Hidden Brain

Episode 31: Your Brain on Uber

May 17, 2016 04:01 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MB

Uber is built on the scourge of surge. When demand is high, the company charges two, three, even NINE-POINT-NINE times as much as normal for a ride. Riders hate it . . . but not so much that they stop riding. Yep, "dynamic pricing" has helped the company to grow into one of the largest taxi services in the world. What's the psychology behind it? Shankar sits down with Uber's Head of Economic Research Keith Chen to talk about when we're most likely pay for surge, when we hate it the most, and...

Episode 30: WOOP, There It Is

May 10, 2016 07:34 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MB

Many of us have heard that we should think positive... Visualize ourselves achieving our goals. But researcher Gabriele Oettingen finds, this isn't actually the best advice. Instead, we should use her strategy — which she calls WOOP.

Episode 29: Traffic

May 03, 2016 04:02 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MB

Traffic. You hate it, we hate it, the rest of the world hates it, and unfortunately, our best efforts to curb it usually only make it worse. This week on Hidden Brain, we visit a few of the world's most congested cities, and investigate a few options to make driving safer and less maddening.

Episode 28: #AirbnbWhileBlack

April 26, 2016 04:01 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

The sharing economy is great. It gives us opportunities to connect with strangers... to pool resources... to get a cheap ride, or a weekend away. But this week on Hidden Brain, we'll look at how these new platforms can amplify some old biases.

Episode 27: Losing Alaska

April 19, 2016 04:05 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MB

Human beings would be better at fighting climate change if we weren't so, well, human. In this episode, we explore the psychological barriers to addressing climate change.

Encore of Episode 16: Misbehaving

April 12, 2016 04:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MB

From eating marshmallows to spending lottery winnings, Shankar Vedantam talks with behavioral economist Richard Thaler about Misbehaving.

Episode 26: Grit

April 05, 2016 04:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MB

Grit is a quality that parents strive to teach to their children, and teachers strive to teach their students. This week on Hidden Brain, we explore grit, and ask, does it also have a downside?

Episode 25: Dream Jobs

March 29, 2016 04:00 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MB

Why do you work? Are you just in it for the money, or do you do it for a greater purpose? Popular wisdom says your answer depends on what your job is. But psychologist Amy Wrzesniewski at Yale University finds it may have more to do with how we think about our work. Across secretaries and custodians and computer programmers, she finds we're about equally split in whether we say we have a job, a career, or a calling. This week on Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam talks with Amy about how we find...

Episode 24: Tribes and Traitors

March 22, 2016 04:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB

This week on Hidden Brain, two remarkable stories of empathy... And why showing empathy for another group can feel so threatening to our own tribes.

Episode 23: Boredom

March 15, 2016 04:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MB

We've all been there: bored in class, bored at work, bored in standstill traffic. But why do we find boredom so unbearable? And, if we hate being bored so much, why do we still take boring jobs? This week on Hidden Brain, we try to answer these questions and more — hopefully, without boring you.

Encore of Episode 9: Aziz Ansari on Modern Love

March 08, 2016 05:05 - 26 minutes - 23.8 MB

Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam talks to comedian Aziz Ansari — star of Master of None and coauthor of Modern Romance — about Tinder, texting and how dating is a bit like... buying jam.

Episode 22: Originals

March 01, 2016 05:01 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

Adam Grant, author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, tells us what makes an original, how parents can nuture originality in their children, and its potential downside.

Episode 21: Stroke of Genius

February 23, 2016 05:05 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

Derek Amato wasn't born a musical savant. He became one—almost instantly—after hitting his head on the bottom of a swimming pool.

Episode 20: Remembering Anarcha

February 16, 2016 05:05 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

J. Marion Sims is remembered as the father of modern gynecology. Forgotten are the mothers—the enslaved women whose bodies were sacrificed for the advancement of his research.

Episode 19: Dating and Mating

February 09, 2016 05:02 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

It's almost Valentine's Day, but this week we're not talking about love. Instead, we explore the other forces that drive our romantic relationships.

Encore of Episode 2: Near Victories

February 02, 2016 05:00 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB

Shankar Vedantam explores "almosts" and "not quites" on this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, with the help of Monica Wadhwa, Dan Pink, and country music singer Kacey Musgraves.

Episode 18: The Paradox of Forgiveness

January 26, 2016 05:00 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

After more than a decade of brutal civil war, perpetrators and victims attempted to find peace around bonfires across Sierra Leone. This week on Hidden Brain, a story about forgiving the unforgivable, and the cost of reconciliation.

Episode 17: Resolutions

January 19, 2016 05:00 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MB

Today is the perfect day to (re)start your resolution. Here's how.

Episode 16: Misbehaving

January 12, 2016 05:01 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

From eating marshmallows to spending lottery winnings, Shankar Vedantam talks with behavioral economist Richard Thaler about his book Misbehaving.

Encore of Episode 3: Stereotype Threat

January 05, 2016 05:01 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB

Annie Duke was often the only woman at the poker table, which influenced the way people saw her, and the way she saw herself. Feeling like an outsider can come at a cost, but also can be an advantage.

Episode 15: Loss and Renewal

December 29, 2015 05:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

Maya Shankar was well on her way to an extraordinary career as a violinist when an injury closed that door. This week, we look at how she wound up at the top of another field: the social sciences.

Episode 14: Christmas

December 22, 2015 05:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MB

This is the time of year for giving--whether that's a holiday gift for someone we love, or a charitable donation to a good cause. But why do we give? And how can we do it better? This week on Hidden Brain: how to be more generous, get your friends and family what they actually want, and why it's okay to regift.

Episode 13: Terrorism

December 15, 2015 05:04 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MB

Why do young people join ISIS? Is it nihilism, or, as social scientists suggest, a perverse idealism? This week on Hidden Brain, we explore the psychology of terrorist groups, and why so many young people leave behind promising futures to join them.

Episode 12: Humor

December 08, 2015 05:04 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

This week on Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam looks at what we find funny and what, well, crosses the line. Comedian Bill Burr joins us to talk about why race, gender and Caitlin Jenner can be so funny.

Episode 11: Forgery

December 01, 2015 05:04 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MB

This week on Hidden Brain, we explore real and fake, from fine art to fine wine. Shankar speaks with Noah Charney, author of The Art of Forgery, about why art forgers are compelled to spend their lives copying the great masters, and why so many of them want to get caught. Also this week: why we love studies that prove wine connoisseurs wrong.

Episode 10: Thanksgiving

November 24, 2015 05:04 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MB

The holidays are all about generousity, gratitude, and spending time with the people we love. But we all know the whole "spending time with the people we love" part has its challenges. Hidden Brain is here to help — with science-based tips to give you a happier holiday.

Episode 9: Aziz Ansari on Modern Love

November 17, 2015 05:03 - 26 minutes - 23.8 MB

Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam talks to comedian Aziz Ansari — star of a new Netflix show and coauthor of Modern Romance — about Tinder, texting and how dating is a bit like... buying jam.

Episode 8: Back Up Plans

November 10, 2015 05:03 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

This week on Hidden Brain, researcher Katy Milkman explains why backup plans may make us less motivated, Dan Pink is back to discuss moral hazard, and NPR's Adam Cole ties it all together with a song.

Episode 7: Lonely Hearts

November 03, 2015 05:03 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MB

Jesse always wanted to fall in love. So when the perfect woman started writing him letters, it seemed too good to be true. Because it was. This week, a story about a con — with a twist. When the con was exposed, its victims defended the con artists. They still wanted to believe the lie.

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