appears in the following:

Creating God

Monday, July 16, 2018

The world is full of complex religious beliefs. This week, we'll explore how religions have evolved, almost like living organisms, to help human societies survive and flourish.

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Watch Your Mouth

Thursday, July 12, 2018

This week on the Hidden Brain radio show, we explore how the constantly evolving nature of languages can give us different ways of understanding ourselves as well as the world we live in.

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Fake News: An Origin Story

Monday, June 25, 2018

Fake news in the U.S. is as old as American journalism itself. We explore the trade-offs journalists have long faced between elitism and populism, and integrity and profit.

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Summer Melt: Why Aren't Students Showing Up For College?

Monday, June 18, 2018

As many as 40 percent of students who intend to go to college don't show up in the fall. Education researchers call this phenomenon "summer melt," and it has long been a puzzling problem.

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Looking Back: Reflecting On The Past To Understand The Present

Thursday, June 14, 2018

So often we get stuck in the past, rehashing what we should have done, and what we no longer have. But researchers say our obsession with the past can tell us something important about our future.

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The Carpenter Vs. The Gardener: Two Models Of Modern Parenting

Monday, May 28, 2018

Many parents think they can shape their child into a particular kind of adult. Psychologist Alison Gopnik says the science suggests otherwise.

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Rewinding & Rewriting: The Alternate Universes in Our Heads

Monday, May 21, 2018

All of us think back to turning points in our lives, and imagine how things could have unfolded differently. Why do we so often ask ourselves, "What if?"

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Rap on Trial: How An Aspiring Musician's Words Led To Prison Time

Monday, May 07, 2018

Olutosin Oduwole was a college student and aspiring rap star when he was charged with "attempting to make a terrorist threat." Did public perceptions of rap music play a role?

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The Weight of Our Words

Friday, April 13, 2018

Violent crimes committed by Muslims are much more likely to be reported as "terrorism." And that has disturbing consequences for the way Muslims are perceived.

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Guys, We Have A Problem: How American Masculinity Creates Lonely Men

Monday, March 19, 2018

Boys get the message quickly: a man is supposed to be strong and independent. That message, researchers say, has widespread consequences for men's social lives and physical health.

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You 2.0: How To Build A Better Job

Monday, July 31, 2017

Finding a new job may be the solution to your woes at work. But there may also be other ways to get more out of your daily grind.

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You 2.0: The Value Of 'Deep Work' In An Age Of Distraction

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Every time you give in to the buzzing notifications of our phone or computer, you pay a price: little by little, you lose your ability to focus.

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Can Robots Teach Us What It Means To Be Human?

Monday, July 10, 2017

If you've ever shouted at Siri or rolled your eyes at your Roomba, you know that artificial intelligence isn't always that smart. But there's still a lot that robots can tell us about ourselves.

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Degrees of Maybe: How We Can All Make Better Predictions

Monday, June 26, 2017

Pundits and prognosticators make predictions all the time: about everything from elections, to sports, to global affairs. This week, we explore why they're often wrong, and how we can all do better.

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When Is It 'Terrorism'? How The Media Cover Attacks By Muslim Perpetrators

Monday, June 19, 2017

In the last five years, 12 percent of terrorist attacks in the U.S. were carried out by Muslims and more than 50 percent by far right extremists. So why the media focus on "Islamic terrorism"?

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Rap on Trial: How An Aspiring Musician's Words Led To Prison Time

Monday, June 12, 2017

Olutosin Oduwole was a college student and aspiring rapper when he was charged with "attempting to make a terrorist threat." We explore how perceptions of rap music may have played a role.

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The 'Thumbprint Of The Culture': Implicit Bias And Police Shootings

Monday, June 05, 2017

After a police shooting, there's often a familiar blame game: Maybe the cop was racist. Maybe the person who was shot really was threatening. Or maybe the bias that leads cops to shoot affects us all.

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Magic, Or Math? The Appeal Of Coincidences, And The Reality

Monday, May 08, 2017

This week on Hidden Brain: coincidences. Why they're not quite as magical as they seem, and the psychological reasons we can't help but search for meaning in them anyway.

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What Our Google Searches Reveal About Who We Really Are

Monday, May 01, 2017

We're often more honest when making searches on Google than when answering surveys or talking to friends. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz explains what these searches tell us about our thoughts and desires.

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Boycotts And Buycotts: How We Use Money To Express Ourselves

Monday, April 24, 2017

Many Americans are increasingly expressing their political beliefs with their wallets. Neeru Paharia explains how we use money to tell stories about ourselves, and to ourselves.

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