Astronauts on a future mission to Mars will face many challenges, including three years in a tiny spacecraft and a Mars habitat, with just a few other crew members and a 22-minute delay for any communication back to Earth. Psychologist Suzanne Bell, PhD, head of NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Lab, talks about the human challenges of long-term space ... Show More
Oct 7
Are you a workaholic or just a hard worker? With Malissa Clark, PhD
Many of us have trouble switching off from work, whether it's staying late at the office, checking messages on vacation, or lying awake running through tomorrow's to-do list. Malissa Clark, PhD, of the University of Georgia, discusses how workaholism differs from simply working h ... Show More
28m 54s
Sep 30
Can envy be good for you? With Jens Lange, PhD, and Sara Protasi, PhD
We've all felt a pang of envy watching a friend's success or a colleague's promotion. But does this much-maligned emotion deserve its negative reputation? Psychologist Jens Lange, PhD, and philosopher Sara Protasi, PhD, discuss the difference between envy and jealousy; why we're ... Show More
41m 58s
Sep 23
Are you burned out or ‘bored out’? With Lotta Harju, PhD, and Sharon K. Parker, PhD
Burnout gets all the attention, but some employees struggle with a different problem: chronic boredom on the job, sometimes called "boreout." Lotta Harju, PhD, of EM Lyon Business School, and Sharon K. Parker, PhD, of Curtin University, discuss how boreout differs from burnout, h ... Show More
43m 5s
Dec 2023
A Year in Mars Dune Alpha
To prepare for the day when humans travel to Mars, NASA is conducting a one-year experiment in a Mars simulation environment. So what’s it like to spend a year in CHAPEA, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog? In this season finale episode, travel through the airlock ... Show More
26m 21s
Mar 2024
The Sunday Read: ‘Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars?’
<p>That people will travel to Mars, and soon, is a widely accepted conviction within NASA. Rachel McCauley, until recently the acting deputy director of NASA’s Mars campaign, had, as of July, a punch list of 800 problems that must be solved before the first human mission launches ... Show More
49m 35s