About this episode
Jun 12
The people who want AI to replace us
Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas ab ... Show More
49m 14s
Jun 8
Understanding our dreams
Sean talks with dream scientist Michelle Carr about what dreams are, why we have them, and what they might reveal about the mind. They discuss nightmares, lucid dreaming, memory, consciousness, and whether dreams are just random brain noise or a kind of overnight therapy. They al ... Show More
47m 57s
Jun 1
Do we really need to work so hard?
Americans have absorbed the Protestant work ethic: the idea that our value as human beings – and our eventual salvation – is determined by how hard we work. Political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains how this evolved, why it pervades everything, and why it’s no longer serv ... Show More
41m 50s
Jan 2024
5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)
49m 12s
Oct 2021
#101: When Doctors Were Scientists (Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying DarkHorse Livestream)
<p>In this 101st in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.<br/><br/>Beginning with a discussion of Room 101 from Orwell’s 1984, we then share excerpts from Ross Do ... Show More
1h 43m
Feb 2023
#183 Why Woo Woo works with Dr David Hamilton
🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free“Humans have become like tuning forks that vibrate sweetly to the sounds of nature.”Sometimes, when the spirit is soothed with a little extra care, the body returns to balance all by itself. And that ... Show More
1h 20m
Dec 2023
175. Why Is Astrology So Popular?
37m 32s
Dec 2023
63. How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos of “The Happiness Lab.” (Replay)
36m 30s
Jan 2024
179. Can You Really “Manifest” Success Through Positive Visualization?
36m 29s
Jun 2024
133. Pay Attention! (Your Body Will Thank You)
<p>Ellen Langer is a psychologist at Harvard who studies the mind-body connection. She’s published some of the most remarkable scientific findings Steve has ever encountered. Can we really improve our physical health by changing our mind?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</stron ... Show More
59m 30s
Dec 2023
173. How Important Is Your Choice of Words?
35m 28s
Sep 2023
Andrew Huberman: Forest Bathing in Negative Ions
We are back with a moderate-sized Decoding that focuses on Andrw Hubernman a baritone podcaster and neuroscientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Huberman is a broad-shouldered, big-bearded... science communicator. Extremely popular with the tech-bro optimiser set ... Show More
2h 10m
Nov 2023
The Interstitium
<p>In this episode we introduce you to a part of our bodies that was invisible to Western scientists until about five years ago; it’s called "the interstitium," a vast network of fluid channels inside the tissues around our organs that scientists have just begun to see, name, and ... Show More
57m 58s
Sean Illing talks with David Hamilton, a scientist and former research chemist turned author, about his new book Why Woo-Woo Works, in which he offers a scientifically-grounded defense of alternative practices like meditation, crystals, and the law of attraction. They discuss the placebo effect and its far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the m ... Show More
<p>We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. But don’t worry — the experts are getting it wrong, too.</p><p> </p><ul><li><str ... Show More
<p>Why does your horoscope seem so accurate? Is it possible to believe and not believe in something at the same time? And is Mike a classic Gemini?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-pt-barnum-greatest-hu ... Show More
<p>Why do we mirror other people’s accents? Does DJ Khaled get tired of winning? And also: life is good — so why aren’t you happy?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2021/07/30/psychology-professor-albert-bandura-dead-95/">Alber ... Show More
<p>Is there any scientific basis for the law of attraction? Are people who believe in “cosmic collaboration” more successful? And what happens when you write yourself a check for $10 million?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.rhondabyrne.com ... Show More
<p>What happens when three psychologists walk into a magic show? What’s Angela’s problem with the word “talent”? And why does LeBron James refer to himself in the third person?</p><p> </p><p>SOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://psychology.yale.edu/people/john-bargh">John Bargh</ ... Show More
