logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
49m 28s

You Don't Need a Crystal Ball

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode

When disaster strikes — from the explosion of a space shuttle to the spread of a deadly virus — we want to know whether we could have avoided catastrophe. Did anyone speak up with concerns about the situation? And if so, why didn’t someone listen? This week, we revisit a favorite episode about the psychology of warnings, and how we can all become better at predicting the future.

If you like this show, please check out our new podcast, My Unsung Hero! And if you'd like to support our work, you can do so at support.hiddenbrain.org.

Up next
Aug 18
How Our Brains Learn
Have you ever fallen asleep in school or during a work meeting? Maybe you felt your eyes glaze over as your boss or a teacher droned on and on about a topic that had no relevance to you. What's missing from these classrooms and conference rooms is engagement: A state of being abs ... Show More
1h 22m
Aug 11
The Best Years of Your Life
Aging isn’t just a biological process. Our outlooks and emotions also change as we age, often in ways that boost our well-being. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with psychologist Laura Carstensen, who helps us unpack the science behind this surprising finding, and s ... Show More
1h 19m
Aug 4
Radical Kindness
Why do some people risk their own lives to help another person, or give away their fortunes for the benefit of strangers? This week, we talk with psychologist and neuroscientist Abigail Marsh, who studies the science of altruism. We'll explore what's known about the brains of peo ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
What Would Happen If You Let Go?
Hey angels!!! In today’s episode I encourage you guys to think about what would happen if you let go? What would happen if you let go of peoples expectations of you, Toxic dynamics, or career choices that people feel you should be in? I think we’ve all been in situations where so ... Show More
41m 36s
Feb 2023
We booped an asteroid
Last fall, a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid to test a way to avert a disaster on Earth. So are we safe now? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@v ... Show More
22m 24s
Feb 2023
What is love?
Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos?This episode originally ran on February 9, 2022.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email ... Show More
34m 15s
May 2024
Introducing Science Vs - Ozempic: Is It Scarier Than We Thought?
Trillion Dollar Shot, our new series about drugs like Ozempic, will be back next week. Until then, we think you’d enjoy a show from our friends over at Science Vs, a podcast that takes on fads, trends and the opinionated mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not and what’s somewher ... Show More
41m 56s
Jan 2020
Episode 100: Unsolved Problems in Science
In this special celebratory 100th episode, I discuss six major unsolved problems in science: the P vs NP problem in computer science, the mystery of dark matter in physics, the existence of the island of stability in chemistry, the historical occurrence of a snowball Earth scenar ... Show More
1h 22m
Jun 2021
EVERYTHING Happens For A Reason!!!!
Hey Angels! How many times do we feel so broken, uncertain, and have lost hope due to life’s trials and tribulations ? On today’s episode I discuss why it’s important for us to understand that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. It’s all working for your favor. I also share moments ... Show More
48m 4s
Apr 2022
Acute Aortic Syndromes; Roadside to Resus
We have been wanting to do an episode on aortic dissections for quite a while now but you will see that what we’ve actually gone and done is created an episode on acute aortic syndromes…so we’ve done a great job of staying on point straight from the off! In fairness, we’ve done t ... Show More
57m 42s
Sep 2022
Playing God
When people are dying and you can only save some, how do you choose? Maybe you save the youngest. Or the sickest. Maybe you even just put all the names in a hat and pick at random. Would your answer change if a sick person was right in front of you? In this episode, first aired b ... Show More
58m 59s
Apr 2023
Focus - When We're Stressed
How does stress affect decision-making? What does burnout do to the brain? And how can parents find ways to cope with emotional exhaustion and fatigue? In this focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she explores the neuroscience of burnout, from ho ... Show More
39m 52s