Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.
479 episodes transcribedIf you've ever flown in economy class on a plane, you probably had to walk through the first class cabin to get to your seat. Maybe you noticed the ex...
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...
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 Hidden Brain, we br...
All social classes have unspoken rules. From A-list celebrities to teachers, doctors, lawyers, and journalists — there are social norms that govern us...
From stone statues to silicone works of art, we have long sought solace and sex from inanimate objects. Time and technology have perfected the artific...
You own your body. So should you be able to sell parts of it? This week, we explore the concept of "repugnant transactions" with the man who...
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 woma...
Our modern world is saturated with awards. From elementary school classrooms to Hollywood to the hallways of academia, there's no shortage of prizes....
The eugenicists were utopians, convinced that they were doing hard but necessary things. And that included making decisions about who could have child...
Today, more and more of us are living through the people on our screens and in our headphones. It's not real, but for many of us, it's close enough.
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...
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, "W...
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 misinform...
This week, a scientific look at what makes us laugh. Here's a hint — a lot of it isn't funny. We talk to neuroscientist (and stand up comedian) Sophie...
In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given name, but a long list of the pseudonyms he'd been kno...
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 Janua...
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...
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...
