How Love Really Works
Most of us have ideas about what we’re looking for in a romantic partner. But psychologist Paul Eastwick says these preferences are surprisingly poor guides for finding love.
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Hidden Brain
The Story of Stories
Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What can I do to help my baby sleep through the night? We all feel the need to understand why certain things happen. Some researchers think the drive to explain the world is a basic human impulse, similar to thirst or hunger. This week on
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Do You Have Trouble Sleeping?
We know that sleep deprivation can affect our physical health and our mood. But a chronic lack of good sleep can also affect how we make decisions and even what we value.
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Why Am I Unhappy?
We often imagine that feelings of unhappiness come from outside us — in our circumstances or the difficult people in our lives. But what if the forces that erode our happiness come from within?
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
When historian Kate Bowler was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, she became fascinated by the ways people try to impose order on events they can’t control. She joins us to explore what it means to live fully when life offers no satisfying explanation for the tragedies we may face.
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How to Make a Difference: Part 2
In the second part of our conversation with Martin Seligman, he explains how we can strengthen our sense of agency and learn to see new possibilities.
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How to Make a Difference: Part 1
Why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others come to believe that nothing they do will make a difference? Psychologist Martin Seligman talks with us about his research on learned helplessness.
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Why Conversations Go Wrong
Do you ever struggle to communicate with your mom? Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages?
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Out Of The Rabbit Hole
Cognitive scientist Nafees Hamid studies the minds of people drawn to radical or fringe ideas. This week, he takes us on a deep dive into the motivations of people on the brink of extremism — and those who have already been radicalized. We examine what prompts people to turn to violence, and how to pull them back from the seductive appeal of extremist ideas.
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Blowing Up Your Life
Have you ever had a flash of insight that hit you when you least expected it? How did it change your life? This week, a look at the “jolts” that shake us out of our routines.
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