Hidden Brain
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Hidden Brain
Why do I feel stuck? How can I become more creative? What can I do to improve my relationships? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone. On Hidden Brain, we help you understand your own mind — and the minds of the people around you. (We're routinely rated the #1 science podca...
Episodis Recents
580 episodis
Reframing the Battle of Wills
It can be frustrating when people do things we don't want them to do. A friend cancels plans at the last minute. A child refuses to get dressed for sc...
Love 2.0: How to Move On
For many of us, navigating the conclusion of a relationship is one of the hardest things we'll ever do. This week, we conclude our Love 2.0 series wit...
Love 2.0: Reimagining Our Relationships
No one will deny that marriage is hard. In fact, there’s evidence it’s getting even harder. This week on the show, we revisit a favorite episode about...
Love 2.0: How to Fix Your Marriage, Part 2
When things go wrong in our relationships, we often try to change the way our partners behave. But usually, trying to fix a person only makes things w...
Love 2.0: How to Fix Your Marriage, Part 1
Many love stories end when the characters are still in the heady, euphoric early stages of a relationship. But what comes after that intoxicating firs...
Passion vs. Paycheck
The idea of being driven by a calling goes back centuries. It was the language used to describe religious people who were called to the priesthood. To...
It's Not My Fault!
It's not easy for most of us to receive negative feedback. Even when the person delivering that feedback is constructive and reasonable, we often feel...
Winning the Battle Against Yourself
Many of us have been raised to believe that if we want to get something done, we just need to set our minds to it. Where there's a will, there's a way...
Escaping Perfectionism
Perfectionism is everyone’s favorite flaw. It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to academic, athletic, and professional succe...
The Trauma Script
When tragedy strikes, it’s natural to be devastated. But psychologist George Bonanno finds that many of us recover from life’s blows more quickly than...
How Our Brains Learn
Have you ever fallen asleep in school or during a work meeting? Maybe you felt your eyes glaze over as your boss or a teacher droned on and on about a...
The Best Years of Your Life
Aging isn’t just a biological process. Our outlooks and emotions also change as we age, often in ways that boost our well-being. This week, we revisit...
Radical Kindness
Why do some people risk their own lives to help another person, or give away their fortunes for the benefit of strangers? This week, we talk with psyc...
You 2.0: Change Your Story, Change Your Life
We all tell stories about ourselves, often without realizing we’re doing so. How we frame those stories can profoundly shape our lives. In our latest...
You 2.0: The Wisdom of Stoicism
What does it mean to be stoic? Many of us assume it means you have a stiff upper lip, or that you suppress your emotions. That's what Massimo Pigliucc...
You 2.0: The Path to Contentment + Your Questions Answered on Conversations
Many of us believe that hard work and persistence are the key to achieving our goals. But is that true when it comes to the pursuit of happiness? This...
You 2.0: The Passion Pill
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” The idea is that pursuing your passion will feel invig...
You 2.0: What Is Your Life For?
What should you do with your life? There's no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. But there are scientifically-tested methods that can help you...
Win Hearts, Then Minds + Your Questions Answered on Identity and "Covering"
There’s a saying that’s attributed to the Dalai Lama: in the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. It’s a nice idea. But when people...
Doing it the Hard Way
Learning to play a musical instrument is hard. So is trying to run a marathon, writing a term paper, and caring for a sick child. These things involve...
Ouch! That Feels Great
We generally think of pain as something to be avoided. But psychologist Paul Bloom says that as much as we're wired to avoid suffering, we also seek i...
The Price of Revenge
Revenge often feels sweet, but what price do we pay for seeking it out? Researcher James Kimmel, Jr. proposes a radical theory: our desire for vengean...
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
Have you ever encountered someone who clearly knows you, but you have no idea who they are? This week, we feature a classic Hidden Brain episode about...
How Much Do We Really Know?
You probably know someone who thinks they know more about something than they really do. But you could never be described that way . . . could you? Th...
Forget About It!
Forgetting something — whether it's a colleague's name or where we put our keys — can be deeply frustrating. This week, psychologist Ciara Greene help...
How to Harness Your Feelings
Do you feel like you control your emotions, or do your emotions control you? What scientists call "emotion regulation" turns out to be one of the most...
Relationships 2.0: Keeping Love Alive
There's no magic potion that can make someone adore you. But there are things you can do to promote a deep and enduring connection — and even feelings...
Relationships 2.0: Why Did You Do That? + Your Questions Answered: Fred Luskin on Grudges
As we go through life, we’re constantly trying to figure out what other people are thinking and feeling. Psychologist Liane Young says this ability to...
Relationships 2.0: The Power of Tiny Interactions + Your Questions Answered: Erica Bailey on Authenticity
As you go about your day, you likely interact with family, friends and coworkers. These relationships can help you feel cared for and connected. But w...
Relationships 2.0: Become a Better Negotiator
When we head into a negotiation — whether we're asking for a raise or trying to get our spouse to do the dishes — our focus is usually on getting the...
Relationships 2.0: The Price of Disconnection
All of us want to "seen" by the people around us. We want to be recognized as unique individuals. Yet the experience of being seen in this way can be...
The Moments that Change Us
Often in life, we find ourselves wrestling with a decision. But in running these mental calculations, there's something we rarely consider about the f...
Did I Really Do That?
Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Many of us think there’s only one way we’d act in such a situation: we’d defend ourselves. We’d do wh...
When To Pivot
When should you stay the course in life, and when should you shift with changing tides? This week, we bring you case studies from the world of busines...
Dropping the Mask
Have you ever downplayed some aspect of your identity? Maybe you don’t hide it, but you don’t bring it up with certain people, either. It turns out t...
Marching To Your Own Drummer
What would you have done? It's one of the most enduring questions in psychology. We all like to think that in a moment of crisis, we'd rise to the occ...
The Conversations that Bring Us Closer
Last week on the show, we looked at the science of conversation, and how even ordinary chats can involve a delicate dance of coordination. This week,...
We Need to Talk
Just because we’ve been doing something for a long time doesn’t mean we’re doing it right. One part of our lives where this may be particularly true i...
No Hard Feelings
Holding a grudge can feel like a form of justice, a way of punishing those who have wronged us. But psychologist Fred Luskin says that more often than...
Wellness 2.0: The Art of the Unknown
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." It's been 45 years since John Lennon sang that line, yet it's an idea that continu...