Episode 27: Losing Alaska

Last week, we talked with psychologist Lisa Miller about the science of spirituality. Today, we explore what those ideas can look like in everyday life. Miller explains why moments of connection, spiritual practices, and even periods of suffering can sometimes open the door to de ... Show More

Food, safety, and strong relationships are essential to our survival. Psychologist Lisa Miller says our brains also crave something else: transcendence. She suggests that spirituality is a universal human capacity, and that feeling connected to something larger than ourselves may ... Show More

Why does one bad experience have the power to overshadow an otherwise good day? Psychologist Alison Ledgerwood explores the negativity bias, the deeply human tendency to hold on to what went wrong and overlook what went right. She explains why our minds are drawn to losses and th ... Show More

The biggest obstacle to dealing with climate disruptions lies between your ears, says psychologist and economist Per Espen Stokes. He's spent years studying the defenses we use to avoid thinking about the demise of our planet -- and figuring out a new way of talking about global ... Show More

<p>On this episode of <em>The Disappearing Spoon</em>, Sam Kean delves deep into the science behind the evolution of animal and human bodies. Like animals, human bodies have also evolved to adhere to the demands of ever-changing climates. This raises a question: how will human bo ... Show More

You may think you know yourself, but humans have a striking inability to predict their own behavior in differing emotional states. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the hot-cold empathy gap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

<p><strong> </strong></p><br><p>For thousands of years, humans have had ideas about mankind's potential impact on the climate.</p><p>In this episode, we look at how these ideas have changed, the men and women who have contributed to them, and ask ourselves why it has taken so lon ... Show More

Could altering the Earth’s atmosphere to reflect back some of the sun’s rays be a solution to climate change? It would likely decrease global temperatures, but it might lead to climate wars. Humanity might become “addicted” to it for survival. And ultimately, would this technolog ... Show More

In this episode, we discuss backlash for selling in “a time like this,” taking social distancing to a whole other level, and anticipating a financial storm that hasn’t even happened yet. We all love watching people struggle in books and movies, but we don’t want to experience it ... Show More