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You Are Not So Smart

You Are Not So Smart

300 episodes

You Are Not So Smart is a show about psychology that celebrates science and self delusion. In each episode, we explore what we've learned so far about reasoning, biases, judgments, and decision-making.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. 351 - Megachurches - Hahrie Han

    · 1 h 01 min

    What have scientists learned about the social infrastructure of megachurches that not only explains their growth but also their resilience, and how can we apply what we've learned to institutions that are not…

  2. 350 - Pluralistic Ignorance

    · 1 h 24 min

    There are several ways to define pluralistic ignorance, and that’s because it’s kind of a brain twister when you try to put it into words. Strange and harmful behavior can follow from the fact that, on certain issues,…

  3. 349 - AI Risk - Jesse Richardson

    · 1 h 13 min

    Jesse Richardson wants to improve our critical thinking about AI risk through the gamification of our rampant speculation. In this episode he explains AI safety isn't just one thing, there are a bunch of different risk…

  4. 348 - The Dress - Decoder Ring

    · 44 min

    We return to The Dress and the psychological lessons offered by one of the most viral moments in the history of the internet via an episode of Decoder Ring in which David McRaney shares some insights from his book, How…

  5. 347 - Under Alien Skies - Phil Plait

    · 1 h 10 min

    Astronomer Phil Plait joins us to discuss his new book, Under Alien Skies, in which he describes what it would be like (through human eyes and real physical experiences) to actually travel to Saturn, Mars, asteroids,…

  6. 346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher

    · 1 h 00 min

    The suffering is real, but the source may not be what you assume. That's the essence of the nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin. As neuroscientist Dr. Helen Pilcher explains, illness is not simply a matter of…

  7. 345 - A Pox on Fools - Thomas Levenson

    · 1 h 06 min

    MIT professor Thomas Levenson, the author of the book A Pox on Fools, takes us through the same repeating patterns throughout history which have led to antivaxxers and vaccine hesitancy since the very first vaccines.…

  8. 344 - Intellectual Humility - Tenelle Porter

    · 1 h 08 min

    Can intellectual humility be measured? What influences it and affects it, limits it and enhances it? What even is it, scientifically speaking? We explore all of this and then play an episode of How to Be A Better Human…

  9. 343 - Misguided - Matthew Facciani

    · 1 h 09 min

    What is misinformation? How does it differ from disinformation or just plain ‘ole propaganda? How do we protect ourselves from people with nefarious intentions using all of these things to affect our thoughts,…

  10. 342 - The Conspiracy Theorist Who Changed His Mind

    · 47 min

    Tim Harford of the podcast Cautionary Tales sits down with David McRaney to hear a story from David's book, How Minds Change, about how (and why) a prominent conspiracy theorist realized he was wrong. Charlie Veitch…

  11. 341 - Positive Rants - Heather Barnes

    · 45 min

    Communications professor Heather Barnes teaches us how to use what she learned teaching at Second City, managing the Museum of Science and Industry, and taking classes at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science…

  12. 340 - Thinking Sideways - Jennifer Shahade

    · 1 h 03 min

    There are more possible chess moves than atoms in the universe, and chess champion Jennifer Shahade tells us how we can borrow from the best chess players' decision-tree approach to avoid considering every possible…

  13. 339 - Enlightened Disagreement

    · 1 h 29 min

    Northwestern University just launched the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement, a real-world institution devoted to "research-backed approaches to cultivating open-mindedness, identifying one’s own cognitive…

  14. 338 - May Contain Lies - Alex Edmans (rebroadcast)

    · 40 min

    Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, tells us how to avoid the Ladder of Misinference by examining how narratives, statistics, and articles can mislead, especially when they align with our…

  15. 337 - Cognitive Surrender - Gideon Nave and Steven D. Shaw

    · 1 h 00 min

    How is AI reshaping human reasoning? What is cognitive surrender, and how do we avoid its negative impact? What is system three thinking, and how can we get the most out of it? Artificial intelligence researchers…

  16. 336 - The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 04 min

    If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join –…

  17. 335 - Align Your Mind - Britt Frank (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 13 min

    Therapist, teacher, speaker, and trauma specialist Britt Frank tells us all about her new book, Align Your Mind, an all-access pass to understanding, befriending, and leading the multiple voices within yourself.…

  18. 334 - Magical Thinking - Matt Tompkins (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 19 min

    In this episode, the story of Clever Hans, the horse who changed psychology for the better. We also sit down with psychologist and magician Matt Tompkins. Matt is the author of The Spectacle of Illusion, a book about…

  19. YANSS 333 - Selective Perception - Jay Van Bavel

    · 38 min

    How can two people watch the same video yet see two different things? How can two people witness the same event but arrive at two different truths about what they witnessed? How can the same evidence lead people to…

  20. 332 - Concordance Over Truth Bias (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 09 min

    In this episode, we sit down with three disinformation researchers whose new paper found something surprising about both our resistance and our susceptibility to both true news we wish was fake and fake news we wish…

  21. 331 - Wicked Problems - Martin Carcasson

    · 1 h 07 min

    Dr. Martin Carcasson tells us how he, as the Director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State, trains people how to facilitate deliberation and overcome wicked problems so that they can "spark processes…

  22. 330 - A More Beautiful Question - Warren Berger (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 05 min

    Warren Berger has made a career out of classifying, categorizing, and making sense of the many varieties of questions that we ask and in this episode he explains how we can ask more beautiful questions that can lead to…

  23. 329 - Point Taken - Steven Franconeri

    · 52 min

    Dr. Steven Franconeri explains the powerful insights and opportunities offered by a game he and his team created for having better disagreements about just about anything, but especially about the sort of topics that…

  24. 328 - Shape - Jordan Ellenberg (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 11 min

    We sit down with Jordan Ellenberg, a world-class geometer, who takes us on a far-ranging exploration of the power of geometry, which turns out to help us think better about practically everything His writing has…

  25. 327 - The Trolley Solution - Joshua Greene

    · 1 h 19 min

    Philosopher, neuroscientist, and psychologist, Joshua Greene tells us how the brain generates morality and how his research may have solved the infamous trolley problem, and in so doing created a way to encourage…

  26. 326 - The Origin of Language - Madeleine Beekman

    · 46 min

    We sit down with Dr. Madeleine Beekman, a professor emerita of evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology at the University of Sydney, Australia, whose new book, The Origin of Language, presents a completely new and…

  27. 325 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part Two (rebroadcast)

    · 58 min

    In this episode we welcome Dr. Sarah Stein Lubrano, a political scientist who studies how cognitive dissonance affects all sorts of political behavior. She’s also the co-host of a podcast about activism called "What Do…

  28. 324 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One (rebroadcast)

    · 58 min

    In this episode, the story of a doomsday cult who predicted the exact date and circumstances of the end of the world, and what happened when that date passed and the world did not end. Also, we explore our drive to…

  29. 323 - Job Therapy - Tessa West (rebroadcast)

    · 55 min

    Are you unhappy at your job? Are you starting to consider a change of career because of how your current work makes you feel? Do you know why? According to our guest in this episode, Dr. Tessa West, a psychologist at…

  30. 322 - Intellectual Humility - Tenelle Porter

    · 1 h 08 min

    Can intellectual humility be measured? What influences it and affects it, limits it and enhances it? What even is it, scientifically speaking? We explore all of this and then play an episode of How to Be A Better Human…

  31. 321 - Easy Crafts for the Insane - Kelly Williams Brown (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 18 min

    This episode is about suicide prevention and awareness. Author Kelly Williams Brown tells us about her book, Easy Crafts for the Insane, in which she recounts how, after she gained fame and success as a NYT bestselling…

  32. 320 - Misguided - Matthew Facciani

    · 1 h 09 min

    What is misinformation? How does it differ from disinformation or just plain ‘ole propaganda? How do we protect ourselves from people with nefarious intentions using all of these things to affect our thoughts,…

  33. 319 - Love Factually - Eli Finkel and Paul Eastwick

    · 1 h 06 min

    Two psychologists who study love, relationships, and human mating behavior pick apart the movie "The Notebook" and tell us what it gets right and what it gets wrong when it comes to portraying how humans actually,…

  34. 318 - The Intention Action Gap - Britt Frank (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 10 min

    In this episode, we sit down with therapist Britt Frank to discuss the intention action gap, the psychological term for the chasm between what you very much intend to do and what you tend to do instead. It turns out,…

  35. 317 - Don't Talk About Politics - Sarah Stein Lubrano

    · 1 h 10 min

    Sarah Stein Lubrano tells us about her new book, Don't Talk About Politics, which urges us not to lose hope or become frozen in frustration when it comes to polarization and faulty discourse because the good news is…

  36. 316 - Cultures of Growth - Mary C. Murphy (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 08 min

    In this episode we welcome psychologist Mary C. Murphy, author of Cultures of Growth, who tells us how to create institutions, businesses, and other groups of humans that can better support collaboration, innovation,…

  37. 315 - May Contain Lies - Alex Edmans

    · 40 min

    Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, tells us how to avoid the Ladder of Misinference by examining how narratives, statistics, and articles can mislead, especially when they align with our…

  38. 314 - Fluke - Brian Klaas (rebroadcast)

    · 54 min

    In this episode we sit down with Brian Klaas, author of Fluke, and get into the existential lessons and grander meaning for a life well-lived (once one finally accepts the power and influence of randomness, chaos, and…

  39. 313 - The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth

    · 59 min

    If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join –…

  40. 312 - Chaos and Complexity - Neil Theise (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 00 min

    Professor Neil Theise, the author of Notes on Complexity, provides an introduction to the science of how complex systems behave – from cells to human beings, to ecosystems, the known universe, and beyond – and we…

  41. 311 - Cascades of Change - Greg Satell (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 07 min

    In this episode we sit down with Greg Satell, a communication expert whose book, Cascades, details how rapid, widespread change can sweep across groups of people big and small, and how understanding the psychological…

  42. 310 - Align Your Mind - Britt Frank

    · 1 h 13 min

    Therapist, teacher, speaker, and trauma specialist Britt Frank tells us all about her new book, Align Your Mind, an all-access pass to understanding, befriending, and leading the multiple voices within yourself.…

  43. 309 - They Thought We Were Ridiculous - Andy Luttrell (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 13 min

    In 1974, two psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, as the New Yorker once put it, "changed the way we think about the way we think." The prevailing wisdom, before their landmark research went viral (in the…

  44. 308 - Magical Thinking - Matt Tompkins

    · 1 h 19 min

    In this episode, the story of Clever Hans, the horse who changed psychology for the better. We also sit down with psychologist and magician Matt Tompkins. Matt is the author of The Spectacle of Illusion, a book about…

  45. 307 - Concordance Over Truth Bias

    · 1 h 09 min

    In this episode, we sit down with three disinformation researchers whose new paper found something surprising about both our resistance and our susceptibility to both true news we wish was fake and fake news we wish…

  46. 306 - I Never Thought of it That Way - Mónica Guzmán (rebroadcast)

    · 52 min

    This episode’s guest is Mónica Guzmán, the author of I Never Thought of It That Way – a book with very practical advice on how to have productive conversations in a polarized political environment via authentic…

  47. 305 - Supercommunicators - Charles Duhigg (rebroadcast)

    · 1 h 17 min

    Our guest in this episode is Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and writer for the New Yorker Magazine who is also the New York Times Bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better.…

  48. 304 - Nobody's Fool - Dan Simons and Christopher Chabris (rebroadcast)

    · 51 min

    In an era in which we have more information available to us than ever before, when claims of “fake news” might themselves be, in fact, fake news, Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, authors of The Invisible Gorilla,…

  49. 303 - The Dress - Decoder Ring

    · 44 min

    In this episode we return to The Dress and the psychological lessons offered by one of the most viral moments in the history of the internet via an episode of Decoder Ring in which David McRaney shares some insights…

  50. 302 - A More Beautiful Question - Warren Berger

    · 1 h 02 min

    In this episode we sit down with Warren Berger, the author of A More Beautiful Question – and a man who has made a career out of classifying, categorizing, and making sense of all the many varieties of questions we…

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