Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.
475 episodes transcribedMany parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison Gopnik says the science suggests otherwise. This we...
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...
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...
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...
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...
We all lie. But what separates the average person from the infamous cheaters we see on the news? Dan Ariely says we like to think it's character — but...
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...
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...
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...
Do humans act rationally? Economic theory has long told us the answer is "yes." But a half century ago, two psychologists — Daniel Kahneman...
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...
Several years ago, sociologist Brooke Harrington decided to explore the secret lives of billionaires. As she told us in this favorite episode from 201...
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 over...
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 — w...
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?...
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...
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...
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? In...
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...
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....
