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
Apr 27
Designing a Life that Matters
We tell ourselves that meaning comes from impact, passion, or finding the “one right path.” But these beliefs can leave us feeling stuck — even when our lives look perfectly fine on paper. Behavioral scientist Dave Evans describes a new approach, borrowed from design thinking, to ... Show More
51m 6s
Apr 20
Do You Feel Loved?
What’s the difference between being loved and feeling loved? Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky joins us to discuss the distinction, and how we can create a stronger feeling of closeness in our relationships. Then, in our latest installment of Your Questions Answered, psychologist Gr ... Show More
1h 33m
Apr 13
How to Change the World
Does power truly flow from the barrel of a gun? Pop culture and conventional history often teach us that violence is the most effective way to produce change. But is that common assumption actually true? Political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who has studied more than 100 years of ... Show More
1h 30m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2020
Why don’t we care about facts?
We have a great capacity to ignore facts and only believe what we want to believe – particularly if those facts clash with our convictions. Why is that and is it getting worse? It’s an area that is being intensely studied by psychologists, political scientists and neuroscientists ... Show More
23m 50s
Nov 2023
Best of Series: Surprising Truths about the Human Brain with Lisa Feldman Barrett
In this episode, I talk to renowned neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett about emotions and the brain. She reveals what the true function of the brain is⎯and it’s not for thinking. We also discuss the impact of past experiences on our cognition and what we can do to overcome o ... Show More
1h 29m
Oct 2015
Episode Three
<p>This is Episode Three of PsychCrunch, the new podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this episode we explore whether psychology can help you to win an argument.</p> <p>After our presenter Christian Jarrett tries his luck with an argument about Mi ... Show More
12m 56s
Oct 2023
164 - The Nature of Anti-Science
tail spinning
56m 34s
Apr 2011
Neuromyths: What You Think You Know About Your Brain
<p>We all know the myth that we use only 10% of our brains, but how we know it's a myth in the first place? In this episode, Robert and Julie interview neurosurgeon Dr. T. Glenn Pait and learn how neuroscience is changing the way we think about our brains.</p><p> </p> Learn more ... Show More
23m 45s
Dec 2020
Science From Curiosity And A Little Paper
Manu Prakash is the co-inventor of the Foldscope, a low-cost microscope aimed at making scientific tools more accessible. We chat with him about why he wants to change how we think about science, and what it'll take to make science something everyone is able to enjoy. (Encore epi ... Show More
14m 4s
Aug 2019
78. Dr. Donald Hoffman — The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes
<p>In his new book, <em><a href= "https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393254690/?tag=skepticcom20-20">The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes</a></em>, the U.C. Irvine cognitive scientist Dr. Donald Hoffman challenges the leading scientific theories that claim ... Show More
1h 44m
May 2016
The Science of Coincidence
<p>What are we to make of coincidence? From the numerological cats cradles we weave around famous events to the curious ways human lives converge through time, coincidence seems to fly in the face of reason and even suggest the supernatural. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your ... Show More
50 m
Jan 2024
Why Big Numbers Break Our Brains
In celebration of our 1000th episode, we're wrapping our heads around big numbers. Educational neuroscientist Elizabeth Toomarian talks about why humans' evolutionarily-old brains are so bad at comprehending large quantities–like the national debt and the size of the universe–and ... Show More
11m 34s