Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.
472 episodes transcribedIn 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...
The Greek poet Archilochus is known for the phrase, "The fox knows many things; the hedgehog one big thing." This week, we'll use this metap...
This week on Hidden Brain: coincidences. Why they're not quite as magical as they seem, and the reasons we can't help but search for meaning in them a...
Have you ever googled something that you would never dream of saying out loud to another human being? Many of us turn to Google when we have a deeply...
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...
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...
This week, Hidden Brain considers the power of touch. First, Alison MacAdam tells us the story of her security blanket, called Baba. Then, Shankar int...
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...
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...
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...
There are some topics about which it seems no amount of data will change people's minds: things like climate change, or restrictions on gun ownership....
Nearly a year ago, we ran an episode about one of the world's most intractable divides: the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Since that story aired, a so...
Making jokes about politics is a tradition as old as America itself. These days, of course, comedians have a new target: President Donald Trump. We ta...
What would drive someone to take another person's life? When researchers at the University of Chicago asked that question, the answer was a laundry li...
We all know casual sex isn't about love. But what if it's not even about lust? Sociologist Lisa Wade believes the pervasive hookup culture on campuses...
A recent paper found that black patients receive less pain medication for broken bones and cancer. Black children receive less pain medication than wh...
Barely a week after assuming office, President Donald Trump set off a worldwide firestorm when he decided to temporarily ban entry to migrants from se...
In the months since the presidential election, many have noted that lots of Americans live in bubbles — echo chambers filled with the voices of people...
It's inauguration season, which means balls, parades, and celebrations. We may love the pomp and circumstance, but there's another, darker side to our...
Young people have always used language in new and different ways, and it has pretty much always driven older people crazy. But the linguist John McWho...
