Hidden Brain

Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

479 episodes transcribed
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You 2.0: Getting Unstuck

Episode Date: August 29, 2017

At one time or another, many of us feel stuck: in the wrong job, the wrong relationship, the wrong city – the wrong life. Psychologists and self-help...

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You 2.0: WOOP, There It Is

Episode Date: August 15, 2017

Many of us have heard that we should think positively and visualize ourselves achieving our goals. But researcher Gabriele Oettingen finds this isn't...

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You 2.0: Embrace the Chaos

Episode Date: August 8, 2017

Many of us spend lots of time and energy trying to get organized. We tell our kids to clean their rooms, and our politicians to clean up Washington. B...

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Could You Kill A Robot?

Episode Date: July 11, 2017

Will we one day create machines that are essentially just like us? People have been wrestling with that question since the advent of robotics. But may...

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Guessing Games

Episode Date: June 27, 2017

Pundits and prognosticators make predictions all the time: about everything from elections, to sports, to global affairs. This week on Hidden Brain, w...

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"Is he Muslim?"

Episode Date: June 20, 2017

In a five year period from 2011 to 2016, just twelve percent of terrorist attacks in the United States were perpetrated by Muslims. More than fifty pe...

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In The Air We Breathe

Episode Date: June 6, 2017

After a police-involved shooting, there's often a familiar blame game: Maybe the cop was racist. Maybe the person who was shot really was threatening....

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Broken Windows

Episode Date: May 30, 2017

In the early 1980s, a couple of researchers wrote an article in The Atlantic that would have far-reaching consequences. The article introduced a new i...

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Episode 69: Money Talks

Episode Date: April 25, 2017

How do you spend your money? On food, transportation, or housing? On shoes, cars, coffee, fancy restaurants? You might think you use money just to, yo...

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Ep. 68: Schadenfacebook

Episode Date: April 18, 2017

Millions of people around the world use social media every day to stay in touch with friends and family. But ironically, studies have shown that peopl...

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Ep. 67: The Hole

Episode Date: April 4, 2017

Imagine a concrete room, not much bigger than a parking space. You're in there 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the reality of solitary confinem...

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Ep. 66: Liar, Liar

Episode Date: March 28, 2017

Everybody lies. This is not breaking news. But what separates the average person from the infamous cheaters we see on the news? Dan Ariely says we lik...

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Episode 65: Tunnel Vision

Episode Date: March 21, 2017

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...