Podcast Episodes

Episode 23: Boredom

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…

Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

Encore of Episode 9: Aziz Ansari on Modern Love

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.

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Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

Episode 22: Originals

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.

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Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

Episode 21: Stroke of Genius

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

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Published on 9 years, 10 months ago

Episode 20: Remembering Anarcha

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.

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Published on 9 years, 10 months ago

Episode 19: Dating and Mating

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.

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Published on 9 years, 10 months ago

Encore of Episode 2: Near Victories

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.

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Published on 9 years, 10 months ago

Episode 18: The Paradox of Forgiveness

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…

Published on 9 years, 11 months ago

Episode 17: Resolutions

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

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Published on 9 years, 11 months ago

Episode 16: Misbehaving

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

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Published on 9 years, 11 months ago