Hidden Brain

New to Hidden Brain? Here's a great place to start. hiddenbrain.org/featured-episo…

Dan Roche was born with a cataract that left him mostly blind in one eye. At baseball practice one day, his coach noticed he was losing sight of the ball and helped him adjust. Fifty years later, it’s still a small act of kindness Dan has never forgotten. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/dan…

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

We often talk about depression as something to fight, fix, or escape. But psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg suggests seeing it through a different lens. What if these dark periods have the power to spark a change in the direction and meaning of our lives? apple.co/4cPTmsn

“I was forced to stop and reconsider and come up with a new life plan, which ultimately put me on a path towards a more viable future for myself.” Depression can be a terrible affliction. But is it also a tool we can use to change our lives? In this week’s episode, psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg on the science of depression. open.spotify.com/episode/2dFzg8…

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

We’re thrilled and honored to receive the @iHeartRadio @iHeartPodcast Award for Best Science Podcast. Thank you for supporting us. Curiosity drives our work every day, and we’re grateful to have you on this journey. #iHeartPodcastAwards

“These episodes can actually be engines of meaning, engines of change, engines of a better future.” We tend to see depression as an illness to eliminate, evidence that something has gone wrong in the brain. But what if low mood serves a purpose? This week, psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg examines the evolutionary roots of depression, and reflects on his own painful experience with suicidal despair. He explores how depression can narrow our focus...and sometimes open the door to change. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/rethin…

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

In the 90s, Ana Maria’s father drove a taxi. One regular passenger always ended the ride with $20 for Ana Maria to "buy something nice." One day, the man pulled out a $50 bill — the exact amount she needed to apply to her dream school. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/ana…

In Taipei, a quirky restaurant serves food out of...toilets. What do you think? Is this wonderfully whimsical, or just plain gross? In this week’s episode, we explore the science of disgust. How it works, why it’s so powerful, and how it can even shape our politics. apple.co/3N3hVaN

“The idea with disgust that separates it from many of our other emotions is that it spreads through contagion — through contamination.’” Disgust is a strong emotion. It’s designed by evolution to protect us from danger and diseases. But disgust also spills into other areas of our lives, influencing our morals, our intuitions about right and wrong, even our politics. This week, we talk with psychologist @peez about the power of disgust, its historical use as a tool to persuade and divide, and why it remains such a potent force in public life today. Then, in our latest installment of “Your Questions Answered,” Huggy Rao returns to respond to listeners’ thoughts and questions about why big ideas fail. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/yuck-t…

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

This week on My Unsung Hero: After waiting in the ER, Julie Labes wondered if she was ever going to get the help she needed. Just as her pain became unbearable, a stranger stepped up to help — saving Julie's life in the process. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/jul…

Charismatic leaders can inspire devotion and give people a powerful sense of meaning. They can also make us vulnerable. In this week’s episode, we explore how figures across history have gained followers by offering clarity in moments of uncertainty — and why that clarity can come at a cost. Historian Molly Worthen explains how to recognize the spell of charisma, and why questioning it is essential to a healthy society. apple.co/4l4WAtS

“ One follower said just by shaking his hand, she felt the Holy Spirit electrify her whole body. But then you can also find skeptics who encounter him and say, ‘This guy is a clown.’” How do charismatic people lure us into their spell? This week, we talk to historian Molly Worthen about the science of charisma. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-se…

Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are fast approaching! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at hiddenbrain.org/tour/

This week on My Unsung Hero: Jean Muenchrath lay in an empty parking lot with life-threatening injuries, close to death. Just as she was losing hope, a stranger arrived — and likely saved her life. hiddenbrain.org/unsunghero/jea…

“At a basic level, we need to know that we matter, especially when we've been made to feel like we don't matter.” What does it do to a person to feel overlooked? This week, psychologist Gordon Flett @FlettGordon examines how the absence of “mattering” can fuel loneliness, depression, and even violence. He outlines how feeling valued serves as a psychological buffer, and how simple gestures can rebuild a sense of meaning in ourselves and others. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/do-you…