logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2021
50m 14s

Afraid of the Wrong Things

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode

Around the world, people are grappling with the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. How do our minds process that risk, and why do some of us process it so differently? This week, we talk with psychologist Paul Slovic about the disconnect between our own assessments of risk and the dangers we face in our everyday lives.

Up next
Oct 6
Love 2.0: How to Fix Your Marriage, Part 2
When things go wrong in our relationships, we often try to change the way our partners behave. But usually, trying to fix a person only makes things worse. Last week, we talked to psychologist James Cordova about why this tendency can be so damaging, and what to do instead. This ... Show More
1h 44m
Sep 29
Love 2.0: How to Fix Your Marriage, Part 1
Many love stories end when the characters are still in the heady, euphoric early stages of a relationship. But what comes after that intoxicating first phase of love is over? Today, we kick off a new series on the challenges specific to long-term relationships. We'll talk with ps ... Show More
1h 41m
Sep 22
Passion vs. Paycheck
The idea of being driven by a calling goes back centuries. It was the language used to describe religious people who were called to the priesthood. Today, millions of people in secular professions yearn to be similarly galvanized by their work. This week, researcher Jennifer Tost ... Show More
53m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Why our Brains Don't Fear Climate Change Enough
Humans are great at reacting to mortal danger... but only sometimes. Unfortunately, some risks to our safety and wellbeing don't set off alarm bells in our brains. Climate change falls into that category. Why is that? Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert explains how some dangers tri ... Show More
37m 5s
Apr 2023
80. Why you should take risks in your 20’s
This week we discuss the psychology behind why we all should be prepared to talk risks and push beyond our comfort zone in our 20’s. This topic has a lot of personal relevance for me right now, which I share in this episode, but there is also a lot of science and psychology that ... Show More
30m 22s
Jun 2020
Fear
On this week's episode we are talking about fear. We discuss where it comes from and why we have it, also how it differs from anxiety and how we can overcome our fears. Instagram Psyched Facebook Group Private Coaching Call 
27m 37s
Oct 2023
Ep 35: Why do we enjoy playing with fear?
This is Episode 35 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. From haunted houses to scary movies, many of us find a thrill in a good scare. But… isn’t that a bit counter-intuitive? In this episode, we as ... Show More
19m 40s
Oct 2021
Facing Your Fears
Fear brings with it a kind of powerful temptation: people want to know fear, to confront it, and maybe even conquer it. In the lead up to Halloween, we're devoting an episode to all things scary. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with psychologist Lisa Feld ... Show More
30m 11s
Feb 2021
BONUS: Why 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths May Not Feel Any Different
Why is it so hard to feel the difference between 400,000 and 500,000 COVID-19 deaths — and how might that impact our decision making during the pandemic? In this bonus episode from NPR's daily science podcast Short Wave, psychologist Paul Slovic explains the concept of psychic nu ... Show More
11m 32s
Dec 2021
Comment le cerveau régule la peur ?
Vous arrive-t-il d’avoir peur ? Même si au quotidien, nous faisons de notre mieux pour nous tenir à distance des situations nous faisant ressentir de la peur, en réalité, l’existence même de cette émotion est essentielle à notre survie. C’est notamment grâce à elle que nous avons ... Show More
2m 3s
Apr 2021
Fear of the Unknown
It’s obvious why people are afraid of things like spirits, ghosts, and goblins. It’s the fear of the unknown. That’s why we feel more comfortable around other human beings who live in our dimension. But when the unusual or even the evil masquerade as human beings, that is when we ... Show More
31m 51s
Oct 2023
Primal Instincts: Science, Psychology, Fear
Dive into the intricate dance between our primal instincts and modern anxieties. In this week's episode, my friend Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, and I unpack how our 'animal brains' still dictate much of our reactions, particularly fear - a survival tool tu ... Show More
1h 9m