White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white noise was a regular part of your life, they would have found that unusual. Nowa ... Show More
Today
Introducing The Sporkful | Is Your Recipe Lying To You?
If you look at any list of best-selling cookbooks, certain words come up over and over again: quick, easy, fast, effortless. But is it actually possible to deliver deliciousness in no time? Or are these recipes too good to be true? This week, The Sporkful talks with intrepid jour ... Show More
29m 4s
Jun 18
The Boston Cinematic Universe
This episode is a first for Decoder Ring: a live show, recorded at the WBUR Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. Given the setting, we decided to take on a Boston-based cultural mystery: namely, the “Boston movie.” Beginning in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hollywood has churned ... Show More
49m 37s
Jul 2024
Does Money Buy Happiness?
We’ve all heard the phrase, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” But, Elizabeth Dunn, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, says that isn’t necessarily true. She sits down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, to talk abo ... Show More
33m 59s
Apr 3
3550: More Money, Less Happiness: When Money Makes You Miserable by Michael Laurence with Get Rich Slowly
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com.Episode 3550:More money can improve life if used wisely. Michael Laurence explores why higher incomes don’t always lead to greater h ... Show More
10m 39s
Dec 2024
The Secret to Happiness with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger
We all want to live a happy life, but what does research say about how to actually achieve it? For more than 86 years, researchers at Harvard University have been trying to answer that question. In one of the longest-running and most comprehensive studies of human happiness, Harv ... Show More
45m 30s
Jul 2024
How Much Money Ankur Nagpal Needs to be Happy for Life
How much money do you need to be happy?Money alone is not going to make you a happy person, but it can sure as hell help you get there. Money can buy you security, time, health, and safety for you and your loved ones, and it can relieve stress when it comes to life's financial pr ... Show More
29m 13s