logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
29m 18s

The Fun of Eating a Pepper Hotter Than t...

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

There is nothing hotter than Puckerbutt Farm’s Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce... and author Leigh Cowart gargles it for FUN!!! Why do we sometimes get a happiness high from painful and scary things? And what if we want to experience the fun of discomfort and danger... but without the risk of coming to real harm? 

With the help of Leigh, psychology professor Paul Bloom and the Yale philosopher Tamar Gendler, Dr Laurie Santos finds out how we can fool ourselves into reaping all the benefits of danger without actually being in peril. 

For further reading:

Leigh Cowart - Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose.

Paul Bloom - The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Oct 6
How to Make Better Choices (with Barry Schwartz)
Every choice you make shapes your wellbeing - and the bigger the decision, the greater the impact. So when it comes to life-changing questions like where to live, who to marry, or which career to pursue, how can you tell if you’re making the best decision for your long-term happi ... Show More
40m 48s
Sep 29
Take a Three-Day Weekend Without Losing Any Pay (with Juliet Schor)
Many of us toil for long hours - and even take work home at the end of the day. That's bad for us in so many ways - but extensive research shows that it just doesn't have to be this way. Many of us could work a four-day week and still get everything done. Economist Juliet Schor h ... Show More
55m 51s
Sep 26
Presenting Heavyweight: Etta
As a podcast host, I'm often asked, "What's your favorite podcast?" and my answer is always the same: Heavyweight. So you can imagine my excitement when my favorite podcast joined the Pushkin slate! Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, Heavyweight creates space for difficult conversatio ... Show More
37m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
HURT SO GOOD: The Pleasures of Suffering (Paul Bloom & Susan Cain)
Some people think humans are natural pleasure seekers. But not psychologist Paul Bloom. In his new book, “The Sweet Spot,” Paul says we’re pain seekers, too. Just think about all the uncomfortable things we do for fun — eating spicy food, climbing treacherous mountains, watching ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2021
The Sweet Spot: why pain can be a pleasure
We go to movies that make us cry, scream or gag we poke at sores, eat spicy foods and run marathons. Some of us even seek out discomfort and humiliation for sexual gratification. Most of these activities are painful yet many of us find pleasure within them and Professor Paul Bloo ... Show More
57 m
Nov 2021
Paul Bloom || The Pleasures of Suffering
In this episode, I talk to renowned developmental psychologist Paul Bloom about the pleasures of suffering. We start by discussing the value of suffering in pursuit of meaning and make the distinction between unforeseen tragedy and chosen suffering. Paul also elaborates on BDSM a ... Show More
1h 7m
Nov 2021
The Right Kind of Suffering | Paul Bloom
Is there a good kind of suffering? Paul Bloom says, yes -- there is a kind of suffering that you choose. This voluntary suffering can reduce anxiety and make your life more meaningful. This episode explores that idea, along with: why we are hardwired to worry about bad things (an ... Show More
58m 9s
Dec 2023
Decoding Mindf*ckery: Dr. Robin Stern on The Gaslight Effect
Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  Dr. Robin Stern is not your average psycho-therapist – she’s renowned for her work in emotional intelligence, relationships, and well being. And she’s the psychological sleuth who’s highlighted one particularly culty behavior: gaslight ... Show More
55m 37s
Dec 2021
Paul Bloom on Psychological Hedonism,
Do we seek pleasure and avoid pain? The moral psychologist Paul Bloom believes psychological hedonism gives an inaccurate picture of what motivates us. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses pain and pleasure with Nigel Warburton. 
20m 23s
Nov 2023
Cautionary Tales Presents The Dream
On The Dream, host Jane Marie gets to know the life coaches and gurus who claim they know the secret to living our best lives. Is it all in our mindset? Or our privilege? Or are we all under a spell? Tim Harford is joined by Jane Marie to talk about who coaching works least well ... Show More
45m 58s
Feb 2018
Why Does It Hurt So Bad? with Professor Catherine Cahill
Catherine Cahill is an opioid neuropharmacologist and a professor in UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Studies, specializing in chronic pain. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Jonathan asks Professor Cahill why we experience pain, what makes chronic pain so different a ... Show More
37m 22s
Jan 2024
Therapy Sesh: A Remix with Daniel Shaw, LCSW, Dr. Ramani, & Dr. Natalie Feinblatt
Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  We made you a mixtape of some of our fave segments from our full episodes with Daniel Shaw, LCSW,  Dr. Ramani, and Dr. Natalie Feinblatt. Think of this as our Chicken Soup for the Culty Soul power-medley. We’ve got Dan Shaw dropping kn ... Show More
59m 24s
Apr 2020
Hiding in Plain Sight: Introducing Psychoanalysis
How we are strangers to ourselves. This lecture addresses the questions raised by psychoanalysis; the movement of Freud's thought over time; symptoms, repression and trauma; dreams; and psychoanalytic genres. Contact Email: philosophyofpsychoanalysis@gmail.com Lecturer: Asso ... Show More
26m 38s