Hidden Brain

Exploring the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior | Team: Host and Executive Editor Shankar Vedantam & Executive Producer @taranoelleboyle

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

New to Hidden Brain? Here's a great place to start. https://t.co/eOBF1ShjDE

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

We’ve all been there. You’re stuck on an impossible problem. Then you go for a walk or a drive or take a shower and —bam!—the solution comes to you in a flash of insight.

Why does this happen? What are the mental mechanisms responsible for our most creative moments? This week, we talk to psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis about the psychology of creativity and inspiration.

https://t.co/Jvi5c1oa5B

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“There's something about the unconscious that can come up with something that is very pure, very beautiful.”

You know those eureka moments, when an idea hits you like a bolt of lightning? Where do those ideas come from? This week, the science of inspiration.

https://t.co/DTr5izrhlq

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“At a certain point, you have this sudden flash of insight.”

For centuries, people have described creativity as something mysterious—a light bulb moment, a whisper from the muse, a sudden epiphany that arrives out of nowhere. Psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis explores the hidden mental processes that shape creativity, and why breakthroughs often emerge when the mind is at rest.

https://t.co/KLfUQNBq5e

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“If you look at the few centuries after these towns throughout Europe adopt a clock, you actually see an uptick in economic growth in the centuries after the clock arrives.”

We like to think that our choices, habits, and behaviors are entirely our own. But our behaviors are shaped by centuries of cultural evolution. Take something simple: the invention of the clock. Anthropologist Joseph Henrich says it didn’t just change how we measure time. It changed how we think, work, and coordinate.

This week, how a single cultural innovation can reshape an entire society.

https://t.co/IGoMMzEZEY

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

Mike Lopes’ wife was dying after years of cancer treatment, and she could no longer recognize the people around her. Then her longtime chemotherapy nurse arrived. https://t.co/lcoMiDqAiK

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

We like to think our choices, our thoughts, and our habits are entirely our own. But in reality, our individual choices are often echoes of centuries of cultural evolution.

This week, a conversation with anthropologist @JoHenrich about how culture, history, and psychology intersect.

https://t.co/mDzbabxaR4

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“It's not that our brains have evolved to individually solve problems. What we're really good at is taking advantage of all the information stored in the minds around us, and the minds of others, and then we acquire that and we create new things.”

Culture shapes how we see the world and how we live our daily lives, often in ways we don’t notice. This week, anthropologist Joseph Henrich describes how the habits and institutions we inherit from the past continue to influence our thinking and behavior.

https://t.co/G6sSFmzbH5

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“Empathy, at a deep level, is the understanding that someone else's world is just as real as yours.”

Some people are good at putting themselves in another person’s shoes. Others may struggle to relate. But psychologist @zakijam argues that empathy isn’t a fixed trait. This week, we revisit an episode on how to exercise our empathy muscles.

https://t.co/BoDzzT4aUb

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

After chemotherapy left Pat Gentile without hair, she relied on a wig to feel like herself. The first day she went without it, a stranger in a convenience store gave her a compliment that Pat still carries with her. https://t.co/Rn0AbA9qVX

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

A man dies in a California nursing home. His obituary lists dozens of names...all his.

Who was he really?

This week, we revisit an episode about the psychology of obsession. It's the story of Riley Shepard, the cowboy philosopher who lived inside his own myth.

Then, psychologist Leslie John answers your questions about why we keep secrets — even from the people we love.

https://t.co/ZUrrsiiA4K

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“I loved my dad. But I kind of rolled my eyes whenever I thought about these projects because [there was] so much smoke and mirrors around it.”

Songs and novels are filled with stories about people with great obsessions. But not all obsessions lead to greatness. This week, we revisit an episode about a man who pursued his fixation right to the end — no matter the cost to the people around him.

https://t.co/UKYYLveQMi

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

Northern California, we’re heading your way! Join us @Stanford on Saturday, May 16 for the latest stop on our live tour. More info and tickets here: https://t.co/9uWYJD19NC

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“The phone is in my ear and he's saying, 'Your father is a crook, did you know that?'”

In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given name, but a long list of the pseudonyms he’d been known to use. In this week’s episode, which we originally released in 2019, we trace the life of Riley Shepard, a hillbilly musician, writer, small-time con man and, perhaps, a genius.

Then, psychologist Leslie John answers listener questions about secrets.

https://t.co/X9uBo70tdl

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

After having open-heart surgery, Barb Barnes was terrified of the immense pain she'd likely have to endure during her recovery. Then a nurse stepped in to help — and changed the rest of Barb's life in the process. https://t.co/cn5Eswl3ez

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

Northern California, we’re heading your way! Join us @stanford on Saturday, May 16 for the latest stop on our live tour. More info and tickets here: https://t.co/9uWYJD19NC

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“ Reality is the only place things actually work.”

This week, we continue our conversation about the misguided beliefs that get in the way of a rich and meaningful life. Behavioral scientist @DaveEvansDYL says accepting where you are is the first step in getting where you want to go.

https://t.co/TrQZWYdr4Q

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

“She chose to live into her final months saying, ‘Sooner than I had in mind. Let's make the most of the time.’”

In March of 2020, behavioral scientist @DaveEvansDYL received some terrible news: his wife had terminal cancer. This week, Dave shares why accepting reality as it is can be so difficult — and why it’s an essential first step in building a meaningful life.

https://t.co/KaJHSHiYag

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

Bethany Renfree was feeling overwhelmed as a single mom with three small children. But one small act of kindness by a neighbor let her know she'd be okay. https://t.co/aYCqb1f5Ss

[Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain]

Northern California, we’re heading your way! Join us @stanford on Saturday, May 16 for the latest stop on our live tour. More info and tickets here: https://t.co/9uWYJD1HDa