Emma, Carrie, Vivian
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The eugenicists were utopians, convinced that they were doing hard but necessary things. And that in...
Close Enough
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today, more and more of us are living through the people on our screens and in our headphones. It's ...
One Head, Two Brains
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we search for the answer to a deceptively simple question: why is the brain divided? Psyc...
Radio Replay: Creative Differences
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when we connect with people whose view of the world is very different from our own? We ...
Rewinding & Rewriting
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
All of us think back to turning points in our lives, and imagine how things could have unfolded diff...
The Vegetable Lamb
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We like to think that science evolves in a way that is...rational. But this isn't always the case. T...
The Best Medicine
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, a scientific look at what makes us laugh. Here's a hint — a lot of it isn't funny. We t...
The Cowboy Philosopher
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given nam...
Loss and Renewal
31 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Maya Shankar was well on her way to an extraordinary career as a violinist when an injury closed tha...
Compassion
24 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we look at the science of compassion, and why doing good things for others can make a big...
Radio Replay: Yum and Yuck
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We dig into the psychology that determines the foods that make us salivate and the scents that make ...
Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Arguments and bickering can sour family gatherings during the holiday season. This week, we share ti...
Starving the Watchdog
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When a newspaper shuts down, there are obvious costs to the community it serves: job losses, fewer l...
Spoiler Alert!
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we always fall for surprise endings? It turns out that our capacity to be easily fooled in bo...
A Founding Contradiction
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." These words, pe...
Radio Replay: Bringing Up Baby
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We try to translate the mysterious language of babies. And we ask, when should we step back and just...
The Edge of Gender
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Gender is one of the first things we notice about the people around us. But where do our ideas about...
Zipcode Destiny
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There's a core belief embedded in the story of the United States: the American Dream. This week we ...
Sounds Like a Winner
05 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We're used to the idea that rhetoric sways voters. But what about another element of language: a can...
The Lazarus Drug
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses last year — many of them from heroin and other opio...
Radio Replay: Too Little, Too Much
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever noticed that when something important is missing in your life, your brain can only see...
Be The Change
22 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." It's a popular quote that's made its way ont...
Voting With Your Middle Finger
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There is one truth that has endured through the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency: he has...
Red Brain, Blue Brain
08 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We often assume our life experiences are the root of our political ideologies. But what if there is ...
"Man Up"
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You've certainly heard some variation of the phrase "be a man." But what does that even me...
Why Now?
24 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. ...
Radio Replay: Eyes Wide Open
21 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When Randy Gardner was 17, he won a world record for going eleven days without sleeping. On this Rad...
The Cassandra Curse
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After a disaster happens, we want to know whether something could have been done to avoid it. Did an...
Our Better Nature
11 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you live in a big city, you may have noticed new buildings popping up — a high-rise here, a sky...
Bullshit Jobs
04 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever had a job where you had to stop and ask yourself: what am I doing here? If I quit tomo...
You 2.0: Check Yourself
28 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The simple "to-do" list may be one of humanity's oldest tools for getting organized. But c...
You 2.0: Originals
21 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to be an original? As part of our summer series, You 2.0, we talk with psychology...
You 2.0: When Did Marriage Become So Hard?
14 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are signs it's getting even harder. In this episode, we explore how long-term relationships ha...
You 2.0: The Ostrich Effect
07 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power...right? As part of our summer series, You 2.0, we try to...
You 2.0: Dream Jobs
31 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Finding a new job may be the solution to your woes at work. But there may also be other ways to get ...
You 2.0: Rebel With A Cause
24 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Editor's note, December 6, 2024: Since we first published this episode with Francesca Gino in 2018, ...
Radio Replay: Watch Your Mouth
20 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you're bilingual or multilingual, you may have noticed that different languages make you stretch ...
Creating God
17 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you've taken part in a religious service, have you ever stopped to think about how it all came to...
Snooki and the Handbag
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Look down at what you're wearing. You picked out that blue shirt, right? And those sandals — you d...
The Edge Effect
03 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There is great comfort in the familiar. It's one reason humans often flock to other people who share...
Fake News: An Origin Story
26 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Fake news may seem new, but in reality, it's as old as American journalism. This week, we look at a ...
Radio Replay: Looking Back
22 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why are we so often pulled into memories of the past? This week, two emotions we just can't shake: r...
Summer Melt
19 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As many as 40 percent of students who intend to go to college don't actually show up to their new ca...
Hungry, Hungry Hippocampus
12 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone who's tried (and failed) to follow a diet knows that food is more than fuel. This week, we di...
When Everything Clicks
05 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There can be a lot of psychological noise involved in teaching. But what if we replaced all that men...
Kinder-Gardening
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Many parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison G...
Rewinding & Rewriting
22 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
All of us are time travelers. We go back in history to turning points in our lives, and imagine how ...
Radio Replay: This Is Your Brain On Ads
18 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How many ads have you encountered today? On this week's radio replay, we discuss the insidiousness o...
Baby Talk
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Babies are speaking to us all the time, but most of us have no clue what they're saying. To research...
Rap on Trial
08 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Olutosin Oduwole was an aspiring rapper and college student when he was arrested in 2007. He was cha...
The Fox and the Hedgehog
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Greek poet Archilochus wrote that "the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one bi...
Emma, Carrie, Vivian
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 1924, a 17-year-old girl was admitted to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminde...
Radio Replay: The Weight of Our Words
20 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Political correctness. Free speech. Terrorism. On this week's Radio Replay, we look at the language ...
Romeo and Juliet in Kigali
17 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How do you change someone's behavior? Most of us would point to education or persuasion. But what if...
Liar, Liar
10 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Editor’s note: Since this episode first aired, researchers have raised concerns about a number of ...
Tunnel Vision
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When you're hungry, it can be hard to think of anything other than food. When you're desperately poo...
Crickets and Cannibals
27 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine seeing a cockroach skitter across your kitchen counter. Does that thought gross you out? Thi...
The Lonely American Man
20 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Boys get the message at a young age: don't show your feelings. Don't rely on anyone. This week, we t...
Radio Replay: The Mind of the Village
16 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A culture of racism can infect us all. On this week's Radio Replay, we discuss the implicit biases w...
Think Fast with Daniel Kahneman
13 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do humans act rationally? Economic theory has long told us the answer is "yes." But a half...
Men: 45, Women: 0
06 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
More women are running for political office than ever before in American history. But in politics an...
Counting Other People's Blessings
27 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Envy is one of the most unpleasant of all human emotions. It also turns out to be one of the most di...
Filthy Rich
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, sociologist Brooke Harrington decided to explore the secret lives of billionaires...
When Did Marriage Become So Hard?
13 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Marriage is hard — and there are signs it's becoming even harder. This week on Hidden Brain, we ex...
Why Now?
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. ...
Lost in Translation
30 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Learning new languages can help us understand other cultures and countries. Cognitive science profes...
Radio Replay: The Power Hour
26 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Call it adulation, adoration, idolization: we humans are fascinated by glamour and power. But this t...
Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations
23 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We've all experienced miscommunications. Their consequences can range from hilarious... to disastrou...
Give Me Your Tired...
16 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Our airwaves are filled with debates about immigrants and refugees. Who should be allowed in the Uni...
Radio Replay: I, Robot
12 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever catch yourself yelling at your Alexa? Or typing questions into Google that you wouldn't ...
E Pluribus Unum?
09 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The tone of American politics can be...nasty. But is this nastiness really worse than in previous er...
Buying Attention
02 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever opened your computer with the intention of sending one email — only to spend an hour...
Radio Replay: Fresh Starts
30 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Unpredictable things happen to us all the time. In the process of getting back on your feet, you may...
I'm Right, You're Wrong
26 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
There are some topics about which it seems no amount of data will change people's minds: things like...
Radio Replay: Don't Panic!
22 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Chaos is a part of all of our lives. Sometimes we try to control it. And other times, we just have t...
Never Go To Vegas
19 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
All social classes have unspoken rules. From A-list celebrities to teachers, doctors, lawyers, and j...
Kinder-Gardening
12 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Many parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison G...
Radio Replay: Loving the Lie
08 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Radio Replay, we bring you stories of fakes, phonies, and con men — and the people ...
The Sorting Hat
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The desire to find our tribe is universal. We like to know who we are and where we belong. This fasc...
Radio Replay: Life, Interrupted
01 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What price do we pay for the constant interruptions we get from our phones and computers? And is the...
Money Talks
28 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How do you spend your money? On shoes, cars, coffee, fancy restaurants? You might think you use mone...
An American Secret
21 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
All countries have national myths. The story of the first Thanksgiving, for example, evokes the warm...
Radio Replay: Crime As A Disease
17 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In moments of anger, it can be hard to take a deep breath or count to ten. But public health researc...
Eyes Wide Open: Part 2
14 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What does the song "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones have in common with the periodic t...
Eyes Wide Open: Part 1
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Randy Gardner broke a world record in 1963, when he was only 17 years old. His feat? Going 11 days w...
Radio Replay: Prisons of Our Own Making
03 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Discussions about healthy living usually revolve around diet and exercise. Social interaction is oft...
Check Yourself
31 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The simple "to-do" list may be one of humanity's oldest tools for keeping organized. But c...
Radio Replay: What's In It For Me?
27 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Coincidences can make the everyday feel extraordinary. But are they magical, or just mathematical? O...
Misbehaving with Richard Thaler
24 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We don't always do what we're supposed to do. We don't save enough for retirement. We order dessert ...
The Good Old Days
17 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Is nostalgia an emotion that's bitter, or sweet? Why are we so often pulled into memories of the pas...
The Edge of Gender
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Gender is one of the first things we notice about the people around us. But where do our ideas about...
Be The Change
03 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." It's a popular quote that's made its way ont...
Just Sex
26 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We all know casual sex isn't about love. But what if it's not even about lust? Sociologist Lisa Wade...
The Ostrich Effect
19 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power...right? In this episode of Hidden Brain, we explore why ...
Regrets, I Have A Few...
12 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We all have regrets. By some estimates, regret is one of the most common emotions experienced in our...
Hiding Behind Free Speech
05 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Several weeks ago, white supremacists took to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, in a demonst...
You 2.0: Getting Unstuck
29 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
At one time or another, many of us feel stuck: in the wrong job, the wrong relationship, the wrong c...
You 2.0: Decide Already!
22 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest in our You 2.0 series, we bring you a favorite conversation with Harvard researcher Da...
You 2.0: WOOP, There It Is
15 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us have heard that we should think positively and visualize ourselves achieving our goals. B...
You 2.0: Embrace the Chaos
08 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us spend lots of time and energy trying to get organized. We tell our kids to clean their ro...