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Cognitive Biases

195 episodes · Page 2 of 9

#5551: Why Learning Makes Us Happier at Any Age

The credential isn't what makes learning feel good — choosing it is. What the research says about self-directed learning, aging, and hard times.

habits-and-behavior-changememorystress-and-traumacognitive-biasesaging-and-longevity

#5535: What's It Like Inside a 15-Month-Old's Head?

Rich sensation, no inner narrator, and memories that form but can't be retrieved — a tour of the fifteen-month-old mind.

infant-sleepcognitive-biasesmemoryrelationshipssensory-processing

#5427: Why Atheists Still Knock on Wood

Religion and superstition aren't the same thing — and the data says they might even pull in opposite directions.

cognitive-biasesrelationshipshabits-and-behavior-changedeath-and-grief

#5370: The Spotlight Effect and the Heckler's Playbook

Why a waiting room feels scarier than a stage — and how performers handle hostile crowds without losing the room.

stress-and-traumacognitive-biasesrelationshipshabits-and-behavior-changeanxiety

#5369: Pouch Full of Doubt: The Inner Critic at Urgent Care

A tool belt full of emergency supplies, two curious strangers, and the question: is your weird choice yours, or an echo of old ridicule?

relationshipscognitive-biasesstress-and-traumatherapy-and-counseling

#5304: The Skill of Expecting Less (But Not the Worst)

Realists beat optimists and pessimists on long-term well-being. Here's what the research says about keeping expectations accurate.

stress-and-traumahabits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasesanxietymigration-and-refugees

#5303: Do Airline Safety Demos Actually Save Lives?

Everyone ignores the safety demo — especially frequent flyers. But when a plane catches fire, does that ritual actually get people out alive?

aviation-safetymemorycognitive-biaseshabits-and-behavior-changeemergency-alerts

#5210: How the Placebo Trial Became the Gold Standard

Control groups, placebos, blinding, randomization — four inventions across 250 years, assembled into medicine's most trusted method.

history-of-technologystatisticshealthcare-systemscognitive-biases

#5200: Gray Rocking vs. the Info Diet: What to Actually Share

Gray rocking gets the attention, but the info diet — quietly censoring what you disclose — may be the sharper survival tool.

relationshipsstress-and-traumatherapy-and-counselingcognitive-biases

#5155: Why 3 Days Away Feels Like 3 Weeks

Why a weekend away can restore you more than two weeks with relatives — the psychology of novelty, detachment, and time.

stress-and-traumahabits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasesmemory

#5105: The 69% Rule: What Gottman Method Says About Recurring Fights

69% of couple conflicts are perpetual. Learn how the Gottman Method turns gridlocked fights into graceful dialogue.

relationshipstherapy-and-counselingstress-and-traumacognitive-biases

#5087: Whose Voice Is That? Rewiring Your Self-Image

How to tell the difference between your own self-knowledge and a critical voice installed in childhood — and what actually works to renovate it.

relationshipsstress-and-traumatherapy-and-counselingcognitive-biases

#5086: How to Make Death Reflection Work Without the Terror

Spontaneous death reminders fade fast. Structured reflection changes how you live. Here's the science and the traditions that got it right.

stress-and-traumahabits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasesrelationshipsdeath-and-grief

#5083: The Shared Work of Teshuvah: Why Your Failures Aren't Unique

Why the Jewish New Year's framework for self-improvement mirrors psychology's most common regrets—and why shared struggle dissolves shame.

relationshipsstress-and-traumahabits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasestherapy-and-counseling

#5008: Why "Superfoods" Are Marketing, Not Science

The $200 billion superfood industry has no scientific definition. Here's what antioxidants actually do.

nutrition-and-dietpublic-healthcognitive-biasessustainability

#4986: How to Weaponize Small Talk (Anti-Guide)

Turn "How are you?" into a weapon. An escalatory ladder from honest answers to full conversational catastrophe.

therapy-and-counselingrelationshipscognitive-biases

#4922: The Strangest Corporate Team-Building Exercises That Actually Happened

Trust falls, human knots, and apology rituals — the documented exercises that companies actually run on their employees.

workplace-culturecareers-and-hiringproductivitycognitive-biases

#4921: The Breakfast Detective and Other Cringe Icebreakers

Why do some icebreakers create connection while others produce cringe? A three-factor model explains it all.

relationshipscognitive-biaseshabits-and-behavior-change

#4900: Why You Rebel Against Your Own Budget

The psychology behind overspending when you can't afford it—and what actually works.

habits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasesstress-and-traumarelationships

#4899: Budgeting for Word People, Not Spreadsheets

What if your brain processes words better than numbers? Here's how to budget without the spreadsheet dread.

habits-and-behavior-changeinvestingcognitive-biasesproductivity

#4895: The Tuna Aisle Dilemma: Hypervigilant Prosociality Explained

Why staying with in-laws you like can still feel exhausting—and what to do about it.

relationshipscognitive-biasesstress-and-traumahabits-and-behavior-changeanxiety

#4894: How Diplomats Stay in Touch (and You Can Too)

Friendship maintenance is a learnable skill. Here's what diplomats know about keeping weak ties alive.

relationshipshabits-and-behavior-changecognitive-biasestherapy-and-counseling

#4884: Cooling Your Brain When Heat Melts Executive Function

Why overheating destroys focus and what actually works for emergency cooling.

adhdsensory-processingcognitive-biasesemergency-supplies

#4853: What Happens in the Sleep Netherworld

Why you can feel awake all night while your brain is actually asleep — and why it feels worse than pulling an all-nighter.

sleep-and-circadian-rhythmmemoryadhdcognitive-biasesanxiety