logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2019
48m 58s

Facts Aren't Enough

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
Sometimes when we believe something, we resist data that can change our minds. This week, we look at how we rely on the people we trust to shape what we believe, and why emotions can be more powerful than facts. This episode features new reporting and favorite conversations with neuroscientist Tali Sharot and philosopher of science Cailin O'Connor. 
Up next
Sep 14
Why Conversations Go Wrong
Do you ever struggle to communicate with your mom? Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages? This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with linguist Deborah Tannen. She shows how our conversational styles can cause unintended conflicts, and what we ... Show More
1h 38m
Sep 7
Blowing Up Your Life
Have you ever had a flash of insight that hit you when you least expected it? How did it change your life? Psychologist Anthony Klotz studies the "jolts" that shake us out of our routines, and how these moments can help us make more intentional decisions about the people we want ... Show More
1h 26m
Aug 31
The Things We Don't Say
From childhood, we're taught that honesty is the best policy. Yet in everyday life, we hedge, soften our words, and leave things unsaid. This week, we talk with psychologist Steven Pinker about why indirect speech is such a fundamental part of human relationships. How long can yo ... Show More
50m 2s
Recommended Episodes
May 2020
Check the Facts
While feelings give us valuable information, they also can lead us to make poor decisions sometimes. In this episode, Kate and Michelle walk you through how to check the facts to ensure you're making decisions from your wise mind instead of from your emotion mind. Support the sho ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2023
How To Be A Skeptic
There's a lot of information out there these days -- and, unfortunately, a lot of it isn't true. But how can we learn to discern fact from fiction? In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the basis of critical thought and skepticism, and how your own brain can conspire aga ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2022
EMOTIONAL: Do Your Feelings Make You Smarter?
We all strive to think rationally. But it doesn’t always do us much good. Cutting-edge science has revealed that if we want to sharpen our thinking, we need to feel our feelings. That science is the subject of “Emotional,” a new book by theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow. In ... Show More
47m 43s
Mar 2018
The Devil's Advocate
In a world awash in data, you’d think it would be relatively easy to make informed, objective decisions. But there’s a problem that gets in your way, even with all of this information at your fingertips: You see what you want to see. On this episode of Choiceology with Dan Heath, ... Show More
27m 23s
Jul 2022
237 - Reactance - Michele Belot
<p>New research suggests people on opposite sides of wedge issues want to listen to each other. We are each eager to hear differing opinions and understand opposing views, and when we do it can change our minds (at least a little), but only when we aren't triggered by the psychol ... Show More
40m 22s
Aug 2016
#41 — Faith in Reason
Sam Harris speaks with Eric Weinstein about the relationship between faith and reason and about some of the factors that make conversations on important topics so difficult. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-len ... Show More
1h 3m
Nov 2022
Cosmic Queries – Why do we believe conspiracy theories? with Michael Shermer
<p>Why do rational people believe irrational things? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down media literacy, the psychology behind conspiracy theories, and how to combat our cognitive biases with author and science historian, Michael Shermer.</p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons c ... Show More
53m 1s
Sep 2020
In Machines We Trust: What’s Behind a Smile
Researchers have spent years trying to crack the mystery of how we express our feelings. Pioneers in the field of emotion detection will tell you the problem is far from solved. But that hasn’t stopped a growing number of companies from claiming their algorithms have cracked the ... Show More
27m 2s
Jan 2022
In Machines We Trust: What’s behind a smile (Encore)
Researchers have spent years trying to crack the mystery of how we express our feelings. Pioneers in the field of emotion detection will tell you the problem is far from solved. But that hasn’t stopped a growing number of companies from claiming their algorithms have cracked the ... Show More
24m 27s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami