Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.
479 episodes transcribedAfter we make a decision, we often tell ourselves a story about why our choice was the right one to make. It's a mental process that psychologist Elli...
Think about the last time you did something you knew was wrong. How did you explain your actions to yourself? All of us tell stories about why we do t...
Sorrows have a way of finding us, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Joys, on the other hand, are often hard to notice and appreciate. This week...
It’s understandable that we sometimes dwell on things that upset us. But our negative emotions can keep us from savoring the good things in our lives....
Have you ever set a goal and had a really difficult time sticking to it? Maybe you decide you want to save more money, or go to the gym more often. Th...
There are times in life when the challenges we face feel insurmountable. Authors succumb to writer's block. Athletes and artists hit a plateau. People...
Think about how often you hold back honest opinions of someone else because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. But there are times when this well-...
No matter who you are, it's guaranteed that at some point in life you'll make a mistake. Many of us find failures to be uncomfortable — so we try our...
This week, we bring you the second part of our conversation on the perils of too much pleasure. Psychiatrist Anna Lembke explains the neuroscience beh...
All of us think we know what addiction looks like: it’s the compulsive consumption of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. But psychiatrist Anna Lembke argues...
It's not easy to know how we come across to others, especially when we're meeting people for the first time. Psychologist Erica Boothby says many of u...
Aging isn’t just a biological process. Our outlook and emotions also change as we age, often in ways that boost our well-being. Psychologist Laura Car...
Think about the last time you resisted watching yet another episode of your favorite TV show, or decided not to have a second piece of cake at a frien...
Determination, hard work and sacrifice are core ingredients in the story of the American dream. But philosopher Jennifer Morton argues there is anothe...
In the second part of our series on the science of meditation, Richard Davidson continues his endeavor to unite seemingly opposite ways of understandi...
In graduate school, neuroscientist Richard Davidson learned to use scientific tools as a way to examine the brain. At the same time, he also started s...
There are plenty of talented people in the world. So why do only a tiny percentage of us reach the highest peaks of achievement? This week, we conclud...
We all have times when we feel like a fraud. In the latest installment of our Success 2.0 series, we revisit a favorite 2021 conversation with psychol...
Think about the last time you tried to bring up an idea at work, and it was shot down. What did you do? Most of us think the best way to win people ov...
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