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Mar 2021
51m 15s

The Story of Stories

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What occurs when I sneeze? We all need to understand why certain things happen. Some researchers think the drive to explain the world is a basic human impulse, similar to thirst or hunger. This week on Hidden Brain, we begin a three part series on why we tell stories. Psychologist Tania Lombrozo discusses ... Show More
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