logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
49m 46s

How to Change the World

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
Does power truly flow from the barrel of a gun? Pop culture and conventional history often teach us that violence is the most effective way to produce change. But is that common assumption actually true? Political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who has studied more than 100 years of revolutions and insurrections, says the answer is counterintuitive. 
Up next
Sep 7
Blowing Up Your Life
Have 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 these moments can help us make more intentional decisions about the people we want ... Show More
1h 26m
Aug 31
The Things We Don't Say
From 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 indirect speech is such a fundamental part of human relationships. How long can yo ... Show More
50m 2s
Aug 24
What Art Does For Your Brain
Think 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 with the arts can help to regulate our emotions, build resilience, and support lo ... Show More
49m 18s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt
Is 209 Times helping or hurting the community it claims to serve? What does the site mean for the future of local news in America? And what can be done about it? In the final installment of "The Chaos Machine" series , Yowei finds herself in the middle of a long-standing tug of w ... Show More
46m 46s
Oct 2019
Emotional Children
Some say that we hold the power to move physical objects and change things around us. Do you remember being able to do so? For more: ScaryPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
6m 30s
Feb 2024
S1E10 - Do Protests Work?
The short answer is sort of. The long answer is it depends. But as we continue to protest and organize for a ceasefire in Palestine, and for an end to white-supremacist, imperialist, capitalist, patriarchy (yes it is one of those podcasts), we need to really think hard about what ... Show More
21m 26s
Nov 2025
Why Defiance Can Be a Virtue
Many of us are taught from a young age that being “good” means being obedient—but that conditioning can make it hard to speak up when it counts. In this episode, Cornell University professor Sunita Sah explains how defiance can be a powerful tool for challenging injustice, assert ... Show More
16m 41s
Nov 2025
Why Defiance Can Be a Virtue
Many of us are taught from a young age that being “good” means being obedient—but that conditioning can make it hard to speak up when it counts. In this episode, Cornell University professor Sunita Sah explains how defiance can be a powerful tool for challenging injustice, assert ... Show More
16m 41s
Dec 2020
The Ashes on the Lawn
<p>A global pandemic. An afflicted, angry group. A seemingly indifferent government. Reporter Tracie Hunte wanted to understand this moment of pain and confusion by looking back 30 years, and she found a complicated answer to a simple question: When nothing seems to work, how do ... Show More
52m 7s
Mar 2021
Chaos
What happens when teenagers are shipwrecked on a deserted island? Can you find the fingerprint of God in warzones? Why was the concept of zero so revolutionary for humanity? A year into a pandemic that has completely upended the lives of people around the world, we look at how we ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 2025
The science of modern warfare
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how is science helping to shape the future of warfare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists 
30m 8s
Apr 2024
Daron Acemoglu on Marxism and AI
Are we, in fact, living in a time of revolution? What it means and what you can do about it, according to one of MIT’s greatest thinkers. Power and Progress: Our 1,000-Year Struggle Over Technology & Prosperity Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf ... Show More
28m 1s