Episodes

In this episode we will see how evil is manufactured, and why your psychology textbooks might be dead wrong. Dr. Haslam is a renowned social psychologist who has spent years uncovering the truth.

When dictators are able to spread we typically call it propoganda. We counter this with the superior press freedom that most democracies have and claim that this freedom of speech keeps us immune to this toxic leadership.

But we will talk to the ex-Fox news show host to see how the media can act as an invisible force that can be used to control its audience in much the same way. 

In this episode we will see that our group identities are at the core of who we are. We will look into why it is more important than ever to understand how our identities shape how we see the world and interact with not only others, but the world around us. This episode isn’t just for people who consider themselves to be part of a marginalized group. It is for each and everyone of us that has any kind of identity - and that really is all of us.  

In this episode we will be making sense of the elusive phenomenon a lot of you have experienced, déjà vu. Maybe you were able to put a word to it, or maybe it was just an odd feeling that you couldn’t really put your finger on. We are going to explore how déjà vu can shed light on the mysterious ways our memory works and how malfunctions in those same systems can have real consequences for our society.  

We look at the science of sync and the spread of fads. There is a remarkable beauty to synchrony. Our brains wouldn't exist without millions of neurons firing in step and our hearts wouldn't pump without a coordinated action of million of little heart cells. Synchronizing with with others allows us has allowed us accomplish everything we have so far. But, we’re going to see what happens when synchrony goes wrong. How, it can tear us apart but also bring us back together.  Dr. Daniel Abrams will walk us through the science of synchrony and the tipping point that sets it off. This tipping point can help us understand how viruses and ideas spread. Dr. Dominic Packer shares what types of things go viral and we explore some possible solutions to the toxicity that spreads through out networks. 

Is nostalgia good for you? Or bad? Does it unite us, or divide us?  We look into the history and psychology of nostalgia - as well as how many politicians are increasingly using it as a tool to support their political platforms. As we deal COVID, climate change and social distress, these days uncertainty feels like the only certainty, and many argue that in the wake of this apocalyptic time nostalgia is the emotional pacifier that many of us are falling back on.  

Coming soon

We have all been there before - emotions rising as we see a post intentionally designed to make it so. Internet trolls,  who use malicious online behaviour to deliberately rouse others, seem to be a recent phenomenon - but research shows that trolls have always existed in some form or the other throughout history. In this episode will explore what studies of internet trolls show about how their brains work and how they score on signs of psychopathy. We will see how social media can amplify their voices, how they can be used to further conflicting political agendas and how they are transforming our society for the better and the worse. If we better understand trolls, we will see how we can both filter and tune out their voices to lead to a more peaceful society.

Coming soon

The second law of thermodynamics tells us that our universe, and everything in it, tends towards disorder. Yet the closer you look there are remarkable patterns of order that govern us. Social network theory allows us to apply mathematical frameworks to uncover the unseen patterns that shape our behaviour.   In this episode we will see how these network properties are at play in everything from terrorism to our finest intellectual achievements. Social media and globalization are changing these networks faster than ever, and only by understanding can we hope to steer the ship to a better future. 

Coming soon

This week, an article released that rare proof sheets of the first Harry Potter book are expected to sell for over 20,000 euros. With 500 million copies of the books sold worldwide, that is exceeds double the number required to give a book to every single english speaking teenager across the entire world. Magical thinking touches us to the core and is even a stage of child development that everyone goes through. Religion itself involves similar neural pathways to those involved in our love of magic. We have historically used the fear of magic as an excuse to marginalize others, during the witch trials and throughout colonialism. In this episode we will understand the history and evolution of magic and the forms that it takes in our current society. We will understand the impact that magical thinking can have on our brains, how it relates to our ability to dream for our future and why its important to think about, even as we feel we are “beyond it” in our modern age.   

Coming soon

You are immersed on a project in the library, but you become cautiously alert as you feel that there is gaze on you. Our conscious experience is significantly more narrow than everything that our brain is filtering in the background.  In this episode we will look into what types of information our brains chooses to focus on and how that changes from birth to adulthood. We will explore how our brains manage to parse through so much information, and how magicians can take advantage of where they know that this fails.  

Coming soon

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Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark!
In this episode we will see why certain songs get stuck in our head. Music has been a central part of our history, with archeologists finding instruments as far back as 300,000 years ago, and many argue that music itself has been a primary factor to the evolution of our brain. Even preterm babies respond to music, and it plays a key role in the development of our modern day brains. We will explore the role that music serves in bringing our societies together and how it has been used to keep us separate. We will understand the musical patterns of songs that get stuck in your head, why they might be good for you and how you can get them out.   

Coming soon

Just 5 years ago, New York City repealed the cabaret law enacted almost 100 years prior, which prohibited dancing in any space open to the public selling food and/or drink unless they applied for an arduous license. Many ultra-orthodox religions view dancing as sinful. Yet many argue that complex dance is uniquely human and played a critical role in the evolution of our intelligence. Dancing has undeniable positive effects on our body and brains and is even being used to alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s. In this episode, we will discuss how something so beautiful can be seen as something so scary. We will explore how dance can be used to shun groups of people and to bring them together. 

Coming soon

In a fraction of a second we can gather significant information on a persons intentions and background, simply by seeing a single picture. In this episode we will discuss how our brains allow for such quick deductions about others.  Subtle movements, smells, and posture can give away deep emotional states, fitness and intentions. Tiny changes in your mannerisms can drastically influence what a person thinks about you, and all of us either consciously or unconsciously modify these in different scenarios. We will explore how these differ across cultures and social hierarchies as well as whether this can shed light on their value systems. We will explore how our unconscious assumptions can lead to horrible outcomes, as well as why it is imperative to understand and rectify those if we want a more equitable future.