The Hidden Brain tour continues! Our next stop will be in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, October 11th! Join us for captivating stories, deep conversations, and key insights from Hidden Brain’s first decade — all hosted by Shankar Vedantam. www.etix.com/ticket/p/839...

Ever noticed how people instinctively defend themselves when receiving feedback? Maybe you’ve caught yourself doing it, too. This week, we continue our conversation with neuroscientist Emily Falk to explore why we tend to push back against suggestions. www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/its-...

The Hidden Brain tour continues! Our next stop will be in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, October 11th. Join us for captivating stories, deep conversations, and key insights from Hidden Brain’s first decade — all hosted by Shankar Vedantam. www.etix.com/ticket/p/839...

This week on My Unsung Hero: When Juli Cobb’s car ran out of gas in the middle of the road, three men from a nearby homeless encampment rushed over to push her car to safety. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/j...

You want to get up earlier. You really do. It would make your morning so much smoother. But that alarm goes off and, against all reason, you do it — you hit the snooze button. This week, why our minds conspire against our best interests, and how we can regain some control. apple.co/3IaGL62

We’re surrounded by images of perfection: in movies, on billboards, and (ugh) on social media. This week: the consequences of chasing perfection, and how to be content without it. apple.co/4m1377Q

It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to success. This week, we revisit an episode with Thomas Curran, who says perfectionism has a dark side. Then, Allison Pugh returns to the show to respond to questions about connective labor. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/esca...

There’s still time to see Hidden Brain live! Join Shankar at one of the upcoming stops on our live tour. He’ll be sharing key insights from Hidden Brain’s first decade. More info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

This week on My Unsung Hero: After his dad left, Patrick Furlong’s guidance counselor taught him to tie a tie — and showed him he wasn’t alone. Years later, he passed that lesson on to his own son. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/p...

We all have ideas about how people are supposed to react when tragedy strikes. But psychologist George Bonanno has found that there's a gap between how we *think* people respond to tragedy and how they actually respond. This week, we look at the surprising science of resilience: apple.co/4fWnfXa

In the 1980s, the scientific consensus on growing old was grim. But more recent research shows, increasingly, that older people are happier than younger people. Why is that? In this week’s episode, we talk to psychologist Laura Carstensen on the upsides to getting older. apple.co/4mIvPv7

The Hidden Brain tour continues! Our next stop will be in Mesa, Arizona on August 23rd! Join us for captivating stories, deep conversations, and key insights from Hidden Brain’s first decade—all hosted by Shankar Vedantam. bit.ly/47cwikw

It's almost time for our live show in Toronto on Wednesday, August 6th! Shankar will take a look back at seven key insights from Hidden Brain’s first ten years. Get your tickets now: admitone.com/events/hidde...

“Come on, who wants to live a life like a Stoic? I mean, aren't these the kind of people that go around with a stiff upper lip and suppressing emotions?” We continue our You 2.0 series with a look at Stoicism and how it can help us reframe life’s challenges. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/you-...

“The more we strive toward the goal of happiness, the more we undermine our ability to actually get there.” This week, we continue our You 2.0 series with a favorite episode about the paradox of happiness. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/happ...

Follow your passion. March to your own drummer. Land your dream job. We hear this kind of advice all the time. But what happens when the dream job doesn't bring us the satisfaction we imagine? This week, how to keep our passions alive. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/you-...

It’s been said that “he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” This week, we explore this idea in the kickoff episode to our annual You 2.0 series. We look at the science of purpose — how and why it impacts our lives in so many different ways. open.spotify.com/episode/335N...

This week on My Unsung Hero: As a college freshman, Karen de Boer was sometimes inconsiderate to her hallmate, Pam. So when Karen missed the bus to her choir performance, she was surprised — and moved — when Pam came to her rescue. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/k...

We live in a world that feels more divided than ever. This week, we revisit an episode with sociologist Robb Willer and discuss how to bridge even the greatest divides. apple.co/44iuOlJ

We live in a world that feels more divided than ever. This week, we revisit an episode with sociologist Robb Willer and discuss how to bridge even the greatest divides. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/us-2...

This week on My Unsung Hero: Eric and his husband, Dennis, lived a life full of dance and art. Then Dennis was diagnosed with lung cancer. Before he died, they met a nurse who offered a heartfelt roadmap of what was to come. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/e...

Have you heard? Hidden Brain is on tour! This Saturday, June 21, Shankar is headed to Clearwater, Florida. Don’t miss it: www.rutheckerdhall.com/events/detai...

Happy Father’s Day, dads! In honor of dads everywhere, we bring you a bonus episode about a transit worker who gave Donald Kabara an unexpected gift: a hug from his son. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

"I eat spicy food. I eat food so hot it makes me uncomfortable.” This week, we talk to psychologist Paul Bloom about a curious quirk of human behavior: why we find pleasure in unpleasant — sometimes even painful — experiences. apple.co/43VZ8T4

This week on My Unsung Hero: The last place Brad Larsen saw his mom before she died was at a diner in New York. A few years later, when he went back to that diner, the bartender asked if he remembered their table, and invited him to go sit there. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/b...

"Our love of fiction is motivated by a desire to experience worst case scenarios.” Think about your favorite book or movie. Does something bad happen? This week, we talk to psychologist Paul Bloom about why we’re drawn to the unpleasant. open.spotify.com/episode/3xWP...

This week on My Unsung Hero: Darren Wayman was about to become a first-time father, and he was terrified. Then a doctor came into the delivery room and said something that changed his perspective on parenthood. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/d...

“Grievances activate revenge cravings. And those revenge cravings very much look like drug addiction.” This week, how “revenge addiction” plays out in our everyday lives — and on a global scale. apple.co/4kNPqsB

“We can fantasize about the punishment, but do we want to carry it out in the real world? That's the decisive moment.” This week, researcher James Kimmel explains where vengeance is believed to sit in the brain, and why it can exact such a high price from us. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-...

Hidden Brain is going on tour! Come celebrate with Shankar as we mark the show’s tenth anniversary with a series of live events across the U.S. To see the tour schedule and purchase tickets, go to hiddenbrain.org/tour. See you there!

This week on My Unsung Hero: When Amy Connor went into pre-term labor with twins, one of her sons needed an emergency blood transfusion. The hospital didn't have any blood that matched the baby's blood type — until an unsung hero stepped up to help. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/a...

This week on My Unsung Hero: Tulika Prasad was at the grocery store with her seven-year-old son, who is non-verbal and autistic. When he began to cry and pull her hair, a stranger stepped up in just the right way. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/t...

This week on My Unsung Hero: Jon Hegwood told his high school principal, Mr. Barnett, that he planned to drop out of school. But Mr. Barnett insisted he earn his diploma — which set Jon on a path to success. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/j...

“Forgetting is not just a side effect of memory. It's not memory failing. It's part of what memory is supposed to do.” In this week’s episode, we talk to psychologist Ciara Greene about why our minds are actually built to forget. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/forg...

Hidden Brain is going on tour! After two sold-out shows in San Francisco and Seattle, Shankar will be heading to a number of cities across the U.S. this year. To see the tour schedule and purchase tickets, go to hiddenbrain.org/tour. See you there!

"There’s a giant myth that avoidance is always harmful, and I think we need to correct that myth.” It’s always good to talk about your feelings, right? Maybe not for everyone. This week, we talk to Ethan Kross about a more nuanced take on managing emotions. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/how-...

Hidden Brain is going on tour! After two sold-out shows in San Francisco and Seattle, Shankar will be heading to a number of cities across the U.S. this year. To see the tour schedule and purchase tickets, go to hiddenbrain.org/tour and use the pre-sale code: BRAIN. See you there!

This week on My Unsung Hero: After Vivian Curren’s young son threw sand on another child at a park, she worried the child’s mother would judge her for poor parenting. Instead, the woman said something that made Vivian feel like a good mom. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/v...

We're thrilled to share some exciting news: Hidden Brain is turning ten this year, and to celebrate, our host Shankar Vedantam is going on tour! Join us in a city near you — for tickets and more info, go to hiddenbrain.org/tour/ and use the pre-sale code BRAIN. Hope to see you soon!

“I was really hooked. I just thought, ‘This is amazing. I would never have known this if I hadn't talked to a complete stranger.’” In this week’s episode, how the people we least expect to matter in our lives have a profound impact on the way we experience the world. apple.co/44AgqqL

This week on My Unsung Hero: In the late 1980s, Stephanie Garber’s car was hit by a large truck. As she stood on the sidewalk crying, a woman came up to her and handed her a cup of tea. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/s...

This week, we continue our Relationships 2.0 series. Psychologist Gillian Sandstrom reveals simple ways to make your life a little less lonely. And researcher Erica Bailey responds to listeners' questions about how to be authentic with the people around us. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/rela...

"A failure to consider the perspective of the other side is one of the key barriers that keeps negotiators from being more effective.” This week, we continue our Relationships 2.0 series with an episode on negotiating — and how to get better at it. apple.co/4jpCcSk

This week on My Unsung Hero: After running the New York City Marathon some 30 years ago, Nancy Willis couldn’t find her 8-year-old son. After a frantic search, a woman appeared, holding his hand. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/n...

When is the last time you really connected with someone? How did it feel? This week, we kick off our Relationships 2.0 series with an episode on connection — why it’s so difficult to achieve in our modern lives, and how we can all get better at it. open.spotify.com/episode/7xJx...

This week, we kick off our Relationships 2.0 series with an episode on what researcher @allisonpugh.bsky.social calls "connective labor," and how to cultivate the superpower of making other people feel seen. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/rela...

This week on My Unsung Hero: When Terry Hill was four, she and her two young siblings were left briefly in the car by themselves. Her one-year-old brother accidentally hit the gearshift, and the car began to roll toward oncoming traffic. A young man rushed over. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/t...

“Until you're actually experiencing that change, there are just dimensions of it that you can't predict.” This week, a conversation with philosopher L.A. Paul about the experiences that transform us. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-...

“When you get a confession from an innocent person and close that case, you're not doing a whole lot of good for public safety.” – psychologist Saul Kassin This week, the psychology behind false confessions. open.spotify.com/episode/6a9Q...

Common sense says innocent people don’t confess to crimes they didn’t commit. But psychologist Saul Kassin says that’s a myth. He studies why false confessions happen, and how people end up betraying their own self-interest. This week, we revisit that conversation. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/did-...