logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
26m 6s

Loss and Renewal

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
No matter how hard we work, we won’t always achieve the goals we set for ourselves. When cognitive scientist Maya Shankar was a girl, she wanted to be a concert violinist. Then an injury forced her to imagine her life anew. This week, we revisit a favorite episode from 2015 with Maya. She’s now the host of a new podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. If you lik ... Show More
Up next
Oct 26
The Story of Stories
Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What can I do to help my baby sleep through the night? We all feel the 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. ... Show More
1h 30m
Oct 19
Do You Have Trouble Sleeping?
Millions of us move through our days without getting enough sleep. We know that sleep deprivation can affect our physical health and our mood. But sleep researcher Chris Barnes says a chronic lack of good sleep can also affect how we make decisions and even what we value. He join ... Show More
1h 30m
Oct 12
Why Am I Unhappy?
We often imagine that feelings of unhappiness come from outside us — in our circumstances or the difficult people in our lives. But what if the forces that erode our happiness come from within? Psychologist George Loewenstein joins us to explore why our minds nudge us toward the ... Show More
1h 33m
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Create New Opportunities
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! Today, she discusses how we can forge a new (and maybe even better) path when obstacles get in our way. Dr. Shankar also shares her personal story of how she found a new passion after a sudden injury ended her career ... Show More
5m 26s
Oct 2021
Dr. Maya Shankar | Change Happens
<p>Imagine being so drawn to a pursuit as a kid, it consumes most of your waking hours, rapidly becomes your identity, and is the thing you believe you’ll devote your life to, and then, in the blink of an eye, it’s taken away. That’s what happened to Maya Shankar, who fell in lov ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2022
What Motivates Us: Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar on the Power of Change, Habit Formation, And Behavioral Science
<p>On this week’s episode, Dr. Maya Shankar – a cognitive neuroscientist and creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans – sits down with VP of Performance Kristen to how to change our patterns of behavior when it comes to our health. Maya shares the secrets of stay ... Show More
39m 4s
Jan 2023
Rewind with Dr. Maya Shankar: Create New Opportunities
This week's Rewind features cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar. Today, she discusses how we can forge a new (and maybe even better) path when obstacles get in the way. If you'd like to hear some great stories about personal change and the science of human behavior, check out Dr ... Show More
5m 56s
Jan 2023
Rewind with Dr. Maya Shankar: You Are A Work in Progress
This week's Rewind features cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar. Today, she talks about the impact that big changes have on our self-identity, and how we can see ourselves differently to weather the storms we face in life. If you'd like to hear some great stories about personal ... Show More
5m 27s
Jan 2023
Rewind with Dr. Maya Shankar: Control is an Illusion
This week's Rewind features cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar. She also hosts “A Slight Change of Plans” — a podcast about who we become in the face of big change. Today she discusses the illusion of control, and how when life gets in the way of our plans, we don’t have to see ... Show More
7m 6s
Aug 2023
Find the Potential in Change || Maya Shankar
Today we welcome Maya Shankar to the podcast. Maya is a cognitive scientist and the creator and host of the podcast, “A Slight Change of Plans”. It was awarded as the Best Show of 2021 by Apple and received an Ambie award from the Podcast Academy in 2022. Maya has a postdoctoral ... Show More
50m 49s
Jan 2023
Rewind with Dr. Maya Shankar: Don’t Change A Thing
This week's Rewind features cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar. We’re often so hard on ourselves for what we view as our negative qualities. Today, Dr. Shankar explores how to see the silver linings in our faults and embrace every aspect of ourselves. If you'd like to hear some ... Show More
4m 40s
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Control is an Illusion
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! Dr. Shankar hosts “A Slight Change of Plans,” a podcast all about who we are and who we become in the face of a big change. Over the next several episodes, she’ll talk about how to work with change, instead of agains ... Show More
6m 10s
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Don’t Change A Thing
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! We’re often so hard on ourselves for what we view as our “negative qualities.” Today, Dr. Shankar explores how to see the silver linings in our faults and learn to embrace those aspects. If you'd like to hear some gr ... Show More
4m 19s