This week, Scott sits down with Dr. Ben Rein, a Stanford neuroscientist and one of today’s most engaging science communicators. Dr. Rein has spent over a decade studying the neuroscience of social interaction, and his new book, Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection, explores how our relationships shape our minds and well-being. Toget ... Show More
Dec 2025
End of an Era — Reflections on 11 Years of The Psychology Podcast w/ Annie Murphy Paul
After 11 years, 478 episodes, and countless conversations exploring the depths of human potential, this episode marks the final chapter of The Psychology Podcast in its current form. In this deeply meaningful farewell episode for Scott, he sits down with acclaimed science writer ... Show More
46m 52s
Nov 2025
How Mindsets Shape Reality w/ Dr. Alia Crum
This week, Scott sits down with his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Alia Crum—one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of mindsets. Dr. Crum’s groundbreaking work investigates how our subjective beliefs and interpretations can produce real, measurable changes in b ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2025
The Gentle Power of Sisu w/ Dr. Elisabet Lahti
This week, Scott welcomes Dr. Elisabet Lahti—educator, applied psychology researcher, and founder of the Sisu Lab. Dr. Lahti is the world’s leading expert on sisu, a Finnish concept that embodies extraordinary courage, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity. Toget ... Show More
48m 45s
Oct 2025
What Loneliness Does To Your Brain with Ben Rein
<p>What does loneliness do to our brains? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore how the loneliness epidemic impacts our minds, bodies, and even our lifespan with neuroscientist Ben Rein, author of <i>Why Brains Need Friends: The Science of Social Connection.< ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 2023
Ben Rein Ph.D x Psychedelics & Social Interaction
Ben Rein, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Robert Malenka's lab at Stanford University and a science communicator with over 925,000 followers on social media. In his current research, Ben is exploring the neural basis of empathy and how drugs such as MDMA act in the brain ... Show More
1h 6m
May 2024
The Science of MDMA with Ben Rein
<p>Can MDMA make you a better person? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the neuroscience of empathy, psychopathy, and MDMA in the brain with neuroscientist Ben Rein, PhD. </p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode comm ... Show More
46m 38s
Dec 2024
Jim Coan – Our Social Baseline
In this episode, Wendy speaks with psychologist and affective neuroscientist Jim Coan. Jim is a leading researcher on how social connection impacts our minds, brains, and bodies, and he's also pushing the boundaries of impactful science communication. This conversation covers man ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2024
How Relationships Shape Your Brain | Dr. Allan Schore
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Allan Schore, Ph.D., a faculty member in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, a longtime clinical psychotherapist, and a multi-book author. We discuss how early child-parent interaction ... Show More
2h 7m
Jun 2022
Revealing the Hidden Brain, with Shankar Vedantam
How much insight do people have into why they behave the way they do? Science journalist Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast and author of “Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain,” talks about why he is fascinated by the paradoxes of hu ... Show More
40m 38s
<p>In this episode of <a href="https://www.fastersmarter.io/"><em>Think Fast, Talk Smart</em></a>, lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with <a href="https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/david-eagleman/">David Eagleman</a>, a neuroscientist and the host of the PBS ser ... Show More
