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 podcast in the United States.) Hosted by veteran science journalist Shankar Vedantam.
Get AI-powered summaries of Hidden Brain
Never miss key insights. Receive episode summaries straight to your inbox.
Recent Episodes
Why Conversations Go Wrong
Sep 14, 2026Do you ever struggle to communicate with your mom? Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages? This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with linguist Deborah Tannen. She...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores conversational styles and miscommunication, featuring linguist Deborah Tannen discussing how unconscious patterns in speech create misunderstandings, followed by psychologist Emma Levine examining the ethics of lying and deception in personal and professional relationships.
- The Hidden Dynamics of Conversational Styles
- Machine Gun Questions and Cultural Clash
Blowing Up Your Life
Sep 07, 2026Have you ever had a flash of insight that hit you when you least expected it? How did it change your life? Psychologist Anthony Klotz studies the "jolts" that shake us out of our routines, and how the...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores how unexpected moments—called 'jolts'—can shake us out of autopilot and provide clarity about our careers and lives. Host Shankar Vedantam speaks with psychologist Anthony Klotz about why these disruptions matter, how to respond to them wisely, and when quitting versus staying makes sense. The episode also features psychologist Arp Dijkstrahaus discussing how inspiration emerges from our unconscious mind, particularly during walks, sleep, and meditation.
- The Nature of Jolts and Life-Changing Moments
- Nuclear Events and Career Transformations
The Things We Don't Say
Aug 31, 2026From childhood, we're taught that honesty is the best policy. Yet in everyday life, we hedge, soften our words, and leave things unsaid. This week, we talk with psychologist Steven Pinker about why in...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the psychology of indirect speech and why we rarely say exactly what we mean. Through examples ranging from fundraising dinners to international diplomacy, Steven Pinker explains how our language serves dual purposes: communicating information and managing social relationships. The episode examines various forms of indirect speech including euphemisms, humble brags, bribes, and veiled threats, while also discussing the rare situations where radical honesty is necessary.
- The Art of Fundraising: When Directness Kills the Deal
- Southern Diplomacy and Verbal Warfare
What Art Does For Your Brain
Aug 24, 2026Think about the last time a piece of music stopped you in your tracks, or a novel kept you up late at night. Why do these experiences feel so powerful? Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt says engagement w...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores groundbreaking scientific research revealing how music, painting, dance, and storytelling function as powerful medicine for the mind. Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt shares how the arts calm our nervous systems, reshape emotions, influence physical health, and even reduce depression risk by half while delaying cognitive decline.
- Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
- From Music Student to Medical Researcher
How to Be A Better Partner
Aug 17, 2026When we look at the people we love, how clearly do we really see them? This week, we talk with psychologist Edward LeMay about how our fears, desires, and insecurities can shape our perceptions of our...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores how our perceptions and projections shape our relationships with romantic partners, friends, and family. Psychologist Edward LeMay discusses research showing that we often project our own feelings, fears, and desires onto others, creating illusions that can both help and harm our connections. The episode also features psychologist Sonia Lubomirsky addressing listener questions about the distinction between being loved and feeling loved, and how to navigate relationships when those feelings don't align.
- The Power of Perception in Romance
- Projection: How We See Ourselves in Others
How Feelings Make Us Smarter
Aug 10, 2026Some people are remarkably good at reading the emotional temperature of a situation. They can pick up on what others are feeling, manage their own emotions, and respond skillfully. What's their secret...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores emotional intelligence through psychologist Peter Salovey's research, revealing how emotions are not obstacles to rational thinking but essential data that makes us smarter. The episode traces the development of emotional intelligence as a measurable skill, examines how it impacts relationships and career success, and provides practical guidance for developing these crucial abilities through literature, arts, and deliberate practice.
- Bobby Fischer's Genius and Emotional Blindness
- Bill Clinton's Masterclass in Reading Emotions
Making the Most of Your Mistakes
Aug 03, 2026When you're learning, or trying new things, you're going to make mistakes. The trick is to try to fail in a way that gives you useful information. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with re...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the science of failure, examining how different types of mistakes require different responses. Amy Edmondson reveals how the best-performing hospital teams actually reported more errors than others - not because they made more mistakes, but because they felt safe reporting them. The episode distinguishes between basic failures (preventable errors), complex failures (like the Columbia shuttle disaster), and intelligent failures (valuable experiments in new territory). Financial expert John Dinsmore joins to discuss cognitive biases around money and debt, sharing listener stories about timeshares, homeownership challenges, and the emotional weight of financial decisions.
- The Hospital Paradox: When Better Teams Report More Errors
- Three Types of Failure: Basic, Complex, and Intelligent
You Are Not Ordinary
Jul 27, 2026Stories about unlikely heroes have captivated people for thousands of years. This week, social scientist Ben Rogers explores why the "hero's journey" resonates so deeply, and how the stories we tell a...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the psychology of storytelling and group identity. The first half examines how the hero's journey narrative framework, popularized by Joseph Campbell, shapes both fictional stories and our personal life narratives. Researcher Ben Rogers explains how retelling our life stories through this lens can increase meaning and psychological well-being. The second half features psychologist Jay Van Bevel discussing how group identities profoundly shape our perceptions, behaviors, and sense of belonging, from sports fandom to political tribalism.
- The Psychology of Narrative and the Hero's Journey
- The Seven Elements of the Hero's Journey
How to Combat Pain
Jul 20, 2026Pain feels like a simple message from the body. If your elbow hurts, there must be something wrong with your elbow. If your back is painfully stiff, you need some work done on your back. But psycholog...
Summary Preview
In this episode, Hidden Brain explores how our conventional understanding of pain is fundamentally flawed. Pain psychologist Rachel Zoffness explains that pain is not simply a signal from damaged body parts, but rather a complex experience constructed by the brain using biological, psychological, and social factors. Through remarkable clinical cases and cutting-edge neuroscience, the episode reveals why traditional biomedical approaches often fail and how understanding pain's true nature opens new pathways for treatment.
- The Construction Worker and the Nail: When Perception Creates Pain
- Pain is Constructed by the Brain, Not Located in the Body
Changing Our Mental Maps
Jul 13, 2026As we move through the world, it's easy to imagine we're processing everything that happens around us and then deciding how to respond. But psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb says our brains ...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores how our mental maps guide us through life and what happens when reality doesn't match our expectations. Through neuroscience research and personal stories, host Shankar Vedantam and guests Norman Farb and Dave Evans examine how the brain creates models of the world, why we get stuck in outdated patterns, and how radical acceptance can help us move forward when life doesn't go according to plan.
- The Problem with Mental Maps
- Norman Farb's Mother and the Rupture of Expectations
Waking Up Your Spiritual Brain: Part 2
Jul 06, 2026Last week, we talked with psychologist Lisa Miller about the science of spirituality. Today, we explore what those ideas can look like in everyday life. Miller explains why moments of connection, spir...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores spirituality, meaning, and life design through three main conversations. Lisa Miller discusses her research on the awakened brain and shares her personal journey through infertility to adoption and unexpected pregnancy. Dave Evans responds to listener questions about feeling stuck, finding purpose, and designing meaningful lives, offering practical advice on navigating career changes, midlife crises, and the pursuit of impact versus fulfillment.
- Carl Jung's Synchronicity and the Awakened Brain
- Lisa Miller's Journey Through Infertility
Waking Up Your Spiritual Brain: Part 1
Jun 29, 2026Food, safety, and strong relationships are essential to our survival. Psychologist Lisa Miller says our brains also crave something else: transcendence. She suggests that spirituality is a universal h...
Summary Preview
In this Hidden Brain episode, psychologist Lisa Miller from Columbia University discusses her pioneering research on the neuroscience of spirituality and transcendence. Through decades of rigorous scientific study, Miller has mapped the neural circuits underlying spiritual awareness and demonstrated its profound protective effects against depression, anxiety, and suicide. Drawing on personal experiences from psychiatric wards and brain imaging studies, she argues that spirituality is an innate human capacity that can be cultivated for better mental health and a more meaningful life, challenging the conventional materialist paradigm in psychology.
- The Clinical Discovery: Spirituality's Healing Power on the Psychiatric Ward
- The Subway Revelation: Recognizing Spiritual Vitality vs. Dysthymia
Stepping Out of the Shadows
Jun 22, 2026Why does one bad experience have the power to overshadow an otherwise good day? Psychologist Alison Ledgerwood explores the negativity bias, the deeply human tendency to hold on to what went wrong and...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores two fundamental psychological biases: negativity bias and disgust. Psychologist Alison Ledgerwood examines how our brains naturally gravitate toward and hold onto negative information, while psychologist David Pizarro discusses the science of disgust, its evolutionary purpose, and how it shapes our behavior, relationships, and even politics. The episode includes practical strategies for managing these powerful emotional responses.
- The Negativity Bias and How Our Brains Are Wired
- The Genesis Mission: When One Failure Eclipses 99% Success
A Secret Source of Connection
Jun 15, 2026We all have moments in our lives when we see someone who could use a helping hand. It could be a friend who recently went through a breakup, or an older person trying to load groceries into their car....
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the psychological phenomenon of prosociality and mattering - why we often hesitate to offer kindness despite its powerful impact, and why feeling seen and valued is essential to human wellbeing. Through research by psychologist Amit Kumar and personal stories, the episode reveals how we systematically underestimate the value of kind gestures, and through psychologist Gordon Flett's work, demonstrates why mattering to others is a fundamental human need that affects both mental and physical health.
- The Bystander Effect and Failures of Kindness
- Gary Knight's Cycling Accident and the Power of Strangers
Who Are You, Really?
Jun 08, 2026You’re not the same person with your friends as you are with your co-workers or your kids. So...who are you, really? This week, political scientist Eric Oliver explores why we often feel divided withi...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the elusive quest for self-knowledge, examining why discovering a single 'true self' is impossible and how standardized intelligence testing shapes our sense of identity. The episode features Eric Oliver discussing the myth of a unified self and Scott Barry Kaufman addressing how IQ tests affect students and society's understanding of intelligence.
- The Mirror of Erised: The Dangerous Quest for Self-Knowledge
- Eric Oliver's Personal Journey: Decades of Searching
Unleashing Your Creativity
Jun 01, 2026For centuries, people have described creativity as something mysterious: a flash of insight, a whisper from the muse, a sudden idea that seems to arrive out of nowhere. Psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis ex...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the science of creativity and inspiration, examining how unconscious thought processes generate breakthrough ideas. Psychologist Op Dijksterhuis discusses famous examples of sudden insights from scientists and artists, revealing that our best ideas often emerge not during intense focus, but when our minds wander. The episode provides practical insights into creating conditions for creativity by engaging the unconscious mind through activities like walking, sleeping, and allowing mental space for ideas to surface.
- The Mystery of Creative Breakthroughs
- Kekule's Dream and the Benzene Ring
The Past is Never Dead
May 25, 2026How does the culture in which you live shape the life that you lead? We all know that culture affects the languages we speak and the foods we eat. But anthropologist Joseph Henrich says the impact of ...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores how historical events, cultural practices, and institutional changes from centuries past continue to shape modern psychology, behavior, and social structures. Anthropologist Joseph Hendrick discusses how innovations like mechanical clocks, the Catholic Church's marriage regulations, and cumulative cultural knowledge have profoundly influenced how Western societies think about time, relationships, individualism, and problem-solving, revealing that what we consider 'natural' human behavior is often the product of specific cultural evolution.
- The Revolutionary Impact of Mechanical Clocks
- How the Catholic Church Engineered the Modern Family
The Empathy Gym
May 18, 2026Some people are good at putting themselves in another person's shoes. Others may struggle to relate. But psychologist Jamil Zaki argues that empathy isn't a fixed trait. This week, we revisit a favori...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores empathy in modern society, examining how technology, anonymity, and social divisions affect our ability to connect with others. Through the story of Iraqi artist Wafa Bilal's extreme performance art piece and insights from Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki, the episode investigates how empathy works, why it's declining, and how we can cultivate it. The episode also features psychologist Leslie John discussing the power of self-disclosure and vulnerability in building connections.
- The Paintball Gallery Experiment
- Jamil Zaki's Personal Journey to Empathy Research
The Cowboy Philosopher
May 11, 2026In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given name, but a long list of the pseudonyms he’d been known to use. In this classic 2019 episode, we trace t...
Summary Preview
This Hidden Brain episode explores the life of Riley Shepard, a small-time musician and conman who spent decades creating an encyclopedia of American folk music. The episode examines obsession, secrets, and self-disclosure through Riley's story and listener contributions about the secrets they keep and the costs of concealing parts of ourselves from others.
- The Discovery of Riley Shepard's Work
- Stasia's Magical Childhood with Her Father
Radical Acceptance
May 04, 2026Last week, we looked at the hidden beliefs that can leave us feeling stuck in life. This week, in the second part of our conversation with behavioral scientist Dave Evans, we talk about radical accept...
Processing failed