The Science Behind Mental Afflictions

Imagine, if you will, that for unknown reasons North Korea has just launched a nuclear bomb at the United States. What happens next? The journalist Annie Jacobsen has imagined exactly that, and spent more than a decade interviewing dozens of experts while mastering the voluminous ... Show More

What are the best thrillers published since 2000? That was the question that the team at The New York Times’s Book Review posed to hundreds of writers of every kind of crime fiction, from legal thrillers to spy novels to cozy mysteries, as well as librarians, editors, critics and ... Show More

Early in Douglas Stuart’s new novel, “John of John,” the Booker Prize-winning author describes a peculiar irony: “What skinned him was that the closer he got to home, the more lost he felt.” It’s a passing line, but it captures the tension at the heart of this magnificent book: H ... Show More

<p>We live on the edge. Whether we fail to acknowledge it or try not to think of it, that fact remains true for most of us. A chemical shift, a rogue protein, a marauding molecule - our brains are vulnerable to an array of attacks that could dramatically alter our connection with ... Show More

The two books featured in this episode focus on accessing feelings and mental health. First is a book of essays by spoken word artist, Bassey Ikpi. Ikpi tells Scott Simon that her book I'm Telling the Truth but I'm Lying chronicles the hard work it took to make a real life for he ... Show More

Today’s author (and clinical psychologist) promises to help us fortify and maintain our mental health, even in the most trying of times. Join Joe & Mike as they explore the depths of the human mind and consider their own mental well-being. Links Support the Show Bookworm Stats Bo ... Show More

<p>This week, we bring you the second part of our conversation on the perils of too much pleasure. Psychiatrist <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/anna-lembke">Anna Lembke</a> explains the neuroscience behind compulsive consumption, and how it alters our brains. She also shar ... Show More

Today we have Dr. Jordan Peterson on the podcast. Dr. Peterson has taught mythology to lawyers, doctors and business people, consulted for the UN Secretary General, helped his clinical clients manage depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia, served as ... Show More

Julia is joined by genius mind P.E. Moskowitz for a conversation about their new memoir Breaking Awake, which chronicles the mental breakdown that drove them to experiment with drugs, reckon with trauma, and draw meaning from suffering. From Klonopin and SSRIs to ketamine and LSD ... Show More

I talk to psychologist Richard Bentall about psychosis, schizophrenia, and the psychological roots of mental illness. Bentall is the author of the well known book "Madness Explained." We explore how symptoms like hallucinations and delusions can often be traced to trauma, stress, ... Show More

How common are mental health conditions in teenagers? How can depression look different in a child compared to an adult? And how are scientists using brain imaging studies to better understand conditions like schizophrenia? In this episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva ... Show More

<p>Sam Harris speaks with Paul Bloom about the state of psychological science. They discuss fiction as a window onto the mind, recent developments in AI, the tension between misinformation and free speech, bullshitting vs lying, truth vs belonging, reliance on scientific authorit ... Show More

“Cognitive neuroscientist Kent Kiehl discusses his research and personal experience working with “those without conscience.” Scott and Kent demystify the historically fascinating illness as it relates to criminal activity, genius, evil, flourishing, the brain, gender and treatmen ... Show More