 2023 / 6 / 5
    Seeking Serenity: Part 1

    In graduate school, neuroscientist Richard Davidson learned to use scientific tools as a way to examine the brain. At the same time, he also started studying under master meditators — who deeply contemplated...

  • 2023 / 5 / 29
    Success 2.0: Getting to the Top and Staying There

    There are plenty of talented people in the world. So why do only a tiny percentage of us reach the highest peaks of achievement? This week, we conclude our "Success 2.0" series by talking with researcher...

  • 2023 / 5 / 22
    Success 2.0: The Psychology of Self-Doubt

    We all have times when we feel like a fraud. In the latest installment of our Success 2.0 series, we revisit a favorite 2021 conversation with psychologist Kevin Cokley. We'll explore the corrosive effects of...

  • 2023 / 5 / 15
    Success 2.0: The Obstacles You Don't See

    Think about the last time you tried to bring up an idea at work, and it was shot down. What did you do? Most of us think the best way to win people over is to push harder. But organizational psychologist...

  • 2023 / 5 / 14
    Introducing Hidden Brain+

    Do you love the ideas we explore on Hidden Brain and want more of them? Then please join Hidden Brain+, our new podcast subscription. You’ll find new episodes not available anywhere else, plus the chance to...

  • 2023 / 5 / 8
    Success 2.0: Getting What You Want

    We all rely on incentives to get people to do things they might otherwise avoid. Parents reward kids for doing their homework. Companies offer bonuses to their high-performing employees. Charities send gifts...

  • 2023 / 5 / 1
    Success 2.0: Taking the Leap

    American culture celebrates those who persevere in the face of adversity. So how do we know when to walk away from something that's not working? Today, we kick off our new "Success 2.0" series with economist...

  • 2023 / 4 / 24
    A Secret Source of Connection

    We all have moments in our lives when we see someone who could use a helping hand. It could be a friend who recently went through a breakup, an elderly person trying to load groceries into their car, or a...

  • 2023 / 4 / 17
    Remember More, Forget Less

    It happens to the best of us — we blank on someone's name, or forget an important meeting, or bomb a test we thought we'd ace. Today on the show, we talk to cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham about the...

  • 2023 / 4 / 10
    Crying Wolf

    It used to be that we tried our best to conceal disadvantages, hardships, and humiliations. But new research explores a curious shift: some people are flaunting limitations that don't exist. This week, we...

  • 2023 / 3 / 27
    How To Make Amends

    When James and Donovan first met, they knew little about each other, except that Donovan had stolen James' bike. Donovan got caught, and spent a month in jail. It was a story with a happy ending, as far as...