Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

Hidden Brain

• Science

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1. • AUG 14, 2023
   You 2.0: Your Future Is Now You 2.0: Your Future Is Now Have you ever set a goal and had a really difficult time sticking to it? Maybe you decide you want to save more money, or go to the gym more often. This week on the show, psychologist Hal Hershfield explains why it can be difficult to set our “future selves” up for success. Plus, he shares tools to help us make commitments that will benefit us in the years to come.
   • 51 min
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2. • AUG 11, 2023
   You 2.0: How to Have Difficult Conversations You 2.0: How to Have Difficult Conversations Many of us shrink from difficult or awkward conversations. Harvard negotiation expert Sheila Heen has spent years thinking about this problem. She studies why some conversations are difficult, and how to defuse conflict and move forward productively. In the latest episode of our You 2.0 series, we talk with Sheila about the subterranean fault lines in tough conversations, and how to engage with others without losing our sanity. Your subscription to Hidden Brain+ helps us make even more episodes like this one! We appreciate your support.
3. • AUG 7, 2023
   You 2.0: How to Break Out of a Rut You 2.0: How to Break Out of a Rut There are times in life when the challenges we face feel insurmountable. Authors succumb to writer’s block. Athletes and artists hit a plateau. People of a certain age fall into a midlife crisis. These are all different ways of saying: I’m stuck. This week, in the kickoff to our annual You 2.0 series, psychologist Adam Alter shares his research on why we all get stuck at various points in our lives, and how to break free.
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   • 50 min
4. • AUG 4, 2023
   Your Questions Answered: Kevin Cokley on the Imposter Phenomenon Your Questions Answered: Kevin Cokley on the Imposter Phenomenon Many of us have moments in our lives where we feel like we don’t belong, even though we have the skills or credentials required to succeed. Psychologist Kevin Cokley describes this feeling as the “imposter phenomenon.” We recently featured his work in an episode called “Success 2.0: The Psychology of Self-Doubt,” and he joins us again, exclusively on Hidden Brain+, to answer listener questions. If you know someone who would enjoy Hidden Brain+, please tell them about this episode, and encourage them to subscribe to our podcast subscription in this feed or at apple.co/hiddenbrain. Thanks!
5. • JUL 31, 2023
   The Truth About Honesty The Truth About HonestyThink about how often you hold back honest opinions of someone else because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. But there are times when this well-intended restraint can be a mistake. This week, in the second part of our series on failure and feedback, psychologist Taya Cohen helps us understand when — and how — to be honest.
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   • 55 min
6. • JUL 24, 2023
   Learning From Your Mistakes Learning From Your Mistakes No matter who you are, it’s guaranteed that at some point in life you’ll make a mistake. Many of us find failures to be uncomfortable — so we try our best to ignore them and move on. But what if there was a way to turn that discomfort into an opportunity? This week, we begin a two part mini-series on the psychology of failure and feedback. Psychologist Lauren Eskreis-Winkler teaches us how to stop ignoring our mistakes, and instead, start to learn from them.
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   • 49 min

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Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

(Contributed by Michael Kelly, H.W.)