How much insight do people have into why they behave the way they do? Science journalist Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast and author of “Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain,” talks about why he is fascinated by the paradoxes of human behavior, what it takes to bring the popular podcast to life, and why it’s important to show the public the challenges as well as the triumphs of science.
Links
The Hidden Brain
Speaking of Psychology Home Page
Perfectionism: When good is never good enough, with Gordon Flett, PhD, and Bonnie Zucker, PsyD
Why can some people speak dozens of languages? with Ev Fedorenko, PhD
Abortion and mental health, with Antonia Biggs, PhD
How living with secrets can harm you, with Michael Slepian, PhD
Can an app improve your health? With Gary Bennett, PhD
Racism, racial discrimination and mental health, with Riana Elyse Anderson, PhD
What is dissociative identity disorder? With Bethany Brand, PhD
Are we in a ‘loneliness pandemic’? With Louise Hawkley, PhD
Is technology killing empathy? With Sherry Turkle, PhD
What psychology has to say about art, with Ellen Winner, PhD
How exercise benefits the brain, with Jenny Etnier, PhD
Surviving the trauma of war in Ukraine, with Laura Murray, PhD
How to keep stress from harming your health, with George Slavich, PhD
How grieving changes the brain, with Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD
How to Keep Anger from Getting the Best of You with Howard Kassinove, PhD, and Raymond “Chip” Tafrate, PhD
Why psychopathy is more common than you think, with Abigail Marsh, PhD
Ambiguous loss and the “myth of closure,” with Pauline Boss, PhD
How our siblings influence our lives, with Laurie Kramer, PhD, and Megan Gilligan, PhD
Poker, con artists and the psychology of risk and deception, with Maria Konnikova, PhD
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