Talking to Strangers Makes You Happy

Choosing a user name starting with a letter appearing earlier in the alphabet is just one scientifically vetted way to increase the odds of turning an online encounter into a first date. Christopher Intagliata reports 

High-calorie and exceedingly pleasurable foods appear to change rat brain rewards circuitry, causing the rodents to continue to seek such fare. Erika Beras reports 

Parkinson’s patients derived more benefits from a salt solution they were told was an expensive drug than from the same solution when it was described as being cheap medication. Karen Hopkin reports 

Nihal Arthanayake has written a book based on his decades long experience of talking to people. Now he talks to Michael about what makes a good conversation.Producer Sally Heaven 

Nathan talks with Michael about words we use when talking about mental health.Producer Sally Heaven 

Is it possible we’ve been going about conversation the wrong way our entire lives? All too often, when we chat with a friend or colleague, we walk away feeling unheard, misunderstood, or confused. Luckily, research offers some clues about why we’re so prone to missteps – and how ... Show More

Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs. 

Today, Kevin talks with some TV weather people about their lives and hard times. 

Conversational chemistry might seem intangible, but psychologists are beginning figure out what makes some conversations work while others fall apart. Charles Duhigg, author of the upcoming book “Supercommunicators,” and conversation researcher Michael Yeomans, PhD, talk about ho ... Show More

Atlantic political reporter John Hendrickson has had a stutter since he was a kid. Recently he heard Donald Trump make fun of Joe Biden’s stutter, and he noticed that the audience laughed. Hendrickson’s working theory has been that disability is apolitical, and he wondered what T ... Show More

People these days are, for better or worse, increasingly accustomed to living in an area of constant communication. But how did people communicate over long distances before the rise of things like telegraphs, telephones and the internet? In this week's special two-part episode, ... Show More

People these days are, for better or worse, increasingly accustomed to living in an area of constant communication. But how did people communicate over long distances before the rise of things like telegraphs, telephones and the internet? In the second part of this week's special ... Show More