Hidden Brain

Annie Duke was about to win $2 million. It was 2004, and she was at the final hand of the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions. But as a woman at a table full of men, she wasn’t sure she deserved to be there. In this week’s Radio Replay, we tell the stories of two people who grappled with gender stereotypes on the job. Annie Duke shares her experiencing at the World Series of Poker, and then we hear the story of Robert Vaughan, a former Navy sailor who decided to pursue a new career as a nurse.

Our modern world is saturated with awards. From elementary school classrooms to Hollywood to the hallways of academia, there’s no shortage of prizes. But — do they work?

The eugenicists were utopians, convinced that they were doing hard but necessary things. And that included making decisions about who could have children.

What happens when we connect with people whose view of the world is very different from our own? We look at the links between diversity, conflict, and creativity.

All of us think back to turning points in our lives, and imagine how things could have unfolded differently. Why do we so often ask ourselves, “What if?”

We like to think that science evolves in a way that is…rational. But this isn’t always the case. This week, we look at how information and misinformation spread in science.

This week, we look at the science of compassion, and why doing good things for others can make a big difference in your own life.

We dig into the psychology that determines the foods that make us salivate and the scents that make us squirm.

Arguments and bickering can sour family gatherings during the holiday season. This week, we share tips on how to avoid miscommunication from our January 2018 conversation with actor Alan Alda. You might know him from his roles on television shows like M*A*S*H, The West Wing and 30 Rock, but in recent years Alda has also focused on helping scientists, and the rest of us, communicate better. His book is If I Understood You, WouldI Have This Look on My Face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating.