Hidden Brain

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 tips on how to avoid miscommunication from our Janua...

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 local stories. But new research suggests there's an...

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 books and movies is made possible by a handful of pr...

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, penned by Thomas Jefferson more than 240 years ago, ...

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 let our children be?

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 gender come from? Can gender differences be expla...

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 discuss the state of that dream with economist Raj...

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 candidate's voice? This week on Hidden Brain, what ha...

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 opioids. One of the most widely-used tools to confront...

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 seem to focus on that missing thing? On this week's R...

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 onto coffee mugs and bumper stickers — but it's not...

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 kept the support of the core voters who propelled...

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 something deeper at play?

"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 mean? On this episode of Hidden Brain, we discuss ma...

Why Now?

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. For the most part, the allegations went nowhere. I...

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 Radio Replay, Randy shares insights from that experie...

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 anyone see this coming? Many times, the answer is ye...

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 skyscraper there. The concrete jungles that we've bui...

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 tomorrow, would anyone even notice? This week on Hidde...

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 checklists are also proving essential in many moder...

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 professor Adam Grant about innovators and the cha...

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 have changed over time and whether we might be able ...

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 understand why we stick our heads in the sand.

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 more out of your daily grind. This week, we talk ...

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, other researchers have raised concerns about the i...

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 in different ways. In this month's Radio Replay, w...

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 be? How did people become believers? Where did th...

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 decided on those because they're comfortable, didn'...

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 the same interests, laugh at the same jokes, hold...

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 tension at the heart of news coverage: Should repo...

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: regret and nostalgia.

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 campuses in the fall. Education researchers call thi...

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 dig into the psychology behind what we eat, what we ...

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 mental chit chat....with a click? This week, we explo...

Kinder-Gardening

29 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Many parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison Gopnik says the science suggests otherwise. This we...

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 things could have turned out differently. Psycholo...

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 of advertising in American media. We begin with new...

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 researchers, though, the babbling of babies is knowable, p...

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 charged with "attempting to make a terrorist thr...

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 big thing." This week, we'll use the metaphor o...

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 Feebleminded. The superintendent of the colony classified her...

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 we use around race and religion, and what that lan...

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 the answer lies elsewhere? Today we explore a rev...

Liar, Liar

10 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Editor’s note: Since this episode first aired, researchers have raised concerns about a number of studies authored by Dan Ariely, including one cite...

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 poor, you may constantly worry about making ends meet...

Crickets and Cannibals

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine seeing a cockroach skitter across your kitchen counter. Does that thought gross you out? This week, we take an unflinching look at the things ...

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 take a close look at misguided notions of masculini...

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 we carry that have been forged by the society aroun...

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 century ago, two psychologists — Daniel Kahnema...

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 and many other fields, women still struggle to attai...

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 difficult for researchers to study. And yet, there's...

Filthy Rich

20 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Several years ago, sociologist Brooke Harrington decided to explore the secret lives of billionaires. As she told us in this favorite episode from 201...

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 examine how long-term relationships have changed ove...

Why Now?

06 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. For the most part, the allegations went nowhere. I...

Lost in Translation

30 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Learning new languages can help us understand other cultures and countries. Cognitive science professor Lera Boroditsky says the languages we speak ca...

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 turns out to be only one side of our psychology —...

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 disastrous. The actor Alan Alda — yes, THAT Alan Alda —...

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 United States, who shouldn't, and who should decide? ...

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 dare ask aloud? On this episode, our changing rela...

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 eras, and if so, what does that mean for our democra...

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 scrolling through social media? Maybe two hours? ...

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 realize that something's different. On this Radio...

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 climate change, or restrictions on gun ownership....

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 to live with it. On this week's Radio Replay, we ex...

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 journalists — there are social norms that govern ...

Kinder-Gardening

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Many parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison Gopnik says the science suggests otherwise. She thi...

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 who fall for the false worlds they create. First, ...

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 fascination has led to a thriving industry built on th...

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 there a better way to handle distraction? In this wee...

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 money just to, you know, buy stuff. But as Neeru Pahar...

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 glow of intercultural contact: European settlers,...

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 researcher Harold Pollack says five minutes of reflection...

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 table of elements? Both are the products of dreams....

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 without sleeping. Randy, now 71, shares his wisdom ...

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 often left out of the conversation, even though resea...

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 checklists are also proving essential in many moder...

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? On this week's Radio Replay, we explore our deep fa...

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 — even when we're supposed to be dieting. In oth...

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 past? This week on Hidden Brain, we talk about what p...

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 gender come from? Can gender differences be expla...

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 onto coffee mugs and bumper stickers — but it's not...

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 believes the pervasive hookup culture on campuses...

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 we sometimes avoid information that's vital to our...

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 daily lives. This week we'll hear listeners' stor...

Hiding Behind Free Speech

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Several weeks ago, white supremacists took to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, in a demonstration that left many Americans asking a lot of qu...

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 city – the wrong life. Psychologists and self-hel...

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 Dan Gilbert. He tells us why we're bad at predicting...

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. But researcher Gabriele Oettingen finds this isn't ...

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 rooms, and our politicians to clean up Washington. B...

You 2.0: Dream Jobs

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why do you work? Are you mostly in it for the money, or do you have another purpose? Popular wisdom says your answer depends on the nature of your job...

You 2.0: Deep Work

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When your phone buzzes or a notification pops up your screen, do you stop what you're doing to look and respond? That's what many of us are doing. Eve...

Summer Melt

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

According to research from Harvard, as many as 40% of kids who intend to go to college at the time of high school graduation don't actually show up in...

Could You Kill A Robot?

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Will we one day create machines that are essentially just like us? People have been wrestling with that question since the advent of robotics. But may...

Losing Face

04 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It happens to all of us: someone recognizes you on the street, calls you by name, and says hello... and you have no idea who that person is. Researche...

Guessing Games

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Pundits and prognosticators make predictions all the time: about everything from elections, to sports, to global affairs. This week on Hidden Brain, w...

"Is he Muslim?"

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a five year period from 2011 to 2016, just twelve percent of terrorist attacks in the United States were perpetrated by Muslims. More than fifty pe...

Rap on Trial

13 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Olutosin Oduwole was an aspiring rapper and college student when he was arrested in 2007. He was given an unusual charge: "attempting to make a t...

In The Air We Breathe

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After a police-involved shooting, there's often a familiar blame game: Maybe the cop was racist. Maybe the person who was shot really was threatening....

Broken Windows

30 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1980s, a couple of researchers wrote an article in The Atlantic that would have far-reaching consequences. The article introduced a new i...

Me, Myself, and IKEA

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's normal to feel drawn to people you share something with — whether that's a name, or a birthday, or a common background. But did you know that w...