In this episode, Wendy speaks with cognitive psychologist Larry Barsalou about his work on grounded cognition, concepts, stress, and habits. Their conversation covers many topics, including:
a historical look at how psychology has viewed and studied the mind;
simulation and prediction in the brain;
what a concept is, and benefits and harms they can bring;
st ... Show More
Jul 10
Mapping Transformation – cathy-mae karelse, Rufus Pollock & Gretchen Steidle
To conclude this mini-series, guest host Jamie Bristow is joined by Gretchen Steidle, cathy-mae karelse and Rufus Pollock to step back from individual approaches explored so far and consider the wider field they are collectively helping to shape. As interest in contemplative appr ... Show More
1h 8m
Jun 26
Working Within Systems – Thomas Legrand, Rachel Lilley & Wakanyi Macharia-Hoffman
In this episode of the mini-series on systems change, guest host Jamie Bristow turns the lens around. Rather than beginning with a particular inner approach and asking what it might offer, the conversation starts with the system itself: the patterns, power dynamics and meaning-ma ... Show More
1h 5m
May 2026
Theory U: Guiding Awareness-based Systems Change – Katrin Kaufer, Martin Kalungu-Banda and Megan Seneque
In this panel conversation, guest host Jamie Bristow is joined by Katrin Kaufer, Martin Kalungu-Banda and Megan Seneque to explore Theory U and the wider field of awareness-based systems change. Developed through the Presencing Institute, Theory U is one of the most widely applie ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2019
#179 — The Unquiet Mind
Sam Harris speaks with Judson Brewer about addiction, craving, and mindfulness. They discuss the nature of reward-based learning, the role of subjective bias in addiction, the neuroscience of craving, the neural correlates of the sense of self, real-time neuroimaging, effort and ... Show More
34m 1s
Apr 2023
#317 — What Do We Know About Our Minds?
<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
1h 7m
Nov 2018
#143 — The Keys to the Mind
Sam Harris speaks with Derren Brown about his work as a "psychological illusionist." They discuss the power of hypnosis, the power of expectations, the usefulness of Stoic philosophy, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to ... Show More
42m 28s
Sep 2019
#168 — Mind, Space, & Motion
<p>Sam Harris speaks with Barbara Tversky about how our senses of space and motion underlie our capacity for thought. They discuss the evolution of mind prior to language, the importance of imitation and gesture, the sensory and motor homunculi, the information communicated by mo ... Show More
37m 13s
Apr 2020
#200 — Creatures of Habit
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with James Clear about habit formation. They discuss the difference between creating good habits and discontinuing bad ones, the role of the environment, the misalignment between immediate and long term outcomes, the rememberin ... Show More
32m 33s