Episodes

How Memory Works: The Science of Information Processing and Recall with Gillian Murphy, PhD
Oct. 15, 2025

How Memory Works: The Science of Information Processing and Recall with Gillian Murphy, PhD

Many people liken recalling memories to accessing mental filing cabinets, but our memories are actually more disjointed. Memory science defines how memory works as a dynamic form of complex information processing, which relie...
Reawakening Sexuality After Trauma: Healing, Recovery, and Sober Sex for Survivors with Stephanie Covington, PhD, LCSW, and Vanessa Carlisle, PhD, MFA
Oct. 8, 2025

Reawakening Sexuality After Trauma: Healing, Recovery, and Sober Sex for Survivors with Stephanie Covington, PhD, LCSW, and Vanessa Carlisle, PhD, MFA

In the journey toward healing, survivors often find that intentional practices like sober sex foster a deeper emotional and physical intimacy, essential for their trauma recovery. This emphasis on connection stands in stark c...
Joy and Hopefulness in Difficult Times: Positive Political Action from The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College
Oct. 1, 2025

Joy and Hopefulness in Difficult Times: Positive Political Action from The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College

When we agree to practice joy through community, connection, and belonging in its own powerful way, it is an act of defiance to what's going on around us. We must ask ourselves, particularly in these difficult times, what we ...
Loving the World in Dark Times: Fearless Thinking from the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College
Sept. 24, 2025

Loving the World in Dark Times: Fearless Thinking from the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College

Current research indicates that despite unprecedented levels of global connectivity, societies are experiencing an unparalleled state of metaphysical loneliness. This condition is a potent catalyst for political instability, ...
Wise Enough to Be Happy with Brendan Barca
Sept. 17, 2025

Wise Enough to Be Happy with Brendan Barca

Tired of feeling tossed around by your thoughts and emotions? By embracing the impermanence of all things, including anxious thoughts, and accepting that suffering is a part of life, difficult emotions can be navigated with w...
Blueprint for Joy: Planning Happiness and Fulfillment with Mark Fabian, PhD
Sept. 10, 2025

Blueprint for Joy: Planning Happiness and Fulfillment with Mark Fabian, PhD

Humans are perpetual seekers, as contentment is not part of our evolutionary design. We can move toward happiness by actively planning for fulfillment, leading us toward purposeful and satiated lives. By creating a blueprint ...
On the Spectrum of Humanity: Thriving in a Neurodivergent World with Sol Smith
Sept. 3, 2025

On the Spectrum of Humanity: Thriving in a Neurodivergent World with Sol Smith

A diverse world is a happy world. It may seem that neurodivergent people are more common now, but the increase in diagnoses is attributed to awareness and diagnostic tools, not a rise in the population. Neurodivergence is a d...
Belief,  Bias, and Behavior: Rational Thinking and Behavioral Economics with Dan Ariely PhD
Aug. 27, 2025

Belief, Bias, and Behavior: Rational Thinking and Behavioral Economics with Dan Ariely PhD

Most people who practice rational thinking are susceptible to bias, a key concept of behavioral economics. Beliefs can be swayed by our social environments—from our online networks to our family gatherings. This vulnerability...
Belief, Bias, and Behavior: Rational Thinking and Behavioral Economics with Dan Ariely, PhD
Aug. 26, 2025

Belief, Bias, and Behavior: Rational Thinking and Behavioral Economics with Dan Ariely, PhD

Most people who practice rational thinking are susceptible to bias, a key concept of behavioral economics. Beliefs can be swayed by our social environments—from our online networks to our family gatherings. This vulnerability...
Love That Lasts: Expert Tips for Happy and Healthy Relationships with Amy Morin, LCSW
Aug. 20, 2025

Love That Lasts: Expert Tips for Happy and Healthy Relationships with Amy Morin, LCSW

In long-term relationships, maintaining a healthy connection is one of life's most fulfilling achievements. However, even the happiest couples can fall into bad habits that hinder growth. A commitment to open, honest communic...
Philosophically Dealing with Depression, Anxiety, and Disappointment with Samir Chopra, PhD
Aug. 13, 2025

Philosophically Dealing with Depression, Anxiety, and Disappointment with Samir Chopra, PhD

A philosophical approach to overcoming disappointment involves accepting that setbacks are a normal part of life. This strategy allows us to navigate challenges with greater resilience. Philosophical inquiry invites us to exa...
Digital Detox for Your Neural Networks: Brain Health in the Technology Era with Carl D. Marci  MD
Aug. 6, 2025

Digital Detox for Your Neural Networks: Brain Health in the Technology Era with Carl D. Marci MD

Prioritizing brain health in children is crucial, as their brains continue to mature until around age 20, making them particularly susceptible to manipulation before reaching full cognitive development. In our present technol...
Embracing Mature Sexuality: Passionately Thriving in Our Wisdom Years with Justin Garcia PhD
July 30, 2025

Embracing Mature Sexuality: Passionately Thriving in Our Wisdom Years with Justin Garcia PhD

From the blush of first loves to the mature sexuality of later years, intimacy adapts to our changing bodies, shifting priorities, and the various life stages we traverse. Whether it's rediscovering a partner in a long-term r...
Why We Believe Lies: Groupthink, Cognitive Bias, and the Spread of Political Misinformation with Stephan Lewandowsky PhD
July 23, 2025

Why We Believe Lies: Groupthink, Cognitive Bias, and the Spread of Political Misinformation with Stephan Lewandowsky PhD

The pervasive nature of social media can undermine the democratic process by facilitating the widespread dissemination of political misinformation and a decline in critical thinking. This phenomenon can be exacerbated by grou...
More Than Code: How Real Relationships Sustain Us in an Automated World with Allison Pugh PhD
July 16, 2025

More Than Code: How Real Relationships Sustain Us in an Automated World with Allison Pugh PhD

Many have come to believe that AI is a universal solution for managing repetitive tasks and a panacea for improving productivity. But is it realistic to think that machines can replace humans in a world built on connection an...
More Than Code: How Real Relationships Sustain Us in an Automated World with Allison Pugh, PhD
July 15, 2025

More Than Code: How Real Relationships Sustain Us in an Automated World with Allison Pugh, PhD

Many have come to believe that AI is a universal solution for managing repetitive tasks and a panacea for improving productivity. But is it realistic to think that machines can replace humans in a world built on connection an...
The Flexible Mindset: How Mental Agility Builds Emotional Intelligence with Elaine Fox PhD
July 9, 2025

The Flexible Mindset: How Mental Agility Builds Emotional Intelligence with Elaine Fox PhD

How open are you to new experiences? Have you found that with age comes a fear of learning new things? Research finds that being willing to admit that we may be wrong about truths we previously held while maintaining confiden...
How Listening Shapes Peacemaking and Global Communication: A Conversation with the Nobel Peace Center
July 2, 2025

How Listening Shapes Peacemaking and Global Communication: A Conversation with the Nobel Peace Center

Listening is a fundamental tool for learning from one another and fostering a more inclusive and harmonious world. By truly hearing and understanding others, we lay the groundwork for effective communication and peacemaking. ...
Well-Being Science: From Despair to Hope and Happiness with Carol Graham, PhD
June 25, 2025

Well-Being Science: From Despair to Hope and Happiness with Carol Graham, PhD

Are people with more discretionary income happier than those who live paycheck to paycheck? Maybe some, but not all. As it turns out, more is not always better or the prescription for a happy life. Ultimately, it seems that a...
Fearless Conversations and Essential Connections: An Indigenous Perspective with Tyson Yunkaporta PhD
June 18, 2025

Fearless Conversations and Essential Connections: An Indigenous Perspective with Tyson Yunkaporta PhD

Attempting to gain dominance over others rarely benefits everyone involved. Instead, embracing diversity as a superpower — not as a tool to enforce artificial equity, but as a genuine celebration of varied strengths and persp...
Medicine of Mind: Advocating Mental Health and Wellness for Caregivers with Dr. Jessi Gold MD
June 11, 2025

Medicine of Mind: Advocating Mental Health and Wellness for Caregivers with Dr. Jessi Gold MD

The demanding nature of their work often puts the well-being of caregivers at risk. Just as it offers healing, therapy can be a vital medicine for professional healthcare providers and direct caregivers, providing them with a...
Medicine of Mind: Advocating Mental Health and Wellness for Caregivers with Dr. Jessi Gold, MD
June 10, 2025

Medicine of Mind: Advocating Mental Health and Wellness for Caregivers with Dr. Jessi Gold, MD

The demanding nature of their work often puts the well-being of caregivers at risk. Just as it offers healing, therapy can be a vital medicine for professional healthcare providers and direct caregivers, providing them with a...
Deciphering AI; Debunking Snake Oil and Finding the Truth with Sayash Kapoor
June 4, 2025

Deciphering AI; Debunking Snake Oil and Finding the Truth with Sayash Kapoor

There are many misconceptions and overblown promises when it comes to AI. The reality is that Artificial Intelligence is a useful tool that’s here to stay. When it’s done right, AI seamlessly becomes part of our everyday life...
Deciphering AI; Debunking Snake Oil and Finding the Truth with Sayash Kapoor
June 3, 2025

Deciphering AI; Debunking Snake Oil and Finding the Truth with Sayash Kapoor

There are many misconceptions and overblown promises when it comes to AI. The reality is that Artificial Intelligence is a useful tool that’s here to stay. When it’s done right, AI seamlessly becomes part of our everyday life...