Practical strategies for navigating difficult relationships and building new connections.

Shankar Vedantam is host of the Hidden Brain podcast and radio show, where he explores the hidden patterns that drive human behavior. He is the author of the books, The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Wage Wars, Control Markets and Save Our Lives, and Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self- Deceiving Brain.

In this episode we talk about:

How to stop trying to change your partner
Useful tools for overcoming conflict
The challenging practice of "eating the blame"
The concept of "useful delusions"
How to manage a breakup (of any kind)
The real secret to finding closure
The value of micro interactions with strangers
And more

Related Episodes:

The Surprising Upsides of Self-Deception

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Additional Resources:

Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.

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