logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
49m 4s

The Mystery of Beauty

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
Think about the last time you were struck by a gorgeous painting in a museum, or heard a song that brought you to tears. All of us know what it’s like to be stopped in our tracks by a beautiful sight. But scientists are still puzzling over why this is the case. What’s the point of beauty? Why is it seemingly so important to us? This week on the show, neurosc ... Show More
Up next
Nov 24
Parents: Keep Out!
<p>If you’re a parent or a teacher, you’ve probably wondered how to balance play and safety for the kids in your care. You don’t want to put children in danger, but you also don’t want to rob them of the joy of exploration. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with psych ... Show More
1h 18m
Nov 17
The Power of Family Stories
<p>There’s a tradition around many Thanksgiving dinner tables that’s as consistent as pumpkin pie: the family stories that get told year after year. Sometimes these stories are funny; sometimes they make us roll our eyes. No matter how we feel about them, we rarely pause to consi ... Show More
1h 37m
Nov 10
Why Following Your Dreams Isn't Enough
<p>Entrepreneurs typically have no shortage of passion, heart, and vision. But at Stanford University, <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/hayagreeva-rao" target="_blank">Huggy Rao</a> says there are other elements that may matter more when it comes to ... Show More
1h 30m
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
This Scientist Says One Emotion Might Be the Key to Happiness. Can You Guess What It Is? | Dacher Keltner
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p>Our guest today is one of the most prominent happiness researchers in the world, and he has come to the conc ... Show More
1h 3m
Jun 2022
The Price of Beauty
We’re constantly surrounded by false standards of beauty on social media that can trick us into believing that external beauty is more important than what’s on the inside. When we don’t know where the fake narrative ends and the truth begins, we leave the odor open for demons to ... Show More
28m 28s
Apr 2023
EP158. Why the beauty industry needs more indie formulators
<p>Big beauty has spent well over a century using fear-mongering to marketing its products to us. Even if today it is more sophisticated in its methods and use of media, the mainstream industry is still telling us we are not good enough or beautiful enough. In effect, it is telli ... Show More
7m 52s
Jan 2021
Your Brain Treats Human Beauty Differently from Artistic Beauty
Learn about how your brain treats beautiful faces differently from beautiful objects; why the town of Baarle sits on one of the world’s most complex international borders; and what might happen if you’re eating during a car accident.Your brain treats beautiful faces differently f ... Show More
11m 29s
Jun 2018
How to Be Beautiful and Why it Matters & Small Inventions that Rocked Your World
When you search for something in Google does it matter what order you put the words in? What about punctuation – does that matter? We start this episode with the best ways to optimize Google searches to get the best results. (https://edu.google.com/coursebuilder/courses/pswg/1.2/ ... Show More
45m 55s
May 2023
Ep 186: How We Got Into The Beauty Industry
Gum Health 101 We talk to dentist Dr Madeleine Duff around gum health and ways to ensure healthy gums. She tells us if water flossers are worth it, the different types of gum issues that can arise and how to reverse gum damage. Dr Madeleine Duff is a dentist at The Smile Designer ... Show More
38m 15s
Jan 2021
Frank Wilczek — Beauty as a Compass for Truth
“Having tasted beauty at the heart of the world, we hunger for more.” These are words from Nobel physicist Frank Wilczek in his book, A Beautiful Question. It’s a winsome, joyful meditation on the question: Do cosmic realities embody beautiful ideas? — probing the world, by way o ... Show More
50m 35s
Nov 2022
EP133. Beauty in the metaverse
<p>If you are a gamer, then the metaverse will be a familiar space. But, if you are a natural cosmetics' formulator helping friends, family and customers with real-world skincare and haircare issues, a hyper-virtual reality metaverse of avatars, immersive digital experiences and ... Show More
34m 50s