logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
52m 53s

Our memory and sense of self are full of...

Zachary Elwood
About this episode
Psychologist Anne Wilson studies how we construct our identities over time—how we remember the past, imagine the future, and tell ourselves stories that shape who we believe we are. In this episode, we explore why our memories are often less reliable than we think, and how that inaccuracy might actually be a feature, not a bug. Anne shares insights from her ... Show More
Up next
Aug 11
Can computers detect lies better than humans?, with Bennett Kleinberg
Can machines spot a lie better than we can? I talk with psychology researcher Bennett Kleinberg, whose work brings together psychology, machine learning, natural-language processing, and deception detection. We explore why humans are bad at identifying lies, which verbal clues ma ... Show More
1 h
Aug 1
Inside a Scientology e-meter auditing session, with Chris Shelton
Former Scientologist Chris Shelton spent thousands of hours using the e-meter to "audit" fellow members of the Church—but what does the device actually measure, and why do Scientologists trust it as an infallible guide to the truth? Chris takes us inside a typical auditing sessio ... Show More
1h 29m
Jul 24
How Pete Blair scored 100% in a deception detection study
In a 2014 deception detection study, Pete Blair made 33 judgments—and got all 33 right. That paper was titled “Expertise in deception detection involves actively prompting diagnostic information rather than passive behavioral observation.” I ask Pete about what the factors were i ... Show More
1h 8m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Are Your Memories Real?
<p>We rely on our memory to understand the world. But what if our memories aren't true? This week, we talk to psychologist <a href="https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/eloftus/">Elizabeth Loftus</a> about the malleability of memory — what we remember, and what we think we remember.</p> ... Show More
49m 50s
Aug 2021
You 2.0: Did That Really Happen?
<p>Our memories are easily contaminated. We can be made to believe we rode in a hot air balloon or kissed a magnifying glass — even if those things never happened. So how do we know which of our memories are most accurate? This week, psychologist <a href="https://as.tufts.edu/psy ... Show More
48m 25s
Dec 2019
Did That Really Happen?
<p>Our memories are easily contaminated. We can be made to believe we rode in a hot air balloon or kissed a magnifying glass — even if those things never happened. So how do we know which of our memories are most accurate? This week, psychologist Ayanna Thomas explains how memor ... Show More
48m 2s
Oct 2019
How Memory Can Be Manipulated (SOP91)
Our memories may not be as reliable as we think. Once we experience an event, most of us likely assume that those memories stays intact forever. But there is the potential for memories to be altered or for completely false memories to be planted, according to Elizabeth Loftus, Ph ... Show More
18m 9s
Apr 2023
Where does your sense of self come from? A scientific look | Anil Ananthaswamy
Our memories and bodies give us clues about who we are, but what happens when this guidance shifts? In this mind-bending talk, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy shares how the experiences of "altered selves" -- resulting from schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, foreign limb syndrome or ot ... Show More
13m 53s
Feb 2022
What Memories Are Made Of
Our memories are imperfect treasures – dear to our hearts but not necessarily accurate snapshots of reality. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to neurobiologist Michael Yassa about how memories are stored in the brain, why we forget, and what we’ve gotten w ... Show More
27m 14s
Apr 2023
Remember More, Forget Less
<p>It happens to the best of us — we blank on someone's name, or forget an important meeting, or bomb a test we thought we'd ace.   Today on the show, we talk to cognitive scientist <a href="https://psychology.as.virginia.edu/people/profile/dbw8m">Daniel Willingham</a> about the ... Show More
49m 51s
Sep 2022
Your Memories Are Not Accurate
<p>50% of your memories could be false. This is a scary statistic because the story that we tell ourselves of who we are is based on our past. In this episode, I am going to break down your memories and why basing your view of yourself based on your past is a scary thing to do.</ ... Show More
18m 27s
Sep 2025
#108 Implanting False Memories Into Your Brain
<p><b>In this week’s episode, Matt Walker explores memory&apos;s astonishing malleability, challenging the belief that recollections are fixed. He highlights Loftus&apos;s car crash study, showing how subtle language altered speed memories and implanted false details, and reviews ... Show More
24m 57s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami