“Disgusting” is a flexible word – it could describe everything from a putrid smell to your least-favorite food to a behavior you find immoral. But what does it really mean to be disgusted? Paul Rozin, PhD, talks about where disgust comes from, why some people are more easily disgusted than others, universal triggers of disgust, why the foods we consider disg ... Show More
Aug 20
Why numeracy counts in everyday life, with Ellen Peters, PhD
From deciding whether to buy a house to weighing the risks and benefits of taking a new medication, many important life decisions hinge on understanding numbers, statistics and probability. Ellen Peters, PhD, author of “Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Number ... Show More
35m 22s
Aug 13
Encore - How science can help you change your behavior for the better, with Katy Milkman, PhD
What can you learn from the science of behavior change that can help you make the changes you want to see in your life? Katy Milkman, PhD, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where Y ... Show More
43m 42s
Aug 6
Encore -- Why we choose to suffer, with Paul Bloom, PhD
Why do people like to watch scary movies or listen to sad songs? Why do we run marathons and raise children, even though both of those pursuits come with struggle and pain? Paul Bloom, PhD, discusses why suffering is linked to meaning in life, the connection between pleasure and ... Show More
23m 18s
Jan 2025
Ep89 "Why do you love some flavors and not others?"
Why do you like the taste of things that your friend doesn't? Why do kids not like coffee but adults do? What does any of this have to do with smelling people’s armpits, whether women really synchronize their menstruation, whether your culture eats a lot of spicy foods, and how a ... Show More
35m 42s
Jan 2025
The Latest Science of Gut Health: What To Eat, When To Eat & Why You Don’t Need 30 Plant Foods Per Week with Dr Emily Leeming #508
Twenty years ago, very few scientists even knew about something called the gut microbiome. Now, with over 70,000 research papers published on the subject, this complex ecosystem, home to trillions of microorganisms, is recognised as a key factor in our physical and mental wellbei ... Show More
1h 44m
Apr 2025
Dr. Steven Gundry: Is Fungus Secretly Running the World—and Your Gut? : 1270
If your brain feels foggy, your mood swings like a pendulum, or your cravings seem to control you—this episode will flip what you think you know about your body and your mind. Because what if your thoughts… aren’t really yours? In this mind-altering episode of The Human Upgrade, ... Show More
54m 11s
May 1
#935 - Crappy Childhood Fairy - Limerence Explained: Why Do We Get Addicted To People?
Anna Runkle, also known as the Crappy Childhood Fairy, is a trauma educator, Youtuber and an author. Why do some people fall so hard, so fast? It might not be love, but it could be limerence. So what exactly is limerence, what triggers it, and how do you handle it, whether you're ... Show More
1h 26m
Nov 2024
David Shoemaker, "Wisecracks: Humor and Morality in Everyday Life" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
What good is a good sense of humour especially when the humour may be ethically questionable? Although humour seems a valuable part of a good conversation and indeed a good life, jokes have never seemed more morally problematic than they do now. How can we then evaluate quips, gi ... Show More
53m 57s